Beyond The Bridge [ONC 2023] // Longlisted

Chapter Twenty-Two

The end of the tunnel is in our sights.

We continue up the rocks, the candlelight fading as our final candle burns down into nothing more than a stub of wax. Levi seems more determined to reach the end, almost dragging me up the slope even though I have the candle and he can barely see. I let him pull me up.

The further up the slope we move, the more the ground moves under my feet until I'm unsure if I'm even walking in a straight line. Without Levi, I'm not sure I would be able to make it to the top of the tunnel. Despite my promise to him, I refuse to admit how strange and off-balance I feel. It's clear he wants to escape the darkness we've been surrounded in for so long, and I am not going to get in the way of that. I'm probably just thirsty.

Together, we climb a more rocky terrain with Levi having to slow down on account of his leg. It amazes me that he has even managed to make it as far as he had, but I wonder if the reality of his leg injury will hit him when we no longer have an end goal in mind. For the time being, he's oblivious to the pain and discomfort.

He helps me over the trickier rocks until the ground levels out to something we can both walk across with little difficulty. The ground still sways under my feet, and there is no ignoring the drumming at the back of my head, but I know I will feel better once we find a new water source.

"Gracie," Levi says, coming to a stop. "I think we did it."

I hold the candle out in front of me. The tunnel comes out into a large cavern, not a chamber, with large rock walls, the sound of running water, and a small slither of sunlight at the far end.

All that walking, all the hurt and effort we've put into our journey, is finally over. The mouth of the cave is just a short distance away from us. I feel a weight lift from my chest, relief flooding from me as I stare at the sunlight peaking into the end of the cavern.

The candle goes out for the last time, but the sunlight is just enough to see my hands in front of my face and Levi standing beside me. Neither of us knows what to say or what to do. I'm not sure if we ever expected to manage to escape the depths that we found ourselves in and now that it's happened, we're too stunned to do anything.

I listen to the sound of running water, the gentle tinkle of the water flowing over the rocks.

I squeeze Levi's hand. "Before we do anything else, we need water."

"What I wouldn't do to just stick my face into that stream." He sighs. "It's going to be the most refreshing feeling."

"Let's drink some of it before you go and stick your face in it, although that does sound like a good idea."

"Come on."

We cross the rocks, watching our feet so we don't slip or step on any of the same sand and dirt that had led to our fall. The flowing water stops in a large pool, much like the one in the chamber further down the tunnel, but larger and with a constant flow from the stream. In silent agreement, we continue to use the inkpot. Neither of us wants to plunge our dirty hands into the water until we have had a decent amount to drink.

I don't know how long we stand there and pass the inkpot back and forth to one another, but by the time we're done, I'm sure I'm about to explode from all the water. The headache remains, but I know it will take a while for the water to have any impact on my body. I hope that being out of the cave will help too.

Levi looks at me and grins. He nods his head and proceeds to dunk his entire head into the pool of water, blowing bubbles up. A few seconds later, he pulls his head out with a loud yell, shaking the water from his hair. He showers me in small droplets of water, laughing like a maniac, but I'm not mad at him and promptly do the same. The water is cold on my warm skin, a refreshing difference from the sweat and dust that had caked my skin since the beginning.

I look at Levi and laugh, unable to help myself as cold water runs down my face and the front of my dress. He joins in. Our laughs echo through the cavern, pure joy filling the space that had been the cause of so much pain and hardship for several long days. After so many days in the darkness, I feel untouchable.

Levi takes my hand and pulls me across the rocks without saying a word. We approach the dirt and sand that we had made the mistake of standing on several days prior. A hole marks the place we had fallen through.In the darkness, I cannot see the cavern we had landed in, but I know that is quite the distance down from where we stood. It's a wonder we survived at all.

"I cannot even see the bottom," Levi says, staring into the hole at our feet.

"Me neither. It's so dark down there."

"It feels like we were just down there and you were tying my leg up with rewoven pieces of baskets."

"Who knows, maybe it's only been a day or so since we were in there. I cannot tell how much time we have been in the cave for."

"Me neither, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." He turns towards the entrance.

"Yes, the real world is waiting for us."

"Unfortunately."

Levi sighs, taking my hand and moving me away from the hole so that we don't accidentally fall into the abyss once again. If we did, we would not be able to find our way out of the collapsed tunnel. He rubs his thumb over my knuckles and the movement is somewhat comforting to me. With his other hand, he brushes a damp strand of hair from my face.

"Before we return to our lives, I want to tell you something."

I frown and look at him, my heart thumping in my chest in tune with the drumbeat in my head.

~~~

First Published - March 17th, 2023