A Loud Thud and a Splash of Blood [Wattys 2017]

Chapter 23

Risa never answered my question. She started the car and went along on our merry way. I must've fallen asleep.

I opened my eyes to the sounds of a parade of traffic whirling by, I believe we were on the highway. We were headed for a bridge. It stood before us, taller than any bridge in or around Lorimar. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up straight in my seat.

"Where are we?" I asked, stretching my arms to the skies.

"We're just outside St. Louis, you missed the arch," She stated. We got onto the bridge. Large green steel poles rose up ahead. I never understood how giant steel poles rising out of the water and up to the top of the bridge supported more than a few cars. It was like magic.

Below us was a river. It raged beneath the bridge. If someone fell in it, I imagined they would die instantly. There was no way that anyone could get out of that river. The river, alike the bridge, was much bigger than the small Lorimar Creek I knew and loved. On both sides of the river was a woodsy area.

We drove off of the bridge and exited the highway. We took a long road through an old town. The road was brick and bumpy. Thousands of cute shops surrounded us on either side.

"Where are we going?" I asked, as curious as ever. When she didn't respond right away I asked, "Do you even know where we're going?"

"We're going to the park," She states, "I'm going to meet a friend there, he'll help us sort things out."

I thought back to the events at Lorimar. I remembered Anna's threat, and how she broke our deal. Who's to say that Risa's friend wouldn't just stab us in the back?

"Can we trust them?" I asked. I drummed my fingers on the armrest and looked out the window.

"Yeah," She said, looking off into the distance, "We can trust them a lot."

A/N: Thanks for reading!