Seven Ways To The Abyss

FRAGMENTS OF SURVIVAL

Sofia’s first response was a desperate gasp for air. Her nose was blocked with clotted blood, and her mouth was filled with pieces of her own flesh and blood. Half her vision was covered in red.

It was evening now. The sky had taken on a yellowish hue, and birds circled around the setting sun. She let out a soft sigh, her eyes darting around, taking in her surroundings.

She was still at the bridge, but Damian... he was gone.

Where was he?

She tried to get up, but her body refused to cooperate. It felt paralysed, broken beyond repair. The smell of flesh lingered in the air, drifting over from the bodies at the bridge. She was starving. No, it wasn’t just hunger—there was a hollow emptiness inside her. She glanced down at her side and saw her vines stretching out as far as the eye could see.

Something was off. She no longer felt the familiar weight of her vines.

After a few more desperate, futile attempts to move, she gave in and allowed sleep to take her once more.

---

It was night when she awoke again. The cold breeze soothed her peeled, exposed skin.

She tried to get up again but could only manage to crawl. With great effort, she inched her way toward the end of the bridge. Then, she heard something—a sound that made her blood run cold. Wet. Squishy. Like flesh being torn apart.

With fear gripping her heart, she glanced back.

Horror surged through her veins. Her vines… they weren’t following her. They were detaching, leaving behind only a foot-long remnant hanging from her back.

Her eyes widened in pure shock. The vines... they were no longer a part of her.

She forced herself to continue, dragging her battered body to the end of the bridge. Her priority now was simple—survival. She needed to feed.

After what felt like an eternity of struggling, she finally reached the end.

Now, she just needed to get down.

Sofia closed her eyes and, without a second thought, let herself fall. It was reckless—perhaps suicidal—but with death already knocking at her door, what difference did it make?

Of all the things she could have landed on, it had to be a gigantic, jagged rock.

The impact was brutal.

Pain shot through her like a tidal wave, and she curled up, clutching her torso as she rolled in agony.

"This was a stupid idea… such a stupid idea," she muttered through gritted teeth, her voice barely audible through the pain.

For what felt like forever, she wrestled with the overwhelming torment, barely able to think. What was she doing?

Then, amid the haze of pain, she caught a scent.

Flesh.

The smell consumed her senses, overpowering everything else. Without thinking, she crawled toward it. The body was already decaying, but she didn’t care. She sank her teeth into the cold flesh, savouring every bite. Each mouthful gave her strength, revitalising her, bringing life back into her veins.

She finished the body in no time, but it wasn’t enough. She needed more—much more. At least now, though, her life was no longer in immediate danger.

With shaky legs, she stood up and began climbing back up the bridge, slowly and pitifully. When she finally made it to the top, her eyes fell on the remnants of her detached vines, lying lifeless on the ground. She sat down cross-legged, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts.

What had happened? Why had her vines detached? And where was Damian?

“Elaina…” she called softly, hoping for answers.

But there was only silence.

“Elaina!” she called again, louder this time.

Nothing.

A hollow feeling crept into her chest. She couldn’t feel Elaina’s presence anymore, and she wasn’t answering her. The vines, their symbol of unity, lay lifeless and cold on the ground.

“Elaina!” she screamed, her voice cracking with fear.

Still no response.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she buried her face in her knees, her body shaking with quiet sobs.

“Please... say something,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

Hours passed. She cried, pleaded, but there was no response. Eventually, she crawled over to the vines. They seemed to be melting, disappearing into the ground, leaving little trace of their former selves. She held one in her hand, feeling a faint jolt of electricity.

Elaina’s presence.

Each vine seemed to hold a piece of her. Desperately, Sofia gathered as many as she could, unsure of what she was doing. Tears streamed down her face as she piled them together.

*Gee, if I’d known you’d miss me this much, I would’ve tried to drive you a little more crazy.*

Sofia froze. The voice was faint, barely a whisper, but unmistakable. She could never mistake *that* voice.

“Elaina?” she gasped, tears of relief spilling from her eyes.

Elaina was alive. She was alive!

Sofia clutched the vines to her chest, overwhelmed by relief. She had no idea what was happening or how she was still breathing, but it didn’t matter. Elaina was alive, and that was her silver lining.

*It hurts…*

Elaina’s voice was faint, filled with pain. Even though Sofia couldn’t feel her presence as she normally did, she could sense the agony in her voice.

They needed to feed again.

But where?

Sofia lay on the cold ground, her mind clouded by exhaustion and hunger, trying to figure out where their next meal would come from. She tried not to blame Elaina for their current predicament, but the thought lingered in the back of her mind. If they were in Lokoja, they wouldn’t be struggling like this.

Rain began to fall, the gentle drops bringing a brief sense of calm to the deadly, decaying bridge.

She had so many questions. Questions she was sure only Elaina could answer. But first, she had to find a way to feed—enough to give Elaina the strength to explain what had happened while she was unconscious.

Sofia curled up, resting in the pile of melting vines. She drifted into sleep with a small, satisfied smile. She may have been beyond broken, but at least she hadn’t lost her best friend.
"""