HIS HEART

Ch:11 Death threat?

"Tara?" "TARA?"

Tara is missing. No one knows where she went. We've searched the whole premises and her bag for clues. She's gone. She left.

I hear my heartbeat increase every moment. I feel myself breathing faster as the panic sets in. Anything could have happened and I didn't even notice her leave. She was really upset and I didn't even think of monitoring her. I swallow the lump in my throat as I realize she wasn't even thinking straight.

 Where did she go? Whom did she go with? Why didn't she tell me?

I ignore the questions swimming in my head. We need to find Tara before it's too late... 

Anything could happen. God- Why is she so reckless?

Suddenly, I realize her addiction, her thirst to locate her brother. Tyler. I remember the conversation we had last night about how worried she was. The way his fierce behavior disappears, how he lets his guard down around her. The trust and love they had. She loved her brother more than anything and I know she would go to any extent to find him.

She would tell me though if she left. She probably did tell me. I wrack my head to find any hidden clues or hints she dropped. Dammit! Nothing... I dump the contents of my bag onto the bed and rush through it. She must have left me a note or something. I know she did.

Somewhere I'd look. Somewhere I'd see it. My eyes automatically go to the mirror, a place I visit every morning to make myself presentable. Ahem- A place I visit quite often to be honest... Smart! I look around the room and voila, there it is. A note stuck in between the mirror and the wood. How ironic.

It's a plain piece of paper. No clues, no lettering, nothing. I pull on it, trying to dislodge it from it's placement and it doesn't budge. Upset, I place my head against the wood trying to look in between the two surfaces. It's been folded as though it was supposed to stay stuck. Origami. 

I grab a knife from a nearby table and lodge it into the gap and cut the folded paper, keeping it from falling off. The paper tears and it flutters to the floor. I pick up the paper and see one word printed on it.

Boulevard. 

I slip the note in my pocket and rush out of the door. I see her laptop on her bed and touch it to find it still warm. She left recently. She hasn't gone far.

I shield my eyes from the sun and look at the dark, empty street. Of course, Tara would come here. The trees provide foliage and a cover for anything... Anything that could happen here. The place is straight out of a detective show. I clench my fist just in case. Tara is nowhere to be seen. Who did she want to meet? How did she find out? Where is she?

My thoughts are interrupted by a loud scream. I'd recognize that voice anywhere. "TARA!" I yell and turn. She's running towards my direction and there's blood on her shirt. Her lips is bleeding and there's a scar on her face. "Roger? ROGER?" She's crying now and standing in the middle of the boulevard, not knowing where I am. "Here Tara!" I shout and head towards her.

I'm just a foot away from her as a small object flies right next to her head. I shout in surprise and quickly grab her. She stumbles and I have no choice but to drag her along with me. "Roger?"

I check her up and down real quick. "Yeah, here." 

"Leave. Leave!"

She stops stubbornly and grabs my collar. She shakes her head. "They want me."

She starts sobbing. "There's many of them, Roger. They'll kill me."

She lets go and pushes me away. "Go!"

"Tara, no!" I pull her behind my back as another object flies towards us. Christ! I pull out a revolver from my pocket. Tara's revolver. That was supposed to not be used. I fire a shot near a tree and hear an "Ouch!".

Tara's eyes are wide and she's covering her ears. We run out of the boulevard and almost escape when I feel something prick my back. Arrgh! I flinch for a second but keep running. We run down the regents building and stop only after a safe distance away. I feel my eyes getting heavy.

 "Taaara?" I heave. 

Her eyes are filled with concern. "Did they hit you, Roger?"

 I nod sleepily. "Oh crap." The fear in her voice is evident. And her voice is the last thing I hear before I blackout.

I wake up to the monitors beeping. Here we are again... "Roger?" I open my eyes.

The nurse has a concerned look on her face. "You-"

I don't have time for this. "Where is she?" 

The nurse immediately understand and points to the room beside mine. 

"Thanks." I say and walk towards her room.

She's sitting on the bed and is pale. She's in a clean t-shirt and there's dried blood on her face. She barely acknowledges me when I enter. "Tara?"

My voice seems to jolt her out of her thoughts. "Roger?"

I sit down next to her as she hugs me. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She bursts into tears.

"Chill, I'm fine. Nothing-"

"No, they know you. Now, they know you!"

I look at her and try to make sense out of her blabbering. She gets up and falls to the floor, giddy. "It's all my fault!" Her cry echoes off the walls, bouncing back to me in hundred different pieces.

"TARA, STOP!" Her body goes rigid but she nods slightly. "Ok, I-I'll stop. Calm. I'm C-calm."

As though in a trance, she gets up and walks slowly back to her bed. She lays down and within minutes, gentle snores fill the room. I decide to leave her to rest for a while. She's traumatized and maybe this will help her come back to the present. I walk to her bed and pick up her blanket. Soft, warm and fuzzy. Everything she loves. I slowly drape it over her and her eyes open sleepily. 

"Roger-" She hands me a note. "Readddd-" 

And with that, her eyes close.