The Mating Run by Leeka

In His Eyes: Lost

Zeke’s POV

The first thing I become aware of as I wake up, groggy, is the sound of birds chirping outside our makeshift shelter.

My senses are immediately met with a void, as I notice the absence of any sights or sounds around me. The bed feels cold, colder than it should be. Instinctively, my hand reaches out and pats the empty space beside me, hoping for warmth, only to be met with cold.

Like an unwanted visitor, panic begins to infiltrate my being amidst the hazy morning.

My eyes dart around the shelter, desperately searching for any trace of her presence, but it remains vacant. Alina’s gone. She didn’t return. Just as she has gone missing, so has my hoodie, adding to the sense of loss and confusion.

“Shit!”

The realization hits me with the force of a gut–wrenching blow.

“Alina?”

Desperately, I call out, my voice bouncing off the walls of the empty space. There’s no response, and the silence becomes almost oppressive, filling the air with a haunting presence. Anxiety tightens its grip on my chest, causing my heart to ace. Scrambling for my clothes, I feel the urgency building inside me, urging me to

hurry.

I pull on my jogger pants, the worn–out material reminding me of the countless miles I’ve run in them. Frustrated, I let out a sharp exhale of curses under my breath. The panic intensifies, my heart pounding like thunder in my chest.

Where has she gone off to?

Why did she leave me?

As if she could materialize out of thin air, I frantically scan the surroundings, my

maze, eyes darting in every direction. The familiar forest now feels like an intricate devoid of any sense of direction. My voice trembles with desperation as I call out for her again, the fear inside me growing stronger.

“Alina! Where are you?”

My words hang in the air, lingering, waiting for a response that never comes. My pleas fell on deaf ears as the stoic forest remained indifferent. I stumble out of the shelter, my eyes darting anxiously in every direction, desperate to catch even the faintest trace of her presence.

As I look around, all I can see are endless trees and a sea of vibrant green leaves. My throat tightens as I swallow the lump forming, my hand instinctively reaching up to claw at my hair, all while the cameras continue to document my

every move.

“Alina, please!”

spine, a feeling of terror I never anticipated. Although I’ve often woken up alone,

I grit my teeth and try to block it out, but my growling persists, causing me

trudge through the forest, the branches scratching against my skin, my steps hesitant and unsure. The dense foliage seemed to encroach upon me, taunting my fruitless search. With each passing moment, the fear grows stronger, twisting my

the edge of the small clearing, and the warm sunlight filters through the trees, casting dappled shadows on

are you??

of her name fading away, leaving

emptiness.

willingly? Was

more menacing, echoing through

underbrush, the sound of twigs snapping under my feet echoing through the silent forest. My heart leaps at the slightest rustle in the leaves and the faintest sigh of the wind. A pang of regret washes over me as I wonder if I should have been more attentive. Should I have picked up on something being

mind races, vividly imagining different scenarios of what could have transpired. Perhaps she was overwhelmed with fear, causing her to hastily retreat. Maybe somebody stumbled upon us, forcing her to make the difficult decision to leave and shield us from harm. The possibilities stretched out before her, each one carrying a weight

absence is amplified by the cold bed. The panic rises, its intensity growing like a storm

1. me.

of a vacant bed.

myself of

feeling the

her telling me she needed some space to breathe, and I feel guilty for leaving her by herself.

But I

chest.

I could feel

of her absence. The cold bed, untouched and unshared,

could have been. I had a chance to make her mine, to claim her. She wanted it, her eyes revealing a vulnerability

bitter taste, rises in my throat. I had the power to make her mine, to cross the threshold that separated us, but I hesitated. Fear clutched at my heart, whispering doubts that now echo in the emptiness of the shelter.

have taken the risk?

a specter, haunting my thoughts. Alina, with her warmth and laughter, deserved more than the uncertainty I offered. I let her slip through my fingers, and now the regret gnaws at me, an insidious force that refuses to be ignored.

I wasn’t prepared to navigate. But looking back, was

she looked at me. And I, in my indecision, failed to reciprocate. I failed to see that she could be the

reminder of her absence. The cold bed, untouched

through my mind a bittersweet

a chance to make her mine, to claim her as more than just a companion in

to cross the threshold that separated us, but I hesitated.

Alina, with her warmth and laughter, deserved more than the uncertainty I offered. I let her

I wasn’t ready for a relationship. The commitment, the vulnerability, it all felt like a daunting abyss that I wasn’t prepared to navigate. But looking back, was that just an

on her sleeve, her desire for connection evident in the way she looked at me. And I, in my indecision, failed to reciprocate. I failed to see that she could be the

I’m

step a desperate plea for her presence. The branches seem to reach out like accusing fingers, pointing at the consequences of my indecision. I cry out her name, my voice resonating in the calmness

location.