The Last Victim #JustWriteIt

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Over the next few days, as Jay's friends had to go back due to the engagements they had back in the states, Jay was left all alone again. His studies were becoming a bit more demanding, though, his meetings with Dawn continued. The hours getting longer, it was mostly late night when they estranged and early mornings they joined back again. The strange yet beautiful relationship that was blossoming in between them was something which gave both of them a weird and wonderful sensation of deep satisfaction. Something deep within him told him that Dawn was the girl he had been waiting for his entire life.... Now that she was here, he shouldn't let her go.

The more time Jay spent with Dawn however, he realized something odd about her. She seemed to be really terrified of the whole bridge thing. Though it seemed a bit commonplace and of minor importance to Jay now, Dawn still seemed to throw a fit each time it was mentioned. Jay could not also help noticing, there did happen weird things when they were together, especially if they were anywhere near the bridge. It struck Jay a bit odd since he did not believe in stupid ghosts coming back from the death just to avenge someone. To him, it sounded pretty dumb actually. To him, it was just a bizarre story, gone viral just to add to the value of this place. Loads of people came here in the vacations, from time to time to check out the bridge and have someone tell them the enthralling tale. All in all, it sounded pretty thick to Jay. He was not falling for something that unsubtle.

However, things were changing fast now. Over the next few weeks, Jay observed several creepy and scientifically inexplicable happenings. At one point about more than a week back, Dawn had dissolved in a hoard of angry tears saying that this whole bridge thing was scaring her like hell and that she needed a break. After something that happened to her in Jay's room, though she refused to go over the details, Jay had decided it must have been pretty terrifying since Dawn appeared really upset after the whole incident. Jay had tried to cheer her up by taking her to a movie, and then for dinner in her favourite lavish restaurant down main London. That evening had been a great breakthrough for his liaison with Dawn and had ended with the two of them coming home really tired and passing out in the couches on the living room. (Something which Jay's friends had heard about, from God knows where and had tormented him about for almost a week!)

That day was a bit peculiar too. He had been collecting things and placing them on the racks after the lesson finished, when he had been sure he had heard someone call out his name. Turning around, the only thing he had seen was an old dummy, placed on the corner of a shelf to practice dancing with; softly moving it's lips to call out his name. Frozen at his place, Jay had been too worried to do anything, though he knew it wasn't best to be there. And then as suddenly as it had begun, it ended, leaving the room in a ringing, eerie silence.

Trying to shake out the uncanny thoughts forming in his head, Jay made a mental note not to mention any of it to Dawn, since she was a bit too sensitive about this whole thing. Trudging heavily to his room, he saw the sky darkening from an open window in the corridor on the first floor. Unfortunately, it also offered a very clear view of the marsh and the bridge at a distance. Looking outside, he was just in time to see thick black clouds blanketing the royal blue sky of the earlier morning. Within a matter of seconds, it was completely overcast and dark. Jay could however still see the broken bridge at a distance. The pale brown wood stood out sharply against the now shadowy sky.

Suddenly Jay pulled back sharply, eyes glued to the bridge. Was there something moving on the bridge? Like..... Pacing? All he could see was a pale tall shadow moving around on the bridge as it..... Tensed? Sounded pretty crazy even to him. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. The bridge was all empty now. Nothing there. Thinking whether he was really going mad or seeing things, he turned around to go to his room........ He collided with something tall and dark lurking behind him and almost had a heart attack. Okay. Someone. It was his mother as he came to realize a few minutes later. His heart was thrumming uncontrollably in his rib cage and his chest hurt. It was only then he realized that he had been holding in his breathe and his lungs were almost about to explode with all the pressure. He let out the air in a sharp gust, just as his mother took one look at his petrified face and inquired.

'Are you alright, Jay?'

Throat too tight to speak, Jay nodded. His mother though seemed unconvinced. She surveyed him with caution looking extremely concerned as she questioned him again.

'You look so.... Horrified. I don't know... Is everything really okay?'

Wow. Great. His mother already though he was losing it. Jay shook his head, knowing he would never admit what he had just seen. Not to his mother at least. Or Dawn, he reminded himself.

'No mom. Everything's okay. Just need to get some rest. Catch you later.'

Andthen without taking another look at her face, Jay rushed to his room, onlystopping when he was there, and locking the door carefully behind him. Flinginghimself on the bed with shoes still on, he wondered about his sanity. He wasgoing mad. Sounded pretty positive to him. Laying there, a pool of variousthoughts and emotions washing over him, he quickly slipped into a deep sleep.Dawn and the dead girl, Mia and Janice wove in and out of his dreams andsomewhere in his empty chamber of sub consciousness, something stirred awake ashe slipped in the death like slumber and he knew he had made the strangeconnection which existed between Dawn and the bridge.