I was inspired by an assignment we just had in English class. I liked what I wrote so I revised it and put it here.

Enjoy! R&R!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own NCIS

It starts before the forest.

You are there. Others are there, too. Abby is there.

The trail before you is paved and straight. There is nothing wrong.

You begin to walk. The path is easy.

She pick a flower. A rose. She gives it to you. The thorns prick your hands. But you don't mind. You hold onto the rose as you walk.

The trail begins to twist and turn.

The pricking of the rose in your hands gets worse and worse. You look at your rose. She's dying. Every step you take leaves behind another petal.

You swat at the bugs around you. They won't leave you alone.

The path before you is no longer paved; it's dusty and ragged. You are barely able to stumble across the rocks and fallen logs.

The thorns dig into your hands and draw blood. They're all that's left. Your rose is dead, now. You throw it to the ground. You look up to discover: there are no more roses. Just withered skeletons of thorns and branches.

Many turn back. Many leave. Gibbs, shot… Tony, poisoned… Ziva, stabbed… Abby, hit by a car… Soon, you are alone. There is no one to talk to, anymore.

But you say that you do not care. You are stubborn. You are ignorant. You insist there is nothing wrong. Ducky is worried. You walk on. You stumble. Ducky is gone, too.

The trail guiding you is fading away.

The mud is building up on your shoes. With each step, you find it harder and harder to walk. Sarah, too, has left you and thorns tear at your legs.

The loneliness is getting you. You talk to the trees, to the stone, anyone who will listen. But they never respond. Their silence is wearing you away.

Now, there is no trail.

You are lost. Lost and alone. You are confused; you wonder what you did wrong. What you did to make the others leave.

You try to go back, but the trees are tightly knit. You are stuck. There's no way out, anymore. You run. Only in circles, because there's nowhere left to run.

Fear. Your heart is racing. The forest is growing darker. You are afraid and lonely and angry.

You fall to your knees and beat your fists against the bark and scream. Scream for all it's worth. The world spins. You huddle up against a tree and cry.

Desperate for help, you scrawl out a simple letter. Then you stop. You can't remember who it's for.

Stop. Everything stops. The tears stop, the anger stops, the fear stops. The world is still. The forest is getting to you, isn't it? Everything is clear now. There is no way out.

You stand up. Your heart slows. You leave the letter behind, forgotten. You walk, because there's nothing left to do. There is no destination; you simply walk. Your movements are empty. Everything is empty. There is no purpose, no reason for being. Simply existing.

You pull a leaf off a branch and watch it fall. Watch it take your journey.

Sometimes, you see people off in the distance. Fornell… Palmer… Franks… But they can't help you.

You take out your badge and your gun and throw them in the dirt.

All that's left is to just keep walking… walking… walking…