Beyond the City Lights

Chapter 1

Sky View Bridge had a long fall to the shallow water and rocks below.

The exhausted man stood at the edge of the cement siding with nothing but a certain death waiting for him at the bottom.

His heart raced for the first time in a long time. This is what he'd been looking for. As he was inches away from calling it quits he found a purpose in the thrill of death. He found excitement being a slip and fall away from crossing over to the other side.

Heavy raindrops soaked the surface he was standing on, making it slippery and wet, and adding a whole new element of excitement to this little game he was playing.

When he arrived at the bridge there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he would jump, but as he felt a surge of adrenaline a new thought crossed his mind. Why not look for this feeling elsewhere? Why not feel like this all the time? If he ended it now it'd be over, but if he chose not to jump he could push the limits of life and find a reason to live again.

Playing with the Grim Reaper and taunting death made the man feel alive. He'd taken his first dose of this new drug and would from here on out be addicted to teasing quietus.

In a state of euphoria, a new idea started to form. The man began to climb down from the edge of the bridge and abandon his suicide attempt, but as he did so he slipped.

He grasped at the slick edge but couldn't find anything to hold onto. His legs flew over the side of the bridge and dangled freely.

His hands found a lip at the bottom of the bridge that his fingers gripped to with everything he had. He could feel his fingers cramping and he tried not to focus on the pain.

His clothes absorbed more rain and felt heavy against his skin. Moments earlier he was prepared to die. Now that it wasn't his choice to jump, and he was hanging from the side of the bridge, he didn't want to plummet to the rocks below.

The man began swinging his legs side to side, trying to swing them up on the lip of the bridge to pull himself up, but his efforts were wasted. His fingers slipped and the man fell.

A strong arm gripped the man around the wrist, just in time, and pulled him back to safety.

The two men laid there awhile, catching their breath as the rain relentlessly poured down.

"What were you thinking?" the burly man who saved the other asked.

"I wasn't. I slipped."

"Well what are you doing out here in the first place?"

"I could ask you the same thing. There's no way you saw me from your car."

The man who'd nearly jumped was right, the burly man was on that bridge for the same reasons he was. A quick end to it all.

"I don't think I was actually going to go through with it. I come to this bridge at least twice a week and debate jumping. Been doing it for five months and haven't built up the courage to go through with it yet. Probably just a coward," said the burly man.

"A coward because you haven't jumped? I think it's the opposite. I think you're brave for sticking around. It's a cruddy world to remain a part of. Why would you want to kill yourself anyway?"

"My wife left me. Took the house. I hit a low with so much depression that I kept calling into work and lost my job. I don't have anything to live for anymore," the burly fellow answered honestly.

"I've been searching for reasons to stick around as well."

"Find any reasons when you were dangling just now? You were clinging on pretty tight. Must have decided on something to live for? No?"

"I did actually."

"Yeah, and what was that? What's your reason for living? Because you've received a second chance at life my friend."

"What do you say we get off this bridge, grab a couple beers, and I can tell you all about it."

"Sounds like a plan to me," the burly man said as he stood and offered his hand to the other man.

The man accepted his hand and pulled himself up. He peered over the edge one more time. It was dark and with the harsh rain he wasn't able to see the rocky bottom where shallow waters ran through, but he knew the rocky bed far below would have surely killed him and he felt a sudden surge of gratitude for the gentleman who saved his life.

"Long way to the bottom, isn't it?" remarked the burly man.

Together the pair of suicide attempters inched their way along the bridge, trying to get to the spot where they could get back to the road.

"Hold on."

"What is it?" asked the burly man, slightly in front.

"Do you see that?"

"See what?"

"Right there. In the stream," the man said, pointing to a spot not too far from where he nearly fell.

"I don't see anything. It's too dark and too far down. How can you see anything?"

"It's shining. You really don't see it?"

"No. I have no idea what you're talking about," the burly man said as he leaned over the edge to peer down at where the other man was pointing.

The man stepped closer, still pointing to the bed of rocks below. The night had arrived and coupled with the rain storm there was no possible way that he could see beneath the bridge. Yet, he insisted he was seeing something down there.

The burly man squinted his eyes, still trying to figure out what the other guy was talking about. As he was leaning, the man moved closer.

A smile crept onto the man's face as he stood right behind the burly man. His heart raced, like it did when he was moments away from taking his own life. Turns out he felt the same adrenaline moments before taking someone else's.