CHAPTER 19 - FAITH
Orlando, Florida, Thursday, 12:36 p.m.
George saw the light of the sun seeping through the last door only a few staircase steps away. He, Dream, and Karl's spirit wandered up the spiral. The Omega didn't know if he believed that the wolf was really here with him and Dream.
He first heard him when he was clawing away from a randomly appearing portal yanking him towards it. The Omega still hadn't fully gotten over what happened no more than 5 minutes ago.
Then he remembered before the portal formed, the marking. George brought a shaky hand to his neck. It had stopped bleeding, though scarlet red blood still littered most of his neck. He hated the feeling of drying blood on a throbbing wound.
It still felt like the lion's fangs were deep in his neck. He couldn't get the situation out of his head, it disturbed him heavily. The first time he saw the lion he was almost happy to see him go. But this time, he was much more aggressive.
He still remembered the way the Alpha was tearing up nature's floor, desperately trying to escape the mouth of the endless portal. Even though he was trying to drag George down with him, the Omega couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for the lion.
But he had to move on, he could not keep thinking when Karl was releasing extremely heavy scents. It stank of… Grief? Why would Karl, in this situation, feel grief?
George knew something happened to the wolf. Now he wished he could see and comfort his friend. But it was the wrong place and time to do so.
At last, they were at the door leading to the rooftop. All three of them were panting, but it was strange to hear Karl's breath. George was about to open the door, but it seemed the wolf was a step ahead.
A beep unlocked the door, he guessed Karl had obtained a card along the way. The door swung open to reveal a giant flat surface.
As he walked into the open, he saw solar panels and a huge satellite. George felt out of place here, it looked like only mechanics came up here. The door suddenly slammed closed behind them.
"How are we supposed to get down?" Dream took a shaky step closer to the edge.
George didn't know the answer, and Karl seemed to ignore him. "Look!" The wolf called. Nor did the Alpha or Omega know where he was directing. But it didn't take long to find out.
Far below, clouds of dust were surrounding almost the entire ground. And throughout it, was a musky white van circling in donuts in the distance.
"Is that Nick and Quackity?" Dream light-heartedly chuckled. His hair was fluffed and getting pulled in the wind. It weirdly looked like he hadn't been trapped in a lab for days at all. The sun shimmered on his what used to be tan skin. It was almost as pale as his own.
George quickly stopped himself, They were on top of a building they had no idea how to get down. The Omega thought for a moment, staring intensely at the circling white van. He flicked his ear, the sirens were still going off inside the building, though they were muffled out here. Especially when the wind was raking at him like claws.
The Omega continued to think, but he couldn't. Down below, it sounded like the guards had had enough. George heavily flinched at a nearby gunshot.
"We need to get their attention!" The Omega called instinctively. He couldn't imagine Sapnap or Quackity getting shot. "Wait!" Karl yelled. Over the muffled alarms in the building, George could hear the wolf calling someone.
"Karl!" A scratchy, panicked voice rose from the invisible phone. It was Sapnap on the other side of the phone.
"We are on top of the building, we don't know how to get down!" The wolf unnecessarily howled, though, it was hard to hear much at such a height.
The wind was uncomfortably blowing in George's ears, making anything else barely audible. "Okay, wait there!" The panda commanded. Like they could go anywhere in the first place.
The van sending up dust clouds did a few more circles before steering out of view from the guards' gunshots. George watched the white vehicle turn around one of the corners of the building, sheltered from any more dangers.
Both doors swung open and the Omega could see the top of Sapnap's and Quackity's heads getting out hurriedly. The duck peered up to see him and Dream looking back at him. Meanwhile, the panda had opened the back doors and dragged mattresses out from it.
George cringed, secretly crossing his fingers that the two wouldn't be seen by anyone else. Then, Quackity helped Sapnap hoist the mattress on the rooftop of the van.
Beside him, Dream suddenly took a step back, the Omega saw him swallow heavily. "No, no, no." He panicked. When George looked back down, both Quackity and Sapnap were looking up, standing beside the van. Although he couldn't see their facial expressions from so far up, he guessed they were growing impatient.
"Are you sure about this Karl?" The Omega quickly went to Karl for advice, the wolf always knew what was happening and was wiser than everyone else. In most, if not all situations.
"I…I don't know" He choked out almost forcefully. George felt a subtle panic rock itself inside him. What do you mean you don't know? You always know. He argued with himself internally. His tail swang side to side aggressively.
Even when he couldn't see Karl, something wasn't sitting right with him. Whatever it was, the wolf pushed it away. "We don't have much time!" George fretted when Karl continued to stay silent. All three of them flinched at a nearby gunshot.
"I know! George, can you go first?" Karl spat. The Omega didn't want to go first, but someone had to. He glanced shakily at Dream. "Go after me okay?" George spoke dully. The Alpha hesitated but nodded after a while.
Something hit the Omega, this felt like a suicide mission. What they were doing was risky and stupid. It could end in, worst case, death. But they didn't have any other choice. George looked over at the doors they came from.
He froze, the doors had windows on the top half of them. And through them, he saw shadows approaching up the stairs. The Omega quickly pointed to the oncoming silhouettes. "Look!" He yelled. Directing Dream and the wolf to look over.
"You need to go now!" Karl shouted. His voice had traveled from one side of the roof to the other. Despite his hesitation before, he instantly took control this time. George flicked his ear at a slam on the doors.
Karl was holding them closed. "Go idiots!" The wolf retorted from afar. The Omega immediately glanced at Dream. He knew both of them had so many questions but little time.
"Make sure to go after me" George insisted. The Alpha cheesed. The Omega took a breath, he walked himself sketchily to the edge. Sapnap and Quackity were still waiting below. He was trembling at the height, but he shook it away. The last thing they needed was George to look scared in front of Dream.
At last, he tipped himself forward, letting the wind have his weight and life. It all felt unreal, he hated this feeling. The wind blasted in his face, his movements useless against the pressure of the fall. He grasped for any sort of air, but it was impossible. Time had struck so it felt like he was in the air for mere minutes, not seconds.
Abruptly, the gust of wind turned him so he fell facing upwards. He could have sworn for a second he saw Dream's silhouette glancing down at him. Like he was the one who pushed him off. But his hair was whipped in his face before he could see any more. His tail was uncomfortably getting pulled upwards against his side.
His eyes burned and watered from the cold breeze. The Omega desperately wanted to choke out a cry of fear. But before he could do so, he suddenly made great contact with the mattress.
Everything went black, and his ears rang. He had lost what little air he had left in his lungs, and he couldn't find the ability to catch it back. All his muscles tensed, and his heart was beating faster than the whole scene that was happening around him. The mattress seemed to suppress most of his fall, but the contact he made was aching.
George's entire back throbbed, and shock bolted through his body. Adrenaline pulsed throughout his veins. He flinched when he felt hands grasp his body. His brain alarmed him to do something, but his body wouldn't let him.
He felt like he was paralyzed. His mind was wide awake, but he couldn't do anything about what was happening around him. At last, the shock had let his lungs open up again. And George inhaled heavily. It took him long seconds to get his breath back.
The scent of Quackity and Sapnap warmed him, he felt himself being carried and placed inside the van. Sitting and leaning hard on the inside walls of the van. He had never been in this van in his life, but it felt like home. The scent of his friends faded away.
George's vision returned, it was fuzzy at first. But he adjusted and the high rays of sunlight sat on him. He only sat for a moment, regaining his consciousness, staring at the light on his legs. He was wearing the same clothes when he first arrived at this place. Baggy grey sweatpants and a black shirt.
Once he gained enough self-control, he glanced around the vehicle. The Omega was taken aback when he saw a body leaning against suitcases pressed against the passenger and driver's seat.
But before he began to scramble away. He was shocked to realize that it was Karl. However, his breathing was not consistent, and he was limp. For a moment George mistakenly thought he was dying. It could have easily been guessed with his limbered breathing and still body.
The Omega jumped when a deafening crash rocked the vehicle. Dream! He gasped. Was his that loud? Either way, it did not sound right. Next thing he knew he heard a wicked groan and scrambling.
George sighed a breath of relief, Sapnap and Quackity were carrying the Alpha. Half awkwardly at his weight. When they knew Dream was sitting upright, they went and grabbed the mattresses back down.
Even when the Alpha was unconscious, it didn't stop the sun from lighting up his face. His locks looked beautiful in the sun. But George was quickly separated from his thoughts when the mattresses were shoved in between them. The Omega spotted many pillows scattered in the van too.
Sapnap had two hands on both of the back doors and slammed them shut. George was slightly disappointed at the lack of sun, it suddenly felt cold and isolated back here. It felt weird being in the presence next to two barely awake bodies.
He was thankful for the sun coming back through the top half of the back doors that had windows. It peaked its minimal light on the mattresses, he sighed.
The Omega shuffled where he sat. Then he realized. Is Karl here? The wolf's body was, but where was his spirit? Quackity and Sapnap entered the driver's and passenger's seats at the same time.
"Where's Karl?" George called to the duck and panda. He saw them share a glance, Sapnap turned back to the road and started the engine. "He told us he'll be fine." He answered.
The Omega didn't recall Karl telling the panda he'd be fine, let alone drive off without him. Something told him that Sapnap wasn't telling him the full answer. It felt wrong when the wolf was most likely still stuck on the roof holding the doors.
"How will he–" George was cut off by the engine roaring up. The panda powered down on the acceleration pedal. And he, Dream, Karl, and the mattresses were practically thrown towards the back.
The Omega's lungs were crushed, he was sick of losing his breath so easily. It fucked his heartbeat up and it made his head spin. He looked around, he felt as useless as the two bodies around him. He needed to do something.
But he could barely keep himself awake, let alone try and stand up in a rapidly moving van. George shot a glance past the suitcases, that he realized were strapped to the seats. Though, before he knew it, the panda was aggressively turning the wheel. And the brunette began to slide again.
The Omega twitched when a bullet hit the outside shield behind him. It echoed and felt like it made the van rock even at the turns they were going. George shook the feeling away and was able to look outside the back door window. He clambered onto his knees and watched with stretched eyes.
At first, he saw the building's wall, and then he realized they were driving out and into the open from the corner. The wheels below him seemed to struggle to get a grip on the dry, desert sand. He felt a small relief when they finally started to make some ground away from the building.
All three, awake passengers in the van screamed in fright when a massive bang hit the top of the van. For a millisecond George was convinced that whatever hammered into the roof was bound to break through and fall on the Omega.
"What the fuck was that?" Sapnap called demandingly. Still has his eyes on the front. "Was it one of the workers on top of the van?" George replied and shivered. Surely if it was a person that made that loud of a bang would be unconscious or horribly injured.
"We have to get them off!" Quackity complained. The Omega instantly knew the panda understood even though he did not reply. Because everything in the back began sliding back and forth. His ears were flat against his head, he was already dizzy enough.
But, even with his ears down, he heard muffled cries for help. "Sapnap! Quackity! Stop!..." At first, he thought it was one of the still bodies kicking awake from the movement, but he knew it wasn't. And at once George knew it was the person clinging to the top of the van.
Karl!
"Stop! Stop! Sapnap, it's Karl!" The Omega yelled, his tail bristling for the wolf. Surely he would be thrown off the roof by now. "What the fuck?" The panda had perked up, and George caught a glimpse of heavy concern in his grey eyes in the rearview mirror.
Immediately Sapnap paused swerving the wheel. His tensed bones in his hands gave his stress away. Then George had a thought, do spirits feel pain? It made his stomach want to shrivel up in twists on this whole situation, it all didn't feel real.
If the wolf could truly feel pain he would be in critical condition by now. But he was caught off guard when Karl's voice screamed right outside the back doors. "George! Unlock the door!" The wolf cried. It broke the Omega to hear his heart-shattering tone.
George frantically looked for any sign to open the back doors, but that idea set off many problems in his head. He guessed Karl was clinging onto anything on the outside back doors of the hastily moving van.
They were a fair distance from the building now, and Sapnap was driving them away. But not far enough for the guards and lab workers to stop their attempts. It took everything out of him when he heard the shot of a gun. The noise felt so much louder, especially when he knew his friend's life was clinging onto the back of a van.
George knew it was over when he caught a glimpse of a black van charging after theirs. It appeared to be much more battle-proof than theirs. As he struggled to find any sign of an opening, he heard a gun fire.
When he realized the bullet was heading straight for the window, he practically dived away just in time, only for both windows to shatter inside the van everywhere. He let out a wail of pain, many shards, too many to count, were thrown at him and sliced his arms and clothing.
"Fuck!" Shouted Sapnap, obviously hearing the window shatter. George was now leaning against the wall, staring at his body in disbelief. Blood was welling up all the cuts, and then the stinging came. Pieces of glass were still attached and in his skin.
"George! Holy shit are you okay?" Karl's voice echoed almost right beside his ear. The wolf must have climbed through the new opening to get so close. The Omega attempted to choke out something but was overcome with tears instead. The pain, the situation, and he felt like fainting from the adrenaline, was all too much to hold back. The new harsh cold breeze coming from the open window didn't help either.
"Okay, okay. Everything okay." The wolf's voice was straining. Over his sobs and quick inhales, the vans driving, he still heard Karl's footsteps heading towards the mattress that had been pressed against the suitcases.
A tear rolled down his warm cheek when he saw the rest of the van. Shards of glass littered the floor, and the glass had even made it so far that there were a few bleeds on Dream and Karl's bodies.
Next, he saw the mattress moving and was put flat on the floor. It felt wrong staring and something moving by itself. Then, one of the top suitcases was unzipped and opened. George watched intensely, trying to take his mind off the harsh stinging. He watched Karl take the same straps used to hold the suitcases in place.
Such straps were laid across the mattress and attached to the wall. Holding the makeshift bed down. It was hard to hear much over the wind pulsing through the new open window, creating a deafening noise they could not help.
"George, come onto the mattress." The wolf stated, that the Omega did not protest. He half dragged himself towards the bed, when he made it, Dream was being set down by the wolf, still unconscious.
"They're gaining on us!" Quackity exclaimed from the passenger seat, worry straining his voice. The Omega had been so focused on himself and Karl, that he hadn't noticed that now the black van following them a fair distance away. Was now no more than another van length in between them.
The next thing he knew was the black van behind them veering off the dirt road. It twisted his stomach in knots without knowing where their opponents were.
"They are off the road!" George coughed, making sure Sapnap was aware. "George lay down and relax." Karl was suddenly next to his ear telling him to relax out of all things. How could he relax in this state, both he and Dream were covered in glass, and a black van was out of sight. In what situation could he relax?
"George! Can you hear me? You're breathing way too fast, just chill out." Karl spoke, for what sounded like the second time. The Omega didn't realize he was overreacting like the wolf explained.
"Sapnap! They are beside us!" Quackity screamed. George had never heard the duck so frightened. His voice had cracked at the high pitch. The Omega sat up and twisted around to see the panda looking through the duck's side of the window.
"Give up the Omega and Alpha or we will shoot." An unknown voice he guessed coming from the black van spoke through a speaker of some sort. "Shoot?" George echoed from behind.
"Shush!" Sapnap hissed, stressed about how to get the black van out of their way. The Omega couldn't help but lose his breath, not from the panda's staring, but from shock. But he couldn't seem to catch it back again.
George gasped and struggled to find air again. "George!" Karl yelled, concerned. Suddenly the Omega felt hard to look at something and focus on it, it was all blurry. He started shivering uncontrollably. At first, he mistook it for the cold air blasting through the open window. But what Karl howled realized.
"Guys, George is having a panic attack!" The Omega found the wolf's voice hoarse and had an echo stringed to it. He desperately wanted to assure Karl he was okay, but by adding the symptoms together, he realized himself. George immediately lay back down on his back, no longer having the strength to sit upright.
"Just relax, breathe with me-" The wolf attempted to soothe George, but was cut off as Sapnap swerved the vehicle off the road, the Omega guessed to distance themselves from the other van. Luckily the mattress was locked in place. But the sudden shift made him feel sick. Making him feel shittier in this situation.
He desperately wanted to close his eyes and vanish, his eyes were getting heavier by the second. All he could focus on was his throbbing body and limbered breathing.
"Sapnap!" George couldn't distinguish whose voice it was. But next thing he knew was another window shattering, and a horrid scream following. He flinched, and suddenly thought it was the back window again, he tried to shuffle away. But he realized it wasn't the back window.
"Quackity!" Another voice cried. At this point, the Omega wouldn't even be able to tell if it were his voice calling. "Fuck!" Another wailed. George desperately wanted to help his friends, but he couldn't think straight. It was like he was trapped and stuck in this state that he never wanted to be in.
Arching his back, George finally was able to catch a breath again. His heart was pounding so fast it almost hurt. Just when the Omega thought it was all over, there was another mighty bang. He sloppily realized it was another gunshot. And it made an unpleasant bang sound following it. And it sounded like it was right beside him.
Next thing George knew it felt like they were going over speedbump after speedbump. And he felt the van slow down relentlessly. "They've popped one of our tires!" The Omega finally was able to recognize Sapnap's worry call.
So many variety of scents exploded inside the van even at the Lack of awake people. Fear, worry, pain, and frustration filled the air. Even with the unwanted open windows, it still felt uncomfortable to sit in damp, overwhelming air.
George shuffled uneasily, everything suddenly felt cramped in here. His clothes felt too tight, the wind was getting too loud for his ears. The smell made his eyes water, and he started to feel faint again. Something told him trouble practically liked to follow him and torment him and anyone around him.
Quackity in the front seat groaning at the pain of the glass made the Omega cower. He knew it was his doing, and, he fucked his breath again.
"George, it's okay, breath with me." Karl soothed him as soon as he realized his breathing messed up again. But, how could he focus on Karl? He felt like they were going over bumps repeatedly. Not to mention the blasting wind making it next to impossible to hear someone. His entire body throbbed, he just wanted to get home and curl into a ball for centuries.
However, he was going to focus on Karl, but not before the panda could scream up front. "Everyone fucking hold on!" He blurted grimly. However, the Omega did not have enough time or strength to do so.
Practically in the same heartbeat Sapnap spoke, the van was instantly swerved into the direction of the road. They had previously been off the road for some time. At first, George thought he was only putting the van back on the road. But it was a bit rough for redirecting their van. Especially with injured people in the back.
But, the Omega's question was unfortunately solved. Next thing he knew Sapnap had thrown the wheel and the van way harsher than George could ever imagine. The swerve alone was enough to hurl him off the mattress and into the wall not far off.
Dream's limp body crushed him against the wall further, losing what little breath he had left. What made everything worse, was the ruthless crash they made with the other van on the outside wall the Omega was trapped against.
The collision made his head recoil out, and clash with the wall again with a mighty bang. Raw pain suddenly burst on where he was hit. He swore the clash was louder than lightning itself.
However, the smash was the last thing he felt before, at last, he was knocked out. All he heard was a desperate call from Karl, but, it was the last thing he heard. Darkness overcame him and he gladfully accepted it knowing pain wouldn't follow him when he went into the blackness.