Razderona • DNF

10 ︴folklore

"Potes reducere."

George shot up, a breath caught in his throat. His top was drenched in sweat, sticking to his slicked skin uncomfortably. Heat licked at his flesh, and a hot chill wracked through his bones. It felt too real, the voice, the whispers.

His gaze shifted to his phone, and he reached out a hand to tap at the screen. It lit up his dark room and the time 4:46am was displayed on the bright screen.

Just a bad dream, he thought. He had had quite a few of them since joining Razderona, but they were different to this, less real.

He pushed back the covers and swung his legs out of bed, toes curling when they collided with the cold floor. Getting up, he stretched and made his way out of his room and downstairs, ambling towards the kitchen.

George was quick in pouring himself a glass of water, holding it up to his lips and chugging. His dry throat welcomed the cooled liquid happily, and he wiped his lips with the back of his hand once he was finished.

At least it was Saturday, he didn't have to worry about having to wake up for classes in a couple of hours time.

His brow shot up when he noticed something moving outside the window above the sink. Shuffling towards it, he leaned forward to peer out of it, jumping when a set of rounded eyes looked back at him.

"Sapnap?" George asked once his heart rate had calmed down a bit. He slid open the window and frowned, "what the fuck are you doing outside my window at like— four am?"

Sapnap got up from his crouched position, holding up his cupped hands. Sitting comfortably in them was a small rodent, shaped like a mouse but with two antlers instead of ears. "It's hurt, I could hear it crying from my room."

George looked at the animal, noticing the dried strands of fur that had been tainted a dark crimson. He then looked at Sapnap and furrowed his brows, "water..."

"Root beer," Sapnap confirmed with a playful, toothy grin. He then leaned forward and pushed the window open further, and much to George's dismay, started climbing through the window.

"Why the hell are you climbing in?!" George shrieked, attempting to push the raven-haired back through the window. It was a failed attempt however, and before he knew it, Sapnap was sitting in his sink. "You idiot! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Sorry," Sapnap grabbed onto George's arm to help pull himself out of the sink. "I couldn't be bothered to go around to the door."

George looked at him with a deadpan expression, and then rolled his eyes. "You're so annoying," he huffed before looking back down at him. "So what're you doing awake this early anyway?"

"I told you," Sapnap lifted up the hand he was still holding the rodent in. "I could hear it crying and I woke up, couldn't sleep with that thing going off in the background."

George scooped it from Sapnap's hands and held it up, examining the wound. It wasn't making any noises other than a few pained whimpers every now and then, and he couldn't remember hearing any noises, but then again he was distracted by his train of thought.

"I have some healing herbs upstairs," he explained, turning to jog back up the stairs with Sapnap in tow.

"From miss Uzohra's class?" Sapnap asked, watching as George flitted around his room, placing the injured animal on a small bed of moss atop his desk. "Which ones do you have?"