The Railroad

Chapter 6

In the past four hours, they had stopped once to hydrate. George was exhausted, having maybe an hour of sleep to back him up, but he refused to show it in front of Dream, who was still kicking with the same energy he'd had all day.

They had encountered no sign of life other than the mosquitoes flying around, trying to sustain themselves for the upcoming winter, and a raccoon or two. Dream made small talk, mainly just asking George random questions about himself and offering his own answers, though he was sure to stay away from topics pertaining to leaving Tallahassee.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked now. "Mine's green."

"Probably... blue. It's one of the few colors that you can still see now, it's not covered by all the devastation from the past twelve years."

"Well, that's why I like green. It's sort of like a symbol of life: it shows that things weren't always this gray and depressing. Once, a long time ago, things were better. There was a time when the world was capable of sustaining life, things would grow and everyone thrived. I think people forget sometimes, but I haven't. It's how I keep my head."

"But has everyone ever truly thrived? Like, as a whole? It seems like no matter the point in history, no matter what's going on here or in another country, people can find something to be mad about. They can find something to hate, just give them sides to argue for and against. The world isn't simply as black and white as people like to believe, whether it be Republicans and Democrats, black people and white people, gay people and straight people, women and men, humans and zombies, no one side of either is solely good or solely bad. We're all just gray, like the world now. We each do what we believe is right, regardless of how another views it."

"You know what my dad used to say?" Dream pondered. "He said that in a world of blue and red, be the purple; in a world of black and white, be the gray. Ranboo gave me a piece of advice all those years ago, something that has never left me. Choose people, not sides. Don't hate a person for their beliefs, love them for who they are and how they treat you."

"How old did you say this kid was again?" George laughed, making Dream wheeze again.

"At the time... probably 14. Now, he'd be about 17. What do you do in your freetime?"

"Next question."

"Oh, come on now. That one should be easy!" George gave Dream a look, and he sighed, annoyed. "Fine. That friend you mentioned, would you say you guys are... best friends, or just mediocre friends?"

George snorted loudly at that, slightly choking on the water he was drinking. "Best friends, I suppose. What about you? Do you have a best friend? Or any friends at all."

"I used to have one. We grew apart, though, so then it was my dad," Dream answered, smiling sourly and fondly at the same time.

"That's sad."

"Be quiet. Since I've been alone, there's never been anyone I've spent enough time with to be able to consider a friend. It's plainly the job, I'll never see these people again, never know what happened to them after I left them. Any one of them could be dead right now, it's better not to grow too attached."

"That's too depressing," George stated, receiving a glare from Dream. "I'll be your friend!"

Dream laughed for what must have been the hundredth time that day. "Alright then, princess. You can be my friend if you want. But you should know, I'm harder on my friends than clients," he teased.

"Trust me, I can handle it."

"We'll see."

They walked the rest of the day until the sun was setting once more. George could barely feel his feet moving beneath him; his head was spinning and he could barely keep his eyes open. But he still refused to be the one to suggest they stop for a break; he was stubborn in this way.

Finally, after George thought he might collapse, Dream turned to him and could tell just how tired he was. After scolding the brunet for not informing him, he made camp, and George was at last able to get some sleep.

It was quite peaceful. There was no city noise, just the quiet sounds of nature, the moonlight, and the presence of Dream a few feet away. Soft crackling came from the fire, as well as a faint warmth and dim light barely shining through George's closed eyelids. It wasn't even quite sleep, just the brunet's main thoughts taking a break while his subconscious kept watch. However it didn't need to, Dream was taking care of that on his own.

The blond didn't sleep and didn't seem to be making plans to: he remained in an upright position, gaze never fully leaving the woods beyond. Their camp was next to an abandoned railroad track; Dream was leaning on the pole of the level crossing sign and George was laying a yard away.

After three quarters of an hour had passed and George still hadn't even turned over in his sleep, a loud banging sound came from further down the track. George shot up, glancing around frantically. Dream was already next to him, a hand on the brunet's shoulder and a finger to his lips. Luckily, it seemed the fire had died out some time when George had been asleep and was now hardly more than a few sparks here and there.

The blond had his head slightly turned to where the sound came from, left eye studying the dark for any movements. He was squatting next to George, an arm around him protectively and his posture guarded.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the dark, and it was heading straight towards them. Dream scurried frantically for the gun he had hidden in the back of his pants, and held it out towards the figure still walking forward. It got closer and closer, and still Dream didn't shoot. He continued to shout warnings, but his finger wasn't even on the trigger.

"Dream..." George warned when whatever it was was only a few yards away. The blond's eyes looked glazed over, whether with tears or simple inattentiveness, George didn't know, but it was starting to scare him. "Dream!"

A shot rang out, slicing through the tranquil darkness.

~Word count: 1,068~

A/N: that right there, ladies and gentleman, is called gay bonding because the author needed something to fill the uneventful period. i'm not really sure why i got so deep with it... but i mean i just kinda went with it lol. enjoy!