17 Lost

Pulling his jacket closer to his body, he trudges along the sidewalk. A cold wind blows through the trees, cutting through his thin layers and freezing his bones. Shivering, he hunched down, his boots crunching through the snow coating the ground.

Cars pass by on the iced road, kicking up powdered snow and ice and spraying it across his already soaked pants. Adjusting his hat over his ears he blows into his hands, trying to warm his frozen fingers. Another gust of frigid wind whispers through the trees, carrying the sickly sweet smell of rotting leaves and promise of more snow with it.

As he passes a particularly lonely house, a paper slaps him in the face. The wind playing a cruel joke on him. Reaching up, he snatches it off his pale skin and glances down at the smeared words. Squinting, he makes out an article of a missing girl. The picture next to it is blurred and it's difficult to make out her features, but her eyes stand out and he feels his breath leave his body.

She has striking green eyes and a dazzling smile in the picture that the water seemed to not be able to make disappear. His eyes skim the paragraph regarding the girl, looking for her name but the letters are too small and distorted from the weather.

Tearing the article and picture out of the paper, he tucks it into his pocket and tosses the soggy mess back on the ground. Pulling his coat back around his thin frame, he continues along the path, his socks soaked from melted snow and his nose red from the cold.

Perched on the stone steps outside the library, he pulls out the photo for what felt like the hundredth time in the past couple hours. Carefully unfolding the thin paper, he studies the girl's face, or what he can make of it.

She looks happy in the picture, like she was enjoying herself when it was taken. Her eyes are crinkled slightly at the edges, showing her wide smile in her gaze. Her white teeth are bright but not as bright as the happiness in her grin.

A car horn honks and his head whips up, broken out of his reverie. Quickly standing, he folds the paper and slips it back into his pocket. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he curls into himself, trying to preserve the little heat he managed to gain.

Countless blocks pass as he loses himself in his thoughts, thoughts of the missing girl. Reaching for the photo once again, his eyes fix on her face, his thoughts transfixed on her green eyes and how bright they looked.

His feet leave the sidewalk and he wanders into the road, not once looking up from the girl.

Car horns blare and the sound of someone yelling makes him stop and turn to the sound with a confused expression on his face.

The bright headlights of a car shine in his face and his eyes for wide as the vehicle grows nearer. His heart pounds and his blood rushes though him, muffling the sounds of panic that fill the air.

The lights fill his vision and his body freezes. The car slams into him, pushing his body through the air as it goes flying before crashing into the icy road. Sounds of fear and horror fade away and his vision grows dark as a face leans forward.

His breath halts as he sees bright green eyes. He knows those eyes. He'd know them anywhere. The girl's lips move but he doesn't hear anything she's saying. And as his sight darkens he feels tears slip down his face in sadness.

He wishes he could see those green eyes again, just once more as his eyelids grow heavy and fall shut and his shallow breaths slow to a stop.

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