despite he heat, the emptiness stood out as it was like nothing he had ever witnessed before. the houses looked like they had been abandoned recently, there were no other buildings for miles and miles and more significantly, she was not there. "this is salvation?" he thought out loud, the bemusement apparent for no one to hear, the bravado in his voice was just a trembling lip away from disappearing.

he had been driving for years and years to get to this point. the only thing that kept him going was the promise of paradise that would greet him. paradise in the form of a beautiful smile from the only woman he ever felt love for. the woman who made him believe that hope existed. the woman who made him give up everything and embark on this quest to see her again.

now here he was...surrounded by nothing. the emptiness that was obvious was now slowly engulfing his being, breaking the once solid machine that used to be his heart. a solitary teardrop streamed down his face as he recalled the few moments he shared with her. fleeting memories that he could never grasp, the thoughts that made him smile momentarily before the realization that they were gone forever only served to break his heart even more. he fell to his knees, buried his head in the scorching tarmac and all he could think about was falling back into her arms as he stayed there slowly dying from the heat. there was no reason to go on anymore. no reason at all.