Missing

I roamed the dark forest. Searching for the one and only thing that mattered in my life. The world was almost completely silent. Quiet sounds came from everywhere though. Birds chirping as they made there way around the hot air, chipmunks and squirrels scratched against the tree trunks as they made there way up to their family. It was the animals first time to roam since the frosty snow finally melted. It was my first time to feel the warm, fresh air on my face. But none of that mattered. I was on a mission.

My brother was missing. Both my parents bailed out and are laying in bed crying at home. That is just like them though. To drop out of life when things started to get tough after living a perfect life for years. To leave me alone without anyone to comfort me when I lose my best friend. He was more than just a brother; he was loyal, kind, and he always stuck up for me no matter what I've ever done to him. And then just to lose him right out of my grasp. It seemed almost impossible.

I turned again. Following the way the wind takes me. Awhile back I lost my shoes so it was just me and my bare feet with a thin layer of sock over them. The  branches snapped under my feet and every single one thought it would be a good idea to pinch open my sores. My feet were bleeding, my head was throbbing, and my heart was crying. Nothing could keep me from stopping though.

Pounding against my back as I ran, was the bag I brought full of supplies I needed if I found Lucas, my brother. It consisted of food, water, band-aids, Neosporin, ice packs,  gauze, and some of his clothes. Everything I could possibly need to help him. That is if I ever found him.

I have been searching for exactly 2 weeks, 1 day, 4 hours, 42 minutes, and ten, eleven, twelve, you know how it goes, seconds. That time was the time when I found out he had gone missing; possibly the worst time of my entire life. It was cold that day which wasn't unusual for it being winter in Colorado. I put on my coat and boots and walked out to my car to meet some friends at the local coffee shop. When I got in I went to set my purse down on the passenger seat where I saw a crisply folded note. I opened it up and read it.

Here's what it said;

Dear Caitlyn,

You may have noticed by now that your older brother Lucas has returned home from his trip to the grocery store because his car is in the driveway. I know you didn't see him come inside though because he didn't. In fact, he never got to leave the driveway. That is by himself. I thought I would let you know that I took him. I took him and if you don't find him in three weeks I am going to take you too. You will get a total of seven clues. One every three days. To find your first one, flip to the second page. Your three weeks begin now.

Of course I flipped the page over and saw a drawing. I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but I thought it was a picture of one single blade of grass, which didn't narrow it down since grass was literally everywhere. It didn't seem like it would help. But after I got the next couple clues it all started to fit together. The second clue came three days later and I was still confused. Inside the envelope that I found in my mailbox was a compass with the S for south circled in sharpie. The next clue though, was the one that really helped.

Crashing was the noise I made when I found the third clue. I opened up my locker at school and there was a note with the word Silver Saddle inside. Silver Saddle is the name of a subdivision and a forest. I dropped everything when I saw it and that's what made the crashing sound as my books and pencils slid out of my arms and landed on the cold, hollow floor.

Since I already received the blade of grass picture, I knew it was the Silver Saddle forest that he was in. Also since the compass "S" was circled, I know that he is in the south forest. Three days later after checking the south forest with no luck because it is so big, I unsurprisingly received another clue. That time it was a maple leaf. It probably means he is in, or next to a maple tree. When I got the maple leaf, I immediately searched near the inner perimeter of the forest because I knew that’s where the trees grew the best. Still with know luck.

Now we're back to today. Earlier this morning I received a red tie that I assumed was the fifth clue I was supposed to receive. Now I was walking through the forest still with no shoes looking for a maple tree with a red tie around it. I sniffed the musty, damp air and knew I had to act quick because it was about to rain. That's when I saw the red tie. It was the exact one that I was holding in my backpack with the rest of the clues and not a surprise, it was on a maple tree.

I darted across the crunchy forest ground like if I didn't run my fastest, I would literally die. I grabbed hold of the lowest branch and tried swinging my legs around the scratchy tree but I just couldn't manage to. When I finally got my legs to stay, I felt a piercing pain in my back.

I jumped off the tree and swung around as fast as I could, feeling the blood drizzling down and staining my shirt. When I turned around though, I saw something I never thought I would see. My brother.

When I turned around I saw my brother standing there smiling at me with the bloody knife gripped so hard in his hands that his knuckles were turning white. My body wouldn't move or speak. It was as if time stopped. The whole world seemed to be still as Lucas stared at me with his evil grin. Until he moved.

He sprung at me and I had no time to think or move. It still felt as if I couldn't. The next thing I felt was the, still bloody, sharp knife scraping open my skin and ripping open my lungs. I then knew I was going to die. My eyes were slowly shutting, but before they closed forever I saw something; I saw Lucas pull a gun out of his pocket and point it at his head. At that moment I closed my eyes. I couldn't stop me hearing the gun go off and a loud thump which I knew was his body hitting the cold earth. It then started to rain and that is when I blacked out. Forever.