Boy in the Mist (Vampire BoyxBoy)

Missing

Raymond couldn't breathe.
He felt immense pain and pressure on his chest, and he was completely paralyzed from the waist down. The only thing that wasn't numb was his neck, and boy, did that hurt. He could still feel blood streaming down it- or was it tears? He knew he was crying.
     He couldn't control his body on his own, but he saw himself jerking and twitching. He was so cold. His skin was whiter than a cloud.
     The ground seemed to shake underneath him, and his hand tingled. The feeling slowly began to come back in his left fingers, and he finally lifted his hand and rested it on his chest.
     His heart was beating much faster than it was supposed to. It was so fast he could hardly comprehend it- thumpthumpthumpthump. He moaned in pain and distress, but he was so deep in the woods he knew no one would hear him.
     His head hurt. Everything hurt. His teeth, the backs of his eyes, his temples, his neck. There was a burning sensation deep inside his stomach. He let his head roll to the side.
     There was something in the distance. It looked like a bottle. A small one.
     His heartbeat kept getting faster, which he didn't even know was possible at that point. What did that mean? Was he going to have a heart attack? Was he living his final moments right now? He considered closing his eyes and praying.
     His heart stopped.
     It took him a little while to register what had happened. He moved his hand around, desperately feeling for any kind of beat. There was nothing. All of the pain he was feeling melted away from him. He could feel his body again. There was a sudden lightness around him; he felt like he could fly. This is it, he thought. I've died. I am dead. Thank you, God.
     He had never felt such pure relaxation ever in his lifetime. He set his hand back down on the grass and closed his eyes.
     Sleep came easily.
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     Raymond wasn't in the mausoleum when Isaac got back from school. He wasn't in the graveyard, he wasn't by the creek, and he wasn't even in Isaac's house. He had just vanished. Isaac, while he didn't want to give up, didn't know where else to look.
     Had he run away? Was he trying to avoid something, or had he just gone out? The latter was the more sensible answer, yet Isaac couldn't help but feel fear in the back of his mind.
     He decided to hope for the best and just get his homework done. He was able to do things quicker without distractions, but he immediately began to miss Raymond's company. How had he done things by himself so often at home? Everything was so quiet.
     He worked with the TV on.
     By the time it got dark, he couldn't take it anymore. He closed all his books and walked outside, running down the sidewalk towards the music store. The lights were still on, so Isaac let himself in.
     James turned his head away from the TV on the floor. He and Andy were hunched up watching a movie. "Sup, Isaac?" He said, smirking.
     "Hey. Raymond's gone and disappeared. Wanna do something without him?"
     "Thank fuck," Andy mumbled. "I've seen this damn movie a hundred times."
     "It's a classic and you know it." James flicked him in the head. "Anyway, of course. Let's go where we were before."
     After James shut off the TV, the three of them made their way to the forest. James had an armful of drinks in his hand, which made Isaac wonder how many he really kept behind the counter. How early did he drink?
     "No use setting up a fire," James said when they got there. He leaned back against a tree. "This is fine."
     Andy leaned closer to Isaac. "Muscle Boy likes the dark," he muttered, a smile on his face.
     Isaac laughed, but all he thought about was what James had said a day or two earlier. Did Andy really have depression? Was James just trying to relate?
     "So, where do you think your boy toy went off to?" James asked, interrupting Isaac's thoughts.
     Isaac felt hot. "He..he's not my boy toy. We hardly hang out."
     "Then how do you know he has depression? You gotta know a person pretty well to pick that up. C'mon, I won't judge ya."
     "Wait- Raymond has depression?" Andy asked, eyes widening.
     Isaac nodded. "Yeah. Or, at least I think he does."
     "Are you not worried about him? You know your friend has depression, he disappears and you do nothing?"
     "I've looked everywhere! I don't know my way around here very well."
     "Do you know all his safe places? Where he likes to go?"
     "I've been to all of them that I know of."
     "Damn. That kid must have gone pretty far, then. You remember me telling you about the cemetery, right?"
     "I went there. He's not there."
     "I can tell he's really sad. He must be overwhelmed by something."
     "I figured he had just gone to run errands, but he's been gone since around 3." Isaac frowned. He didn't want to be scolded for apparently 'not caring.' He knew Raymond better than Andy did.
     "If Raymond is your friend, or more than a friend, good. He needs it."
     "I-I..I know Raymond. I know him really well. He likes to escape like this sometimes. If it's more than a day or two, then I'll get worried. He would never hurt himself." He physically couldn't.
     Andy looked disgusted. "God. Whatever." He shrugged and sat next his his brother, stealing a bottle of beer  and taking a swig.
     "I'm sorry," Isaac said, "but I just-"
     "No, I get it. I mean, you know him so much better and all."
     "Andy.." James gave Isaac a sorry look. "Let's not do this."
     For a while, no one talked.