Bück Dich [Revising]

Chapter 3: Operation Find Till

I wake up to find myself in great pain. The damage Till had caused is still evident whenever I slightly move. I groan in agony as I lift myself up. What can I tell Paul? I must be smart about this. One wrong move could lead to a new lead singer. I'll ask him how the search with Till went. I reach for my phone to text Paul.

If I lied about Till's car, Paul would surely reel out the truth from me. I am not willing to risk myself completely for the sake of Till. I want to protect him, but how far will things go? I sigh and force myself to get dressed. Today feels like another long and emotionally painful day.

PAUL'S POV

I will not lie. I am beginning to grow sick of Till's games. I love him to death, but personal affairs belong at home. Even Flake was being more mature about the whole ordeal. Not that Flake isn't mature or anything. I just want Till back. Das ist alle.

FLAKE'S POV

I decide to call Paul. If we want to find Till, we'll have to work together.

*ring...ring...ri-*

"Hallo?"

"It's Flake."

"Ich weiß. Have you thought of any places?"

"Well, jaein. I hate to be a bother, but can you pick me up? If we are going to find Till, we'll definitely need each other for that."

"Ahh okay. I'll be there in a bit. Auf weiderhören!"

*end of call*

It will be while until Paul arrives. I reaked of sweat and Till. I best go take a shower now before my scent becomes a noticeable distraction.

I make my way to the bathroom, holding my clean clothes in one hand. I better learn how to walk properly or else Paul will suspect something. As I begin to strip, I notice dried blood across my right leg, leading up to my rear end. I gasp in horror. Faint memories return of the incident. It had only been just yesterday. I clutch my dirty clothes and toss them into the dirty bin. I did my best to neglect the issue. All I need is a nice shower. It may not wash away my memories, but it will wash away the blood left behind. I place my glasses on the flat part of the sink. I turn the knob to let out warm water from the showerhead. Placing my hand under the warmth of the liquid felt relieving, as if nothing else mattered. I let out a small sigh before entering the shower. The warm water running through my hair and onto my back relaxed me beyond belief. I cross my arms but soon find myself hugging and holding myself. I feel so alone. I desperately find myself wishing for Till...but what use will that do? He's gone off somewhere. Who knows where he is? Not only that but he...did something horrible to me. Of course I forgive him, but can he forgive himself?
After washing and rinsing my hair, I find my body wash. I begin to scrub away the stubborn, dried up blood left on my leg.

Oh, Till. What did you do to me?

Upon finishing, I glance over at my towel and reach for it. Drying myself thoroughly, I make sure not to miss a spot. After finishing, I slip into my clean clothes. Something about the scent of clean clothes made me feel refreshed. I clean up whatever mess I had made and I walk out of the bathroom.

"Hallo, Flake." a deep voice laughs.

"Jesus, Paul! Don't scare me like that." I cry out, joined with a bit of a jump from me.

"Heh, sorry. I probably shouldn't have let myself in like this."

"You know it's okay. Anyway, I am just going to put on some shoes, and I'll be with you in a bit." I reassure as I reach under the bed for my shoes.

"You'll need socks first." jokes Paul. I shake my head, slightly smiling. Even though things were a bit disorderly, he still finds a way to be happy and joke around.

"Well, ja. I cannot risk ruining the one pair of shoes I own." I reply with a slight chuckle.

Paul sits on my bed, waiting for me patiently. I slip into some white socks, then place my feet into my shoes.

"You ready?" he sheepishly asks, not making the effort to turn around and face me.

"Go start the car bitte. I forgot I needed to do something."

Till's phone...

I can't leave it out in the open on the kitchen table. I hope that Paul wasn't in the room earlier. Knowing him, he probably would've suspected something and asked about the phone. Enough thinking, I go into the kitchen and immediately encounter his phone. I glance over at Paul, who is walking out of my house. A sigh of relief escapes me. I proceed to grab the device.

Take out the battery

I turn over the phone and take the case off. After a minute or so of struggling with the phone, I manage to take the battery out. Now Paul will not be able to track it down. I know he will want to, but now he won't be able to. I hide the phone in a drawer, then walk out of my house. I make sure to lock my door on the way out.

"Hurry up, Flake. We don't have all day!"

"Ich weiß! Ich weiß!" I yell out in response. I throw myself in the car and slam the door shut. Both, Paul and I, give each other a determined look. I have faith we'll find Till.

"Where to?"

"Well, I was thinking we should try the library. Till loves to distract himself from his current problems." I say with a hopeful tone. Deep within I knew Till wasn't going to be there. How could he read at a time like this? He probably can't erase the memory of hurting me like that. I know how much he loves to dwell in thoughts. I hope he'll be where I think he is. Nothing more is said throughout the car ride.

BERLIN LIBRARY

"Can't believe how big this place is. You see Lindemann, yet?" Paul's awe had switched to a more demanding tone. We are running out of time, realistically. Till could be anywhere just about now.

"Flake." states Paul, walking in front of me with a serious look.

"Sorry." I blurt out.

"I know you want to find Till, but you're going to have to help me. I can't do this alone."

I look down at my shoes. He is right. I have to put my thoughts aside and "find" Till. This plan will buy me some time while I reflect on where Till could be.

Paul and I check out each individual room. Still no sign of Till, just as I thought. I turn to face Paul. His face appears to be lost in thought.

"Paul."

"Hm? Ja?"

"We should go. Till probably isn't here."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I know him. He gets bored easily. If there's one thing that man cannot do, it's sitting still."

"That is true. Where to then?" beams Landers.

"Let's try the park. He exercises to get things off his mind sometimes. Or he could be passed out on a bench. Either one works." I say with a few interrupting chuckles.

"Heh. Well, let's get going."

"Okay."

A part of me hopes Till will be at the park. He has been there on multiple occasions. Most have been him battling a hangover. However, this situation is different. Till has a real internal problem at hand. A part of me believes he would chose solitude over the company of others, including park strangers. All we can do now is hope for the best.

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Originally written: August 6, 2018