13 WINDOWS

Chapter 22 Part 2: The BRIDGE

Emeline's fall was finally broken by a prickly bush. She was still only halfway down to the bottom of the ravine. She was winded and she struggled to catch her breath. She looked up at the house. Sandra was standing at the concrete fortress doorway, looking down at Emeline. The light drizzle was turning into a heavier rain.

Sandra taunted her sister from above. She shouted, "Whoops! Looks like you had a bit of a tumble there. Don't worry I'm coming to get you. Ready or not!"

Emeline looked down towards the pathway of the ravine. It was deserted. There were no more people.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME! CALL 911!" she shrieked out desperately. There was no sound except the rain. She turned to look back at her sister. Sandra was making her way quickly down the side of the ravine. Emeline disentangled herself from the bush, and started making her way down to the road. She kept slipping on the wet leaves and she finally had to succumb to the wetness and the gravity as she slid down the rest of the steep drop completely out of control.

Sandra was catching up to her and was now halfway down the ravine incline. Emeline sobbed, clutching her cracked ribs. She managed to stand up, and then attempted to jog clumsily through the searing pain.

There was a concrete storm sewer opening where the creek formed. Emeline splashed into the water. She sloshed towards the opening, which was large enough for her to crouch inside and hide. She peeked over the opening and saw her sister walking briskly along the path, her eyes wide, and her mouth baring her teeth in a deranged grin.

"Where's my big sister?!" she cried. "Come out - come out...wherever you are..."

Emeline ducked down and hid inside the opening. The water rushed under her shoes. She tried to rest. She was 70 years old and she wasn't in the best shape. She wouldn't be able to last long against her sister.

She whispered a prayer to herself, "Oh God please. I'm sorry. Please help me now Lord. I'm sorry I kept so many secrets." She was trembling now. "Please just get me out of this. I'll be a better human being I promise."

The rain started to fall harder. It had been a dry, hot summer but this week there had been several storms that were passing violently through the city. The rain pelted down hard and the water flowing out of the storm sewer started to increase drastically. Emeline was up to her waist. She looked down the long dark tunnel. There was nowhere for her to go but out.

She tried to get a grip on the ceiling of the storm sewer, but there was nothing there to grasp onto. She looked out at the creek. About twenty feet away she saw Sandra standing in the water ankle deep, her pink prom dress soaking wet and her hair covering most of her face. The knife was by her side dripping with water. The sisters locked eyes. Beneath her straggly hair Emeline could see that Sandra still had a menacing grin across her face.

* * *

A moment of terror is something that only those who have lived inside of it, and survived, can truly understand. Somewhere, in the immediacy of that moment, you know that your life will never be the same again. And part of the dread you feel in the nucleus of your soul is knowing that your future holds nothing but pain and fear.

Rupert continued to scream into the microphone. He couldn't understand why she couldn't hear him. And when Serena returned to her seat she had no idea how much the world had already changed.

She sat down smiling at Rupert. "Calm down Rupert. It was just the production assistant calling."

"Serena get out of there now! He's in your closet!" he spoke urgently.

But she just continued to smile. "Rupert? Sorry I only caught part of that. There's something wrong with the connection."

"BEHIND YOU! CAN'T YOU HEAR ME? HELLO!" Rupert shouted, standing in front of the computer.