Hunted || Wesari

Chapter Nineteen: Fire

Wes lied in his bed for hours, thinking.

It wasn't the fact that she was immune that shocked him, really. It was the fact that she hadn't told him. They'd spent so much time together, and he felt hurt that she hadn't felt the need to. They were connected now, both emotionally and physically; he hated that he had to figure it out himself. He knew that she had her reasons for it, but it still stung.

He knew that he was going to forgive her. Wes wasn't the kind of guy who held grudges, especially against people he cared about. And he cared about Mari. A lot more than he wanted to. 

But at the moment, he didn't want to see her. It was kind of nice, being alone for awhile. The silence was comforting, and soon, Wes drifted off to sleep.

• • •

He awoke suddenly.

He sat up in bed, alert. Something had woken him up, some noise. He was sure of it. He stayed still, listening intently, but heard nothing. Whatever had woken him up, it had stopped.

"Mari?" He called out. Maybe she had dropped a plate, or something along those lines. The last time he had seen her was when she had run into the forest, but she had to be back by now. It was well into the night, so dark that you could see the stars. Anyone with half a brain would know that they'd have to be back before nightfall, and Mari was one of the smartest people he'd ever met. Yet she didn't reply, and Wes was only met with silence.

He climbed out of bed, slowly making his way downstairs. "Mari?"

He walked all over the house, calling her name, to no avail. She had disappeared. He stopped in the hallway upstairs, confused. Where would she have possibly gone? He knew her, and he knew that she had no intention of running away. THere was also no chance that she'd gotten lost in the forest. What had happened to her?

He sat on his bed, thinking. He couldn't go looking for her; it was far too late for that, and there was no chance that he wouldn't get lost. He had no choice but to wait until morning.

He started to panic, pacing inside his room, kicking the walls. He shouldn't have pushed her away. Who knew what could've happened to her? She could've been attacked by an animal, or hurt herself, and it would all be Wes' fault. If he lost her... he didn't know what he would do. Without her here to keep him company, Wes would go mad.

He punched the wall, but instantly regretted it as pain shot up his arm. Maybe she was just taking a break from him, or lost track of time. She was probably tied to a tree right now, safe and sound. Mari was as tough as nails. She could take out anything.

Wes left his room and walked onto the balcony, looking out at the forest, trying to spot her in the spaces between the trees. He saw nothing, but he hadn't been expecting to. Defeated, Wes turned around with a sigh. He might as well try to get some sleep, but he doubted he'd be able to.

Just as he was about to open the door, something caught his eye. Down on the ground, there was a flurry of motion. Wes walked over to the railing to investigate, but saw nothing.

It was probably just an animal he reassured himself as he walked back inside. There was no point in getting himself worked up over nothing.

Wes took off his shirt and pants, before climbing into bed. He stared at the ceiling, trying to make himself tired, to no avail. He was just too worried about Mari. Where was she?

He'd been lying like that for ten minutes when he smelt the smoke.

At first, he was confused. Why the hell would there be smoke? He climbed out of bed, throwing on his pants. Had he left the propane stove on? It was unlikely, but it was the only explanation he had.