My stomach growled loudly when I parked at the Northlane bridge and I nudged Ray awake.

"Hey, do we have any more food left?"

He sat up in his seat and stared into space for a moment before grabbing his bag and looking inside. I nervously watched him dig through it until he brought out a baggy full of soggy fruit and a bag of already opened chips with hardly any chips in it. "Nothing new since last night. I still have this trail mix."

I grabbed them and munched on a handful of nuts and m&ms before opening the door, swinging my legs off of the seat. I surveyed the area and luckily didn't see any of those freaks walking around here. The crisp wind whipped at my face as I listened and the waves crashed against the rocks below us.

I spotted a small square concrete building by the ramp with some kind of red spray paint on the side of it.

"Ray, why don't you go check out that building over there? It might be able to have the controls to lower the bridge down."

He hesitated, not bothering to open his door. "Y-you're not coming with me?"

"Obviously not like this." I said pointing at my foot. "Don't be a chicken, I don't even see any of them out here."

"What if one of them comes out?"

"That's what the brick is for, just bash his face in with it or throw somewhere to distract him to give you time. Don't worry, I'll watch your back."

He sat there for a moment and I rolled my eyes. "Do you want to stay in this hell hole of a town or do you want to go home? Cmon brat, be a big boy already."

Ray pulled his inhaler out and took a hit of it before stuffing it into his jean pocket. "Alright, I'll do it."

"Finally." I muttered under my breath when he slammed the door shut.

When he reached the building, I yelled out, "What does that red paint on that wall say?"

He jumped out of his pants in fright at my voice and placed a finger over his mouth to shush me. His legs were shaking as he looked at the sign to read it and then he made an attempt at the doorknob.

As he trotted back towards the truck I heard a faint splash come from below.

What the hell was that?

I looked over the edge, searching the depths of the water underneath the bridge, looking for any movement. There was a huge shadow casted from the ramp over the small riverbank and I squinted my eyes to try and see what made the splash.

Was I hearing things?

"We have a problem."

"What?" I asked and then almost flew out of my skin when I turned back to see Ray in front of me.

"Wait, you were watching out for me right? Like you said?" He panicked.

"Of course I was, dork. Now what's wrong?"

He pointed back at the building. "Well, there was a message on the wall, it said, "Lower bridge on other side, Survivors Denver." It looks like that building is just a toll booth, but to lower the bridge, we have to do it from the opposite end."

"But how are we supposed to get across if the ramp is up?"

The splash came to mind and I remembered the river below.

"We can always drive back and check the freeway again?" He offered.

I shook my head. "It's too risky, with my feet all cut up like this, I don't think we could survive another night here."

"So what do you think we should do?

Maybe...swim across?

From what I could see, the distance between here and the shore on the other side was nothing more than about a thousand feet across. I was an excellent swimmer, my only problem was my foot being infected by the dirty water.

Not only that, if I actually did hear a splash, who knows what's down there.

Though what choice did we have?

We need to get home, we need to call help for Lily and find a way to put this all to an end.

"How good of a swimmer are you?"

"Not that good, why?" He didn't say anything for a moment and then it dawned on him and he gave me a terrified look. "You want to swim over there?" He exasperated . "That water is teeming with bacteria, your foot-"

"I know." I interrupted. "But I think if we bandaged it up one more time and I kept my shoes on, I should be okay by the time we get across."

"What about our clothes?" He whined.

"Alright then Ray." I replied sarcastically. "Stay here and defend Lanora while I try to not drown or die from an infected foot or leukemia. Whichever comes first."

He let out a groan and pulled his beanie over his face in frustration. "Fuck, fine."

"Hey no swearing." I scolded. "That's my job."

*****

Once my foot was patched up, we tossed away the dirty stained ones and then carefully paced ourselves down the steep grass hill.

Ray was taking one step at a time very slowly. I tried following behind him but my foot slipped unexpectedly against the muddy grass. I tried to find a grip with my slippers but it wasn't enough. I kept sliding down so quickly that I almost bumped into Ray. His pace was too slow and I was sliding down so fast that I tried to get ahead of him.

"Ray, let me go first, I keep slipping."

"Sasha! Don't! I'll lose my concentration and fall!" He yelled.

The next patch of grass I stepped on turned out to be a mud pile and I gasped when I lost my footing, desperately reaching out to grab onto something, anything to stop me from tumbling down into the dark swampy water face first. I ended up grabbing onto Ray's wrist and he cried out in fear as he struggled to keep his balance.

"I can't hold on! My foot is slipping!" He screamed and suddenly his weight shifted and we were falling in the air, away from the hill. His hand slipped out of my grasp and soon we both fell down, deep into the watery grave.

The water hit my back like cold spikes and it covered over my eyes in a rush, making everything look foggy in an instant. The sun was disappearing and I was sinking. I couldn't breathe. Gross green moss water filled up my mouth and I was plunging deeper into the dark freezing water.

It suffocated my nostrils and burned my eyes. I couldn't see anything. Not even Ray.

Where is Ray?

I have to save him. Even though my chest burned to breathe, I forced myself to kick my feet hard and swim back up to the surface. When I burst out, I sucked in the air greedily as I tried to regain my surroundings.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Ray! Ray, where are you?!" I hollered, treading water while glancing all around me. The waves moved up and down deflecting my vision and I looked between both of the shores. I couldn't see him at either one. "Ray?!"

I started to swim to the other side of the bridge, desperately checking around like a chicken without its head.

My slippers had absorbed so much water that it was pointless to wear them. It felt like my feet were on fire but I had to find him and ignore the pain. I wouldn't know what I would do without him.

His head suddenly emerged out of the water in front of me and let out a gasp for air.

Thank God he was okay I prayed.

As he continued to cough out the water in his lungs, I swam over to him and then started dragging him with me as I swam as hard as I could to the shore.

I dumped him on the sand and crawled out using my arms feeling exhausted and worn out. I worshiped the stable sand against my face, grateful that we were both still alive.

But I stilled when I heard faint whispering. I listened closely and realized that it was a woman talking. I looked up to see where it was coming from but Ray's sneaker stomped up right in front of my face, sending flakes of sand into my eyes and mouth.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"I screamed while I was spitting the sand out.

"You almost killed us!" He yelled.

"Ray, now's not the time, I think I hear-"

"We almost drowned! Why did I let you convince me to do this?! Now my clothes are soaking wet and-"

"Ray! Shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"How 'bout you both shut up and put your hands where I can see' em."

We both froze when a young woman wearing a jean jacket and shorts came out from under the bridge. She was skinny and was walking towards us with a silver pistol aimed at Ray. A little girl no older than a toddler and wearing a dirty faded pink dress followed her every step but stayed hidden behind the older one. Their outfits were soaked like they just came out of the water as well not too long ago.

"Don't you dare." I growled menacingly but then she switched the gun over to me. I hesitated before sitting up on my knees and raising my hands up, giving her a death glare.

"Calm down blondie, I won't shoot either of you. Not yet anyway. Are either of you a psycho biter?"

"What?" Both of us asked in confusion.

"I don't have time for this. Answer the damn question."

"No we're not fucking-! Look, we just want to lower the damn bridge and get the hell out of here already."

"Hey watch your mouth brooja, I don't want my sister hearing that kind of language."

"Like she could even understand us."

"Sasha!" Ray yelled. "Will you just shut up already?"

The woman looked between the two of us and shook her head. "You two are sad, don't tell me you are related?"

"How about you mind your damn business?" I spat.

Her eyes darken as she glared at me and she tugged her sister by her tiny hand. "Such a damn shame. When the world goes to hell, people like you end up dying a lonely death. Hasta luego chingada. Let's go, Sofi."

I kept my deadly gaze at her, not letting her intimidate me as she walked past.I crossed my arms over my chest as we watched her balance the little toddler on her back, telling her to hang on very tightly and don't let go as they climbed up the slippery hill. I turned my gaze back to Ray and his face was beat red like a cherry tomato.

"There is something seriously wrong with you." He said through clenched teeth. "She's the only other living person we've seen in two days and you act like such a colossal bitch! She even seems like she knows what the hell was going on! What were you even thinking? She could have saved us or at the very least tell us what's happening!"

My face flushed in embarrassment. He was right. What was I thinking? I was so quick to anger to defend us that I wasn't even thinking straight. But..I wasn't going to admit that. "She held a gun on us, I just reacted!"

"Think before you react then!" He yelled and then stormed away from me.

Jeez, I am a bitch.

I watched helplessly as he began to climb up the wall, apparently too disgusted with me to realize that he was heading up there alone. I sighed and pulled myself up, taking baby steps over to the hill to somehow climb up too. I ditched the slippers this time and relied on my grip with my bare toes. The bandages Ray wrapped up for me were draping off my feet slightly but it was still a lot easier to manage as I dug my hands into the gravel dirt and avoided using the soles of each foot.

When the two girls reached the top first, I stopped for a moment to catch my breath. The world was spinning around me and I was starting to feel woozy. I pressed my head against the rocky hill, gripping onto it for dear life. I looked up to see that Ray was a few feet ahead of me and I could hear soft whispers from the girls above. The older sister guided the smaller one onto the street with one hand carefully, allowing her to crawl onto her head and onto the road.

I tried to start climbing again but the minute my heel accidentally dug into the jagged surface, I let out a scream of agony. The pain was so unbearable that it took all my mental strength not to release the cliff and grip onto my foot.

Shit what was I going to do? I was royally fucked.

I had no idea how I was going to get up there with this terrible pain in my foot. With the amount of blood I've been losing, my vision was beginning to fade in and out.

Pebbles stumbled down the cliff and landed on top of my head. When I looked up past the blinding rays, I saw someone climbing back down.

As much as it killed me to admit it, I really had to rely on Ray to help me right now if we were going to make it back home.

Even though it's supposed to be the other way around.

As he climbed back down, I hugged onto the shady hill again and closed my eyes as a gentle breeze brushed over me. Any more time spent on this hill and I felt like I would slip away and fall, spiraling back into the lake.

When I heard his girlish heaving as he climbed down next to me, I opened my eyes softly."Thanks Ray.." I started as I turned to face him. "I really owe you one - wait, why are you here?" I asked, my tone suddenly shifting from apologetic to rude in a second.

I couldn't believe it; it was her!

"Where the hell is my brother?"

"Up there watching my sister." The Hispanic chick huffed out of breath. "He told me what happened to your foot so I came back down here to help your ass."

"I don't need your help." I glared, speaking every word through clench teeth.

She stared at me in disbelief. "Chica, you gotta be kidding me. You are one of the most stubborn and ungrateful bitch I ever met. I thought I was doing a good deed by helping your ass but maybe I should let you stay here so you can rot as bad as your attitude."

"Well nobody told your ass to come for me, "chica." I mimicked.

"Uh sis...?" Ray called out.

"Just shut your giant mouth and accept my help already! What's up your ass? Why are you so damn loca mija?"

"Sasha?!"

"Not now Ray!" I snarled, keeping my focus on her.

"Camiii!"

We both shot our heads up at the little girl's cry and saw a huge black van parked next to them. When the car door opened, a man with a matching black uniform stepped out and without a word, started reaching towards them.

"H-Hey! Stop! Get away from her you creep!" Ray yelled.

"Who's getting who?! Sofi?!" The girl next to me cried.

We both watched in horror as the man snatched the crying girl up by her dress. She was screaming and squirming as the man put her underneath his arm while Ray was slamming his fists against the man's chest. "What are you doing?! Stop! Let go of her!"

The guy went for Ray next and grabbed him by his arm, forcibly dragging him to the van while Ray struggled.

"Ray?! Who is that up there?! Ray?! What's going on?! Ja-Mmph!"

My words were stopped by a slap of the other girl's hand on my mouth.

I shot her a dangerous look. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I hissed, yanking her hand roughly from my face.

"Don't. We can't let them hear us." She whispered softly.

"Wha- Why the hell not? He's kidnapping them!"

"Sasha! Help meeee!" Ray screamed.

"Hang on Ray! I'll....I'll find a way up there!" I went to climb up but the girl blocked my path with her arm.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?! Are you just going to let him take them?!"

"And how the hell are we going to catch up to them in his van huh?! You think we can magically climb up there fast enough to stop him before he drives away? Especially with your fucked up feet?"

"It's better than doing nothing!" I yelled back.

"Sometimes it's best to do nothing."

I pried my eyes away from her and looked up. Using one hand to shield my eyes from the dimming sunset, my heart plummeted when I saw the van disappear out of sight.

This wasn't happening.

He's...gone.

He was taken away from me right before my eyes.

And I did nothing to save him.

"You just got my brother killed." I whispered, my gaze distance as the smoke from the exhaust pipe faded into the air. I curled my hands into fists as tears started to burn my eyes and I slammed it against the cliff. "You murderer! You got my brother killed! And your sister too!"

"No puta, look." She threatened and then pointed up to my left.

Two more black vans showed up to the spot by the bridge and they came to a halt above us.

"If they wanted to kill them, he would have done it already. We have to hide, if we get caught now, then we all could be in danger."

I didn't say anything. Ray and I have been inseparable for years even after we've left our home and I swore on my life that I would protect him.

The doors swung open above us and I could hear the shuffling of boots sending dirt down onto our heads.

I lowered my head and closed my eyes.

Maybe she's right.

With the condition I was in, I couldn't even make it up the damn cliff on my own even if I wanted to.

A few bright lights swept over the top of the hill and began to lower over our position quickly.

"Okay" I sighed.

I was defeated anyway.

It was one hell of a week already and I was drained of whatever energy I had left.

We nodded in agreement before releasing ourselves from the cliff. I closed my eyes, the tears escaping my face as the sudden rush of cold air hit all around me. The pressure on my feet was relieved when they left the cliff and seconds later I heard the girl hit the water first before I was submerged within the icy chill of the dark river once more.

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