The Hyenas {Dreamnotfound AU}

29. What I Would Give

Clay's POV

If George wasn't at our sunset spot, and he wasn't near the flower field, or Eret's grave.. Where the hell is he? This all is only confirming what I've been so afraid of. My mind can't help itself as it takes me through the worst case scenario again, and again, and again. He's a hostage, or he's dead.

The thought of George dead, in Hyena hands, makes my stomach do a flip after which it ties itself into a knot. My head starts spinning, like I'm trying to sleep after drinking too much alcohol, and I feel nausea travel through my body. Tears start stinging in my eyes as I cautiously make my way to the ground to sit down.

Fundy crouches down beside me, rubbing his hand over my back carefully, before I feel myself break down. The tears that were teasing the corners of my eyes are now rolling down my cheeks, and I have trouble swallowing away my sobs through the lump in my throat.

"What do I do if he's dead?" I bring out, my breath hitching in my throat. Saying it out loud takes me over the edge, and I let out the sob that was desperately trying to escape from me.

"You shouldn't think like that, he could still be fine," Fundy answers, laying his hand still on my back. I hug my legs close to my chest, laying my forehead to my knees. I imagine it's George I'm holding, being safe in my arms, not a worry in the world.

He should have never become the collateral damage to my actions, he should have never needed to have a single worry about the consequences of what I did, and he should have never been afraid for his life. If he's alive still, if he's been strong enough to fight them, he shouldn't be wondering if he'll be okay. It's all my fault that his life is this way right now.

"Hey, let's go, maybe Bad and Karl have figured something out," Fundy says as he stands up again, reaching his hand out to help me up. I lift my head from my knees and decide we might as well go back. George is not here, and it's no use waiting here for him to come back. 

I try to calm myself down on the walk back by breathing deeply and slowly, but it's hard to focus on anything other than the thoughts of doom plaguing my mind. I try to distract myself by imagining this part of the city before it turned into the home of melancholy. People used to live in these houses, unbothered, with normal every day occupations. Cars drove these streets on their way to work, or school, or wherever else they could go. The fields had children playing it them, picking flowers for their parents. At night, couples would lay in the grass looking at the stars. What I would give to look at the stars with George. 

We get back to Fundy's place fairly quickly, where we find Bad and Karl already inside. They look at us questioningly, but already know the situation as we shake our heads. The frowns on their faces tell me enough about their search as well. No George, no Skeppy. 

As the evening starts to settle in, Bad takes it upon himself to cook for everyone. Him and Karl had went to his house and picked up some supplies, so when Bad and I return to the bunker, we'll have some new food as well. We decided that for tonight though, we would stay at their place, so we can think of a course of action to take. 

After dinner, we hang around for a while, thinking in silence.

"Well, there's only one more logical place that we haven't checked," Fundy says, looking at us one by one.

"You want to go to their base?" Karl asks him. The cut on his face has been slowly healing, but it's still a bad wound. I make a mental note to help him with it later. 

"Dream and Bad have been there before, they know the way. I think it's the only option we have left," Fundy answers, meeting eyes with me. I chew on the inside of my cheek in thought, remembering what the place looked like, and how many rooms there were for people to live there.