Chapter Ten

 

Ríona was chilling in Milcoln, after getting some supplies. She’d even bought a nice big bottle of red wine, for her and her girls to enjoy. Although, she didn’t plan on getting too drunk – Elena would probably end up feeling her up again.

Ríona was sitting out the coffee place, Monstrous, and enjoyed a nice latte. The barrister managed to draw a nice tree art in her latte, which made it look even more enticing. In fact, the tree looked like the type that grew in the Aphrodisia Woods.

Ríona looked around, and to her surprise, things were a little too quiet.

Normally, this small town was bustling with life – especially on a sunny day.

“Weird,” she whispered, in between sips, “is it related to the freaky storm?”

There was a strange wind that was blowing through the streets of Milcoln. The wind wasn’t aggressive, mind you, but it did indeed feel quite ominous today. It was as if the air was much more different than before the trip had started.

Ríona checked her mobile phone, and yet, there was nothing reported on the news. There shouldn’t be a reason for why the Town Centre felt pretty dead today. At first, she thought it was due to people sleeping in – but siestas were mainly common in Spain. There was definitely something going on that had made most of the residence stay indoors.

Ríona did read an old article about University girls going missing in a carnival. She also scrolled through different news articles, whereas women claimed they were sexually assaulted by monsters and such. She laughed. She shook her head and put her phone in her bag. She never did believe in those bizarre stories, of being sexually assaulted by monsters.

‘We live in the real world, where shit like that doesn’t happen,’ she thought to herself. ‘Besides, if that stuff did happen, then wouldn’t a secret organisation keep it under wraps?’

Ríona checked her watch. It was time to head back. She killed her latte and left the place.

Next, she got in her car, buckled up, and headed back to the cabin to be with her friends.

 

#

 

On the drive back to the cabin, Ríona had a weird feeling flood her body. She couldn’t understand why, but she was actually anxious about heading back. It was as if her very soul had told her not to go back, and that her life was in extreme danger. Her heart raced in her ribcage, and her intrusive thoughts were blaring alarms in her head.

Ríona drove over the rickety bridged, carefully, paying close attention to the speed limit.

Nonetheless, when she was safely across the other side, her car was suddenly stuck.

Ríona slammed hard on the accelerator, but the car wouldn’t budge.

After realising it was futile, Ríona got out of the car, to give it a bit of a push.

Disaster struck. Ríona’s attention was stolen by the sound of loud growling.

Carefully, she turned around, and she saw that the bridge was twisting and bending.

The bridge detached from the other side, and twisted perversely – like a living thing. It then changed shapes – as if moulded like play dough – and now looked like a skull. To further distort sanity and logic, it almost sounded like the skull growled at Ríona.

Ríona stared wide-eyed, as she placed her hands on her chest, and her heart beat hard like a drum. Her brain couldn’t process what had just happened right now. Normally, a bridge doing something like that only happens in horror movies. Yet, she really witnessed it. She saw it. She had actually witnessed an inanimate object come to life and change shapes.

Then, Ríona felt a sudden rush of unwanted arousal fill up inside of her. She suddenly felt high, like being on a drug. Intrusive thoughts of wanting to be fucked filled her head. As if under a trance, she played with her clothes – as if she was going to start a strip tease. An enticing voice told her in her head to strip, and to masturbate hard for her unseen master.

When Ríona had snapped out of it, she wailed, and had quickly run back into her car.

She slammed the door shut, buckled up, and gripped her steering wheel tightly.

Ríona breathed in and out, frequently, and fought back the tears in her system.

She’s crazy. That’s what she kept telling herself – that she hallucinated the bridge moving.

Ríona had to keep telling herself that she lived in the real world, and shit like that doesn’t happen. Hell. If she could get back home, they’d probably lock her in the Nuthouse

Hysterically, she released the grip on the steering wheel, and rummaged through her handbag. She quickly pulled out her phone, turned it back on, and she cursed loudly.

The signal was dead. Phoning for someone to save her and her friends was a no go.

“I, I need to tell them,” she stammered, “I, I need to tell the girls there’s no escape!”

Ríona wiped away the uncontrollable tears, as she frantically put her phone away.

She floored the accelerator, and to her surprise, the car now moved.

 

#

 

When Ríona arrived back at the cabin, she barged into the living room.

Zofia and Elena were sat on their couch, and they looked at Ríona startled.

“Ríona,” gasped Elena, as she got up with her sister. “What’s the matter?” 

“Yeah, you look like you’ve seen a ghost, sweetie,” added Zofia.

Zofia and Elena guided Ríona to the couch, and gently sat her down.

Ríona couldn’t stop shaking. She couldn’t stop the tears flowing down her cheeks. Her throat was sandy dry. Her head felt light. She heard voices, but they weren’t processing.

Finally, Ríona let out an ear-piercing wail – which had caught Elena and Zofia off-guard.

Zofia and Elena put their arms around her, and they gently rocked her back and forth.

“I’m, I’m sorry,” Ríona croaked, “I’m, I’m really, really sorry... I saw something really horrible... The bridge collapsed... The bridge collapsed, girls...!”

“The bridge collapsed,” gasped Elena. She looked at Zofia.

Zofia returned that look. “Oh, dear,” she cried, “that’s really awful, Ríona.”

“We’re stuck here,” sobbed Ríona. “I, I tried to phone for help... But I can’t get a bloody signal... What the hell are we gonna do, girls? How will we get back home? I, I just wanted the three of us to have a break from our studies... And now this happens? Jesus Christ! You, you won’t believe this, but, the bridge moved – as if it was alive!”

“We believe you,” Elena whispered, soothingly, “We know you’d never lie!”

“Don’t worry, Ríona, we’ll help you out,” said Zofia. “Besides, the bridge probably wasn’t the only way to get here. We could go through the woods, and look for another way home.”

“Not yet,” Ríona sobbed, “not yet, girls... I need to rest... I need to rest... I want to go to my room, to have a lie down, and have some time to think, okay?”

Elena and Zofia helped her off the couch, and guided her to her room.

Ríona smiled. She sniffled, “You two are really sweet, you know?”

“Of course we are,” added Elena, as she slyly looked at Zofia.

Zofia returned that look. “We’re like sisters, and that’s what sisters do.”

Elena and Zofia returned Ríona to her bedroom, and they gently closed the door.

Ríona pulled off her shoes, and she lay down on her bed in the foetal position. She couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment that this holiday went to hell. She replayed the events in her head, over and over again, like rewinding a film and fast-forwarding it.

Ríona stared out the window, and she had that forbidden feeling again.