Molly
I've been walking for a while without any success in recognizing my soundings when the heavens open up and rain pours down on me. I dont think I've ever seen rain this bad before. It's freezing cold and within seconds battering down on me and everything around me leaving my clothes completely soaked through. What the hell?
I decide to start jogging hoping to figure out where I am a lot sooner than if I was walking, however, after some time I realize that it isn't going to work. The ground beneath my feet is starting to get muddy and slippery and if I keep running I will end up face down in the mud.
The wind is picking up and I'm starting to think that maybe this rain is more than just that, maybe there's a storm coming that I hadn't heard about.
As I keep walking carefully avoiding falling flat on my face as much as possible I pick up a nose amongst the rain and wind and I'm pretty sure it's a dog barking. I keep heading towards the sound and feel relief when I hear the barking getting closer. To be honest I'm just glad that it is a dog, giving my luck lately I was half expecting it to be a giant ass bear out to eat my ass. Do they even have bears around here?
"Fuck!" I curse to myself when I land ass-first on the rough ground. I look around finding the reason for my fall, a branch sticking out of the ground. Well, that and my distracting mind. I stand up and shake myself off when I hear the barking getting louder and closer. I think the dogs in trouble and I may be lost but I'm not about to leave a dog out here alone.
Thankfully just a few moments later I spot a large white labrador dog facing the river while barking with all it has. The rain is getting worse along with the wind and it's now caused a harsh current to gush along the river. I dont know what's wrong but even from this distance, it's clear to see that the dog is in distress, and if I can help I will.
I start closing in on the dog and make sure to make some noise before whistling so that the dog doesn't get frighting by my presence. For all I know it could be nasty and I dont want to risk it. As I get closer the dog turns its attention toward me and starts running my way. Lordy, please be nice!
He comes to a stop right in front of me before starting to circle me while once again barking like crazy. I've never had a dog but I'm pretty sure that this dog is trying to tell me something. "What's going on boy?" I don't know if he is a boy or a girl but I'm hoping that talking to him may help us out somehow. "What is it? What's going on? Show me." As if the dog can hear me he takes off running back the way he just came and I take his lead and follow him.
"Help!" The dog suddenly stops with me right behind him when I hear the one word that I really don't want to. A man is calling out for help but I can't see him. "Please someone help me!" Where the hell is that coming from? I look at the dog whos still barking with all he has. "Help me out here boy, where is he?"
Suddenly the dog takes off again and I have no choice but to follow him. He runs through the brambles and bushes so quickly that I struggle to keep up with his speed while also ignoring the stinging feeling that's covering my legs from the branches attacking my legs. Dam shorts!
We pass the biggest tree that I have ever seen and it uncovers a very narrow but long bridge that's going over the river. It's insanely old with some broken pieces of wood hanging in random places and it's currently making the loudest squealing and creaking noises as the wind blows it around with such force that I wouldn't be surprised if it all tumbled down any moment now.
The dog takes off running straight for the bridge. "Shit, come back!" He stops once he gets in the middle of the bridge, looks down at the river, and once again starts barking. "Fuck!" I run after the dog stopping beside him and instantly spot what he's barking at.
"Oh hell no!" There's a drop from the bridge to the river below of about 10 feet or so and each side of the river is lined with rocks and mud. There are some big rocks stationed around but more small stones and rocks than anything else, add in the mud from the rain and I can only imagine how slippery that is right now.
To the left side of the river bank, there's one massive rock and a guy holding on to it for all he has while still calling out for help. "Sir, can you hear me?" I call out to him but the mixture of rain and wind has resulted in a commotion of noises in the air and is making it harder to hear anything. "Sir!" I start jumping up and down while waving my hands around desperately trying to get his attention.
It's hard to see the man clearly but what I can see is enough to have me already formulating a plan to get him out of there. The top half of his body is caked in mud while the bottom half of his body is submerged in the water. He's an older man with long grey hair but what unsettles and scares me more than anything else is the way hes holding on to the large rock for dear life.
The current in the river is fast and rough and if he falls in there, I'm not sure that he will survive. I'm not sure if anyone could. I start walking back across the bridge while calling out to the man and feel a small relief when he finally notices me. "Please help me! please get help!" He shouts desperation clearly in his voice. I feel a nudge on my leg and find the dog back by my side. The guy in the river must be the dog's owner.
"I'm coming to help you, just hold on a little longer!" I shout back to him as I start running off the bridge. As I get to the edge of the bridge a huge gust of wind comes out of nowhere rocking the bridge and knocking me over in the process. I grab onto the rope that is considered handlebars for this bridge and take a few deep breaths. I'm so close to the edge that I can feel the wind from underneath the bridge rushing against my back. Fuck!
Once the gust of wind passes I manage to get myself up only this time I hold on tight to the ropes and keep my head down low while praying I can get off the bridge. Only luck isn't on my side and within seconds another gust of wind comes along only this time it's much more powerful.
I hold on to the rope with a death grip as the bridge starts rocking again. I'm scared, so so scared but I have to keep holding on, I have to get to the man that needs help. I look over my shoulder to see if he's ok and thankfully he's still holding on. Please let him have the strength to keep holding on.
The wind isn't getting any better nor is the rain. The bridge is loudly groaning in protest of the force of the wind but I have to try and move before this bridge falls apart on me. I try to take some steps but the wind keeps pushing me back.
I scream out in frustration" Come on Molly, you can do this!" I keep repeating those words to myself as I slowly manage to push myself against the wind. This is one hell of a storm that's for sure!
I'm just a few steps away from the solid ground when the wind suddenly picks up more speed and knocks me off my balance and my life flashes before my eyes as I go over the edge of the bridge. I manage to grab one of the wooden slat floorboards and hold on tight but my other hand isn't holding on to anything and there's no way that I can hold on for long never mind pull myself up.
This is it, isn't it? This is how I am going to die. I'm not strong enough to hold on, the winds too much and no one knows where I am to save me. Even if I do get lucky enough not to hit the rocks when I land in the water then I'm definitely not lucky enough to be able to survive that current.
My fingers start to slip from holding my weight while panic and sadness hit me in the stomach in my last moments on this earth. I'm not ready to die yet but I guess god has other plans for me.