We continued to walk down the train tracks, and this time we were picking up our pace; we wanted to make as much ground as we could before we had to stop and set up camp. I still hadn't talked to Chris or Gordie since the little bicker they had. I wasn't with Teddy or Vern anymore, either. I was walking by myself in between the two groups, that is until I saw Gordie run up ahead and meet up with Teddy and Vern. I soon heard Chris starting to catch up to me, his shoes crunching in the gravel.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that." Suddenly he was next to me, and my throat began to feel dry. I didn't say anything. I couldn't say anything.
"You're seem like something bothering you," he said in a quieter tone. He looked me in the eyes, and it felt like he was looking right through me. I don't know if he could see the emotion I was feeling in my blue-green depths, but I'd sure as hell like to know. All of these butterflies-in-the-stomach and dry throats are new to me and I can't even identify them myself. I attempted to swallow, and coughed a little in attempt to shake off these strange feelings.
"I just don't want to lose any of you. Your the closest friends I've ever had," I said in almost a whisper. This was not really why I was feeling like this, but I didn't want Chris to worry about me. I felt his arms wrap around just above my waist, and he pulled me into a hug. I really needed that.
We didn't say anything after that. It seems like I'm already losing him. He's been sort of distant since the beginning of our trip, but then again I have too. We soon came across a bridge. The only way to get to the other side was to cross it, at least that's what it looked like.
"Any of you guys know when the next train is due?" Vern asked, looking serious. No nervousness showed on his face.
"We could go down to the Route 136 bridge," Chris suggested. I nodded, looking over at the other guys for their approval.
"What, are you crazy? That's five miles down the river. You walk five miles down the river, you gotta walk five miles back. That could take 'til dark," I knew Teddy's plan was going to involve some crazy train dodge if we did happen to run into it as we crossed. "If we go across here we can get to the same place in ten minutes." He finished his statement, and Gordie seemed to agree with him.
"Yeah, but if a train comes there's nowheres to go." Now Vern started to seem at least a little scared.
"No there isn't. We'll just jump." He shrugged as if he did those kind of things every day. Of course.
"Teddy, it's a hundred feet," Chris said, trying to make him realized how dangerous that could be.
"Yeah, Teddy." Vern started to whine, which made me cross my arms in annoyance. Chris seemed to notice this, for he looked over at me and smirked. I couldn't help but smile at how cute he is.
"Look," Teddy said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"..You guys can go around if you want to. I'm crossing here. And while you guys are dragging your candy-asses halfway across the state and back, I'll be waiting for you on the other side, relaxing with my thoughts." Wonder what that meant. Relaxing with my thoughts?
"You use your left hand or your right hand for that?" I snorted at Gordie's remark as Chris chuckled.
"You—wish." Teddy coolly stated his comeback(?) and started to take his first steps onto the bridge, Chris soon following behind him.
Vern then Gordie trailed behind them, as I got in the back. I was kind of confused why Chris didn't want to walk with me. I just shrugged it off and started to walk, only to be stopped by a crouching Gordie, with one hand on the metal rail where the train rolled on. He squinted one of his eyes as he looked up at me, trying to make looking into the sun a little more tolerable.
"You can go ahead of me," he stated in a mater-of-fact voice. I was taken aback at his sudden annoyance.
"Um...no it's ok..I'm fine in the back.." I said as I awkwardly scratched my arm.
He stood up without talking and sighed. He looked me in the eyes and I could see he wasn't really mad at me. He looked sorry.
We started to walk down the bridge that seemed to be taking forever. Probably Vern decided to crawl on his hands and knees, only making me more impatient and nervous. I didn't want to be sliced up by some train wheels.
A little longer into the walk, or crawl, vern stopped abruptly and sat there for what seemed like hours. He turned his head up to face Gordie.
"I lost the comb." He said in a disappointed tone.
"Forget it, Vern." Gordie seemed like he wanted to get off the bridge as much as I did. Vern continues, but almost at an even slower pace than before. Gordie seems to be getting more nervous by the minute. He kneels down one more time, and I see his hand readjusting as if he couldn't get a grip. He looked back at the tracks from where we came, and I swear, this face was full of complete terror. Worse than what I have seen from Verno. I looked back myself, to see black smoke clouds rising above then trees, hearing the faint chuga chuga chuga of the train, only getting closer by the second. Gordie bolted up and whipped his body around.
"TRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN!!" Gordie's yelled at the top of his lungs, causing all of the other guys to spin around and face their worst fear, well at least their worst fear at the moment.
"Oh shit," Vern said in dismay. I he begins to crawl like a mad man, and I'm about to tell him to get the hell up or were all gonna die, but Gordie beats me to it. I looked up to see Teddy and Chris hauling ass across the bridge, and I'm bouncing on the balls of my feet for Vern to hurry up.
"Get up, Vern, damn it! Get up! Go man! Shit! We're gonna die goddamn it, get up!" Geordie yelled into his ear as he was holding him up by his torso.
"But I'm gonna fall!" Vern cried.
"Damn it! Goddamn it, get up! Go! Go!" Gordie pulls him up all of the was and they start to run, but not fast enough.
By this time, Chris and Teddy have made it to the other side and were shouting at us to hurry up. I would, I would have made it back before anyone actually, but I was stuck behind a total slug. I glanced back to see how close the train was, and I wished I hadn't. I couldn't keep my eyes on my feet, and I tripped and fell. I slammed my head against the wood, causing me to feel dizzy and see bright lights I didn't even know exist. I was up moments later, the train I don't even remember how far away. I tried to bolt up again, only to be restrained by my foot stuck in between wood boards.
I could tell you fully straight faced that my life flashed before my eyes. Everything, it seemed like. That only lasted a moment longer, for the train was getting closer. I knew I wouldn't make it if I ran, so I did the only available choice. I ripped my foot out, causing me to wince in pain as I scraped it against the wood. Blood started to well up as I swung my legs to dangle over the bridge. I looked down at the icy water, and took one more glance at the train. I took a deep breath as I pushed off the bridge. The train passed above me right after, and I saw a glimpse of Gordie and Vern as they jumped off to the side, successfully dodging it. Then the water came to me as fast as my head came to that wood board on the bridge. All I remember of the moments hitting the water was agonizing pain and the feeling of getting the wind knocked out of me from the momentum I hit the water, and the coldness rushing over every crease in my body.
--------------(this is two chapters in one)
I reached the surface and gulped in air by what felt like the ton, and struggled to keep afloat. I felt my arms flailing around, but it did no use. I knew how to swim, but the shock and pain the water had caused me to become totally useless. I was being pulled by the current, and I could see the bridge becoming slowly smaller. I twisted my body around, and out my feet out in front of me. I saw a rock up ahead, big enough to hold onto but it was barely sticking up above the water, so I didn't know how long I could hold onto it in my dazed and shocked state. I let it hit my feet first, but that was a bad idea. I clenched my jaw as pain shot up my left ankle. I did my best to ignore it as I eased myself around the side, and slid on top of the small but big rock. Water was rushing into my body, trying to pull me with the current. I shakily held on for my life, because if I let go, I didn't know if I could get to shore.
"Dezarea!" I heard yelling, faintly. I tried to yell back, but my voice wouldn't let me. I was too out of breath.
"Dezarea!" I heard the voices getting closer.
I tried to get a better grip on the rock, but I failed to because soon after my adjustment I started to slip off the rock. My voice soon came back to me as I screamed at the top of my lungs. I screamed for when I saw the train, when I tripped and fell, when I ripped my foot out of the boards, and for when I jumped off the bridge. I kept on screaming like my life depended on it.
"DEZAREA!!!!" The voices were very close by this time, and I saw them as they came to the bank about 20 feet away from where the rock was, and from where I was hanging off the rock. Chris came into view first. He threw down his nap sack and dove into the water. I started to slip more, and I could feel the rock digging into my skin on my arms, chest, and stomach. Chris surfaced the water a few feet away from me, but I had already fallen off the rock. He bolted through the water and grabbed my wrist, pulling me back as his other arm was wrapped into the side of the rock. He pulled me around until I was also on the side of the rock, then he grabbed me with both arms as he pushed off the rock with both feet. He then swam with one arm the rest of the way back to shore, and I was dangling from the arm wrapped around my lower stomach.
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," I heard Vern repeating as Chris picked me up from the water and rushed me to shore. I was shaking all over, from shock and from how cold I saw.
"Hey, hey, your okay," I heard Chris whisper repeatedly into my ear. I saw Gordie staring at me white faced, as well as Vern. Teddy thrusted his hands into his hair, and pushed his bangs back nervously. Chris laid me onto the pebbly ground and looked me dead in the eye.
"I need to take your shirt off or you'll be freezing in wet clothes." The other guys turned around and such as Chris pulled my shirt over my head and put it onto the rocks next to me. He glanced at my stomach and chest, noticing the cuts that the rock had left. They weren't that bad, only a few bleeding. He quickly took his nap sack that was resting in the sun, and unzipped it and put it around my shoulders. He picked me up, one hand under my legs and one across me arm, and l swung my sopping shirt over his shoulder.
"Okay, let's hurry and go find a place to set up camp for the night," he said quickly. We all headed back towards the tracks, me I Chris's arms. He didn't seem to have any trouble at all. I don't remember much of what happened next, since I had fainted while he was carrying me.
_______________
Sorry if that chapter sucked 😂 it got a little more jumbled and sloppy towards the ending. But, A LOT HAD HAPPENED!!!!! And don't worry, they won't go back or anything. I also have some more interesting ;) things coming up hehe. WELL HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT AND AGAIN THANK YOU FOR READING THIS STORY LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!
