Pentatonix and the Search

Scott's POV

I gripped the steering wheel as I pulled onto the street, following Jacob. We were searching Jason Peterson's house, and I had to keep myself from overreacting, but it was becoming hard. The last time I had been to or seen this house was when Mitch and I pulled up to find Kirstin lying motionless on the sidewalk. My mind drifted back to that November day. We didn't have any concerts at that time, so we decided to find somewhere to stay for just a couple of days. I called every hotel around Gatlingburg to see if they had rooms for all of us to stay together. Unfortunately, they didn't have the number of rooms that we needed; therefore, Mitch called the timeshares. Timeshares denied us before we were able to explain our situation. That left us with one option: locals. One day, we pulled down this street and just decided to try this street. I tried at the first house, but the family wasn't home; therefore, Mitch tried the next house. That was a similar story to what happened at the first house. The third one, Kirstin had begged me if she could try. I reluctantly allowed her. As Mitch and I watched her walk up to the front door, I had a rising sense of dread. She would be completely vulnerable for something to happen since I wouldn't be by her side to protect her. Mitch suggested we drive around the block, and I figured that would get my mind off it. When we returned to the house, Kirstin was lying motionless on the sidewalk. Mitch hadn't even stopped the car by the time I had gotten out. I rushed to her side and fell to my knees beside her bloodied body. Instantly, I saw that she had been stabbed in her thigh. She was bleeding from a cut below her neck and left wrist. Kirstin also had bruises on her right wrist and hand. She was gasping for air as if she had been thrown onto the ground. I gasped when I saw that she had been severely burned on her back. Instinctively, I gently picked her up and held her on the way to the hospital. It was as if I released her; she would die. When we reached the hospital, they asked me to place her down gently. While I was laying her on the hospital bed, her body went limp, and I sensed her breathing had stopped. The doctors and nurses automatically attempted to bring her back. I feared that she wasn't going to make it. I felt that she had died in my arms. It took them longer than we had hoped, but they brought her back. She's scarred terribly on her back from the burn. Other than the permanent scars on her burned back; she had healed where the knife had gone in. It was good to know that Kirstin was no longer so close to death. The feeling of Kirstin's body going limp in my arms still haunted me to this day and was something that would never leave me. I shook my head just in time to pull into the driveway. According to Jacob, Jason was out of town. I feared we would run into him, but I didn't blame him for Kirstin's injuries anymore. Jessica had caused him to get angry to the point that he would lash out on purpose so that he would almost kill Kirstin. I hope that we find her, if not, find a clue that will lead us to her. I sighed as I remembered last night. Kirstin had almost died because she couldn't breathe she was so upset. Stay strong, Scott. Kirstie needs you. Mitch needs you. I glanced over at Mitch, who had tears in his brown eyes.

Me: You doing okay, Mitch?

My voice was soft as I asked my question. Mitch seemed to not hear me, so I reached over and gently nudged him. He had been the most affected since Kailyn had gone missing on his birthday, and he was the one that originally found the blood in Kailyn's room. I just hoped that he could hold himself together for Kirstin's sake. She couldn't handle anyone else as upset as she was. Kirstin's grief came about two days later when the realization kicked in. She woke up in the middle of the night, crying in agony. I had to fall asleep with her in my arms eventually. She refused to be alone. I didn't want her to have a nightmare, so I stayed with her to comfort her.

Mitch: Scott, what will we do if she's dead?

Me: We can't think like that, Mitch. We'll find her, and she'll be alive.

Mitch: I can't even imagine what she's going through. I don't want to know. That's the one thing I am going to hate when we find her. I don't want to see what she's had to go through because we took so long to find her.