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.

I shook my head no. I have no idea where the camp is, and Tucker said himself I'd never get within a mile of the place before getting killed.

"Well...do you know where he could've gone? Did he ever talk about where he lived before he met you?"

"C-Camp...big camp..." I made a box motion with my hand. I remember when he said the camp was like a box filled with paper people. Why would he want to go back there? He said himself he didn't want to be a soldier. A soulless soldier.

"Do you know where this camp is?" he asked.
I shook my head no. I have no clue. He probably isn't even at the camp. He's probably dead. The dead ate every last piece of him and that's why I can't find him.

I swallowed hard so I wouldn't start crying again.

"Well um...maybe we could-"

"He's gone," I interrupted him. "Not c-coming back..."

"You don't know that. He might come back. Maybe he just hitched a ride with someone?"

I shook my head, tears trickling down my cheeks. "Gone...gone..." I hugged myself and shivered. It was raining and it was cold. It just made everything so much worse.

"No no, don't cry. Please, I can't stand to see you cry. We'll go back to the hotel and...things will go back to the way they were. We can watch the sun go down and take photographs and make videos. It'll be just like old times. Come on, we should get going before nightfall." He put a hand on the small of my back and began to guide towards our car, but I didn't want to go yet. I don't want things to go back to how they were. I was in love and I loved being in love. I don't want to just forget it like it never happened. I don't want to leave the place where he last was.

I gazed out towards the woods beside the road. Did he look at these woods when he drove past? Was he crying like me, thinking I didn't love him?

I heard James sigh. "Syndi...we have to-"

A spine chilling scream echoed in the air, and then two gunshots.

It was Jordan's scream.

I took off towards the woods. I could hear James yelling at me to wait, but I didn't listen. He's in trouble and he needs my help. I can't let him get away from me again.

"Jor...dan! Jordan!" I tried to shout as I shoved away branches and leaves in my way. Where did the scream come from? What direction?

"TOM!" I heard him scream, followed by another gunshot. It's right in front of me, I know it.

I smelled him before I saw him. I smelled them too. The dead's stench was overpowering. I pushed back another branch, and it revealed a clearing.

Jordan was on top of a tree, clutching a gun to his chest like it was his life line. Surrounding that tree, was ten or more dead, all snarling and biting at Jordan with crazed eyes. But that's not what scared me the most. Jordan looked nearly dead. He was white as a ghost and his lips were cracked, he was trembling violently and hanging onto the tree for dear life. What the hell is wrong with him?

Okay, I need to think about this. How do I kill ten or more dead without getting myself killed?

"We are not going to able to kill all of them," whispered James behind me. He must have ran after me.

"What do...we do?"

"We need to distract them long enough for Jordan to get down and get to the car. I have an idea."

"What...is it?" I'll do anything to keep him safe again.

"As soon as they leave, get Jordan as fast as you can and get back to the car. I'll be there soon." I felt him place the keys in my hand. What? What is he-

"HEY LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME! HUMAN FLESH! OVER HERE!" James took off into the clearing and waved his arms around, and all the dead turned around to look at him. Oh no. No no no, this isn't happening.

They ran after James at lightening speed, but he was fast too. He ran into the trees still shouting as loud as he could and they followed.

Thank you James.

I ran to the tree where Jordan was still sitting, still clutching the tree and his gun. "You safe! Come!" I held out my hands.

His eyes darted back and forth from me to the trees. "W-What about J-James?"

"James safe, come!"

He bit his lip nervously and looked back at the trees one last time, before nodding and taking my hand. He jumped and I caught him in my arms perfectly. I would have said something cheesy, but James said as quickly as possible so I began running back to the car. Jesus, Jordan is cold. His forehead felt like ice. Is that why he's shaking so badly?

I found the road and the car in just a few seconds. Thank god James hot wired a car with a roof and heat. I owe him so much after this.
I pulled open the back door and gently laid him down in the back seats. Even his clothes were cold, and they were drenched in rain. Poor Jordan.

"T-Tom I'm s-sorry," he whispered barely audibly.

I smiled and kissed his cold cheek. "I love you." Yes! I didn't stutter!

He tried to smile, but even his face was twitching because of the cold. "I l-love you t-too."

I closed the door and ran around to the front to start the car. I switched it on and turned on the heat. Hopefully that'll help Jordan a little. I closed the door and waited for James to come back.

It was several minutes later when I finally saw him again, running from the woods with several dead right in his heels. Oh god. This is gonna be close.

I threw open the passenger door and kept my foot hovered over the pedal. Come on James, you can make it.

"Shit shit SHIT!" He yelled and jumped into he car, slamming the door shut behind him. I slammed on the breaks and we went flying backwards, hitting the dead behind us.

I didn't let up on the gas until we reached the city, and even then I was still going 100 mph. When we reached the hotel and I stepped on the breaks, Jordan nearly fell out of the backseat.

"S-Sorry," I murmured. He responded with a small groan.

I couldn't help but smile. He's home again.

TᕼE ᗪEᗩᗪ ᗪO ᑎOT ᒪOᐯE.

"Ow ow OW! It hurts!"

"Stay...still."

"No! It hurts, stop!"

"Just t-trying...to help. Stay...still." I poured more hot water over his feet and he hissed and gripped onto the tub harder.

"My toes are gonna fall off, I know it. I'm gonna be crippled, I have frost bite all over my body, I'm gonna lose my limbs..." He was mumbling nonsense. Yeah he has frostbite, but it wasn't so bad that his limbs were gonna fall off.

I poured some over his ankles and he yelped. "Please stop! Oh my god it hurts so much!"

I grinned at his pain. "Punish...ment. For l-leaving."

"Shut the hell up...oh god my legs..."

"Want me...to pour over...stomach?" I hovered the bucket of hot water over his stomach and his eyes widened.

"No! I'm sorry! I'll stop yelling I swear!"

I snickered and poured some more on his legs, and I watched him grit his teeth painfully. I don't feel the least bit sorry for him. He ran off and this is what happened. "Why...did you...leave?"

"I...I don't know. I was just feeling home sick I g- oh my god..." I poured more over his knees and he whimpered.

"Home sick? Worried...sick about...you. Couldn't...leave note?"

"...I didn't really have time to think about it so I just left. I'm sorry. I regret it so much. I missed you so so much." The regret in his voice sounded genuine, but I knew somewhere in his story there was a lie. The bucket now hovered over probably the most sensitive place on his body, and I hesitated. He is definitely gonna scream at this.

"Uh...maybe we can skip that part?" He suggested nervously.

This is the perfect opportunity for blackmail.
"Tell truth...and I'll s-skip."

"...I am telling the truth," he said in a high pitched voice. I watched him squirm a little and look away from my eyes. He's lying.

"Tell the truth." I tipped the bucket a little.

"Okay! Okay! You started saying James' name in your sleep and it made me feel really sad because you used to say my name in your sleep so I left because I was jealous and sad and I wanted to make you worry because I'm a terrible person..." He spoke a million miles a second, and I barely understood him. He was jealous? And he wanted to make me worry so I'd focus on him?

Aw.

"I was about to come back home but then the car broke down and a bunch of the dead came out of the woods and started chasing me...I climbed up a tree and waited for them to go away but they never did...and then I started having an asthma attack and my inhaler wasn't with me and it started to rain and it was so cold...I regret everything and I'm so sorry for making you worry about me. I feel so bad..."
Aw he just wanted some attention. Now I feel guilty for scorching his flesh in steaming hot water.

I sat the bucket down on the bathroom floor and bent down to eye level with him. He still wouldn't look at me, he only picked nervously at his fingernails. "Jordan...should have asked...for atten...atten...tion. Would have...gave it...to you. Love you."

He sighed. "I can't just ask for your attention...that would be selfish."

"Ask me...for anything. Give...to you. Always." I kissed his cold cheek and he smiled.

"Okay then. Can you stop torturing me with water?"

"Frost...bite. Need...this." I took the bucket and poured more water on his stomach.

"AH! JESUS TOM!"
~~~

Guess who's back back back

Back againnnnn

LEE IS BACK

BACK AGAIN

From the ashes of writers block, I have risen temporarily to ensure you that I am alive and working hard to complete my mianite book <3

I hope you enjoyed that chapter! Please leave comments and favorites! Thanks fam!

- Lee