The Mercy of Birds

CHAPTER 46: THE END OF THE WORLD

CHAPTER 46
THE END OF THE WORLD

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Ten hours passed ever since the initial report was made and there was still no sign of her or Martina.

Victor drew his coat closer to his body as he trudged on the path. The multiple footsteps that had trampled through it before him had quenched the snow, melting it away into the dirt that was preserved beneath it. All around him, the search team broke out into an indefatigable shout hailing the two missing women's names, but only the cawing birds answered their cries.

The hazy abyss had become thicker as the dusk grew darker and the cold couldn't be ignored anymore once it felt like a thousand cuts to the skin with sharp splinters that infiltrated through the bone. Circular glow of the headlamps and flashlights disoriented him, and he gazed up into the sky in search of direction, but the night had been starless, leaving him adrift, so far away from home, so far away from her.

"Clementine!" he yelled on top of his lungs, but it only reverberated through the forest and dwindled away, carried by the wind.

"Victor!" someone called his name from behind and he whipped up to see one of the young volunteer members from the area running towards him. "Victor Crane!"

"Yeah," he answered, identifying himself as the young man approached him with white fog escaping out of his mouth from his breath rushing.

"It's your brother, Nicholas. He has arrived," he informed, stopping short in front of the taller man, his face obscured from the backlight of the dazzling spotlights being utilized by the police to illuminate the deciduous forest.

"Okay, thank you. Can you also call my other brother, Cameron, for me? He must be up there with the sheriff," Victor requested and the younger man nodded as he immediately took off further into the woods.

He began making his way down the sloping hills with his heart sinking deeper and deeper into his stomach. It wasn't enough that his sister had disappeared somewhere with the mother of the boy she had killed after an altercation had taken place, now came the matter of explaining to Nicholas about everything, and Cameron... he hadn't even bothered sparing a second to confront Victor about his whereabouts or demanding him how he could ever find out about Martina's real identity, he just went straight ahead despatching calls and appealing for the organization of a search team; it made Victor worried sick. So sick that he just wanted to vomit all over again, but the thoughts of adding more burden on his brother's shoulder couldn't sit well with him, so he tried to get on his feet, praying that they wouldn't fail him.

I will outlast this trial, I will outlive this fear, he chanted the mantra that he wouldn't admit until this day that he had adapted from a line that he had found in Clementine's book back then when he had helped his mother disposed of her belongings and burned them on the backyard behind their house.

He wouldn't dare send his mind spiraling at the conjecture of her condition because he knew he would just crumble right now if he so much as to think of her being hurt, so he tried to hold on the sliver of hope that she might have been hiding somewhere where the voices searching for her couldn't be heard yet, but it was getting harder to remain optimistic, and even if she wasn't injured, she would've been cold, for in her rush, she must have not worn a thick clothing and secure shoes and warm headpiece...

Where are you? Where are you?

When you say you had to do it, I understand now...

It might take a while for me to get used to you, but I promise, after this is over, I'll get there.