Writing Duels R1: Evanescence

"So Claudia are you ready to tell me what happened that night?" My therapist asked me; her legs crossed and a notepad sat in her lap.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Everything that happened that night; it all came back to me; at once.



•Flashback •

"Natalie! Come on Natalie stop being a baby!" I walked through the forest.

It was the middle of the night. A thin sheet of most covered the floor. My long brunette hair flew around; as if the wind had picked it up and was tossing it around.

Goose bumps ran down my arm as a gust of cool wind hit it. I shivered clutching the trims of my jacket.

"God Damn it Natalie!" I walked farther and farther into the forest.


End

“Then what happened?" Her pen raced across the notepad, dotting down everything I just said.

"I found her." My voice was quiet and blank.

She eyed me, trying to see what I was hiding behind my blank stare.



Flashback

I saw her-Natalie-Laying on the damp moss covered ground.

I ran over to her, dropping down beside her. Her skin was cold to the touch, and sickly pale. Her hazel eyes felt as if she was staring right through me.

My hand pressed against her chest.

No heart beat.

A tear streamed down my flushed cheeks. Spots of blood was splattered on her clothing. And she was withering away right in front of me.



End

"It was as if her body was there, but herself was gone. She had disappeared before my very eyes." I stared out the window.

"Claudia... Do you have any idea of who would want to do this to her." Therapist put down her notepad and gazed at me intensely.

I turned straight towards her.

"I did it." A grin tugged across my face. A wick gleam crossed my eyes.

She sat there is silence.

That's the truth. The dead honest truth. I killed my sister. You wanna know why? Well I'm not going to tell you. I'm going to let you figure that out yourself.

 

Where do you go when there is nothing left for you? When your existence fades into the black, and the memory of you is totally forgotten? When desolation is your home and evanescence is your scene?

These are questions that I've been asking myself for the last 20 years. I've been wondering the empty streets of an area I know nothing about. Food and water here are hard to come by so I scavenge every bit I can get my hands on. All I've wanted was an escape from this wasteland, but I knew that this was much easier wondered upon than found. I was tired of waiting; each day my body grew weaker from the food supply which only diminished more and more with each passing day.

Out of all of the uncertainties that surrounded me in these drab streets there was one thing that I knew for sure. If I couldn't find my way out soon, than I would be eternally lost until my body finally rotted away under the sunless sky of this dreary city.

One option remained for me. A tiny particle of hope floating through these barren streets is all I had, and my chance to seize it had to be now.

I started to run as fast as my feet could carry me heading to the highest tower in the city. That is where I would find them. Those topsy-turvy people who now acted as the flicker of hope for the survival of my meager existence. I flew as a bird soaring through the air until I finally reached that high tower. Just outside of its entrance I halted as I caught my exasperated breathe, before calmly trudging through those glossy doors to the first elevator in sight. I noticed no one in sight, around or inside of the first floor. This was a great sign; I knew the Highsiders lived in unoccupied towers and I was about to find myself caught up in a world one could only imagine.

I stepped into the elevator and smashed the 75th floor button, the very top floor. I whistled partially nervous and excited as I awaited that world, that shimmer of sparkling hope. I tapped my foot impatiently as time began to freeze as the numbers on the digital in front of me began to inch up ever so slowly. 12, 13, 14, 15. A minute seemed to pass before the number ever went up. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. Ok, ok calm down, calm down I thought to myself, getting there slowly. 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30. This elevator was old, ancient, that's why it's taking so long. That and nothing more, I continued to think optimistically as I glanced at the digital already zooming past the 50th floor. Ahh we're getting there, I thought as I heaved out a sigh of relief. It must've just took sometime to get those old rusty gears to turn up, I concluded silently as the digital now oddly seemed as if it was speeding up so swiftly the digital numbers blurry from there furious ascension. I found myself gripping the rail beside me momentarily as the elevator suddenly came to a halt alerting me with its arrival to the top floor with a small, polite beep.

I took a gulp of fresh air as I awaited for whatever fate had in store for me next, remaining stationary, standing awkwardly for at least a minute. After noticing something was wrong I slowly began to reach out for the open button on the elevator, but withdrew quickly when a noise from above attracted my attention suddenly. I jerked my head upwards and was shocked as I saw the roof open upwards like a hatch on a vehicle along with an odd little wooden ladder which dropped down out of it.

Aha! An entrance such as this, I had made it of course! Without hesitation I walked to the ladder and swallowed my last bit of nervousness as I began to climb up on top of that elevator shaft and stood with my mouth wide open as the scene in front of me took my breath away.

I knew the tower was big, but there was no way it was this massive, I stood my mouth gaping open uncontrollably. From where I stood I saw at least 7 other elevator shafts and could tell that there were many, many more around. Each shaft was connected with a one man wooden bridge wielding a thin rope on each side to protect one from falling off. I glanced out and over the open shaft terrified by the dark void below me, one more step and I'd most likely fall to my death, I swallowed as I gritted my teeth forcing my mind to travel elsewhere.

I looked ahead as I observed the bridge connected to this elevator shaft. Hmm, I thought stepping forward, how long from this one to the next. I thought a little before coming up with a pretty accurate approximation of around a yard and a half. I shook the bridge gently, than violently just to make sure it seemed sturdy enough. I placed my right foot ahead slowly stepping down on the first couple of wooden planks a little surprised as I heard no creeks in them.

Here goes nothing, I thought as I took my second step bringing all my body onto the bridge having faith in its construction and taking even greater interest in it's constructor.

Hmm these people, just who were they? I began to wonder more and more each step. Where were they, are they close? These bridges seemed endless as I looked around. Would I ever reach these people if they even existed? Thoughts of doubt and wonder began to flood into my mind. A torrential downpour of skepticism and awe struck me at every step and every bridge I crossed.

It wasn't until crossing around 10 bridges aimlessly till I spotted a most peculiar banner suspended above an elevator shaft with absolutely no bridges ahead or to the side of it. I grasped one out of the two poles which held it up resting a little as I leaned against it exhausted from the long walk.

Well, what do I next, I thought curiously as I slowly backed up and stared upward at the interesting banner.

"From Evanescence to Convalescence," I read the short banner out loud as confusion ran amuck through my untrained mind.

What in the world did this mean? I began to wonder as I heard a snap and jerked around to see the bridge collapse behind me.

That's when I began to freak out, though I couldn't move, otherwise I would fall into the deep abyss around me.

My physical body remained stationary as my mind begin to surge through a disastrous roller coaster with no happy end. I began to break down falling to my knees. I buried my face into my arms as I knew there was no more hope left for me.

This elevator had no hatch as the rest of them I noticed had. What was I supposed to do? I sobbed for over 5 minutes letting out all of the pain that I had felt over the past 20 years.

Now, nothing was left. I was drawn to a false hope by a strange man who I should've easily predicted was untrustworthy. His black robe, shaded glasses, rough accent, unshaved faced displayed it all. I thought back more thinking of what he told me.

"The high tower," he said "That's where you can escape".

"High tower?" I remember asking him thinking aloud curiously.

"Yes, the highest one around, the old cap building" he told me referring to it's common name.

"Ah, thank you" I had replied realizing the location.

Than the man left. I remember him turning around, and walking away. Wait, but than he turned back, and he said something.

Hmm, what did he say again. It sounded so forlorn and weird at the time, but he definitely did say one last thing before he left. No hope, I thought to myself, before realizing that what he said contradicted that thought precisely.

Yes I remember!

"If you never fall down, you'll never have hopes of getting back up" the mysterious man said winking foreseeing this exact moment as if somehow knowing this is where I would end up.

I swallowed my breathe one last time as I thought of what I was about to do. I dusted off my ragged blue jeans as I stood to my feet and neared the edge gulping as I peered down seeing nothing but blackness.

This was it, I had nowhere to go but down. I whispered a small prayer as I planted both my feet on the edge and took a leap of faith into the depths below as darkness consumed me from every side.

My world had been engulfed with that blinding darkness, and now I was just awaiting either the evanescence or convalescence which awaited below.










Splash! The water surrounded me as dark's opposite and equal adversary, light, violently attacked me as I emerged from the icy waters, my eyes being pried opened quickly as the light penetrated from each side. I gasped as that blinding light faded ever so quickly and my eyes ached horribly as blackness surrounded me once more.

I was blind, and I had no idea what awaited me next.

 

Ryan, I'm meant to post it  If you post your own its unfair as the judges could be biased according to the person 