Night in The Mall ~ A Karlnap and Dreamnotfound Short Story

~5~

Karl POV:

One thing has changed since Sapnap was taken away. No guards are seen in sight. Apparently they leave for a couple of hours until the clock strikes four, where their shift resumes. Or at least that's what I overheard from one of their walkytalkies.

Like I said, only one thing has changed, but the rest has stayed the same. I am still in a state of shock, but it's slowly progressing to get worse and worse.

Thoughts fly through my mind. Where did they take Sapnap? Is he still in the mall, or is he somewhere else. If so, where is he, the police station? 

I grit my teeth in anger. That lady caused us nothing but trouble. If I wasn't so caught up with how Sapnap acted earlier I could have stopped him from eating it. I'm lucky I'm even conscious right now! Without George I would be out like a light, and probably taken away to wherever Sapnap remains now.

Speaking of George, the brunette rubs my back and squeezes my hand. He notices my clear distress and attempts to calm me down, but nothing can stop the waves of sadness and madness crashing down on me.

Dream watches us confused. He only just got out of his drunk trance.

"So, what happened?"

I try to choke out words but the only thing that comes out is tears. Warm salt streaks paint my face and leave temporary stains. They're scars that remind me of my mistake. I put the blame on me.

George explains, seeing I can't.

"Remember the lady?"

Dream nods his head.

"She gave us lotus plants. So time went by a lot quicker than we thought. Meaning the mall closed earlier than we thought. Luckily I figured it out right before it closed and knocked the most recent treats out of your guy's hands, but I only have two arms, so I missed Sapnap's. He was so out of it that he got up and as you saw a guard took him away. So yeah, hope that is enough for your lotus fried brain."

Dream rolled his eyes at George, then shifted his gaze to me.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dream POV:

Crystal clear tears trickle down Karl's face. His eyes are glossy, and I can only imagine how blurry his vision is. My expression softens. How could someone so sweet and innocent look so broken?

Karl is like a brother to me. My ride or die. I can't think of one dull talk or moment between us two. He's done so much for me and I've done so much for him. I literally saved him from falling off of the hotel roof. I laugh internally and reminisce the moment. Karl jumping over the Hotel balcony railing while George and I hook our arms to hold him up. The look on Phil's face was priceless! He was absolutely terrified! 

The good times remind me of how far we have come. Karl was so happy, now he's so gloomy. I can't bare to see him in this state.

I clear my throat and look at Karl in the eyes.

"What would you want to do?"

The fluffy haired boy points at himself.

"Me?"

"Yes you. What do you want to do right now?"

He wipes his tears from his face.

"I... I want to find Sapnap."

I close my eyes and sigh. I'm not disappointed, or upset, I in fact expected that answer. I open my eyes and look at George this time. I know I'm about to do and say something that will probably stress him out, but it's worth it for Karl.

"Then go."

George looks at me with wide eyes, Karl doing the same.

"What?"

"You heard me, go and find him."

George shakes his head aggressively.

"Dream, are you crazy? We already lost Sapnap, we can't split up anymore! None of us know this mall and we don't have any idea what floor Sapnap is on! If we were to do that we would need a solid plan and a team. There's no way we're splitting up."

"Karl will figure it out. He's smart and can do anything if he puts his mind to it. He'll be fine!"

"And what happens if he gives up mid way because he gets lost?"

"I won't,"

Karl chips in.

"I have motivation. And even if I get lost I'll find my way. We have till four, that's plenty of time."

"No it's not! This place has like eight plus floors! If you get lost you'll need to search the whole floor, then look for an escalator or elevator!"

"Please George-"

"And we're and odd number of people! We can't split up without someone being alone!"

"But George-"

"No! It's final! We can find Sapnap as a team."

Karl shakes his head.

"But I want to go now! You want to make a plan then go find him, which would waste time. Five hours is plenty of time to find Sapnap, and even faster alone. It's like hide and seek, just... well obviously bigger."

"Karl, i understand your point of view but you have to understand mine! My plan is more reasonable, more precise, and better planned. We can't just go off the bat, we need a solid plan."

Karl crosses his arms. Although most of his emotions have been paused by George's argument, tears still roll down his face.

I grab onto George's hand, stunning him. His eyes widen, and his cheeks flush a warm red.

"D-Dream?"

I cup his chin in my hand and lean in close. I can feel his breath radiating on mine. I get caught into his eyes. Big bold brown pupils and doe eyes. Smooth lips plumped to perfection, which no one other than him could pull off. Long thick lashes. Layers pile on top of each other and sway when he blinks.

I feel hypnotized, but I swear George is too. We both look at each other with hazy longing eyes. I can tell there's something there that wasn't there before. 

I take a deep breath in, but instead of closing the distance I signal Karl.

"Go."

The older scurries off from under the table, booking it so George would not be able to catch up if he tried. After some struggle of getting his hand out of mine, George rises from the table as well, not even making an effort to chase after the long gone boy. He's still in a stunned state. 

I come out and stand side by side to the brunette. George looks at me with dark eyes. The life and doe-ness I saw before has disappeared. The only sign of life left on his face is his pink blush. 

George looks down at his nails, and picks them, slowly descending back down to under the table.