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“I’m going to kill all of them.”
Sapnap watched George with pain brewing in his heart. He understood. How could he not? Dream was taken from them on what was meant to be a routine supply run. They hadn’t meant to run into hunters. Especially not the hunters that George had once been a part of before he met and teamed up with the two hybrids. Well, hybrid and Admin.
They’d barely escaped themselves. And Dream had given himself up so they could get away. Sapnap was already positive he was going to have nightmares about Dream pushing him away from the hunters as he got grabbed from behind. He knew he was going to see his best friend’s idiot smile when he woke up screaming.
He was desperate to hope that he would see it again as Dream comforted him that it had been alright in the end.
George had been blaming himself from the very beginning of it. He thought it was his fault. He thought the hunters went after them so hard because they recognized him. That the only reason they were targeting Sapnap and Dream as much as they were was because they were his friends and the hunters wanted revenge. He was angry and upset and scared but neither one of them wanted to say their fears out loud in case they became true.
“They’re going to die. All of them. I’ll kill all of them. Sapnap we’re getting Dream back.”
They were trying to gather their supplies from camp. They hadn’t gotten what they needed from the village but that was all but forgotten in the face of Dream being kidnapped by hunters. Every hybrid had a risk when being with hunters. They were sought after for different reasons. A bee hybrid would be forced to slavery for their gardening and honey or set into an arena to be hunted. Their wings would be mounted on walls and their gentle natures made sadistic buyers feel good about being able to over power them. Blaze hybrids like Sapnap were wanted for their fire. They were forced into positions as bodyguards or personal protectors. Kept against their will with the threat of being doused. Some even were before they were broken and forced into their work. They were treated as attack dogs and tools.
Admins were nearly gods. They were rare and powerful and buyers thought if they could break one they would become gods. They’d heard rumors about Admins who’d been taken. How they were tortured and drugged and broken. How they were used as weapons without thoughts of their own. How they had begged to be killed when they were found because they didn’t know if they could control themselves anymore.
The thought of any of it happening to Dream made Sapnap want to scream. He wanted to set the hunters on fire. He wanted to watch the flesh melt off their bones while he took Dream and ran. George was thinking along the same lines. Both of them had fear and blood lust in their eyes as they readied their armor and weapons.
Dream was theirs. And they were going to get him back.
He was their best friend. He was there for both of them all the time. He was a protector to both of them. When there was any danger all they ever had to do was yell for Dream and he would come save them. There was a time both George and Sapnap had been pinned and were screaming for Dream to save them. To this day neither of them know where he came from. He appeared from nowhere and struck down the threats in moments. He saved them.
Now they had to save him.
As quickly as they could they made their way to the hunter’s camp. George knew their patterns. He knew their tricks. So while both of them wanted to run in weapons blazing to get their friend out they knew they couldn’t. They had to be careful. They had to plan this. They couldn’t let Dream be hurt because they’d decided to be reckless with him in the crosshair. They worked their way around tripwires and catches. Sapnap fought to keep himself calm with every trap they ran into. George’s eyes darkened each time he saw a trap going farther than the standard security for a base.
“Dream’s being a threat to them.”
Sapnap wanted to laugh. He wanted to take joy and pride at the mental image of his best friend spitting in the face of his captors. But George didn’t sound relieved or proud or any of that. He sounded more worried.
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
George shook his head.
“No. It means they’ll do more to make him docile. Easier to transport. If they have any of that Admin drug they’ll use it.”
Cold fear sank into Sapnap’s heart at the words. Most sedatives didn’t work on Admins. Their abilities made their metabolisms run faster and it burned through things too quickly for them to have an effect. It happened with different hybrid types as well. Certain things would work and others wouldn’t. But the Admin’s who’d been caught in the past had talked about what happened to them. They’d shared the information. And the others had destroyed every sample of the drug they could find.
Admin’s were rare. Dream was one of the youngest but already he’d become powerful. If these hunters had any of the drug, if they used it on Dream. It could end disastrously. For the first time in his life Sapnap was praying that Dream wouldn’t fight. That he would use his big brain instead of letting his stubbornness run him. That he would know when to stop to save his life.
His hopes shattered the moment he saw through the treeline and into the camp. Hunters milled around the outskirts. Setting up a perimeter to protect their prize. Their prize which happened to be his best friend. Dream was tied to a post in the center of the camp. His arms above his head and his body slouching. He was facing the pole. Leaning into it in a cold mockery of a hug. He looked like he was standing more on the reliance of the rope rather than his own strength as his feet struggled to find purchase on even ground.
George’s breathing hitched beside him and Sapnap felt his own heart plummet. Something was wrong with Dream. His head lolled and dipped towards his chest but it was hard to see him when he was facing away.
“Sapnap,” George’s voice was carefully even. Fury and panic lining his tone and giving him a dangerous edge that few ever heard and lived to talk about. “I’m going to get the hunters. You get Dream. As soon as you have him out of the ropes you need to start a fire and run. Make them burn. I’ll handle the rest.”
“What are you-”
“We don’t have time. I’m going to make them regret taking him. Just get him out. I’ll meet you at the river.”
They moved after that. Splitting up in different directions as George ran to the front of the camp and Sapnap snuck around the tents towards the center. He didn’t have to worry about being too quiet. From what he could tell with how quickly the hunters were racing to the front George was already making quite the scene.
The second he thought the coast was clear Sapnap was racing towards the center. Trying his best to look over his brother in all but blood and get a response but Dream stayed pliant in his hands as he moved him. He could see his eyes were closed. A thin trail of blood leaking from his temple down the side of his face. Hopefully that meant it was just a concussion and that he wasn’t drugged. Even though concussions could be dangerous it was still preferable to having your free will and control stripped away for good.
“Dream? Hey, can you hear me?”
His brows were pinched like he was in pain so it wasn’t hopeless. And when he heard his voice Dream was dragging his eyes open to squint up at Sapnap.
“You came back?”
Sapnap felt his heart break a bit.
“Of course, idiot. George is distracting them. I’m getting you out of here and starting a fire so they don’t chase us. Did they drug you?”
He needed to know. They had to be careful with him until it was out of his system if it was. They needed to get him safe and secure before they caused any damage to him. He was hoping that it was nothing more than a concussion. That Dream would need nothing than to sleep and rest. But then Dream was nodding and closing his eyes again and Sapnap felt like his world was falling apart.
“Okay, okay.”
He cut off the ropes around Dream’s wrists. He fell against Sapnap nearly as soon as they were gone to hold him up. Sapnap pulled him up. Wrapped an arm around his torso and pulled one of Dream’s arms over his shoulders.
“I’ve got you. You’re safe. Just hold on. Okay?”
“I bit one of them..”
Despite the situation and how worried he was for his friend’s safety Sapnap laughed at the words. Dream was slurring and mumbled but he sounded so proud of himself. Maybe it wasn’t the Admin drug. Maybe it was something else. Maybe they hit him with weakness that just got amplified from the head wound. Maybe they were going to be okay.
“Yeah?”
“Drew blood…said I was rabid..”
Sapnap scoffed. Dragging Dream along and letting sparks fall from his fingers and onto a tent they were passing by. The fire flared up immediately. Hopefully they were fast enough to get George out before things got too messy. But he was a good fighter and there were few things comparable to the Dream Team protective and angry.
“They said you were rabid?”
He was about to continue by cursing the hunters. Call them the real monsters for viewing them like animals. But Dream was leaning further into him and giggling to himself with pride.
“I did. Wanted to scare them. Make them let me go cause..cause I was damaged.”
The humor died when the words passed Dream’s lips. The world they lived in was cruel. They couldn’t even be healthy without having to be worried about being destroyed. He held Dream a little tighter. Assuring himself that he made it in time. That Dream was still there. That he was still alive and alright.
They made their way to the river. Slowly but surely. George was already there when they got there. He was singed in some places. Soaked and sweat and Sapnap could already see cuts and forming bruises along his body. But George lit up when he saw Dream stumbling along off his side. They let Dream sit for a bit. Let him rest on the ground while George looked him over and ran through the same checks that Sapnap had.
They didn’t calm down until they were back in their own camp. Dream sleeping peacefully between them while Sapnap and George shared a look.
“We almost lost him.”
He couldn’t help the fear that slipped into his voice.
“But we didn’t. And we won’t.”
George sounded so sure.
“The world has to try harder than that to split us up.”
“We’re the Dream Team. We’ll always be together. No matter what.”