The Bridge: Chapter 3

The roar of the ocean was barely audible after only a few minutes into the trees. I missed it. I didn’t realize how comforting it was, and how much I was used to hearing it after a lifetime near the sea. It was probably a good thing we couldn’t hear it, as it could potentially conceal the sounds of nearby threats. The inclines and declines must have been a part of a larger slope that took us higher over the waves and farther from the water. Not for the first time, I wondered who built the bridge, and how long it had taken them. I wondered if they built it to have trees, if they intended that all along or if that happened after hundreds of years of abandonment. After the earth took back what was hers.

No one had said a word since entering the forest. The silence was tense and oppressive, compounded by the unnerving silence of our surroundings. We were all on high alert, struggling to maintain some semblance of sightlines amidst the increasingly dense tree cover and the quickly fading light. Every so often I imagined I heard a twig snap or a leaf crunch, but thus far we seemed to be alone.

“Reva,” Amis hesitantly broke the silence, “I think we should stop. It’ll be dark soon. We should get ready.”

I nodded and slowed to a stop. “Here is as good a place as any. We can keep our backs right up against the left wall and well still have cover in all other directions from the trees. We still have enough time to set the tripwires.”

Cahira started rummaging through her pack. “I think,” she started “I brought enough wire for two rows. Maybe that’ll give us an advantage somehow.” She triumphantly pulled four tightly-wound balls of wire from her pack. “And then,” she continued, “we can re-pack it tomorrow morning. I know how to save the wire even if it’s been tripped-what?” she asked defensively.

Amis and I had stopped to look at her somewhat dubiously.

“We can’t plan on dying,” she continued. “We have to plan and act like we’re gonna be okay, like we can do this. Besides, Reva, if you didn’t think we had a chance, however slim, why’d you decide to continue?”

I shrugged and looked away “You’re right, its good we can save the wires. Let’s get started,” I responded, avoiding her question. I don’t know why I told them to continue. I did think we were going to die, and with night approaching swiftly I definitely thought it would be sooner rather than later.

Cahira and I got to work setting up tripwires all around our makeshift camp area. There were plenty of places to hide them, and by the time we were finished even I could barely tell where we had put them. Amis unpacked some of the weapons and took stock of the food and water. We made our preparations in silence and finally regrouped back near the wall. Closer to the edge, we could hear the ocean once more, faint and distant, but unmistakable. The wall gave us one dependable line, one safe side, while leaving potential escape routes in every other direction. We all knew where the wires were in case we had to run, and we wore our packs as well in order to make a quick getaway, if necessary, without losing any of our provisions. The three of us sat propped up against the wall, Amis with his axe in hand and Cahira with her bow at the ready. I scratched at the dirt with my knife, willing my senses to become as keen as the animals in the forest at home.

“Anybody want to try and sleep?” Amis asked with a faint grin.

Cahira elbowed him in the ribs and I just shook my head slightly. We had unanimously decided against a fire, for obvious reasons, but it was starting to get cold. To distract myself, I started trying to imagine what kind of creatures could possibly be so ferocious as to kill multiple people without a trace. It had to be more than one, given the fact that the entire group my parents were with had disappeared as well. It also couldn’t be one creature big enough to decimate an entire group. The trees were too close together, and if it was something that frequented the area there would have been signs by now. So, wolves, maybe. Or people. Or something else.

I shivered. Maybe having a fire wasn’t such a bad idea after all. If it was animals, maybe it would scare them away. Or draw them in. I wondered what my parents did. I wondered if I was repeating the actions that preceded their deaths.

“Do you think they made it this far?” I asked quietly. All day I had been curious to know the exact moment we hit the spot my parents made it to. If I had surpassed them, somehow. It was a strange, uncomfortable thought. There were only three of us, so we probably moved at a faster pace than their group had.

“Maybe,” Cahira replied “if they were fast.”

“Do you think they did everything we did? Keeping the wall close, setting wires, all of it?”

‘Probably,” Amis muttered, “they were smart.”

“So maybe this is all for nothing. Maybe we die anyway.” I said bitterly.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe.”

˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜

It was hard to judge how much time had passed in the dark. We couldn’t see the stars through the trees, and none of us had elected to be the first to try and sleep. It felt like we had been there forever. I had sheathed my knives and opted to have my bow ready instead. I figured range was better in the event of some kind of attack. I had been nervously unnocking and renocking an arrow to keep blood flowing to my increasingly stiff fingers.

The first time, Cahira must have heard it. She nudged me and rose to a standing position, ready to start letting arrows fly. I copied her, and this time I heard it too. The faint but familiar sound of wire being cut. Amis lumbered to his feet and held his axe at the ready. My heart was pounding. If the wires were being cut, it wasn’t animals. It had to be people. From between the trees I started to make out a faint, bobbing light. Probably a torch.

I looked at Cahira and she nodded, taking aim at the light.

“Wait,” Amis hissed “we don’t know who- “

“Doesn’t matter.” Cahira whispered, loosing her arrow. We heard nothing but the muffled sound of a body hitting the forest floor. The torch set some of the underbrush briefly ablaze.

“I told you they were close,” an annoyed voice cut through the stillness, “we should have put the light out a while ago.”

“It’s different this time though. Like she said.” A different voice. More concerned.

“Yeah but now he’s dead, and we need people, that still hasn’t changed.”

The voices were growing louder. There wasn’t any genuine emotion at the revelation of their fallen comrade. Mild irritation at most. I felt frozen, my hands stuck, my brain unable to function correctly, because I recognized those voices. I could feel Cahira stiffen. She did too. We all did. It was Sora, and members of his group. Vis’ inner circle. Cahira looked horrified. I turned to her and shook my head slightly. She ignored me and I grabbed her arm but she called out:

“Sora? Arduk? What are you doing here?”

We heard them pushing through the shrubs and finally they reached our camp. Sora had another torch. Eight of his nine squad members were with him, all armed and unsmiling. Except Sora.

“Ah, Cahira. I presume that near-impossible shot was you?” he asked dryly.

“I’m so sorry,” she cried, “I didn’t know, we didn’t, we just wanted to be ready- “

“Of course you did, of course. Its alright, really, you couldn’t have known.” He responded. Sora turned to me, his eyes glinting in the firelight. “Reva, you can lower your weapon now. You’re among friends, not to worry. Cahira’s aunt sent us out after you to keep her safe, to keep all of you safe.”

I kept my arrow aligned with his eye. “They’re all still armed.” I jutted my chin towards his men, most holding machetes and knives. Quiet, close range weapons.

Sora nodded and smiled. “Anything could be out here Reva, we just want to keep you all safe.”

Amis kept his axe raised and I refused to lower my bow. Cahira grabbed my arm.

“What are you doing? Its Sora, you can put the bow down.” She snapped.

I ignored her and studied Sora. He reminded me of Vis, the way his smile was more of a baring of teeth than a reassuring facial expression.

“How’d you find us?” I addressed Sora, watching out of the corner of my eyes as the rest of them moved closer.

“Well, the big one there isn’t used to keeping quiet in the woods. Left quite a trail, I can tell you that much. Which is a good thing, you’re lucky we found you so soon.” He responded, tapping his hand against his leg seemingly absentmindedly.

“Lucky.” I repeated.

“Put the bow down, Reva.” Sora wasn’t smiling anymore.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Why are you here?”

“I told you.”

“You’re lying.”

“Why would I lie?”

“Why would Vis waste ten people to support a mission she has publicly denounced?” I shot back, “And why, all the times you and others have come out here, why hasn’t anyone ever said anything about the forest?”

Cahira looked up sharply, and I saw her hand twitch towards her bow.

“No one needed to know,” Sora responded carefully.

“Not even the people headed out onto the same bridge where dozens of people have died?”

“Your parents included, if I recall,” He responded slowly, cruelly.

I said nothing. The truth was there, in the back of my mind. I was just unwilling to accept it. I had to hear it, to hear him say it.

Sora finally shook his head. “You know,” he sighed, “this isn’t how we normally do this. There’s usually less confrontation. Its quick, and quiet. You of all people should appreciate that. We didn’t let them suffer, any of them. They were brave, and they deserved a quick exit.”

Water sprung to my eyes, started leaking down the sides of my face. “What?” I whispered, not surprised though still shocked, my hands tightening on my bow. Sora ignored me and focused on Cahira. “We only changed it this time because of you. Your aunt wants you back home. Obviously, you’ll say nothing of this and come back with us. Vis just wanted us to make sure that you were, ah, on board. But don’t worry, whatever happens, whatever stupid choices your friends make, we are under strict orders that you are not to be harmed at all,” he said in a mockery of reassurance. I could hear Amis breathing heavily behind me.

Cahira stuttered in disbelief. “You? You, I mean, every time, all of it, all of it was you? You killed them?” she shook her head and backed away. Each step took her closer to her weapon.

“Wrong. Not me. The chief. Your aunt. And before that her father, and whoever was in charge before that. They give the orders, we follow them, and the orders were that no one makes it across the bridge.”

“Why?” Cahira questioned, her voice cracking.

Sora shrugged. “You’ll have to ask your aunt when we get back.”

“You killed my parents.” I snarled. It wasn’t a question. It was an attempt to draw attention away from Cahira.

Sora studied me for a moment before breaking into a big, genuine grin. He started laughing. I let the tears fall freely from my eyes to keep my vision clear.

“Yeah, yeah kid I did. They were on watch that night. The only two to see it coming, to realize what was happening. I have to confess, what I said about it being quick, I exaggerated a bit. You have to understand, your parents were insufferable. That was probably my favorite assignment. So yeah, I dragged it out a bit with them. Made it hurt. Like I’m gonna do with you.”

Amis spoke out for the first time. “Isn’t there some way we can all come back? No one has to die, we won’t say anything about this to anyone, just please let us all come back. We’ll stay quiet,” he begged.

Sora started laughing again. “Are you joking? Farmer’s boy, begging to live. What a surprise.” He took another step closer and the rest of the group followed suit. “The answer’s no. The only one of you coming back is Cahira, whether she likes it or not.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cahira move her hand in an almost imperceptible motion. Our hunting signal. Amis was still trying to find a peaceful solution. Cahira was less than a handsbreadth away from her bow, but otherwise unarmed. Amis held his axe low. I looked at the torch still in Sora’s hand. He had lowered it somewhat, so the flame was in line with his neck, casting shadows on his face. I aimed slightly above the torch and loosed the arrow, the wind of its passage bringing instant darkness.

I could hear Cahira making the most of every second as she hit mark after mark. They had been using the torch since night fell; we hadn’t, and in theory our eyes would adjust more quickly to the sudden darkness. In reality, I was struggling to decide where to send my knives spinning. Amis was hacking away haphazardly nearby, grunting and occasionally succeeding, judging by the warm spray that hit my face. I crouched low, willing my eyes to welcome the darkness once more so I wasn’t entirely useless. Finally, I began to make out shapes moving in the forest ahead, darting in and out of the trees and trying to regroup. At least four of them were down, maybe more. The closest figure had his back to me. With only a slight hesitation, I creeped up behind him and threw my entire body weight at his neck, drawing my knife across his throat as I did so. He landed on me, and for a few seconds he tried to reach back for something to use as a weapon before his muscles relaxed in the liberation of death. It wasn’t as quiet as I would have liked. I needed to move, but I was pinned beneath his substantial torso. I tried to lift him, to pull myself out from underneath him but I barely moved. I could hear footsteps moving in my direction, which spurred my efforts but they were useless. Suddenly, a cry echoed from where we had been, closer to the wall. It sounded like Amis. The footsteps paused, and then turned towards the sound of the yell. I couldn’t see what happened, but before they went far, they dropped to the ground. Cahira.

As quickly as it had erupted into chaos, the night fell silent once more. I could hear the faint sounds of conversation between who I hoped were Cahira and Amis. Maybe it wasn’t, though. I had to get up. With as much force as I could muster, I pushed up against his shoulder, slick with his blood. At the same time, I attempted to roll to the side and towards freedom. Cautiously, I stood and starting skulking back towards the camp. As I drew closer, I confirmed it was Amis and Cahira. I bit back stinging tears, allowed my hands to tremble slightly. They were alive. We were alive. Somehow.

I stepped on a twig and Cahira spun around, an arrow already notched. “Reva?” she called in a low tone.

“Yeah,” I responded, “you guys okay?”

I could just make out her relieved expression in the dark as she lowered her bow and turned back to Amis, who was propped up against a tree. “Mostly,” she said, her voice tight. “Amis took a knife to the shoulder, but I don’t think its too deep. Are you okay?”

I nodded, without considering she wasn’t looking at me, then cleared my throat, “Fine. Do you have the bandages?”

I walked over and we set to work patching Amis up. It wasn’t very serious, and he was grinning insincerely. He was covered in blood, most of which I was guessing didn’t belong to him. Judging by his facial expression and the general stickiness I felt, I looked just as bad. Cahira seemed to be pretty clean, even though she likely took down most of them herself. I leaned back on my heels and glanced around. I could make out a few lumpy shapes that broke up the pattern of the forest, most with what seemed to be arrows sticking up from them.

“Did we get all of them?” I asked.

Cahira just nodded.

“Good,” I said woodenly. I stood up and started yanking the arrows from the bodies. We would probably need them.

“Should we burn them, or something?” Amis asked tentatively, wincing as Cahira fixed the bandage in place.

“No,” she said sharply.

“We can’t just leave them,” I replied, “If they send more after us they’ll probably find them. They’ll have an easy trail to follow if they can find the starting point.”

“What are we gonna do, bury them?”

“No. What do you think they did with everyone else? With my parents?”

Cahira sighed and rubbed her neck. “Reva, they probably just left them and took what they wanted back to the village. I’m sorry,” she said more softly. “I had no idea, you have to believe me,” she continued more forcefully. “I didn’t know about any of it, I promise you. Both of you,” she added, turning to Amis.

“Of course, we believe you,” Amis reassured, stepping towards her. She watched me unwaveringly, and I just nodded.

“We should just leave them,” Cahira repeated more firmly. “Even if we could find a way to get rid of them, we couldn’t completely cover up the blood. If more people are sent after us, they’ll figure out what happened regardless. We should just go, leave now and take it slow.”

My fingers tensed around the handle of my knife, still coated in gore. “Just because we know what happened to the others doesn’t mean there aren’t still dangers on the bridge. We still have to be careful.”

“I can’t stay here.” Amis interjected, a distinct note of panic in his voice. “I can’t,” he echoed, “and besides its only a few hours until dawn. Lets just get out of here and we can stop to rest later.”

“Are you sure?” Cahira asked, looking with concerned at his wounded shoulder. He nodded, and they both turned to me.

“Fine,” I said, “but we take it slow.”

Wordlessly, we started to move away from the scene of carnage, with the bridge wall still to our left. I knew my feet were moving, and that my hands were pushing branches to the side but the sensations never truly reached my brain. My parents hadn’t been killed by some mysterious danger on the bridge. They died on the orders of Vis, on the orders of Cahira’s aunt. My best friend’s aunt. Our leader and her warriors were killers.

Now we were killers too.