Survivors

25. Red poppies

CW/TW: swearing

Dream POV

I hadn't left George's side since he went back into his slumber. He looked so peaceful. Not having to deal with the reality of what was going on right now.

Wilbur's dad and brother, his other one apparently; had come into town. That was three days ago. Tommy came and went from the house, only ever coming here to sleep, and that's even if he did that.

His tossing and turning in the middle of the night had annoyed me. Myself not getting practically any sleep.

I looked back to George and remember when we had first met in real life right before the world went to shit.

For months before we had met we joked about it all the time on call. George saying that he'd come to Florida in a heartbeat if I payed for his ticket. And after the millionth time of mentioning it, I said yes. It was crazy to think that I would be meeting someone who has been such and influential part of my life. He was my best friend and someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And meeting him was the best thing I had ever done, or one of them at least.

And now I look at him, knowing that I would probably never speak to him again.

That's when I fell asleep.

I woke up I the exact same house I was before, nothing had changed. Or so I thought. I immediately looked over at George, but he wasn't there. I started freaking out.

"Where is he? Where did he go?" I thought.

I stood up and ran out of the building only to see George planting red poppies beside the staircase that lead into it.

"Hello Dream." He said, putting his trowel down. "How have you been? How has living been for you?" He patted the ground next to him, wanting me to sit.

"I've been fine. It's not the same without you anymore though" I said truthfully, sitting down, "got scratched. Not fun. But you know that you saw when you woke up a few days ago."

George just blinked and replied, "huh." And went back to planting his poppies. "It's great here Dream. You should really join me. He's been trying to get Karl, Quackity, and Sapnap to stay here too. He says that all you have to do is take his hand Dream. I mean I did, and now I'm having a great time. Even though I'm alone, but you could change that." George said, grabbing my hands.

"You could change that Dream. Tsk who's hand. That's all you have to do. Take it and you'll be set free from reality and worry and pain. Take his hand and you can have everything you've ever wanted. You can have Patches back, your sister back, your parents back. You could even have me, Dream. All you have to do is take his hand." George stared me down, his eyes like knives carving their way to my soul.

"Who is he George?" I asked before seeing a man place his hand on George's shoulder. I looked up at him and it was the man from the dark.

"All you have to do is take my hand. You've refused for years. But I now have something that you're only ever going to get if you take my hand or die. And you want George back don't you? He's never going to be able to leave. You realize this right, Dream? This isn't Orpheus and Eurydice, I'm not Hades. I'm not going to offer you anything but to stay. He doesn't get to be brought back to life. But you have your option to die." The shadow man said, his hand visibly getting a tighter grip on George, who hadn't even noticed since he went back to planting his poppies.

I shook my head in disbelief. I didn't understand.

"George is dead, Dream. And all you have to do to be with him is to take my hand now and you will die yourself, but your mind will stay here. With him. Your second option is to wait until you get killed and die, meeting George at the gates late. So pick your card Dream." I hated the shadow man.

"No." I said, standing up and looking him in his eyes. "I'm not giving into your games. I'm not going to give into you. I don't even believe that George is dead. He's still alive! I know it. And I don't even know you!"

"Oh but Dream, he really is gone." The shadow man said. "And Dream," he went to take his mask off, looking me right in the eye,

"I'm you."

I woke up sweating. I grabbed George and put my ear to his heart trying to hear it beat. Nothing. I checked his pulse, nothing. He was dead. Like the shadow man had said.

I wanted to hit something. I needed to hit something.

Just then Tommy walked into the house so he could lay in bed for six hours and only sleep for twenty minutes.

"Hey Dream How are you? You look distressed?" He walked closer to see George, lifeless. "What the fuck happened here? What did you do-" Tommy asked before I had had enough.

I grabbed the gun that I had taken from the one of the guards, Skeppy, I think his name was, and pulled the trigger. Three times.

I looked over t Tommy, who just lay lifeless on the ground. Two people dead. All because of me. And the weird thing about all of this was the fact that I didn't mind it at all. I didn't mind the blood on my hands.
~~~~~~~~~~~

Word count: 962

Mwhahahhaha :]