There's No Such Thing As Happy Endings - Book Three of the Why I Run Series

Chapter Five

Point of View: Thomas, First Person
Timeline: Present Day, Day 2 of Roman being M.I.A.

"W-What do you mean this is your fault, Virge?" I stuttered lightly.  "How could any of this possibly be your fault?"

Virgil pulled his hood lower on his head, nearly obscuring his entire face from view.  "The first time the hellhound attacked... Roman got hurt.  Badly.  I - I was supposed  to kill it, b-but instead of killing it, I - " Virgil cut off abruptly.  "If I had just killed it, none of this would have happened," he finished, pressing his sleeve-covered hands over his mouth.

"Virgil," I said softly, "I could never be upset because you didn't kill something.  Corrupted idea or not, that hellhound is a creature.  You shouldn't feel guilty because you spared it's life."

Virgil let out a tiny gasp at that, eyes watering with tears.  I glanced at Logan and Patton for an explanation, but neither of them seemed to have any idea either.  Logan was cleaning his glasses now and Patton was frowning, concerned at Virgil - a trace of hurt in his eyes.

"Ro - Roman said something... a lot like that to me," Virgil said after he had composed himself.  "Before he went missing."

"When did Roman go missing? How long have you guys waited to tell me?" I asked, realizing that this was certainly not new information, and that Roman has been missing for a... while.

"After the second attack, Roman... decided to go to the Dark Side, with the intention to get revenge on the sides that were killed.  He felt like he failed them, he felt like that was the only way to make things right.  No matter how wrong it was.  We - We got in an argument before he left and - and he ended up going alone," Virgil finished, ashamed.

"And no one has seen or heard from him since? How long ago was this?  Why haven't any of you gone after him?!"

Virgil closed his eyes, pain written all over his face.  

So much pain, that I almost regretted asking.

"See... that's the thing Thomas... I - I did go after him," Virgil confessed.  "Or, at least, that's what I've been told."

I tensed at that, chills running down my spine.  "What do you mean? You mean you... you don't remember?"

"Logic?" Virgil said, waving a hand at the side to his left.  "I guess this is where you take over."

I blinked in surprise before I realized he meant Logan.  Why did he call him Logic?

Either way, noting to come back to that later, I fixed my attention to Logan, who winced as he fixed his attention on me.  "Anxiety showed up five days ago - in the Mind Palace dizzy and delirious.  He fainted and remained unconscious for three days.  He woke up yesterday - without any memory since before he left.  We waited a day, in hopes his memory would return however as you can see that has not been the case.  However, I made a potion for Anxiety to take this morning, which should hopeful restore his memories.  Unfortunately, there is no way to indicate when his memories would return, or even if they could return at all." 

I couldn't help shuddering at that.

"So... in total, Roman's been gone for... how long?  And you haven't heard anything from him since?" I pressed again.

"Nearly two weeks," Logan answered quietly.

"...And you haven't heard anything from him since?" I pushed, frowning at the way everyone was avoiding my eyes, and how Logan had dodged my question at least twice now.

I turned to Patton.  "You've been quiet today, Pat."

Patton didn't even give me a verbal response, his eyes only flickering momentarily up to mine the only sign that he'd heard me at all.