Interaction [Dreamnotfound]

14 | Call

Ok so last time I asked for votes-

anditfeltakwardsothatsnotgonnahappenagain

Yeah-

-Cas

George's heart was beating at twice its usual rate. The silence on the other side of the line was deafening.

"C-Clay...?"

He heard a soft thump, and then a voice.

"Who the hell are you, and how are you calling me?"

George exhaled shakily. "I'm... I'm George. We used to work together, I think...?"

More silence. Then, the voice on the other side spoke again.

"I don't know who you are, or how you're phoning me right now, but please leave me alone. I can't risk getting caught having an interaction-" he spit out the word - "with somebody I don't even know who claims to have worked with me before. Just leave me alone. Trust me, its better for the both of us."

George heard him move as if to hang up. "No, nonono, don't hang up, please!"
The line remained silent.

George pressed on. "We were coworkers, remember? We programmed something, before lockdown - wait, no, you're in Florida, aren't you? There's a lockdown in London, and the government is after me, I don't know what to do-"

He was cut off. "Wait - George?"
George grinned. "Yeah!"

He heard an inhale on the other side of the line. "But we barely worked together! We were there for like three days before interactions were forbidden -"

"And we really hit it off, I guess," George replied, the grin on his face growing.

"So- I mean, why did you call?"
The smile rapidly disappeared.

"Well... I made a kinda program that allows me to make calls to other people-"
He was interrupted once again by a large bump of the glider, throwing him forwards violently. "Augh- sorry-"

Clay's voice resounded on the line. "What are you doing-"

George sighed. "Long story. Anyways, I'm on a Glider, and I was hoping I could fly to Florida..."
He trailed off. Now that the plan was being said, it didn't seem nearly as smart as it had in his head.

Clay, however, was enthusiastic. "And stay with me? Yeah, totally, that would be great-"
George cut him off. "It's not that easy. I have no idea how to fly this thing, or where I'm going-"
Clay sighed. "Wait, George, why are you running away?"
George winced. "Well, the program I made... It didn't really work, and now my Dad's been taken, my Mom is god knows where, and I'm running away, I guess..."

On the other side of the line, Clay frowned. "But can't they track you? How are you meant to get away?"
George shook his head, then remembered Clay couldn't see him. "No, I programmed it so that I'm not being tracked."
Clay whistled approvingly. "Pretty neat. Did you say you were on a Glider? Like one of those government airship things?"
"Yep," George responded. "It's really cool. I'm not sure how to use it, but it's going pretty fast, I think -"
He was inurupted yet again by a soft crackling, and then a hum.

Why hello there.

The voice, coming from his built in speakers on the Glider, was both menacing and a bit sardonic.

"Clay? Hold on a second-"
Look behind you.

So George did.

His breath caught in his chest. He couldn't breathe.