A Summer to Remember

(Zach’s pov)

I have to find her. I have to. She is my world. I do not think I could live if I lost her.

I couldn’t sleep that night. I just kept thinking about Sarah. In my mind, I was replaying every moment we had together. Even though we really only spent a month together, every moment we had was a memorable one.

I loved everything about her. Her smile, her laugh, her style, her talents, her hair, her face, her taste in music and movies, everything. I loved the way her eyes twinkled when she laughed. I loved the way she always knew just what to say when someone was down. I love that she knew exactly what to do when we were bored. I loved that her hair always smelled like lavender. I loved that she wasn’t afraid to laugh at herself. I loved that she didn’t care what people thought about her. I loved that she didn’t care how disgusting we all were around her.

I laid on my bed for hours. There was no way I could sleep. There must be something that could lead me to her.

My head was swimming with thoughts when I heard Nathan groan.

“Zach, are you up?” he whispered into the darkness.

“Yeah,” I whispered back. He got up from his bed, and walked over to me. He sat down on the bed next to me.

“You doing okay?” Nathan asked me. I looked at him. Dumbfounded, I had no idea what to say. I could feel the anger boiling inside of me.

“Did you seriously just ask me that?” I demanded angrily. Nathan’s face looked uneasy, and he shifted his weight on the bed. He started to say something, but quickly stopped himself. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. “Look, the love of my life is missing and I have no idea where she is. I might ever be able to see her again, and you are asking me if I’m doing okay? How the hell do you think I’m doing?” Nathan looked at me with a blank face, and blinked a few times. I don’t think he knew what to say, which only infuriated me more.

Sighing, I got out of my bed, and walked to the other side of the room. The room was a disaster, and I had no idea where anything was. I threw bags around, trying to locate my shoes. Under a pair of Cameron’s underwear, I finally found them. I quickly slipped my big feet into my black shoes, and tied the laces. Nathan looked at me curiously, but didn’t dare to ask me where I was going. I grabbed my cell phone and my room card, and slammed the door behind me. I swiftly walked down the hall, and raced down the stairs. The lobby of the hotel was empty due to the fact that it was three in the morning. The receptionist obviously was wondering what I was doing, but she didn’t say anything.

I stormed out of the front doors, and the cold dry air hit me. It filled my lungs, and it calmed me down a little bit. Knowing that running always soothed me, I started jogging. My mind instantly cleared; all thoughts of the previous few days vanished.

After twenty minutes, I found myself in the familiar shopping pavilion. In my mind, was the image of Sarah in that van, unconscious and covered in blood. My stomach turned, and I felt myself getting sick. The contents of my stomach emptied itself onto the pavement next to me. Groaning, I wiped my mouth, and walked away from the horrid scent.

The parking lot was empty, and dimly illuminated by the street lamps. I walked over to the parking spot that Sarah’s kidnapper was parked in, and sat down. I rested my head on my knees, and started to cry. Tears poured out of my eyes, and ran down my cheeks.

I hated myself for letting this happen. If I just stayed with her, this never would have happened. This was entirely my fault, and I was determined to fix it.

Quickly, I stood up. I was crossing the parking lot, when I noticed something black crumpled up by the sidewalk. I jogged over to it, and picked it up.

It was a face mask. I examined it, and there was some dead skin stuck inside.

“I wonder,” I mumbled. “I guess its better to be safe than sorry.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket, and dialed Nathan’s number. I figured he would still be awake, and I was right. He answered on the first ring.

“What’s up?” Nathan asked me urgently.

“Can you come pick me up?” I asked. Nathan agreed, and told me he would be there in five minutes. I paced around the parking lot until I saw a white van pull into the parking lot.