Missing

“I’m here. Lawnmower street.”

They came down from the taxi. And went into the street.

Her house wasn’t that far from there but their destination wasn’t her house but the street he had taken.

They stood at the spot she had left him yesterday.

“I stood here..come here.” She place him in front of her, the place he had stood before he left. But then she felt uncomfortable with him standing there and staring at her.

“What next?”

“Then he said goodbye and left and I left. Too.”

“Who left first. Did you see the path he passed? There are two paths here.”

“He does take two of those paths, each would lead him to his house. The other path. The one on the right is the shorter path to his house. I did see him walk away but I didn’t know which path he took, I’ve forgotten which path he took.”

“That’s why you had been placed here, to know which path he would’ve taken?”

She nodded.

He turned and stare at it. Calculating the path he had taken. The right or the left.

“Anything?”

She asked.

He turned back to her.

“I think I know the path he took.”

“Which?”

“The left.”

“But why?”

“He didn’t wanna go home early for some reason so he had lingered around. And he..”

She ran before he could say the next word, running to the left path. Why didn’t want to go home was it because his father was coming home.

She knew he was his stepfather but he didn’t know he was suffocating because of it.

“Cree!” She called running towards the path.

He ran after her.

There were no streetlights he had noticed. There was nothing, no CCTV cameras. If someone had happened nobody would’ve known. The place wasn’t safe to walk at night.

“Cree!” She yelled. Her voice was cracked. She would burst out crying in a few minutes. Because there was no sign of him anywhere or anything at all. He doesn’t have any friends around here. Cree doesn’t have anyone except her.

It would hurt her so much if something happened to him.

“Cree!”

She shouted and continued running.

He had passed here didn’t he, why didn’t he tell him, he didn’t wanna go home and have dinner with them. He should’ve said something about it. She won’t have let him leave. This had happened because of her.

She stopped running. And place her hands on her knees.

She couldn’t run anymore, she was losing her breath already.

He was still far behind her.

She had to rest for a while before she continued running. She would use that as an opportunity to wait for her. That would be what she would do.

She sat down. Dropping her backpack beside her. The place she was seated had another narrow corner beside her it, which one won’t easily notice except if you had to stare intensively.

“Are you okay?”

“I think so.”

“You won’t see anything running like that. And not with that heavy bag of yours.” He walked closer to her and stood in front of her.

“Should we exchange. You can take mine and I would take yours.” He bends and picks up her bag. Then stopped. What was that smell, he squatted and stayed silent for a while? Rose stared at him curiously. If he had found something.

“I smell something.”

“What?”

“Blood.”

“Where?”

“Here. The place you’re or close by.” His eyes immediately darted to the corner.

“Or there.”

She followed his gaze. She saw the narrow path, she didn’t know there was a place like that. Where she was, she stood up.

He stood up as well.

“Let’s check it out.”

He gave her a curt nod.

“Go first.”

“Why should I go first?”

“You’re the man here.”

“You’re the oldest. And beside ladies first.”

He gestured.

“You’re scared?”

“Why would I be scared.”

“Then go first.”

“I’m going!” She glared at him. He laughed, his laugh was beautiful too. Unlike her wild laughter.

Before she could take a step, he stepped in front of her. Taking the lead. Because it was narrow they had to walk sideways. They hadn’t gone far when she stepped on something.

Removing her feet, she saw his keychain, that held their best friend's code. A small teddy.. this was on his phone before he left, why was it on the key chain.

She picked it up. It was Cree.

He came here.

Looking by her side, she saw his phone.

“..hey..” she breathed out.

She was falling, her chest was heavy. Her legs won’t even move from the spot it was. Her breath was heavy so heavy and her chest was tight.

Grey stopped and turned back to her.

“What?”

He saw her staring at something, and the keys in her hands. She had found something. He ran back shortly to meet her and held her.

“Phone..” She points. He picked it up and was still holding her. The phone was covered in blood. He turned on the phone. And the voice mail she left played.

She had been having doubts, that it probably could be someone else, besides it’s not just them that had just that. There might be others too who had the same. But then she saw the phone and got a little confused. This was his phone. And then again, she had to deceive herself it could be someone else too.

“Hey, sponge bob...”

She said that, what other evidence does she need. That was his phone.

That was fucking Cree phone!

It was his.

That was why he couldn’t pick up the call, that was why he couldn’t be reached.

Cree was...

She bites her lips.

Her chest was so heavy and It hurts, she couldn’t even cry.

Why Cree!

Why him, they could have taken someone else, but why him.

“It’s him, isn’t it? That’s your voice just now.”

He stare at the phone, their picture was on the phone lock. And her name was the password. It was his.