My Demons

Chapter 17: Torn to Pieces (Part 2)

Chapter 17 – Torn to Pieces (Part 2)

            The night air was so cold. I was all bundled up in warm clothes, but I was still frozen to the bone. I should have just gone back inside the house where it was warm, but I didn’t. I was determined to find Ryuto. He hadn’t been in class for the past three days and no one answered the phone at his house. It was almost one in the morning on a school night and I had never been over to his house before, but I had to go look for him. I had to see him.

            I had to apologize to him.

            I ran all the way from my family’s mansion-esque house on the outskirts of Tokyo to the middle of the city itself. I stopped when I reached the river. Ryuto’s family home was right on the other side. A new footbridge across the river wasn’t too far to the east, but his house was to the west. It would be faster if I took the old bridge to the west. It’s old and the siding is completely missing in some places. It’s too easy for someone to fall right off it. Not many people use it, but it’s still there and no one has bothered to fix it.

            Half of the streetlights that stood on the old bridge were burnt out since no one bothered with the bridge, making the long walk across it a daunting task. My heart was racing as I quickly jogged down it. It was eerily quiet. Normally the city is noisy at all hours of the night, but it was dead tonight, leaving me to go crazy with my thoughts.

            I couldn’t stop thinking about what I had done and how Rytuo had rejected me. It was completely my fault and I couldn’t blame him. I was only thinking about my own feelings, and it made me hurt him. I had lost my first love and one of my only friends. I wasn’t expecting him to forgive me. It would just help my conscious to apologize to him. If he happened to forgive me and maybe fall in love with me, then I would be one happy young man.

            I slowed down my pace as I came towards the end of the bridge. My lungs were burning for air, but the freezing air stung terribly when I inhaled deeply. My legs felt weak, like they couldn’t stand my own body weight much longer. I just wanted to sit, possibly close my eyes and sleep for all eternity. However, the will to keep going and see him was strong.

            Suddenly, I noticed a dark figure under one of the blacked out lights not too far away. As I walked closer, I saw that it was leaning slightly over the side of the bridge, as if staring at its reflection over the water. But it was too dark to see that and it was so late at night. Why were they there? Why were they leaning over the bridge like that?

            A jumper… That person was going to kill themselves.

            For the moment, I forgot all about Ryuto. I wanted to reach out to that person. No one should be driven so close to the ledge that they think their only option is suicide. Maybe all they need is for one person to tell them that everything will be alright. Maybe all they need is one friend. I can help them.

            I quietly walked closer to the person, not wanting to scare them into jumping. Luckily, the old wood of the bridge wasn’t creaking with each step that I took. When I was within yelling distance, the figure leaned back and stood up straight. I let out a small sigh of relief. Then, the figure sidestepped into the light… and to where part of the side had rotted away.

            I gasped. It appeared to be a young male, wearing a familiar looking grey sweatshirt with the hood slightly pulled up. Tufts of auburn hair peaked out. It was such a strange hair color for someone of Japanese descent to have. A sickening feeling crept up into my stomach. I knew I couldn’t jump to any conclusions just yet. My heart beat loudly in my chest as the figure lifted up his arms and pulled down his hood.