(C)amomile (studxstud)

Chap 16: Where's Tye?

We didn't go home, there was a beach house close by the cabana and apparently Cam had rented it too. Cindy and I sat on the beach with our dry herb vape pens just vibing, we listened to the waves rush in and then shy away from the shore again.

"Man, I don't even know. I don't think I'm afraid to die though," I said.

"I know that I'm afraid to die and that's mainly because I don't know what happens after death. I'm afraid of the unknown." Cindy said shaking her head and letting out the smoke from her jaws.

"Maybe it's because I think death is final, I think we only live one life and then there's nothing. If death is the opposite of life and in life we feel so much then I don't think we feel anything in death." I tried processing the thoughts in my mind.

"Mhm... I believe in reincarnation and all that shit man." Cindy laughed.

"I feel you.." I looked over at her and then took another long drag from my vape.

"Ima head in, I'm hungry." Cindy said.

"I'll be in soon," I said and she nodded.

I listened to her footsteps kick up the sand and then fell softly onto the board deck before opening the sliding doors and locked it once she got inside. I was high as hell and I remembered the first time I smoked, Cam thought it was better than the different pills I was taking for my depression, anxiety and PTSD. Also the same day I made a huge mistake but I'm over that now and would never fall back into that. If I wasn't careful I'd fall asleep out here but the tires pulling up behind me made me fully aware in the next second.

The next thing I knew I was being grabbed from behind and a sack was pulled over my head. What the fuck is going on? I tried fighting. I grabbed the first person and drew them over my shoulder, the one that was holding the sack over my head started choking me with a rope and then I felt a needle pierce my neck. Shit.. was this really how I was going to get captured and killed? On my birthday while high as fuck?

Cam's POV

Cindy was now washing up the dishes and I haven't seen Tye as yet.

"Cindy? Where's Tye?" I asked.

"I left her outside, said she'd be in within a minute." She shrugged her shoulders.

Well, I believe a minute has passed a long time ago so I walked through the sliding doors and stood on the deck looking out. Outside was lit up so I could see along the beach clearly. I didn't see a body, all I saw was an object in the sand so I walked over to it and saw Tye's vape pen that I bought for her second birthday together. There were different footprints in the sand and it looked like there was some struggle, I followed the footprints over to the driveway and there were tire tracks leading away. I stood trying to process the situation and I looked even further and there was a needle in the sand. Why was there a medical needle here? I felt like I was in Law and Order SVU, trying to figure out the clues and piece them together. What was happening?

Realization hit me as I ran back to the house shouting for Cindy. Cindy ran downstairs as quickly as she could without tripping over her feet wondering why I was creating a ruckus.

"They took her," I said crying.

"What?" Cindy held onto me and I cried into her shoulder.

"They took her Cindy, Tye's gone." I shouted out.

I fell to my knees crying grabbing onto Cindy's shirt, it all felt so real and raw. I couldn't control the tears that were coming and they didn't stop. I felt Cindy lift me up and carried me up the stairs to the room I was supposed to be sharing with Tye. I rested my head on the pillow and turned my face away from her while the tears continued to spill from my eyes. I heard when she left the room and came back.

"Hey, Banks?" I heard her say.

"They took Tye." She said lowly.

"They took Tatianna," she said more loudly.

"I don't know. Cam went to look for her and she wasn't there." Her hand was plastered over her forehead.

In the next minute she was handing the phone to me and I answered between the sobs that were coming up from my throat.

"Hello?" I said.

"Camille, tell me what happened." I heard Banks' soft voice on the other line.

"They took her Banks, they took my Tye." I cried out and fresh tears rolled down my face. Cindy sat on the bed and tried to comfort me.

"What did you see?" Banks asked.

"There was obvious struggle in the sand and then there were tire marks not far from it and there was also a medical needle." I said.

"Okay, we will sort this out in the morning. Please get some rest, dear." He said.

Without saying anything else, I handed the phone back to Cindy and I heard her say something but the words didn't register. How was I to get rest when the love of my life was missing from me? We were supposed to be celebrating her birthday. I was staring into the light with a blank mind, I felt numb. I felt like I lost the one person who meant the most to me and I'm not Tye. I didn't know how to get her back and I didn't know how to do what she does. I was scared and vulnerable, I felt like anything could happen to me and I didn't have Tye to protect me. I couldn't even protect her, who was I trying to fool? I could fight yes but I couldn't do all of this.

"Cam?" I heard Cindy calling me but I didn't answer, I just continued staring at the light feeling nothing.

My eyes stung but I never moved them away from the light. I heard Cindy's footsteps leaving the room and I sat up to call her back.

"Please stay with me," I said once she came to stand in front of me.

She came to lie beside me and hugged me from behind. It wasn't Tye but I didn't want to be alone.