Madness (Completed)

Worried

~*Marks POV*~

I continue to walk through the woods, searching each tree I pass for any sign from Violet. That's when I finally see a small signal in a tree. I approach it slowly and realize its a note. I start to read it and sigh as I start.
"Mark, Jack, Wade and Bob, its Violet. I'm alive and am going strait forward from this place. I love you all and miss you guys already. -Violet."
"I miss you too." I mumble under my breath. I glance over my shoulder to see the other guys behind me. I move out of their way so they can read her note too.
"At least we know she's alive." Wade says, trying to be positive.
"I hope it stays that way." I reply, breaking his jolly mood instantly. Wade sighs heavily.
"Look, Mark, I know she still isn't back. But we need to keep hope and continue to look, no matter what happens. I don't think she wants us to give up on her, and I surely won't." Wade explains, his voice firm and demanding as if we were kids again and he is convincing me not to go on the monkey bars. After all, Wade always wanted to try to keep me alive and well. He has been my best friend for as long ad I can remember.
"Thanks buddy. I know you want to help her and me, but you can't assure her safety, and it bothers me that I can't either." I state, more to myself than anyone else.
"I know. You always were a worrier." Wade chuckles.
"That was you actually. You were Mr. 'I've never been late to my classes' and you rushed me so much to my classes." I chuckle back at him.
"Just because I was smart and on time does not make me a worrier." Wade says.
"Oh yeah? You would shout at me in the halls because the bell would ring in like 5 minutes and you weren't in your class already." I chuckle.
"Fine. I was a worrier. But anyways, we should keep looking. We might be close to her." Wade says glancing around the area. I nod lightly and begin walking once more with them. We walk through trees and bushes, scanning all of them for a sign from Violet. We step foot on what looks to be a campsite. It has burnt wood and scraps sitting in the center of a few logs that could be used as seats.
"We should check this area. That fire looks fresh." Wade says, his eyes locked on the light cloud of smoke above the burned items. I nod and begin looking at all of tress. I walk completely around a tree next to one if the logs and find a symbol I'm all too familiar. I see a small septic eye with my warfstache placed on its 'face'. I smile at the sight, knowing that she was here recently.
"I found a sign from her." I call to the others. Jack rushes to see and stares down at the image. He and breathes out heavily, seeming to become more relaxed. I see the others walk to see her sign and nod when they see it. Jack continues to look at it, a small smile covering his face.
"That's clever. Combining our signs." Jack says, his eyes darting to see me. I nod lightly.
"She is clever." I respond with a small smile covering my face.
"She might be close. That fire might've been hers." Jack explains, his eyes glancing away from me to look around the area.
"Maybe. I'm not sure why she would light one though, unless she is with someone else." I mumble, more stating it to myself than Jack.
"Do you think she met survivers?" Jack asks for clarification.
"It is possible. She always believed in saving others, if she saw someone she would let them come with her." I respond, thinking back to when she met Felix. I could tell she wanted to trust him, but she asked for my okay until she promised anything. It was a clever move thinking back to it now. I sigh, wishing I could just tell her a simple thing like that, but I can't. The things you start to wish for when people are gone. Its like when one of my best friends, Daniel, was gone, all I wanted was to give him a hug. For weeks, that was all I thought about, but it was impossible. You never truly realize how important people are to you until you lose them. Bob snaps me out of my thoughts by putting his hand on my shoulder.
"Hey, you okay?" He asks.
"Yeah. Jut thinking." I respond.
"About what?"
"I think you already know what." Bob sighs at my answer and nods.
"You're right then." He answers. "I know that she is important to you, and I know he was too. But you can't blame yourself for what happened to Daniel. Or think it will be your fault if she dies. I doubt she will, but if she does, you can't blame yourself like you did with his death." Bob states.
"I never blamed myself." I deny his claim.
"Yeah, you did. You can't do that if she dies. You can't no matter what. Tell me you won't, swear on it." Bob demands.
"Fine. I won't okay?"
"I said, swear on it." Bob repeats.
"Okay. I swear, I won't blame myself. Happy now?" Bob chuckles to himself at my answer.
"Well, we should probably get going soon." Bob changes the topic. I nod and walk back to the group with Bob by my side. Our group continues to walk through the forest, checking every tree we pass searching for any sign of Violet. However, I find nothing. I sigh heavily on dissapointment and frustration.
"We should take a break. Eat something and get a drink of water." Bob says.
"Okay. Set up around here?" Jack asks glancing around for an area to rest.
"Sure." I respond. Bob takes the bag off his shoulder and begins to scavenge inside it for food and a bottle of water. Bob cracks off the lid of the bottle and takes a small sip from it. Bob then passes it to Wade who is standing next to him. Wade does the same then passes it to me. I take the smallest sip they will let me have and then give the bottle to Jack. Jack nods, thanking me in a way and takes a sip from it. Bob takes back the bottle and places it back inside the bag.
"What do you guys feel like eating for lunch today?" Bob asks, looking up from the bag.
"Anything." Jack replies.
"Do we have anymore of the canned peaches?" Wade asks.
"Or canned carrots?" I add. Bob looks back down into the bag and digs through the contents. Bob grabs a few cans from inside, tossing each of them to one of us. I catch my can and turn it to read the label. "Canned Carrots" it reads on the front with faded pictures of carrots. I Wade passes me the can opener he had just used. I open my can and begin eating at the contents, passing the opener to Jack. I eat a few of the carrots when I realize how hungry I've really been. I haven't eaten since we get to The Serene, and even then it had been a few days. The usual talks we had while eating were not present at this meal. Not a word was said, the only sounds were of leaves rattling in the wind and ourselves chewing our food.