Safety in the Seafoam (DNF + Karlnap)

Chapter 123: The Search

Karl POV

“Where are they?” Sapnap questioned, his brows furrowed, head turning in the direction where George and Dream had swam a while ago. The sun had noticeably dipped since they left, and I couldn’t help but note the way that the ravenette licked at his lips, desperate for some fresh water which humans needed to function.

My gaze twitched, looking in the same direction that he was motioning in, and I also couldn’t spot either of the pair. It did make me slightly worried though, knowing the way that George had been acting earlier in the day. My brows narrowed and I continued to search along the waves hoping that they’d be somewhere.

There was no way that they would have been able to swim past where we could see in the horizon during half an hour. They were not fast enough, especially if George was having to help guide an exhausted Dream. So I kept looking around, hoping that there was somewhere else that the pair would be after their talk.

“Can you see them?” Sapnap asked anxiously, looking towards me. His question brought my eyes back to looking at him. The ravenette was very desperate, yet as both of us looked around we couldn’t see anything.

I could hear the way his breathing picked up, lips slightly parted except for when he went to lick at his chapped lips. “Where’s Dream?” He asked, not attempting to hide how desperate he was as he tried to spot his best friend. All this anxiousness was definitely not good for him, definitely going to make it more likely he’d perish.

“Calm down.” I assured him, giving a small smile to keep him from freaking out. “I’ll swim around, okay? They probably aren’t too far…” I managed to hide how I was really feeling, how my memories of the earlier conversations with George had me feeling. The brunette had been unsure of whether he could deal with this or not.

Sapnap gave a small cautious nod to me, and with a small smile ghosting over my face to reassure him. I slowly let go of him when I was sure he would be fine, planning on going under the water and powering in the direction where they had left.

“Please don’t be too long.” He muttered, his voice almost completely silent and anxious. “I don’t want to be out here alone.” All I could do was nod, since he obviously wasn’t as familiar with the sea as me, being alone in it could be terrifying.
“I’ll only be five minutes.” I promised before disappearing.

There was a rush of importance as I searched for the pair of them, staying near the surface to see the human and mermaid pair who were above, having their conversation. “George…” I felt myself muttering, hoping that somehow he would hear me despite the fact that there was an infinite amount of space where he could be.

My nose and my ears twitched, attempting to find any sign of him, regardless of whether I could hear or smell them, even if they were less common ways of finding my companion and the human. I moved back to the surface, since logically the human would have to be up for oxygen every so often, it was like a tether keeping him from going too far.

I broke through the water, glancing around, including back in the direction of Sapnap. The human was watching in my direction, but there was no sign of the other human or George, they were both missing.

Panic began rising through me, George’s complaints from earlier kept echoing through my mind, louder and louder each time. Surely he wasn’t being serious about what he had said earlier… he couldn’t possibly be thinking of… It made me even more desperate to find them, to call out louder for him to hear me, for the sake of Dream.

“Where are you?” I called out, knowing my voice was loud enough to be heard from as far away as Sapnap at least. “George. Where the hell are you?” Each time I called out to him I felt as though it was more and more likely that this would fall away. He would not answer me, that became very clear very quickly, despite how I tried to deny the idea.

A low growl came from my lips, figuring that it was better to attempt to switch tactics. “Dream?” I called out instead. “Can you hear me?” I wasn’t sure how he would be able to respond if I couldn’t see him. It would mean he was certainly under the surface, certainly running out of time and so I dove back under.

I wasn’t even sure what I would be able to do if I found him, yet I desperately had to keep searching. It was difficult to take care of one human, so two would be almost impossible to keep above the water and attempt to feed. But if there was even a chance, I couldn’t allow him to die for Sapnap’s sake, after everything he had done for me.

All that I saw around me was blue, no sign of the human or the mermaid, not even any fish around. “George!?” I attempted to call out again, a contrast to what I had said, but I knew the human would struggle to hear me under the water. It felt as though this place where I had once been so naturally familiar was so foreign.

A streak of dark blue and a beige colour ran past me, my eyes widening at the sight. “George?” I questioned, spinning around and trying to spot it. He stopped swimming and looked towards me, not showing any emotion as his eyes met mine. “What happened?” I asked him, brows furrowing in concern.

He didn’t respond, instead just backing away from me slightly. His lips were pressed into a line and his gaze was cold, without care. When he didn’t answer the first question I decided to tentatively ask something else. “Where is Dream?” I asked him, my voice more quiet and cautious, sensing the danger around this.

For a moment he didn’t say anything, and I waited to see what he was going to say, feeling more and more anxious with each second. Eventually George glanced downwards, muttering something in assurance. “He is fine now.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, eyes narrowing at the brunette.

“He won’t suffer anymore.” George told me, and I noticed the way that he was beginning to make distance between the two of us. He glanced away, seemingly considering making a run for it, but didn’t give any more clarification. When he briefly looked back it seemed as though he had been crying, and I let out a sad sound at the sight.

“I’m sorry.” Was all that he said, then he turned and swam off, a body tense in a sign of hostility directed towards me.
“George…” I attempted, before freezing as I quickly realised he had no desire to stop, or to talk to me. He just left me alone, confused by what he had said.

However I found that I realised what he had meant, not saying anything as George disappeared into the distance. And just like that… I was alone… he had gone and it was just me, one human floating above me, and the other somewhere below…

There was nothing I could do though, and so I found myself returning to the surface. All of that work to keep them both safe was for nothing as two of the three people I cared about disappeared at once. So loyally, I did the one thing I could and returned to the third.
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1327 words

The end.

I apologise, it may not be the most satisfying ending.

But now you guys can read My Modern Day Prince. I honestly think it might be one of my best stories so far.