Project 404 [DNF]

Chapter 10: Escape

George watched in terror as Dream's head fell forwards as the substance was being injected.   

"Why did you even need me to translate the paper if you already knew what information it contained?!" George shouted desperately, knuckles whitening as he balled his fists.

The man slowly turned with a disgusting smile on his face. "Oh, your father's work is well-known, at least the general concept. All I needed was your notes to confirm my suspicions." George clenched his jaw.

"Then why did you inject it into Clay? He isn't the one carrying the gene." The man chuckled, making George even angrier.

"You know as well as me that there's tons of side-effect. You were an exception to the rule. Before I'll even consider doing anything to my own genes, I'll need a little more research on why you didn't follow the same pattern. And Clay will be the newest test subject."

George glared around the room. One of the masked men was hunched down next to Clay, carefully checking his pulse, and respiratory functions.

He couldn't help but feel like an idiot. Classmate, roommate, cellmate, friend. It had all been a lie. George recalled the uneasy feeling that had followed him the first time he met Clay. How weirdly the blonde had acted in his presence.

But his suspicion faltered as time passed. And as much as George hated to admit it, but he had quickly grown to like his new roommate. Besides, the only thing that could've warned him that Clay was lying about his identity was a skeptical hunch in the back of George's mind. Which didn't feel like a valid enough reason to mistrust someone.

"You know, your dad's a selfish person?" The man's voice broke through George's thoughts. He glared at the man.

"How dare you accuse my dad of such a thing after you willingly risked a person's life for your own gain."

An awful laugh rang through the room. "How adorable. Even after I revealed Dream's true identity, you still care for him." George cheeks heated from the truth in that statement. He hated to admit it, but he did care.

"Dream has done many awful things, you shouldn't pity him. He chose this life." 

The guy wearing the white bandana switched his attention from Clay – Dream – whatever his name now was, to the awful man standing in front of George.

Clear hatred radiated from the masked man, even with most of his face covered.

"Shut the fuck up, Schlatt. Don't you dare speak another bad word about Dream." His voice was low and the anonymity, due to mask, made him even more terrifying. However, Schlatt didn't seem bothered by the threats. George found himself recalling hearing the name 'Schlatt' before but couldn't pinpoint when or where.

"Oh Sapnap, stop pretending like all of this isn't your fault. " Schlatt shot back.

Lots of vague information was revealed at once. Still, one thing stood out. The others dislike for Schlatt, who seemed to be their boss. It felt slightly reassuring to know that their reason for siding with him wasn't because they shared his wicked views. Although, Schlatt must've struck a nerve as the man named Sapnap didn't bite back.

Schlatt clapped his hands loudly to get everyone's attention. "Time to get the lab rats down to the cell again."

Someone unlocked George restrains and ordered him to stand. Escaping crossed his mind but he quickly reconsidered after coming to terms with his disadvantage. So, he followed the given directions to avoid unnecessary pain.

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Both boys were back in the cell. Dream was chained to the wall, still unconscious. George focus kept bouncing between Dream and the rapport that he held in his hand. He tried to translate more of the paper as he had nothing better to do.