Alpha Pride

Shattered

I had changed into a sports bra, a loose shirt, and black tights after we all decided we would go to down to the Colorado river that was about an hour away from the house. It was currently me, my aunt, Amy, and Andy in the car.

 My aunt and I in the back; we had already been driving for 50 minutes, so I assumed we were almost there. I rolled my neck on my shoulders and pulled on my thin flannel. So soft.

Vast mountains and open fields surrounded us, some hills even sporting some lingering snow on their tops. As we turned a corner, the large river came into view. It's waters harsh and unforgiving, the rapids were fierce and would pull anyone under in a second.

I was a little upset that Orion did not come, but he had to go back to wherever he came from. And when he left he was rather agitated. My first thought was that it was from our little interaction earlier on, but then the thought was run over when I had heard him and the Wepplers in an argument, though I had no clue over what and decided it was none of my business.

We pulled into a small secluded dirt road off of the highway, which lead down to a rather thick forest, ending in a small lot meant for parking. Andy turned off the car as we all unbuckled our seat belts and stepped out of the car, stretching.

I briefly looked at Andy as he stepped out like the rest of us, and my face scrunched when I noticed the evident drops of sweat lining his hair line. It was not hot, so why is he sweating?

I looked at Amy and she was glancing around nervously and clutching the ends of her sweater with anxious hands. 

My aunt did not notice anything as she walked around to the front of the car where a small trial head could be seen. "So we have to walk down to the river?" She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets looking back at the timid couple.  

 Amy nodded quickly and pulled out gloves from her small pack. "It is not long from here, less than 10 minutes. There is a very beautiful bridge down there." She smiled.

When we started walking their nervousness only seemed to grow, and it was starting to make me anxious as well. The bird and crow sounds made the moment even more eerie, along with the sound of the soft blowing wind.  

Aunt Pam was leading our little group as the path ended and we came up to the large bridge. My mouth opened in awe, it was beautiful. 

Since the river was so wide the bridge was held up in its center by large cement poles, but that didn't stop the water from roughly hitting against it's sides. Large rocks and Boulders manipulated the cold water further down the stream. My ears were filled with nothing but the loud sound of running water.

I breathed in a breath of fresh air as I walked over to the middle, putting my hands down on the rail. Now that I was closer, I could tell that the paint and wood were well worn, chipping in certain places, and splintering under the aged white.

"Shit I gotta take a piss." I looked to my aunt as she waddled to the other side of the bridge, my gaze following her as she dissapeared behind the thick trees. I silently rolled my eyes smiling.

Amy and Andy came up behind me, "Hey, I was wondering how you guys found th-" 

"I'm so sorry." Was the last thing I heard from the couple as I felt both their hands roughly on my back, pushing me towards the railing at a hurdling speed.

 I put my hands out for the railing to stop my falling body, but gasped loudly as the rotted wood gave way, cracking and creaking at my weight. And I fell, plummeting into the vicious water below.

I felt panic set in as I hit the freezing water, easily being swept away. My head went under and I tried clawing and grasping at nothing to keep my head above the surface. Water quickly filled my lungs, I coughed non-stop and spit water out of my mouth. My arms flailed around trying to slow down my gaining speed as the river swept me further down its course. My legs colliding vigorously with sharp rocks and underwater branches embedded below the water's uneven surface.