6:42am I woke alone. Rayul was gone and I had no clue how long he was gone, what state he was in when he left and when he would be back. I jumped out of bed to feel his sheets,they were cold, he'd been gone for hours. My stomach plummeted at the thought of him doing something dangerous in the state he was in. The chances of him sitting quietly while he healed were slim at best, I had at least hoped he would give himself a day of rest before heading back out there. He was only home for a few hours, for all I knew he might have leaped out of bed the moment I was sound asleep.

Why did he have to feel so responsible for Gnats actions? Why couldn't he care about himself for once, just long enough for him to heal. Agitated and unable to sit still without chewing off all of my fingers nails. I decided I would call him, if he didn't respond I would send a text, if I still did not receive a response I would hit the panic button and go out looking for him. I knew the majority of the gangs hang out spots, I had practically grown up around them. Most of them felt like my uncles. Especially Mason, he even used to baby sit me when I was a little kid.

Digging my cell out of yesterdays pants I called Rayul on speed dial, waiting tensely as the phone rang, and rang, and god damned rang. His voicemail came on.

"Rayul here, can't answer your call, bye-bye!".

He needs to change that. I left a message telling him to call me the first chance he got, he shouldn't be out in his shape and I was so going to kick his ass when he got home. Hanging up I sent him a text, my palms beginning to sweat, I wiped them off in my shorts before sending the message. Please respond, please respond, please respond, please-

BZZZZ!! BZZZ!!

I dropped the phone shocked I was getting a response then scooped it up as fast as human speed permitted opening the message that was indeed from Rayul.

"Can't talk. No worrys Doc, be home before you know it promise".

Ok...he responded, not the response I was hoping for, but far better then nothing. He would be home soon, he would find a way to work this out like he always did, and then this entire Gnat betrayal thing would be behind us. Right?

I found myself in the kitchen all day, fiddling with my phone while sitting on the same stool he had sat on last night. He would be ok, I told myself yet again, he knew what he was doing. He would be back.

8:00am turned to 12:00pm.

4:33pm.

9:16pm.

Having no finger nails left to chew, I resorted to scrapping my fingers against the counter the the more time went on, by the time it was 11:01pm I had scrapped the first layer of skin off of all of my fingers, watching numbly as they began to bleed. I had called, and texted him countless times. I'd called the gang members whos numbers I did have and received no answer. Something bad had happened, something horrible.

BANG! BANG!

I jumped, startled by the sudden noise. The door, someone was at the door. Rayul had a key he would never knock, and a normal person with nothing urgent to say would not knock like that. My feet carried me toward the door as I scrutinized every possibility.

"Aaron!" Mason shouted through the door.

Racing to the door I ripped it open. Mason out of breath brow creased with distress, there was blood smeared on his face and all over his clothes, his hands were in taunt fist and there were barely with held tears in his eyes.

All the blood drained from my face, my hands beginning to tremble.

"It's Rayul. He was shot".