empire.

chapter nine.

ashton pov

during;

I walked into the flat, and something was different. It was quiet. No TV, no sizzling food, no beeping microwave, no frantic scratch of Empires pen upon paper.

Total silence.

"Empire?" I called. No reply.

"Empire?" I tried again, slowly walking up the stairs. I checked the bathrooms and the guest bedroom, then walked towards our bedroom. She could be asleep.

I opened the door to be met with nothing. One more room. I walked to the bathroom, expecting to see her standing there fixing her hair or doing her makeup.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

"Oh my god." I dropped to my knees.

"No. No, no no!"

She was lying across the bathroom floor, her auburn hair spread around her. Her crystal blue eyes lifeless. And my handgun, kept for in the flat protection, in her hand. A small splat of blood on the ground next to her head, and it was immediately clear what had happened. I felt a wave of something I had never felt. It was an overwhelming sadness. I felt like somebody had physically ripped my lungs out. I gasped for breath but it wouldn't come. All I could do was drop to the ground and gather empire in my arms, holding her. I fumbled for my phone, before dialing 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"My girlfriend- she- oh my god- she killed hersel-" I choked on the words, gasping for breath.

"Sir? It's okay, we are sending help. What's the address?"

Not without difficulty, I gave the address. The only thing racing through my mind was that empire was gone. That's all.

"Hello? Sir?"

"Yeah?" I couldn't hear my own voice. But I assume I sounded like a two year old.

"Would you like us to stay on the line?"

"No I have to call my-I have to call my brother." Luke. I had to call Luke. He wasn't my brother, but he might as well be. I hung up before she could reply, and called Luke. All the while I was stroking empires hair.

"Ash! Hey , what's up?"

"Luke oh my god. Luke-" I was sobbing, screaming, gasping for air. I was drowning.

"What? What's wrong?"

"She's gone"

I hung the phone up, cradling her fragile body.

Empire didn't kill herself, no. She couldn't have. This is a dream. Nightmare. My empire isn't gone.

But of course, all dreams , or nightmares, come to an end. And when this one ended, she was still gone.

Empire, why have you disappeared?