Those 7 years: Missing One Shot Chapter

8 Travis's POV

The house felt suffocatingly empty as I sat there, staring at the door, willing it to open. Every creak of the floorboards or gust of wind outside sounded like footsteps—like her footsteps. My heart raced, desperate for the sound of her voice, but the silence stretched on, heavy and unbearable.

I glanced at my phone again, hoping for a missed call or message. Nothing. My grip tightened around the phone, my knuckles turning white. The police had said they'd call if they had any updates, but so far, there was nothing. My mind spun, trying to figure out where she could be, why she wasn't answering, what could've possibly happened.

The doorbell rang, and I jumped to my feet so fast that the chair behind me nearly toppled over. I rushed to the door, but it wasn't Taylor. It was Scott, her dad, his face pale and drawn, worry etched into every line of his face. He stepped inside, pulling me into a quick, stiff hug.

"I got here as fast as I could," he said, his voice low, his eyes scanning the house like she might magically appear if he just looked hard enough. "Any word from the police?"

I shook my head, feeling the tension in my chest tighten. "Nothing yet. They said they're looking for her car, but... nothing."

Scott rubbed a hand over his face, taking a deep breath. "This isn't like her, Trav. She wouldn't just—"

"I know," I interrupted, my voice rough. "She wouldn't. Something's wrong."

Andrea, her mom, walked in behind Scott, her face pinched with worry. Her eyes were red, like she'd already been crying, but she held it together when she saw me. She gave me a tight hug, her hands shaking slightly as they rested on my shoulders.

"We'll find her," she whispered, more to herself than to me. "We'll find her."

Before I could respond, there was another knock at the door. This time it was Jason and Kylie, with my mom right behind them. Jason's face was serious, his eyes filled with the same fear I was trying so hard to push down. He pulled me into a quick, rough embrace.

"You doing okay?" he asked, his voice gruff but soft. I knew what he meant—he was checking on me, trying to hold me steady while we all spiraled.

"I don't know," I admitted, my voice breaking. "I'm trying, but... I don't know what to do, Jase."

He gripped my shoulder, squeezing it tightly. "We're gonna figure this out, Trav. We'll find her."

Everyone gathered in the living room, the air thick with tension and fear. My mom sat beside me, her hand resting on my knee, while Kylie busied herself making coffee for everyone—something to do, something to keep her hands moving while her mind raced with worry.

Andrea paced the room, unable to sit still. "I called Taylor's brother," she said, her voice trembling. "Austin's on his way. He said he'd bring his wife too, in case... in case we need her."

In case we need her for what? I thought, panic flashing through me. No one wanted to say it out loud, but the longer Taylor was gone, the more we all feared the worst. I felt the weight of it pressing down on me, threatening to drown me.

Scott sat down heavily on the couch, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. "We need a plan. We can't just sit here, waiting for the police to call us. We need to figure out where she could be."

"We don't even know where to start," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "She said she was going to run errands, but she didn't say where."

Jason pulled out his phone, scrolling through something quickly. "Let's start with where she usually goes. Grocery stores, coffee shops, maybe even the pharmacy if she needed something." He looked up at me. "You think she went anywhere out of the ordinary?"

I shook my head. "Not that I know of. She would've told me if she was going somewhere far."

Scott was already pulling out his phone, dialing the number for the grocery store Taylor usually shopped at. "I'll call around and see if anyone's seen her."

Kylie returned from the kitchen, handing out mugs of coffee. Her hands were steady, but I could see the worry in her eyes as she sat down beside Jason. She turned to me. "Have you checked her phone's location? Maybe it'll give us a clue."

I pulled out my own phone, immediately going to the Find My iPhone app. I stared at the screen, waiting for it to load. But when it finally popped up, my heart sank. "It's off," I said, my voice hollow. "It's been off since I tried calling her hours ago."

Kylie rubbed my back soothingly. "That doesn't necessarily mean something's wrong, Trav. It could've died. She could've turned it off for some reason."

"I know," I replied, but the sinking feeling in my gut remained. It wasn't like her to let her phone die, not when she knew I'd be expecting her to check in. Something was wrong.

Just as I was about to speak again, there was another knock at the door. This time it was Austin, his face pale but determined. His wife, Anna, was behind him, her eyes wide with worry.

"I came as soon as I could," Austin said, stepping into the living room. "What do we know?"

"Not much," Jason replied, looking up from his phone. "Travis called the police. They're looking for her car, but that's all we've got."

"We need more than that," Austin said, his voice sharp with worry. "I'm not just sitting here waiting for a phone call. Let's split up, drive around, see if we can find her. We can't just wait around."

Andrea nodded quickly. "Yes. Yes, let's do that. I can't sit here anymore. I need to do something."

I stood up, my legs shaky but filled with purpose. "I'm coming with you."

"Trav, maybe you should—" Jason started, but I cut him off with a look.

"I'm not just sitting here, Jase. I need to find her." My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat, trying to regain control. "I can't just sit here."

Jason exchanged a glance with Kylie, then nodded. "Alright. We'll split up. But keep your phones on. The second someone hears anything, you call."

Everyone agreed, and within minutes, we were all piling into cars, ready to scour the city for any sign of Taylor. I climbed into my truck, my heart racing as I gripped the steering wheel, my mind running through every possible scenario. Where could she be? What could've happened?

I didn't know, but I wasn't going to stop until I found her.