The Hyenas {Dreamnotfound AU}

1. Masked Savior

George's POV

I do exactly what I am not supposed to do. Rumors I've heard within the Safe Border echo through my mind as I wander the empty streets. The buildings around me are decades old, maybe even centuries. I'm not very up to date on my history knowledge of the city. They do look as if they could collapse at any given moment though, so I restrict myself from walking close to them. A falling facade could be the end of me.

This part of the city is different in the dark. Streetlights flicker a soft yellowish light, illuminating the street just enough for me to navigate them. The moon is hidden between dark, menacing clouds, and the air feels thick. As if thunder could strike any minute. I mentally prepare myself for a lightning strike that could pierce the dark, but it doesn't come. 

There are no usual city sounds. No cars passing by, airplanes flying over, hell, there is barely any sound from my own footsteps. I glance at my watch. 2:56 AM. If what they say is true, it will be four more minutes until it starts. Until there will be psychotic laughter filling the air. It's been described to me as the sound of hyenas following their prey. No wonder they're being called 'The Hyenas'.

I look around for any signs of them. They can't come from nowhere, right? If they even exist. I have never seen them before. I have only heard stories of them, of how you have no chance left once they spot you. You're a dead man before you can even realize it. Which makes my action so reckless. But I can't go any longer without knowing. I need to kn-

My thoughts are disrupted when I'm being grabbed by my arm aggressively from behind, another gloved hand covering my mouth. I feel a figure taller than me force me to the side of the street quickly, pushing me between two houses en guiding us both through the labyrinth-like collection of alleyways. Judging by his grip on me, this person is considerably stronger than me, which is why I cooperate. But I feel a fear rise in my gut. Is this going to be the end of me? Is this person one of them? Am I going to die tonight? Did I make a mistake leaving the safe part of the city? I'm going to die and it's all my own fa-

"Do you have a fucking death wish?" The figure guiding me snarls, turning me around as we stand in one of the many alleyways, pushing my back against the wall. His arm crosses over my chest, pushing my shoulders against the bricks. I expected to be met with a face centimeters away from mine, but instead I stare at a vague mask. It's hard to distinguish what it looks like in the dark.

"I-.. I'm-..," I stutter, not knowing who this man is or what his intentions are. 

"You must be out of your goddamn mind, walking here by yourself without protection in the middle of the night," he hisses at me, pushing me harder against the wall. I push my nails into the palms of my hands, unable to move. My lack of answers causes a silence to creep over us, and he loosens his grip. 

And there it is.

The howling of high pitched voices starts echoing through the streets. My eyes widen. It's true. Fuck. 

The man with the mask is suddenly startled, looking around cautiously, trying to hear where the howls are coming from exactly. Then he turns to me again, back to the sky, and then again to me, as if pitying me. He lets out a groan and grabs my wrist. 

"We have to move, quick," he says to me sternly. I have no other choice than to do what he says. Running as hard as I can, I try to keep up with him as he leads us through the alleyways, still holding onto my wrist tightly. From behind he is just a hooded figure, running like he'll be eaten alive if he stands still for only a moment. Which is actually, probably, the exact thing that would happen. I notice the weapons attached to his belt, and the end of a sword coming out from under his hoodie. At least he'd try not to get eaten. 

He comes to a sudden stop by a tall fence, towering well over us. He removes two planks and doesn't hesitate to push me through the made gap. He follows and places the planks back with accuracy, making it look as if though nothing changed. We're met by another fence, to which he does the same, and then he opens a trapdoor in the dirt floor. I look down and see a rope ladder hanging down. He gestures for me to go down first. I look at him with hesitance. 

"Oh for fuck's sake." I can hear his eyes rolling as he sighs, and he takes the initiative to go down. "Close the door on your way down," he tells me as he descends. I look down again, wondering if death is awaiting me at the bottom, but then I hear the laughter coming closer and decide the chance of me dying is bigger out here than in there. 

I carefully follow the hooded man down the ladder en close the trapdoor above me, sliding the lock closed. The ladder swings from right to left as I make my way down, my jeans getting caught on a loose plank at the side of the tunnel, causing the fabric to rip just below my knee. Great. 

Once completely down, the man is waiting for me in a dimly lit hallway. The light allows me to study the mask a bit better. It's a plain white circle with a smiley face drawn over it. It looks made out of an old piece of wood, and it's secured to the man's head with a thick elastic band. I wonder how he can see through it, in this light I can't spot any holes in it for his eyes. 

"Follow me," he says as he turns around and takes the lead walking through the hallway. We end up in a small room. It doesn't have much in it, apart from a bed, a couch, and table with one chair. The little furniture there is, is old, stained, and looks like it'll collapse if you touch it even with your pinky finger. There's a small television across the couch, but it only displays static. The walls are lined with scrap materials, wooden planks, sheets of metal, and pieces of fabric which I assume are just meant to keep the dirt from the walls from falling off. 

I take my time looking around, before I turn to face the man with the mask again, who is just observing from a distance, leaning against the wall. I have so many questions.

"Who are you?" is the one I start with. A laugh emits from behind the mask.

"I'm your fucking savior, for all that matters." I tilt my head to the side slightly, trying to find his eyes through the mask. I notice two holes have been made, and they are covered with white fabric which he can look through. I can finally distinguish a set of eyes behind them. 

"So should I just call you 'savior' now or do you have an actual name?" I reply with more sass than intended.

"Cute," he scoffs. "For now you can call me Dream."