Aether's Legacy | Elysium [Dreamnotfound]

Georgie's First Visit to Georgia

The drive to Georgia was as irritating as George had predicted. Yet, miraculously, he somehow managed to get some of his book reading done despite Sapnap's constant and exaggerated "are-we-there-yet's" (which he was doing on purpose), Skeppy's insistence to change the radio station every five minutes, and Dream occasionally slamming the steering wheel every time a car blocked his lane.

And what's more, they quickly discovered that lady luck wasn't on their side.

The truck broke down three hours into their drive through the middle of nowhere, so they had no choice but to push the old vehicle a few miles down the road (correction: Dream forced Skeppy and George to push while he sat on the wheel and Sapnap remained at a safe distance away from burning down their only means of transportation).

It was until mid-afternoon that they reached some semblance of civilization (or at least something that bore on the definition of civilization).

It was a dead-end town with a forgettable name in the countryside. Even in the light of the afternoon sun, most of the downtown buildings were run-down and slowly being engulfed by shrubs, vines, and uncut grass. The roads were desolate, and the wind sang its lonesome melody to the invading flora. George would've thought it was a ghost town had it not been for the sole, dilapidated mechanic shop at an intersection with a buzzing open sign hung at the front.

"You know, when you told us you had a ride, I was kinda expecting something that would actually work," Sapnap grumbled when they finally managed to park the truck outside the establishment.

"Eh, beggars can't be choosers." Dream gave a shrug before he opened the door. The bell at the front dinged.

"Hello?" Skeppy asked when they walked inside. "Hellooo? Anybody home?"

They ambled through the dusty and cramped room which looked like a mix between a mechanic and an old item's shop. As he weaved through the aisles, George slid his finger over the wooden tables and the artifacts on display.

A forlorn gust of wind grazed the back of his neck, and as goosebumps ran down the sides of his arms, he found himself looking at the closed door behind him. He hugged himself when he caught the haunting murmurs of the voice in his nightmares like the wind's voice was a herald to an inevitable disaster.

It's all in your head, he reassured himself as he held his pendant tight and blinked his eyes shut. Nothing's going to go wrong as long as you keep yourself in check.

I don't suggest you try anything risky. Sarah's words echoed in his head. Not with the way your abilities appear to be affecting you.

The sound of shuffling near the counter caught their attention. An old man swiped open the curtain covering the archway behind the register and scrutinized them with his expression etched into a cranky frown.

The man released a mix between a cough and a clear of his throat while stepping toward the counter. As his eyes skimmed them, he scrunched his nose in disgust.

"What do you kids want?"

Dream stepped up, unfazed by the man's grumpy demeanor and brash tone. "Our truck broke down, and we need someone to take a look at it."

The man looked over Dream's shoulder to eye the truck parked outside skeptically before he met his eyes again. "It'll cost you."

"We have money."

He gave a loud sigh and then let out an unpleasant and ashy snort like he was used to smoking one too many cigarettes during his day. He pushed past them carelessly, and Dream followed with his hands in his pockets. The rest of them trailed behind him like three little ducklings shielding themselves from the intimidating man.