Beyond the Bridge

Chapter 8 - The Fight

(We headed towards the bridge)

On our way, I decided to ask everyone about their pasts.

"Jenny."

"Yeah, Ralph."

"You have to tell what your past is."

"That's not going to help."

"Father said you'll have more problem if you don't."

Her eyes were full of tears now and her breathe began to break.

"One night.........." She started crying.

"Please continue, Jenny, you have to face it."

She nodded and began, "One night, I forced big brother to take me for an Ice Cream Treat. After a flood of requests, he finally agreed. The streets were abandoned. All shops were closed except the Ice Cream parlor. That's why I was insisting for one. On our way back, a loud racing bike honk startled my brother and he got an Asthma Attack. He took out his Asthma inhaler. But the biker started honking louder and he dropped his inhaler. The biker was Dalton, my brother's college rival. He along with his biker friends started circling around me and my brother trying to tease him of his helplessness."

She burst in tears but kept going, "And then one of those bastard crushed his inhaler and escaped. He struggled very long and I was so scared that my body was not moving. And he died right there, in front of my eyes, and I wasn't crying. I wasn't able to believe."

I rubbed her hand, trying to comfort her, "Your turn, Holden." He instantly denied.

"That's not gonna help" I said.

"Neither will it if I do." He said,

"And why are you not telling, because it's awkward?" I asked him in a wrath.

"No, because I don't want to. And you can't force me, okay."

"Oh really? Then why the hell were YOU telling me to tell my story that night? Because you wanted to enjoy, you wanted to hear the story of my cowardice. You are such a pussy."

"Shut up, Ralph. For god's sake."

"Like I will"

Wrath started to overtake both of us and he started to shit things out.

"Well, I don't want to get advice from a guy who couldn't save his mother because he was too goddamn coward to do this. And whose sister was a disgusting whore running away with guys."

"Shut up, Holden. Do you even know what you are saying?" Jenny said to Holden.

Marcus punched Holden hard and Jenny lost her control.

The car flipped upside down and Jenny and I got stuck. Marcus got out and pulled out Holden and started strangling him.
"Stop! No, Marcus." Shouted Jenny from the car.

"Don't you dare to call her whore, you little piece of shit!" Marcus kept strangling until a girl knocked him down. It was Elina. "It's not the time to fight." She said.

Well, Marcus wasn't so bad for my sister after all. Sophia must have lived a happy life before her death. Though, I wasn't sure if I could ever forgive Holden for his poisonous words.

"The one who was with me was not Sophia. That means real Sophia is in danger." Said Elina, her body covered in dust and a Bandage wrapped around her head.

"No, she is safe. Far from all this crazy shit." Said Marcus and began crying.

"What are you talking about?" asked Elina. She didn't know what we knew.

"Sophia was never here, Elina. It was Cursine. From the beginning. Sophia left us 3 years ago." I told Elina everything.

She covered her mouth in horror.

"What happened, Elina? How did you escape?"

She began, still panting,

(Sophia narrating her story now)

When I got in Sophia's car, she drove me to the bridge. "Why are we here?" I asked but she gave no response. After a quite amount of time, she spoke out, "Aren't you curious to know what's beyond the bridge?"

"I am, but..........."

"Avoid as much as you want but your curiosity won't let you wait."

"You are not Sophia." I said, guessing from her strange behavior. Black clouds covered the sky.

"You never met Sophia, Elina." I began to back away. "You are scared? Well, I thought you were brave. The brave Elina who killed her father and mother. Won't you show your bravery today?"

I ran as fast as I could.

"Run! Wherever you can! Your curiosity won't let you wait, Elina. Won't?"

I turned to have a last look at her and her skin began to melt and a terrifying old woman was formed out of her.

(Ralph continuing the story)

"Killed your mother and Father?" I asked Elina.

"Yes." She said taking a deep breath and continued, "My father used to harass me and my mother. Mentally and Physically. Mom was following her duty of being the perfect wife. She never opposed him. But I didn't want to be the perfect daughter. One day, when he touched me, I impaled him with a spear. Police was surprised to find that a 10 year old girl murdered her father. But they believed my words. My mother was very shocked and one day, she committed suicide. She jumped onto the busy road and a speeding car crushed her." She cried out, "And that's why I still fear speeding cars." She burst in tears and it began to rain.

We stopped by a lake situated in the path of the priestess house. Exactly where the lady in black clothes had blocked my way when I was taking Elina to priestess' house. We drank water and as I began to relax, I saw something in the river. It was the priestess' body.