Bridge Jumper Comes Back To Life For Help: The Century Curse

034

The sand on the bench got caught up in the wind, blowing away the particles in a gust. Ian was sweating profusely. He wasn't sure what to say, or if he should say anything at all. This woman he'd just discovered had been alive for more than four centuries, killing people for the sake of research, was sitting within arms reach. Fleeing no longer seemed like an option, as Astuo was frightened herself, his legs quivering being caused by her.

Astuo, what do we do? What are our options here?

But as he expected there was no response. Ian was at least thankful that she was inside of him as to not be directly exposed to any attack Hanna might be privy to. The others, however, were not so lucky being within view, if the witch were to just turn her head. There was nothing he could do to protect himself or the others, nothing except try and continue talking to this person, not as a witch, but as a friend.

"Hanna..." But he couldn't do it. "Why did you do this Diana? Why are you making her suffer like this?"

Silence fell over the field. It was as if the world, and everything in it, the cars, the birds, the wind, it all seemed to stop. Ian looked around at his surroundings, indeed, his perception was correct. Nothing, not an ant on a hill, not a blade of grass, not even his companions at the gate, none of it was moving. But there was one sensation he began to feel that, if he had to describe, felt like millions of tiny dime sized spiders crawling up the back of his neck. He felt them in the collar of his shirt, in his hair, all over his spine.

However, he knew they weren't a real sensation caused by actual spiders. No, he'd felt this sensation before, the fear of things that were there, but only in a limited space, created by the owner of said space. Turning back around, he found Hanna, just as she was, sit on the metal bleachers, looking down at the ground.

But in turning her head to look back at him, the words, the answer he'd asked to hear, finally crawled its way from between her lips. "Diana? She was just another failed attempt."

The words took a minute to sink in, the painful words that someone he cared about so dearly, was suffering so much, all for Hanna's education. But just as the anger began to form into an irrational retort, the witches face began to shake wildly. It was like someone had placed a vibrating massager on the base of her neck. But suddenly, the shaking grew more violent, while the pores on her face began to steadily enlarge. In mere moments, there were tens of thousands of tiny pin sized craters all over the surface of this once gorgeous face.

"Oh shit..." The words came out unintentionally, yet was the only way he could cope with what he was seeing. As millions of tiny bees were now inching their way out of those craters.

The shiny metal surface of the bench was slippery as it always was. Ian, losing balance, missed the chance to get a grip before falling, his back now aiming for the grassy floor. But just as he braced for impact, there was none. Looking up, all he could see was the edge of the bench he'd just fallen from, and a bit of sky, as he sunk further into the earth.

"Oof!" The wind escaped him and there was nothing but darkness. His back pounded against the dirt floor, and the painful surface of smooth stones shook his bones. Flinging himself up, he rested in a sitting position, but his eyes continued their uselessness. Every move he made, echoed off the walls and down the tunnel of what seemed like an underground cave.

"Astuo, you still with me?" His words too, bounced off and down the darkened corridor.

"Indeed. Shall I come out and lead your way?"

"No, I don't want to lose you in this place. Can you just tell me where to go?" Figuring the girl couldn't see, he suspected she could at least sense a general direction of travel. "Where are we anyway?"