marilyn / c.h.

time

2:49 am. mary lynn could feel her heart thumping faster than her feet were hitting the damp ground beneath her. now, she had no intentions of doing anything other than finding calum on the longest goddamn bridge in town. 

2:50 am. there was still no sight of calum, but there was a traffic jam near the center of the bridge. why the hell would there be traffic in the first place? it was the middle of the night! she followed the cars parked in the middle of the bridge, watching as people got out of them to see what in the world was going on.

2:51 am. mary lynn followed the confused civillians, trying to keep a fast enough pace. she pulled her phone out of her pocket, stopping to take a breath. nine minutes, she thought and slipped it back into the pocket of her dull green raincoat. 

2:52 am. running faster than before, she spotted a large crowd of people near one of the beams of the old bridge.

2:53 am. "fuck!" she called out, sliding onto her knees. the girl had slipped on the wet tar and scraped both of her knees but got up and continued running. seven minutes.

2:54 am. the crowd of people began to grow more and more. it seemed like everyone had abandoned their cars to see what the fuss was about. mary lynn ran a bit slower, cautious of any puddles or potholes. 

2:55 am. she tried to ignore the stinging pain of her bleeding knees and kept on, finally reaching the large group of people. it was a variety of teens, seniors, and adults. being as short as she was, mary lynn had no way of seeing what the hell was in the center of the crowd. 

2:56 am. four minutes, she reminded herself and tried pushing her way through the group. police cars started pulling up to the scene. mary lynn noticed the sheriff's cruiser. calum's dad was there.

2:57 am. "please sir, get down from the ledge! everyone stand back!" sheriff hood yelled into the megaphone, catching the group's attention. she had three fucking minutes! instead of stepping back, mary lynn continued fighting her way to the front of the mob.

"calum!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, catching a glimpse of his jet-black hair. "calum!"

2:58 am. he turned so suddenly, it was a wonder that he hadn't slipped himself. mary lynn ran at him with full force, grabbing his wrist and trying to pull him off of the ledge. "calum, please get down baby." 

"why did you do it?" he asked in a strangled voice, tears streaking his ghostly cheeks. it was as if his cheekbones were threatening to rip his skin to be free, they were so prominent. 

"i had to, calum!" she called, squeezing his hand. "please get down, baby, please!"

calum shook his head. "no, i can't. i have to do this." as he spoke, he took half of a step back. she could faintly see the heels of his converse hanging off of the edge of the ledge he stood on. it was about a foot wide, keeping them a foot apart. 

2:59 am. "please calum. i love you," mary lynn pleaded, breaking down into sobs. she still held his hand tightly, the sweat on her palms making her grip slip. 

he took a step forward, pulling her onto the ledge with him. he held her in his arms as tightly as he could, making the fragile bones holding him together ache. "i love you too, m."

she sobbed into his sweater, taking one leg off of the ledge and back onto the side of the road where it was safe.

calum took one step forward in an attempt to follow her down. however, at that moment, a single rain drop fell on his head, startling the boy. 

3:00 am. he slipped.