It had been a few weeks when Matty went back to Ace's house and found him there, drinking and crying, sputtering about that George boy.

" What did he break your heart or somethin Ace? " Matty asked casually, grabbing a loose cigarette off the counter that had small words written into it.

He lit it and inhaled the smoke.

" No you twat he's been missing since he left here two weeks ago!! " Ace cried.

Matty frowned, worry plaguing his poisonous mind.

" Well lets go check on his house yeah? You need out of the house anyway. Drinking as much as you have been isn't good. "  Matty murmured, helping his childhood friend off the ground.

" Yeah....yeah " Ace whispered, hugging Matty shakily.

They began to walk, leaving Ace's house behind in the light rain that fell around them.

" Why haven't you thought of checking on him sooner? Doesn't he usually hang out with you every day or two? " Matty asked curiously.

" Er, yeah but I got a bit upset with him so I thought he was avoiding me... " Ace whimpered, " Once two weeks passed is when I started to be concerned. "

Matty worried his lip between his teeth, thinking about how his anger got to him when he yelled at George. He still felt guilty about what it must've done to him.

" Well love, you know where he lives so lead the way! " Matty said cheerily, trying to keep Ace smiling.

So they walked, sliding into alleys every once in a while to avoid the hoards of people congesting the sidewalks. When they made it to George's house Ace tensed up.

" Something's wrong, " Ace murmured.

" What do you mean, " Matty mumbled around a spliff.

" None of the lights are on...at least one light in the front room is always on for his mum...also I can't see any furniture through the window... " Ace said, walking up to the old house.

It was a house that looked like it was once beautiful, a typical yet gorgeous white paint probably had covered the wood paneling. Dark wooden accents adorned the outside of  the house and the railing up to the porch had vines on it that once sprung with life.

Now, however, the house was covered in chipped paint, faded yellow over the years. The plants weren't maintained which caused an overgrowth of weeds over the dead flowers. The porch creeked with every step and the door looked battered.

Matty found a strip of police tape in the weeds which he showed to Ace.

" Why would the police be here? " Matty asked softly.

" George's mum- " Ace gasped out.

He pried the door open with little effort and stepped inside the dying house. Everything was gone, from the carpet on the floor to the beautiful china plates in the cabinets.

Ace froze, his heart beat getting faster. He had been to George's house many times, often walking the disconsolate boy home and staying with him to make sure he didn't hurt himself. The house was bare and the atmosphere that filled the house was dark and bleak compared to the usual cheerfulness that filled the space.

" He's gone.. " Ace whispered.

" What? " Matty wondered out loud.

" Something must have happened to his mum. His house doesn't look like this usually. He's gone, " Ace ran up the stairs, Matty following.

The rooms were void of every aspect of human life. The only thing in George's mum's room was a necklace on the floor and splatters of blood on the wall. Ace gulped and ran to George's room.

" Ace wait up! " Matty called.

Ace burst into George's room and whimpered. Everything was gone. The only thing left were the dents in the wall and a broken drumstick.

Ace picked up the drumstick, slipping it into his bag and frowning.

" We need to find him...Something happened so George isn't okay! " Ace cried out.

" Ace just wait a sec- "

" No Matty! You don't know George! He could be teetering on the edge, suicidal, maybe even dead! " Ace yelled.

Tears streamed down the older man's face. He was quite fond of the innocent boy who escaped the cops with him so many months ago. He loved the air of happiness George brought along with him. Ace loved George like a brother and wasn't ready to lose him.

Ace grabbed Matty's arm.

" We check the hospital first, " Ace said to himself.

-

Matty followed Ace all around town. They checked the hospital, the police station, anywhere they thought George might have ended up.

Finally Ace started pulling him towards the all too familiar clearing at the edge of town. They crawled through the large hole in the fence, escaping reality and entering George's fantasy world.

Neither Ace nor Matty could see what George saw in this field but Ace knew how special it was to George.

They walked, Ace searching for the bridge that George had brought him to a few weeks after they met.

-

" George where are we going? " Ace asked softly.

The two boys basked in the late summer sun.

" To my place " George replied easily.

" But we're in the middle of a field, " Ace whined.

George laughed.

" I mean my place away from home. It's just a hangout spot " George murmured.

Ace followed the boy to the bridge. They sat on the wood and hung their feet over the edge.

" This is where I come to write. Its so pretty. " George whispered, almost like he was in a trance.

Ace didn't understand at first. All he saw was a field leading to a forest. When George explained it to him, he understood that George saw something much more than just a field with some flowers. He saw life. He saw a whole new world. He saw his mind.

-

Matty and Ace approached the bridge.

" George! " Ace called out excitedly.

George was there, laying on the bridge with smoke billowing up above him.

Ace ran over and put a hand on the boys shoulder. Matty approached slowly and noticed that George was crying. The shock of seeing such a harsh and closed off person cry hit Matty like a rock.

" She's gone Ace she's gone she's gone " he cried.

Those were the only words he would repeat. Ace dragged him up and started to lead him towards his house. Matty followed the two friends, trying not to encroach upon their talk.

When Matty saw the pain in George's eyes, he almost couldn't breathe. He wanted to pull the tall man, who looked so much like a young boy in the moment, into his arms and ward off all his demons until he was happy again.

What was Matty going to do?

-

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