One Last Chance

Chapter 23 Tyler

The wind brushes against my hair ever so slightly. The thick smell of the ashes that lie upon the mountain fills my nostrils making it hard to breathe. I can almost see the top. Just a little more climbing. I think. Once I reach the top everyone arrives after me. I notice a wooden roped bridge connected to the mountain, it was so long that it reached the side of another mountain that was located outside of the forest. When I looked over the edge I see that fifty feet below lay a narrow body of water. The water was filled with this coal inky black substance that left no traces of the once crystal blue stream, which made it impossible to see what lies within it.
       "The bridge isn't that safe so we have to go one at at time to get across." I say.
       "You're right. I'll go first." Jake says. He walks toward the bridge and glances around in hesitation. He takes a big deep breathe-I can see his hands slightly shaking from a distance. He lifts his left foot and places it on the first wooden plank, the icy wind rushes by him causing the hair on his arms to stand up. We watch as Jake slowly makes his way along the bridge, taking each step with precise balance. Soon enough he makes it to the other side, safely. Jake turns around and stares at us gesturing for us to come through. Before we do I notice from a distance that Alison seemed appalled, frozen even in an imaginative time interval. I approach her and place my arm on her shoulder.
       "Are you okay Alison?"
      "Did you hear that?" She asks in confusion.
      "Hear what?" I question looking all around us.
       "There's whispers." She reply's looking frightened.
       "Alison I don't hear anything. It's probably all in your head."
       "No listen to me!" She grabs my arm, squeezing it really tight to the point where I can feel her long nails dig into my skin creating red nail indentation marks in my pale flesh. "I heard them when I was climbing the mountain. It was almost as if they were in desperation."
        "Who's they?" I question. "What are you talking about Alison?"
        "I think they are the souls that Jake was talking about."
        "Well I don't hear anything." I reply in confusion.
        "Tyler you have to believe me-" Hollow whispers fill my ears. I have a blank look on my face as I could feel the hair follicles on the back of my neck begin to stand.
         "What's that sound?"
          "That's what I've been trying to tell you. They told me to find Dimitri."
          "Who's Dimitri?" I question.
          "How would I know?!" She replies in frustration as her hands begin to shake. She looks down and breathes slowly, steadying her hands. Alison closes her eyes and wipes her sweaty palms against her jean shorts.
"I'm sorry I'm acting a little crazy. I'm just scared." She exclaims with sincerity.
         "It's okay. I understand how you feel. I would be scared too. But whatever those whispers were I can't hear them anymore. Maybe they are gone and besides they can't get to us anyway."
        "Ya, I guess your right."
        "Good. I slide my hand along her cheek and rub her soft skin with my thumb. "Everything is going to be okay." I give her a hug, wrapping my arms around her waist while she wraps hers around my neck.
         "Thank you." She whispers in my ear. When we release our grip from each other's grasp I smile at her subtly. I scatter my vision looking over Alison's shoulder to see Connor staring right at me with his eyes glared, and his lips firm. I look at him with confusion and turn my gaze back on Alison.

        Soon enough my entire pack is staring at me in frustration, even Jake who is on the other side of the mountain. "What?" I question looking back at all of them.
       "We aren't getting any younger here!" Kara exclaims. "So I suggest you two love birds start moving before I literally rip both your heads off."
       "Alright, we get it." I roll my eyes at her and the rest of my pack turns their gaze toward the bridge and they start their way, one by one trying to balance on the slippery wooden planks. Then Alison approaches the bridge. I watch her grasp onto the rope ever so tightly. She hesitates and turns her head over her shoulder to look directly at me in reassurance. I immediately gesture for her to go across. She places her right foot on the first plank- the bridge is ever so wobbly, but Alison tries to balance on it while walking through. I can hear her heart pounding against her chest like a hammer slamming a rusty nail. Her breathes are so fast there are no rests between them. Alison's hair gets swept back with the force of the wind. As soon as she's halfway through the bridge the rope suddenly starts rocking back and fourth ever so quickly. Alison grasps onto the rope as tight as she can to balance herself, but as she does one of the wooden planks her left foot is standing on breaks, she screams agonizingly as her leg falls through the hole causing her thigh to get stuck between the two planks.
"Alison!" I yell out. I watch as she grasps onto the rope pulling it down.
"Help! I can't hold on any longer." She calls out struggling to pull herself up. "My leg is stuck I can't pull it out!"
"Hold on Alison I'm coming." I exclaim. Connor and I are the only ones left to cross the bridge. He runs up to me just as I'm about to walk onto the bridge and says.
"Tyler I'll go get her, just stay here."
"There's no time to play the hero card, Connor."
"That's not what I'm trying to do, that bridge won't be able to hold the weight of both of you."
"And I suppose it can hold you?" I state sarcastically.
"Well I am shorter and therefore, less heavier than you, so ya I believe it can." I look at him with hesitation.
"Come on, Tyler trust me I can do this. Have I ever let you down?"
"Okay. But you have to hurry." I say.
"I will!" I nod my head patting him on the shoulder and watch Connor as he starts to make his way, picking up speed toward the bridge. As soon as he starts to walk onto the fragile bridge the rope starts to rip and Connor jumps back. One by one I watch as each individual string starts to unwind and with it the bridge's wooden plank pieces start to tumble. Alison squeals. Connor stands in astonishment on the cliff.
       "Hold on, Alison!" Connor yells out.
       "I'm trying." Alison holds onto the thin rope really tightly as the entire bridge crumbles into the lake. Alison tries to lift her body upward as her legs dangle along the side of the mountain.
"What do we do?" Connor exclaims. I look around in hesitation. I turn back and quickly make my way toward a large hollow tree with long branches. I bend down and grab hold of the stump of the tree using all my force to pull the tree out of the ground. I lift the tree above my head and place it on my shoulders. I immediately start running toward Connor, grunting.
"What are you doing?" Connor questions.
"Just trust me." I exclaim. I lay the wide oak tree down from the stump and push the rest of its long hollow body forward to reach the other side of the mountain.
"Good idea. Now one of us has to walk across and try to get her." Connor exclaims. I look at him and say.
"I trust you. Go!" He nods his head at me and slowly steps onto the log. I call out to Alison saying.
"Just hold on a little longer Connor is on his way."
"I'm trying!" She whimpers. "Please hurry the rope is about to break."
"Don't worry I'm almost there, Ali." Connor says. I watch Connor make it to the end of the log. He kneels down trying to steady his balance and crouches down toward Alison. The weight of her body is barely being held by the two string pieces of rope. Sweat drips down from her forehead. Her face is so red it makes her rosy lips pale. Alison's pupils are completely dilated and she breathes ever so rapidly. She gulps really loud stimulating the dryness in her throat.
"Alison, take my hand." Connor states while reaching his arm down toward her.
"I can't let go." She says. "I can't do it!"
"Yes you can, trust me I got you. I won't let you fall, okay." Alison looks at him subtly with fear still plastered on her face and tries her hardest to extend her hand, but the reach is too far." Suddenly as she struggles to reach Connor's hand something emerges out of the water.
"Alison, look out!" Connor yells. She turns around to see a long black inky hand grab her leg. She screams and tries to kick at it to break free from the grip of the hand, but she isn't strong enough. I watch in disbelief as the hand yanks her so hard and pulls her into the dark pungent water.
"No!" Both Connor and I cry out and soon enough the water goes still. I yell out to Connor.
"Do you see her?!"
"No, I don't. Connor blinks at the water in hesitation, to see if  he can see something move.
"Alison!" He calls out. But there's no response.