ApocaPic Challenge - Broken Bridge - For lving_darkness
I posted an entry asking for pics of abandoned/sppoky/creepy locations to inspire apocafic. so far only lving_darkness has been the only one to respond, and this is my response. Enjoy!
Image behind the cut.
Broken Bridge
There was one rule in the Community: Don't Cross The Bridge.
He knew the rule as well as anyone did, and he tried to follow it, but it was as though the rickety bridge called to him, or maybe something on the other side of the river did. The Council insisted there was nothing alive on the other side, just the dead world they'd fled when they came to the island, long and thin in the middle of a wide river, but he was certain he'd seen movement on the far side, two figures standing and watching.
He new he should tell someone about the figures, a man and a woman, but he liked having the secret that someone was alive on the other side and that they seemed to know about the Community. He wasn't worried about the 'monsters' the council said was on the other side, the two people seemed familiar, and he almost wanted to cross the bridge and go meet them. But the Council would notice he was gone and then he, and all the others, would be in trouble.
"Who are they?" a tiny voice whispered from beside him, and he looked down at the little girl who he should have known would follow him, she always did.
"I don't know."
"I like them," she said, smiling then taking off towards the bridge as fast as her short legs could take her.
"Wait!" he called, more worried that she'd fall through the broken slats than that the two people would hurt her. He followed as quickly as he could, his leg stiff and not wanting to move quickly. "Sweetie, wait!"
"Soph, stop!"
They both stopped, stunned by the voice of the man from across the river, who was halfway across the bridge, slowing from his run as he hit the broken sections. The little girl tilted her head, eyes narrowing slightly and nose crinkling in thought, then a smile broke out on her face again. "Dean!" she called happily, spinning towards the boy. "Ryan, it's Dean and Faith! You said they'd come after us and they did!"
He stared for a moment, his gaze going from the girl... from Sophie Rose... to the two figures... Dean and Faith... his family... them and Sophie Rose... they'd come... he'd known they would come... but he forgot... they... the Council. "Fuck," Ryan said as the memories, ones that had been buried so deep in the mud of confusion and fear, came rushing back to the surface. He heard the rustling behind him and turned to glance back, seeing the Council approaching. "Fuck..." he repeated.
"Move it, runt!" Faith yelled.
Ryan didn't need to be told twice, and caught up with Sophie Rose, scooping her up without stopping before he started across the bridge. "Hold on, Soph," he told her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.
"We can't come any further, you have to get to us!" Dean yelled.
"I'm trying!" Ryan snapped, side stepping a rotten spot and feeling his bad leg start to go out on him. "Come on..." he muttered, barely able to hear himself over the roar of the water and the enraged screams of the creatures behind him. He glanced back again, this time seeing the Council for what they were instead of the plain and reassuring human faces they had worn while keeping them there. "Keep your eyes closed, Soph!" he told his sister as he pushed himself, willing himself to keep moving and get across the bridge. And then he was there, Dean and Faith just a few feet away on the other side of a large gap in the slats.
"Come on, you can do it," Faith said. "You won't fall."
"Easy for you to say," Ryan muttered. "Catch her?" he called louder.
"Yeah, then you," Dean agreed, nodding.
Ryan placed a kiss to Sophie Rose's head. "Eyes closed, Soph," he repeated. "Trust me?"
"Uh-huh," she said, eyes squeezed shut.
Ryan glanced over to Faith, who had moved as close as she could get, then nodded to the woman and tossed Sophie Rose across the gap, the little girl not making a sound until she landed safely in Faith's arms. "Get her to the shore!" Ryan yelled as he backed up a few steps, aware of how little Dean seemed to like that move. "Move back!" Ryan yelled, waiting until Dean had backed up about five feet, then he ran the few steps before the gap and jumped. One foot hit a strong section of bridge, but the other hit the rotten edge, which gave out beneath it, causing him to stumble. Before he could fall, though, Dean had hold of his forearm and was pulling him to safety.
"Took you long enough to realize," Dean said as he pulled Ryan to his feet then pushed him towards shore, eyes staying on the creatures as they screamed their rage on the other side.
"They kept us from remembering," Ryan replied, gasping for air as they headed back to the shore, where he was greeted by a happy Sophie Rose, and Faith, who wrapped her arms around the siblings, cupping the back of Ryan's head with her hand.
"Leave it to the two of you to get kidnapped by the ugliest, nastiest, most dangerous demons ever to escape from hell," she said with a laugh that seemed to be half sob.
"Hey, don't blame this little angel, that's all on Ryan," Dean said, taking Sophie Rose from Ryan's arms and giving her a big hug. "Soph just followed to keep him out of trouble."
"Let's get them somewhere warm and with food," Faith said, keeping an arm tight around Ryan's shoulders. "We've got a lot to figure out still."
The End
Image behind the cut.
Broken Bridge
There was one rule in the Community: Don't Cross The Bridge.
He knew the rule as well as anyone did, and he tried to follow it, but it was as though the rickety bridge called to him, or maybe something on the other side of the river did. The Council insisted there was nothing alive on the other side, just the dead world they'd fled when they came to the island, long and thin in the middle of a wide river, but he was certain he'd seen movement on the far side, two figures standing and watching.
He new he should tell someone about the figures, a man and a woman, but he liked having the secret that someone was alive on the other side and that they seemed to know about the Community. He wasn't worried about the 'monsters' the council said was on the other side, the two people seemed familiar, and he almost wanted to cross the bridge and go meet them. But the Council would notice he was gone and then he, and all the others, would be in trouble.
"Who are they?" a tiny voice whispered from beside him, and he looked down at the little girl who he should have known would follow him, she always did.
"I don't know."
"I like them," she said, smiling then taking off towards the bridge as fast as her short legs could take her.
"Wait!" he called, more worried that she'd fall through the broken slats than that the two people would hurt her. He followed as quickly as he could, his leg stiff and not wanting to move quickly. "Sweetie, wait!"
"Soph, stop!"
They both stopped, stunned by the voice of the man from across the river, who was halfway across the bridge, slowing from his run as he hit the broken sections. The little girl tilted her head, eyes narrowing slightly and nose crinkling in thought, then a smile broke out on her face again. "Dean!" she called happily, spinning towards the boy. "Ryan, it's Dean and Faith! You said they'd come after us and they did!"
He stared for a moment, his gaze going from the girl... from Sophie Rose... to the two figures... Dean and Faith... his family... them and Sophie Rose... they'd come... he'd known they would come... but he forgot... they... the Council. "Fuck," Ryan said as the memories, ones that had been buried so deep in the mud of confusion and fear, came rushing back to the surface. He heard the rustling behind him and turned to glance back, seeing the Council approaching. "Fuck..." he repeated.
"Move it, runt!" Faith yelled.
Ryan didn't need to be told twice, and caught up with Sophie Rose, scooping her up without stopping before he started across the bridge. "Hold on, Soph," he told her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.
"We can't come any further, you have to get to us!" Dean yelled.
"I'm trying!" Ryan snapped, side stepping a rotten spot and feeling his bad leg start to go out on him. "Come on..." he muttered, barely able to hear himself over the roar of the water and the enraged screams of the creatures behind him. He glanced back again, this time seeing the Council for what they were instead of the plain and reassuring human faces they had worn while keeping them there. "Keep your eyes closed, Soph!" he told his sister as he pushed himself, willing himself to keep moving and get across the bridge. And then he was there, Dean and Faith just a few feet away on the other side of a large gap in the slats.
"Come on, you can do it," Faith said. "You won't fall."
"Easy for you to say," Ryan muttered. "Catch her?" he called louder.
"Yeah, then you," Dean agreed, nodding.
Ryan placed a kiss to Sophie Rose's head. "Eyes closed, Soph," he repeated. "Trust me?"
"Uh-huh," she said, eyes squeezed shut.
Ryan glanced over to Faith, who had moved as close as she could get, then nodded to the woman and tossed Sophie Rose across the gap, the little girl not making a sound until she landed safely in Faith's arms. "Get her to the shore!" Ryan yelled as he backed up a few steps, aware of how little Dean seemed to like that move. "Move back!" Ryan yelled, waiting until Dean had backed up about five feet, then he ran the few steps before the gap and jumped. One foot hit a strong section of bridge, but the other hit the rotten edge, which gave out beneath it, causing him to stumble. Before he could fall, though, Dean had hold of his forearm and was pulling him to safety.
"Took you long enough to realize," Dean said as he pulled Ryan to his feet then pushed him towards shore, eyes staying on the creatures as they screamed their rage on the other side.
"They kept us from remembering," Ryan replied, gasping for air as they headed back to the shore, where he was greeted by a happy Sophie Rose, and Faith, who wrapped her arms around the siblings, cupping the back of Ryan's head with her hand.
"Leave it to the two of you to get kidnapped by the ugliest, nastiest, most dangerous demons ever to escape from hell," she said with a laugh that seemed to be half sob.
"Hey, don't blame this little angel, that's all on Ryan," Dean said, taking Sophie Rose from Ryan's arms and giving her a big hug. "Soph just followed to keep him out of trouble."
"Let's get them somewhere warm and with food," Faith said, keeping an arm tight around Ryan's shoulders. "We've got a lot to figure out still."
The End