(At home after finding Phoenix's body gone.)

Rune's POV

I haven't left my room since I got home 3 days ago after discovering my Nix's body.. gone..

I've stayed curled up in bed, refusing to move since then. I've been thinking too. About what could have happened to his body.

The conclusion I've come to is; body snatchers.

That's right. Body snatchers, grave robbers, tomb raiders, prowlers, jewel thieves, land pirates.

(A/N: yes I did use google for majority of those 😂)

It's the only explanation I have for what I found.The flowers were tossed aside and his grave was dug up.His body was completely gone and there was no traces of body parts that would have been left behind if it was a wild animal that had found him.

I'm sticking with my previous conclusion. Those bloody body snatchers stole my Nix. I just have to figure out who they are and then I can get him back. Maybe we'll be able to give him a proper burial as well. Not just hastily buried in a shallow hole under a tree and covered in flowers.

On another note, I've been anonymously donating money to Phoenix's mum, so that she can stay home with her daughter and grieve without having to try and work while being so emotionally unstable.

I feel like it's really the only thing I can do for her. I can't bring Phoenix back. I couldn't save him, and I couldn't even give her some form of closure because no one has seen his body, except for me.

I feel guilty for not being able to tell anyone what happened, I feel like the truth is slowly eating away at me. But I will endure being eaten away if it means no one has to fully understand what I went through.

I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone. I still get nightmares about it. Even after all these weeks.

It's like the panic, dread, fear, hopelessness and heartbreak from witnessing such a thing will never be removed from my mind.

It's like my subconscious doesn't want me to forget what I felt in those moments.

It makes for a rough nights sleep, to put it lightly.

***

(The next morning)

Apparently I have another doctors appointment.

My mum woke me up at 7:30am, exactly 3 hours after I managed to fall asleep, just to tell me we're meeting up with the perv, I mean doctor, to get another checkup and "hopefully" (mum's words) get me some medication so that I'm not soooooo "dead" and "emotional" all the time.

Rude ass.

So here I am, sitting in the hospital waiting room with my mum who couldn't give a single shit about how I'm actually feeling, waiting for my name to be called by someone I really don't want to see.

What a great way to start the day, yeah?

"I'm going to the bathroom." I tell my mum before standing up and walking to the bathroom.

I check to see if any of the windows are unlocked, and unfortunately, they're locked. Sighing, I do my bathroom business and then walk back into the waiting room.

I don't want to be medicated.

"Rune, sit down, your pacing is getting in my nerves." My mum scolds after a while.

"Whatever." I scoff and sit down.

I pick up a magazine and read through it, not really paying attention to the words.

"- Knight." I look up.

My mums already standing and motioning for me to get up. I toss the magazine back to where I got it from and stand up. I walk with my mum over to the doctor.

"Rune Knight?" He questions.

It's a different doctor to what I've been seeing lately.

Thank the lord above for that.

I nod, "yep, that's me. Unfortunately."

The doctor chuckles and motions for us to follow him.

We do.

"Sit down on the bed, Rune." The doctor says and goes over to his computer to look at files or something.

How kinky, demanding I get on a bed? Yikes. Add that to the list of 101 ways to lose your job. 'Demand an underage person to get on a bed.'

I obey though, and jump up on the bed and sit with my legs crossed under me.

I then sit there and somewhat creepily watch the doc as he looks through the files on his computer.

"It says here you recently went through a loss?" The doctor asks.

"Loss is putting it mildly." I reply, digging my fingernails into my wrists.

The doctor nods and keeps looking through the file, which I assume is things all about me that my mother has told the previous doctor who then passed the information to this one.

The doctor walks over to me once he's finished doing his research about me.

"Have you been feeling any suicidal tendencies?" He asks.

Shit man. Just ask if I'm going to jump off a cliff next time.

Too soon.

"Only when people ask stupid questions." I reply. He looks offended.

Suck on that Doctor-chan!

"Rune! Don't be so rude!" My mum scolds.

"It's no one's business if I'm feeling 'suicidal tendencies' so either ask something else, or let me leave." I say, using air quotations.

"It's okay, Mrs Knight." The doc reassures before looking back at me.

"Is there any medication you have that can help him?" My mum asks.

"I don't need medical help, mum. I need time and space. My best friend since as long as I can remember is dead. How would you feel is someone you were extremely close to and regarded as family died in your arms? Huh? How would you fucking feel is your family was trying to shove pills down your throat and telling you to suck it up?" I rant, pissed off at her, and at the world.

How dare the world take my best friend away from me?? How fucking dare it.

My mum stands there mouth gaping at me. Unknowing what she said say. The doctor looks shocked and unsure of how to process my outburst.

"How about we wrap up this appointment now? I'll reschedule it for another day." The doctor concludes.

"Yeah.. that sounds good." My mum says slowly, not taking her eyes off me.

I look away from her and watch the doctor instead. He writes an appointment note for us and hands it to my mum.

"Today in a fortnight you two should come back, hopefully by then Rune will be feeling more inclined to share his issues in a healthy manner." He says.

My mum smiles politely. "Thank you Doctor Sawyer."

I ignore both of them and walk out of the room and head straight for our car. I lean against it as I wait for my mum.

She arrives eventually and gets in. I join her and turn on the radio. We drive home in silence.

***

Upon arriving home, I get out of the car and hurriedly head towards my room.

Halfway up the stairs, my mum calls my name.

I stop and turn around to look at her, she's standing at the bottom of the stairs shifting guiltily on the balls of her feet.

She looks up at my face, "I'm sorry, Rune. I really am."

I nod and continue walking upstairs.

After walking into my room and kicking off my shoes, I climb into bed and curl up.

My body shakes from an onslaught of uncontrollable sobs.

When I can't take the emotional pain any longer, my body and mind give out and I'm thrust into the land of dreams.