ᒪIᐯIᑎG & D⃒Y⃒I⃒N⃒G⃒

Chapter 8: Set Me Free.

When I opened my eyes the next morning after a night filled with odd dreams, I noticed something missing immediately.

Jordan.

The bed beside me was empty. I checked the bathroom, but it was empty. I checked the hallway. Empty. The entire floor, empty. Panic surged through me. He's been killed or eaten and I wasn't there to save him. Oh my god, what have I done? I went back in the room to see if there was any evidence of him being killed or eaten, and I noticed another thing. His bag was gone. The black bag he always kept with him beside the bed was gone.

He left.

No, why would he leave? Why would he want to leave me and go back to the camp? Then last nights events flashed into my head, and I realized why. He thinks I love James and that I didn't love him, so he left. Why would he do this? I loved him! I saved his life a million times! I took care of him for gods sake! And he just left like it was nothing?! He didn't even tell me goodbye! He didn't tell me...

I cried. When James left, I never cried. I did as he wanted and stayed strong. But this is different. It's like someone tore a huge chunk of my heart out and stomped on it. He can't be gone. He was everything to me. We were gonna live together forever. We were gonna change the world.

I sunk down the wall of my room and I broke down. I tried so hard to protect him and make him feel loved, and it was all for nothing. I changed for him, I killed for him, I loved him.

"Syndi? Syndi what's the matter? Why are you crying?!" I felt warm hands wrap around me and pull me into a chest.

I couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. "He left! He didn't...tell me! He left! He thought...I loved...you! I love him!" I was sobbing hysterically. James must think I'm a baby, but I don't care. I've lost the love of my life. I want to die.

"Calm down and stop crying, crying solves nothing. If he doesn't have a car, then he probably hasn't gone that far. I'm positive we can find him. Come on, let's go look." James pulled me up to my feet and guided me out the room. I tried to stop crying as we made our way down to the lobby, but I couldn't. He's gone, I know he took the car. How else would he leave here? He knows he cant walk by himself.

We reached the lobby in a few short minutes, and I looked outside the windows immediately to look for the car. The last time we used it, I parked it right beside the door.

The car wasn't there. I felt my heart shatter.

"Syndi, it's okay. Let's go find a car and well go search for him. Was the car you had full on gas or was it nearly empty?"

It was nearly empty. I remembered the red light near the fuel symbol that signaled we were almost out of gas.

"Nearly...empty." It was stupid of him to take the car when it was almost empty. It could break down in the middle of nowhere and...oh my god it could break down. He would be completely helpless to the dead.

"Okay, let's go find a car and look for him. He couldn't have gone far."

~

We found the convertible a mile away from the city. It was sitting in the middle of a road with the gas meter on E. The only trace of him we found was his inhaler, which was empty. No signs of him being alive or dead. I didn't know what to do. James and I stood next to the car forever. I didn't want to leave it. It was the last thing he left behind. The only clue as to where he was.

"I'm not quite sure what to do...do you have any ideas?" I could feel him watching me while I fiddled with Jordan's inhaler. I didn't want to look at him. His eyes weren't beautiful to me anymore. The only eyes I want to see are brown and warm.