Beyond The Bridge [ONC 2023] // Longlisted

Chapter Fourteen

This time, I hold the candle in my right hand and Levi's hand with my left. He continues to use the wall as a guide through the tunnel, using the small glow of candlelight to determine how safe the floor at our feet is. More rocks jut out around us and I stumble over them, grateful to be holding onto Levi's hand to keep myself from falling.

There is something comforting about having him so close, knowing that we're doing this together. If I were alone, I'm not sure I would be able to keep going the way I have. I always thought Levi to be an idiot, and whilst I still stand by that, his humour and presence make the whole situation that much more bearable.

I shiver in the cold, small goosebumps forming on my arms that seem to remain no matter how much we move. Every once in a while, I see my breath in front of me. The tunnels are a stark contrast to the heat that we had left behind when we entered the cave.

Levi stops, forcing me to stop too. In the glow of the candle, I see him look at me. "Do you want to wear my jacket for a moment? It'll warm you up a bit."

"But you need it, and I'm not that cold."

"I've been wearing it for this long. I'll be fine. You should wear it, at least for a while. When you were out, your skin was hot to the touch, but that doesn't mean you aren't cold, especially down here."

"But—"

"—No buts. Take the jacket and let me be a little chivalrous."

"I wasn't sure you knew what that meant."

"Again with the cut-throat comments, Gracie."

Levi laughs and lets go of my hand. In the candlelight, I watch him take the satchel off his shoulder and shrug his jacket from his shoulders. With the heat raging outside, I was surprised he wore the jacket in the first place, but as he helps me put it on, I appreciate him having it a little more.

The jacket is almost twice my size, smothering me in the fabric that I know will have me sweating the moment we continue walking through the tunnels. Still, I pull it around me and allow the jacket to help fight the goosebumps along my arms and down my back. Levi pulls his shirt sleeves down, re-shoulders the satchel, and takes my hand once again.

We continue on through the tunnel, Levi limping from his hurt leg and me stumbling over the rocks on the ground and fighting to keep the ground steady beneath me. My head still aches and the white spots occasionally return to my vision, but they don't stay for long. I think back to my conversation with Levi once I had awoken, the promise I had made.

"We might need to stop," I say, squeezing Levi's hand.

"Alright, we can stop. That's fine. We probably should have stopped already, to be honest. We must have been walking for a while without realising it."

I blow the candle out, sending us back into the darkness that we had become a little more accustomed to. Levi keeps ahold of my hand and moves me so my back presses into the wall. We slide onto the ground, sitting on the dirt once again. I place my head on Levi's shoulder.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asks.

I nod, and then realise he cannot see me. "Yes, my head hurts a little, though."

"Here." He rummages around for something and then places the small ink pot in my hand. "Take a sip of this."

"What about you?"

"We'll have to ration it until we can find another place to fill it up. I'll be fine for a little while longer."

"But you're hurt too."

He squeezes my hand. "Just my leg, which you have helped fix a little bit. You have a head injury and I cannot do anything to fix it, so just take a sip of the water and stop arguing with me."

"Fine."

Even in the darkness, I know he is smiling at having won the argument. I unscrew the top of the inkpot and take a small sip. The water was warmer than I thought it would be, but refreshing nonetheless. Levi takes the pot back and stuffs it back into the satchel for later use, silence once again settling over us in the darkness of the tunnel.

I stifle a yawn, settling my head on Levi's shoulder once more as he snakes his arm around my shoulder, his fingers gripping my upper arm. The dull ache at the back of my head remains, but the ground no longer moves as it did and I take it as a sign that things might be sorting themselves out.

Levi shifts his weight a little, groaning as he moves his broken leg so it sits flat against the floor once again. I look at him in the darkness, curious as to why he cares so much for my injury, when it is clear his leg is bothering him far more than he is letting on. He is in pain with every step he takes, walking on bones that need to be set properly by a professional, but his concern lies with me.

I cannot help but feel guilty. He should be worrying about himself, telling me when he needs to take breaks because his leg hurts him and he can no longer walk, but instead he is worrying about me and my slight knock to the head. The last thing I want is for him to end up permanently crippled because he didn't listen to his own body and spent all of his time focused on me.

"I think this is the longest time we have spent together since we were young," Levi says.

"This is also the first time we've been in a tunnel together."

"I know these aren't ideal circumstances, but I've missed spending time with you like we used to. You were my first friend, and it doesn't seem right that we can barely see each other anymore because of Mother's stupid rules." He sighs. "Maybe I can change her mind once all this is over. I'd like for us to go back to the way we used to be."

"Me too."

~~~

First Published - March 13th, 2023