CROSSING RIVER (B×B×B..) *COMPLETE*

Chapter 22- Till The End

All River saw was blood and then the fight with shark came to his mind along with a very old memory. He saw a beautiful creature with glistening skin and colourful scales smile at him, she was teaching him how to swim faster. He then saw an ashy blue body with dark scales come towards him and nudge his face.

The creature looked like a man, his body looked like how River’s own body was, ashy blue but the man didn’t have scales like, he reckoned that his body resembled the female creature who had webbed spiny needles on her back, her beautiful green pupils and the pointy sting in middle of her tail.

The calm scene changed and suddenly all three of them were caught in a Whirlpool, the male creature pushed them aside while he was swept into the pool. River heard muffled noise from his side then he was being pulled away by the female creature.

The scene changed once more and this time he was held tightly as they were being chased by group of male Sirens who had very long brown tail and on the upper body their clavicles were very prominent with glistening skin. They were shoving the female from left to right then up and down, this seemed very similar to dolphin behaviour.

He knew what they were trying to do, forced mating. He saw lightening from the side of his eyes and it shot right at all of them, making them tremble and sink. As he watched them sink, his eyes widened when huge rows of teeth swallowed all of them and started rushing towards him and the female creature.

She seemed weak from fighting off the group of male Sirens, he realised that they had been swimming nonstop for few days. She was taking him some place safe, a paradise. That was the kind of image he got from the female, in his mind. She had been living in that place but something happened then all this Tragedy struck.

River’s ears were ringing when he heard a strange melody from the woman, the calm ocean started shaking violently. The creature after them was panicking, it was larger than a whale but different. River couldn’t make out what the creature looked like as his vision was all blurry But the beast wasn’t backing down, it kept charging at them.

Everything after that happened in slow motion, the female creature used all her strength to throw his small body away from her then her entire body started glowing, large rows of teeth opened and came close to the female then a blinding lighting struck from above, straight at the huge creature. It screamed and thrashed but a large hole had formed in it’s head then the body sunk.

River was being pushed and pulled by the waves, he saw huge number of fish chomping down on the beast. He heard himself cry loudly, bursting the water all around him which threw him off the place like a bullet and soon he skidded to the sandy beach. He felt waves of vibrations all over his body companied with loud ringing.

River watched in third person’s point of view as Erina found him and took him away, he turned around and saw a weak figure with pale face skipping in the ocean towards him but it soon disappeared then everything went dark and ringing noise resonated in his ear with muffled voices.

River’s vision slowly started getting clear and he felt being held tightly in a hug while a wet and scaly hands were wiping his face clean with the water. He focused on breathing and the pounding in his head settled.

“Are you mad!? Why did you do that?”, Olivia yelled at Veronica who just stood there with expressionless face, she shrugged and said, “Doesn’t becoming Siren require strong soul and heart. Even if she woke up all she had is that brother who doesn’t seem right in his head. She would have been miserable and I saved her from that”.

Olivia was about to say more but was held back by Erina, “She doesn’t care and is very hostile right now, don’t provoke her”, she cautioned her. Four people stood in one place along with Riley in the tank and two dead bodies on the floor. “Chop- chop, people let’s get this thing started and don’t try anything funny. I have a remote control that can explode this entire facility with all of us”, she warned.

When she started moving towards the tank with clone, all five people to the right saw angry Brandon dash into the room and slam fire extinguisher right at Veronica head, snapping her head to the right. The lady fell with wide eyes and Erina rushed everyone to hurry out of the place.

River watched as Wayde picked up Riley and moved to the hole on the floor. He looked at River who was shocked and Riley who was triple shocked, “You like Riley and I like you”, Wayde nonchalantly said then dropped Riley into the cubical. River was shocked from hearing Wayde’s confession and the guy pointing out that he liked Riley.

Wayde held his hand out and looked at River who looked at the hand and then met his eyes. River placed his hand on Wayde’s hand then said, “I like you too”, and pushed him down the hole and smiled.

Erina and Olivia along with the tank which contained clone followed Wayde and River turned around to get Brandon. He had pushed Wayde because the guy was dramatic enough with Riley, he didn’t want him to scare his best friend who was definitely not in right state of mind in the moment.

“Brandon? Come on, let’s go”, he said and held out his hand. Just now River himself had felt the raw emotions of losing one’s parents. He felt that what he just remembered was his parents and they had loved him, they tried their best in protecting him and keeping him safe. He finally felt at ease but he desperately wanted to scream and cry.

However he couldn’t, his friend needed him right now. Brandon looked at River then the hand and Felt his eyes looking at him softly, with no judgement. The boy only felt a bit of emotions when he looked at River other than that he felt numb. His parents were killed and the sister he never got to meet was killed when she had finally opened her eyes. He had nothing.

He slowly walked to River and held his hand as if holding his last shred of sanity. Wayde and Riley were waiting patiently for two boys to jump in the water but soon both of their eyes narrowed when they watched as Brandon held River’s waist and pulled each other in a hug but soon placed his lips on River’s.

River went stiff when he was kissed and when he felt a prick on his arm, a needle was injected on his hand then he felt himself being lifted. He didn’t know generating electricity would make him this weak that with just a small dose, his body had gone numb and when he tried to push himself off of Brandon, he couldn’t do it.

“If I go with you, you will leave me for them but if I take you with me, you will stay with me. River, you are all I have left”, Brandon said as he carried River in his arms and walked out of the room. “Brandon don’t do this, I am not going anywhere. I was going to be here for you until you felt better”, River said as he fought the drowsiness.

“What after I felt better? You would leave me? All alone? No! I have always loved you and always will love you. I know everything about you and you know about me too. How can those... Those things could possibly make you happy? You don’t like ocean, how can you be happy there?”, he said as they entered the elevator and he pressed the button to third floor.

“I saw my real parents, Brandon. They loved me and died protecting me, They wanted to bring me home. That”, he took a deep breath as he felt his throat getting dry, “That was their last wish. I have to fulfil their wish, I have to find my real home”, he managed to say with much difficulty.

“Shhhh.. go to sleep River, I will take you home. Our home, I already have your stuff at my place. We will move to US and get married there. I always wanted to marry you and make you mine but never had the courage”, he gave a sad chuckle, “Only losing my entire family made me have the guts. Please don’t leave me River”, he begged and nestled his nose on River’s neck and started pecking it gently.

“Stop, Brandon. This is madness, neither of us will be happy like this. Please stop, you will only get”, he felt his tongue go numb and his eye lids got heavy, “Hurt, you....will...get...hurt”, he said then darkness took over his sight, his eyes closed but he wasn’t unconscious. River could still hear Brandon’s heartbeat, ragged breathing and feel his internal turmoil.

He knew his best friend was just trying to make sense of the event that took place in the facility but he’s gone beyond shock and now he was just deflecting. He was trying to focus on River and himself rather than mourning his family. “I can’t lose you too, can’t, won’t lose you. You will stay with me”, he kept mumbling.

River heard a door being opened then he was carried inside the room. Brandon crouched down while still carrying River and searched through something, “Mom.... Dad... ”, Brandon spoke then sat flat on the floor beside his dead parents and started sobbing.

River’s heart hurt hearing such cry from Brandon, all these years that he had known the boy, he had never heard or seen him cry. Tears were flowing down River’s closed eyes. Some time passed then he heard, “I’m so sorry River. I shouldn’t do this, fuck! I sedated you!”, the boy had stopped crying but had started panicking instead.

He gently wiped River’s tears, “I was just numb from witnessing everything that happened today that I acted on impulse and dragged you out here! Fuck! I must have lost my mind. That mentally un-“, Brandon’s voice abruptly stopped and  there was a loud “Ting” sound.

River’s heart trembled and he started panicking but he couldn’t move, he felt Brandon dropped to the floor. “Mother fucker!”, came a very angry voice from behind and it belonged to Veronica who had woken up all bloody and disoriented, her head wouldn’t stop bleeding and she was dizzy from so much blood loss. She had regained conscious when Brandon took River out of the room and she had dragged herself behind them.

After she saw the elevator stop at third floor, she knew where they would be and she had followed them. “Doesn’t feel good! Does it?!”, she yelled and kicked Brandon’s head. She moved forward, despite the pain in her head she still pulled River out of the boy’s hold, “We are together till the end River, They will definitely agree now that I have you”, she spoke as a matter of fact then grabbed any clothes she could find and wrapped her head using it.

Chills was running down River’s spine, he wanted to open his eyes but they wouldn’t budge. He felt himself being dragged and also felt some liquid drop all over his face. If he could groan, he would. River knew it was blood that was dripping down from Veronica’s head, all over his face as she dragged his body out of the room.

When he noticed a gravitational pull, he knew they were in the lift, going up. She started dragging him out and stopped after a while. “Move and I will shoot him”, she threatened someone and River’s heart tightened. He desperately wanted to get up but the drugs hadn’t worn off yet.

“What did you do to him?! Why is he bleeding?!”, came a very angry and concerned voice. It was Riley. Veronica spat blood and sneered, “Stop wasting my time, bring that clone and start the process right now! Can’t you see I am dying? Hurry the fuck up!”, she screamed.

Erina came in by herself, all three of them were wearing guard’s clothes, “It’s not here. Olivia and the clone are gone. It’s too late now, Veronica. Let us help you stop bleeding and don’t make things more complicated for yourself”, she tried convincing but it only made the crazy woman more angry.

She pointed the gun at River’s temple and clicked the lock, “Bring them back now! I will blow his brains out if you don’t! If I die, I will take him with me. Hurry up!”, she screamed.

River felt the floor vibrate as if someone was running then he heard Veronica’s groan and Brandon’s cursing. There was punching and kicking and others ran towards the sound as well but Brandon was shoved by Veronica and he fell next to River with a groan.

“Fucking die!”, Veronica spat and pointed the gun towards Erina, “Let’s see if you come back from this!”, she said then pulled the trigger. There was a loud bang and River heard everyone gasp followed by Erina’s gut wrenching cry, “No!!!”