Gone To Hell | Seventeen

XXII.

***

Some burned in me. It wasn't an emotional feeling. Or maybe there was a burning emotional feeling as well. But besides that, I could feel a serious ache in my shoulder, something that made me want to crawl into a ball and cry. I felt something sticky dripping down my chest and arms. I couldn't hear anything around me, except for an intense, loud cry. I just heard apologies, assumedly repeating for putting me in the state I was in. I wanted to tell the person to stop crying, that I was fine, but even if I said such a thing, who knew if I actually was?

"Raejin, this could've been avoided, and you know that." An unfamiliar voice muttered, one different than the voice apologizing, "Don't you dare make me feel guilty for this."

"I... I couldn't..."

"You couldn't what?" The voice spoke again, "Couldn't bring yourself to inflict pain on any of your friends? You just want to be nice and protect them, but look where that got you."

I couldn't see anymore. I was now shaking, but involuntarily, as if someone was shaking my body. The voice was gone, and I felt as though I was alone, except for the burning pain, and the force that was shaking me.

"Raejin, wake up, please."

***

I jolted awake, confused and panicked. I was thankful to realize that the burning sensation was gone, but I was still being shaken. I managed to open my eyes and look at Hoshi, who was sitting on top of me, waking me like a madman.

"Hoshi, what's wrong?" I urgently asked, seeing the panic on his face and the tears threatening to come out.

He gulped and shuttered, whispering, "Samuel is gone."

Without a moment to stop and question, I pushed him off of me and jumped to my feet, not even changing before rushing out of the room. Most of the group was up, but Samuel wasn't outside, at least not where I could see him.

Hoshi walked behind me, explaining the situation more. "I woke up and looked over and he was just gone. I looked around camp because I didn't want to start any chaos but after walking around the camp for twenty minutes, checking the office, and using the master key to break into all of the rooms, I decided that I couldn't find him alone."

"It's his birthday! Why would he just get up and leave?" I heard Jeonghan mutter from a few feet away, clearly distraught about what could've happened.

I nervously glanced around the camp, praying to see his face in the crowd somewhere. As desperate as I was to just find him somewhere, perfectly fine and in normal condition, those chances didn't seem very high.

After a few minutes, the entire group stood outside, each peering in hopes of the teenager popping up out of nowhere. Vernon came up to me, and we started discussing a plan, "This reminds me of when Run Squad didn't come back in time and everyone panicked instantly. Yet for some reason, I have this gut feeling that Samuel didn't just go out for a walk."

"Do you think someone kidnapped him?" I suggested, "I highly doubt it, but who knows?"

"It kind of seems to me that he just decided to leave. Why, though, I don't have a clue. And where would he have went?"

"He said he came from a different group. Maybe he went back?"

"He also said he left them because he didn't feel safe." Vernon pointed out, "He stayed with us a couple months, so if he wasn't comfortable here, he surely would've left earlier than this."

"Then maybe he lied to us." I was beginning to be more confused than scared for him, "What if-"

"Guys, look at this." Chan ran over to us, and stuck his arm out, revealing a note. Vernon took it from him and read it out to everyone.