Lost

Chapter 39: Lost Mates

"You better be there, trouble!" Zayn muttered, through his clattering teeth. He flashed the light to see past the pouring rain.

The heavy downpour zoomed as bright streaks of shooting specs in front of the torch, hindering his vision. Zayn squinted his eyes to make Salma's outline when the beam finally hit the rock in the distance. Every limping step ended in a splash and soaked his shoes with the splattering mud.

He was now close enough. The bark of the tree growing by the rock came into view, followed by its branches that spread over it. Zayn could make the rain glistened leaves and the bobbing chamomile flowers that grew in the crevice between the rock and the tree. If there was one thing that the shadows still seemed to conceal, it was Salma's robed frame. Fear gripped Zayn's heart. He wiped the rain out of his eyes. He was now standing right next to the rock. The beam of light streamed over the mass of concrete in an erratic manner.

The rock was empty

Zayn had trouble believing it. Shell-shocked and in denial, he flashed the light again. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him. Why wasn't she there? It had to be a lie! Where was she?

Puffing out shaky breaths, Zayn took a panicked step back. Dread slithered through his bloodstream, raking it with cold ripples of fear. His bodily functions were totally overridden by fright. His hand kept flashing the light around on its own accord. And his frantic eyes roamed over the tall shadows of forest. He felt dizzy.

As he took another impulsive step back, his foot struck against something. On instinct, Zayn grabbed the rock to steady himself. He whipped the beam around.

It flashed over the  blades of tall grass. Zayn glimpsed a figure laying spreadeagled. His shocked eyes did a double take.

"Bee!" He sprang into action.

There she was, a few feet away from the rock, laying face down in the grass and soaking wet.

He hastened towards her, feeling the momentary relief that washed over him upon finding her, ebbing away faster than the rain dripping over his bare skin.

"Bee? Bee, wake up!" Zayn called out over the storm, crouching next to her. She did not stir. Zayn called her again, louder this time.

There was this horrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when she just lay there, getting soaked and not moving. On instinct, Zayn reached out to her, only to stop.

Dare I touch her? he asked himself, his hand only inches away from her.

"Damn it!" Zayn gritted his cluttering teeth. "This is not the time!"

He grabbed her by the shoulder and gently turned her around. Her head lolled over. It heavily rested against his forearm. Her eyes remained closed, her body limp. Zayn's gut twisted painfully.

"Bee! Bee! Hey!" he shouted over the storm. She did not move. "Open your eyes!"

No response.

"No -" Zayn broke mid-sentence, "No, no, no, come on, Bee! you can't do this right now, you can't!"

Why was she not responding? What happened to her? His head started swimming. He kept patting her veiled cheek. A steady stream of water poured over her face from his soaking hair as he crouched over her, and yet she stayed un-moving. Frustrated, Zayn pushed his wet hair back.

"Bee! Listen to me. Wake up! Bee?! Hey, Bee!" Zayn shook her, rather violently, but she did not react at all. Her eyes remain shut tight, and if she had said anything at all, Zayn did not hear it over the loud downpour of rain and the howling wind.