Missing

Bonus Scene

Chloe and I both run for it. She gets there before I do and with the gun, she points and shoots. The bullet hits my leg and I collapse.

The bullet wound burns. For a second, I can't feel anything but my leg, then the next, I can feel anything but it. My eyes are closed because I fear if I open them, I will see the blood, that I will see my death.

I focus on breathing. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Breathing is only hard when you can't do it.

Once I can't keep my eyes closed anymore, I open them. It feels like fire is released into me. I see the blood gushing out of me. The pain becomes even more unbearable.

Chloe stands triumphantly over me. A figure walks in from the door that is right in front of me; Eldon.

He is late but now I'm wondering if this was his plan all along, to double-cross me.

Even though I don't want to be a witness of my own suffering, I can't close my eyes. If this is the last thing I see, I want to have a great view.

Eldon walks silently towards me. He takes the gun away from Chloe without a word. Chloe let's him take the weapon. Then, Eldon pulls me up ungraciously. He holds my wrists above my head then with some duct tape that is on the ground - I assume it is from a recent kidnapping - he forces my wrist together. Meanwhile, I am begging him to not do this.

"Eldon." I whimper through my tears and shaky voice, "Please, please, please. No! PLEASE!" I cry but it does nothing. Chloe still has the same smug look on her face and Eldon is still vigurously taping my hands onto the wall so I can't move.

Once I am completely secure, Eldon takes the loaded gun and presses it on my head. I squeeze my eyes closed, this is not how I wanted to die, but no one ever knows how they die until it's too late.

After five seconds and I realize that I am still alive, I open one eye, then the other. Eldon isn't looking at me, he is staring at Chloe.

"You used me." Eldon says firmly to Chloe, the gun still on my head.

"What do you mean?" Chloe starts.

"You used me."

"I di-"

"You used me!" Eldon cries.

"Eldon, I don't unders-"

"Don't play this game anymore Chloe!"

"This is because of Emil-"

"I won't take this anymore!"

"It's because you love her and not-"

"Stop messing with my head!"

"ELDON!" Chloe screams and everyone is quiet.

"What." Eldon mutters. This heated conversation is going to result in my death.

"Shoot her." Chloe instructs.

"No." Eldon replies. This response makes me feel a tad bit easier.

"SHOOT HER!" Chloe screams.

"Or else what?" Eldon says in a calm voice.

"Don't do this Eldon-"

"No."

"Eldon-"

"No."

"Don't be-"

"NO!"

"JUST SHOOT HER! DON'T BE CRAZY ELDON AND KILL HER ALREADY!" Chloe shouts, then I hear a loud bang.

I wait for the pain to arrive and wash away all of my memories, but it never happens.

I open my eyes. I'm still alive. The gun is on the ground by Eldon's feet and Chloe is lying down on the floor, lifeless.

Tears start to weel up in my eyes. Half of it is because I just witnessed someone die and the other half because the bullet wound on my leg is getting worse.

"Eldon-" I whisper in my cracked voice.

He looks down at my leg then unties my arms two times faster than when he actually tied me. The tape ripping off my skin should hurt, but it doesn't. The only thing I can feel is my leg. I am dying, I know I am.

Once the last peice of tape is off of my body, I fall to the ground like an autumn leaf. A leaf that is dead and useless but is still a pretty cover.

"Amanda." Eldon says. He lays me down and raises my wounded leg up.

I want to respond to him but I can't find the strength to - I don't have the strength to do anything.

"Amanda." Eldon chokes. My eyes are close but I can feel him leaning over me. I feel his tear wetting my sweater.

"Umhhmn." I try to say but it comes out a groggily mumble.

"Amanda." Eldon says again, "No. No, please, no! What have I done! Oh no! What have I done?" He mutters to himself, "Amanda. Please don't die. Please don't."

I never understand why people tell others to not die, or to stay strong. You can work your brain and your muscles, but not your heart. Isn't it scary how the only thing that is keeping you alive is uncontrollable by you yourself. I can tell myself to not die and I can force something into me, but I can't just decide not to die and make it happen. If that is the case, no one would die.

"Amanda," Eldon says one last time, and I open my heavy, burning eyelids to look at him, "I'm so so sorry. About ten years ago, I did something, something I horribly regret. I killed a guy. He did nothing to me at all, actually, he was my best friend, and I killed him. I was crazy and that day, I broke down. He was standing right there and I grabbed onto him and killed him. There was no weapon and no drug, just me and him. He died-" Eldon chokes out the word 'died,' "and I was sent to a mental hospital. I wasn't crazy. No one is ever crazy. All of these people you see in insane asylums, they aren't crazy, they are scared. Scared of something so, so terrifying, they will do anything to not have to ever meet their fear.

"Amanda! I'm afraid. I'm so afraid of death. I never want to-" his voice breaks again but he continues all raspy and choked up, "see anyone die ever again. I was so scared that I let that fear drive me. I pretended I was crazy instead of afraid.

"Amanda, you can't-" Eldon is crying very hard, his tears are falling onto the carpeted floor like rain, "you can't die. Please, I just killed- I just killed Chloe and I can't kill you too."

"You. Aren't. Kill-ling. Me-e." I choke. My voice even weaker than his.

"Amanda!" Eldon yells.

"You. Di-dn-'t. Kill. Me."

"No! Amanda!" Eldon screams.

Then, I close my eyes and pretend I am going to sleep. I am going to pretend this is all just another bad day where a good night's sleep can fix. I will petend I am going to wake up tomorrow in my bed, surrounded by everyone I love. Maybe there, I can have a proper goodbye.

I'll have a goodbye. I will. One day. One day I will be able to say goodbye to those that didn't hear it, but until then, I'll be sleeping.