The Bloody End Chapter 47

Down to Earth

Okay, well there's no point saying "this isn't happening" over and over to myself like I would normally do in a situation like this, because this is indeed happening! Just to quickly fill you in if you've just tuned in to this story, I just killed a guy, that's right KILLED a guy who tried to murder the guy I loved...who is also a murderer but that's a different kettle of fish, his daughter just tackled me out of revenge and now we're both dangling over the edge of a 730 ft hill, hanging on for dear life. Just to clarify, this is indeed happening right now.

"Oh God, oh God", is all I can manage to say, trying hard not to look down. I'm not exactly fond of heights, and when you're hanging over the edge for your life, relying on rocks to stay put and not break off, you do become at least a little more wary.

I hear Glenda stuttering in fear too, peering at the ground and trees a long way down below. I don't know if this is what she had planned or not, but if it was I think she regrets it now. She looks to me, and I catch her eye. She is trying to maintain that angry, dangerous look she had on her face when she tackled me over the edge but I can see the fear she's trying so badly to hide, and for a minute, I start to feel sorry for her. For a single second she almost looks like a child, a young, frightened, terrified child. I suppose, deep down, it's not really her fault she's so messed up in the head. It's not her fault her childhood was ripped from her. I'm not saying it's Jeff's fault either. Actually to be honest, now is not really the time to be playing the blame game.

"Glenda. Just...hang on", I say to her, trying to show compassion. Maybe we can call some kind of truce for the moment anyway, help each other. She seems surprised and I dare think she's seen the light but suddenly she scarily let's go with one hand and whacks my own, trying to loosen my grip.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!", I scream at her.

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN, BITCH! IF I'M GOING TO HELL, I'M DRAGGING YOU WITH ME!"

She keeps whacking at me and I try hard to pull myself up but it's no use. I slowly feel myself slipping. Oh God. This is it. This is it, I know it. My end has come. I thought Jeff would have been the one to kill me in the end but looks like this is how it's ending for me. I know I'm about to die. They say your life flashes before your eyes and that's exactly what's happening now. My life. My friends. My family. Jeff.

I'm waving goodbye to it all.

I'm slipping... slipping....

And just as I lose grip altogether and close my eyes tight, bracing for that feeling of falling, I feel something grip my arm tightly. I open my eyes, thinking it's Glenda once again but realise both her hands are holding back on to the edge of the hill again and she's looking up at something above me. I peer up at what she's gazing at and my heart races faster than before.

Jeff is leaning over the edge, teeth gritted as he grips my arm tightly and starts pulling me back up. I'm in such awe I seem to loose control of my limbs altogether and just watch as he puts all his effort into saving my life. He pulls as hard as he can and I begin to lift up but he can't keep it up for long and I slip but he keeps a firm grip of me, fingers digging into my skin. He glares at me, beads of sweat on his forehead, eyes locked on mine.

"PUT A BIT OF EFFORT INTO IT!", he shouts at me.

I blink, snapping out of my daydream and adjust to what's going on. Using my other arm, I put all pressure into using the muscles to lift myself up, allowing Jeff to pull me right up and back over the hill. I'm nearly fully over, just my legs dangling over the edge. I'm going to make it. I'm going to make it. I'm going to be okay!

"NO!"

I hear Glenda scream and suddenly I feel a large amount of weight coming from my legs, pulling me back down. I scream and Jeff grabs my other arm, and I grip tightly to his. I look down to see Glenda-hanging off my legs! She's literally hanging over the edge of the hill from my legs. I thought it was so she could be rescued too but no, she's doing all she can do bring me down. She isn't giving up. I try and kick out but its useless as she has my legs firmly locked together. Jeff is trying hard to pull me up but she's slowly bringing me down. If nothing is done soon, we're dead, and when I say "we", I mean me, Glenda and quite possibly Jeff too if he chooses not to let go.

I look at Jeff. I look him in the eyes. It's a matter of life or death here. I remember back to that moment with Yuna, that moment when she knocked me out and I was confronted by Liu in, what I can only assume was some kind of purgatory, he said I had to make a sacrifice to save Jeff. Back then, that sacrifice was my innocence. Now? Now it may be the sacrifice of my own life.

"Jeff. Just....just let go", I say to him as softly as I can.

He stares at me, looking startled but doesn't say a word.

"If you hang on to me, we're all going down. Just let me go!"

I watch Jeff's expression change from determination, to anger, to confusion and then to something I've never seen before. He suddenly looks....devastated. He looks like he knows I'm right, but he's trying to convince himself otherwise...but can't. He knows I'm right.

"Just do it!"

His eyes lower a little, and to my surprise and fear one of his hands looses grip of my arm and lets go. I feel Glenda pull me down over the edge even further. Jeff keeps a tight grip of my other arm, still with that slightly devastated look on his face. I hold my breath, waiting on Jeff to let go off my other arm, when something catches my eye.

"Oh my God."

Jeff's eyes widen in surprise and he looks over his shoulder, and I feel him stiffen in shock too.

It's...it's Derek! He's still alive! But barely. He's limping over, seething with rage, panting hard, eyes burning.

"Y-You...I'll....I'll k-kill...y-you...", he stutters to Jeff, limping rather fast in this direction. Jeff tenses then quickly looks back down at me.

"Let go of me Jeff...kill Derek", I whisper.

Jeff looks at me, he looks at his hand holding my arm and suddenly, he lets out this cry of fury and grips my other arm once again, even tighter than before. I gasp in surprise as he somehow finds the strength in him to pull me, and Glenda who's still hanging on to me, up and over. I stare in awe once again, not quite believing it. Where the Hell did that come from?! He was struggling when it was just me alone, now with the dead weight he seemed to manage no problem. Something gave him that strength. Something gave him that courage to keep going. Something made him save me...

But it's not exactly over.

Glenda still has a hold of me. Jeff suddenly darts forward and kicks her full force in the face, taking her by surprise. I take this chance to quickly crawl free from her and stand beside Jeff. Glenda scrambles to her feet and stands, glaring at us, nose bleeding and tears in her eyes.

"BASTARDS!", she screams and lunges at us. At that moment, I feel Jeff grab me and pull me to the ground. I look to see what he's doing. The moment we crouch to the ground, Derek also lunges at us from behind. However, due to Jeff's quick thinking, he trips over me and goes flying forward- right into Glenda. Both of them stumble back and in less than a few seconds, both of them are dangling over the edge of the hill, hanging on for dear life.

Me and Jeff look at each other before standing up, cautiously peering over the edge of the hill. Glenda and Derek dangle, yelling out in fear, grunting and gasping in terror, especially when they lock eyes on a smirking Jeff and a surprised me.

"Well, well, well", Jeff taunts. "This is what I call father-daughter bonding."

Derek lets go with one hand and tries to swing at Jeff who simply takes a step back out of the way, chuckling.

"B-burn in Hell!", he yells at us. "BOTH OF YOU W-WILL...B-BURN...IN HELL!"

"Well, be sure to greet us when we arrive there", Jeff smiles, crouching down a little. "Oh and by the way. Say Hi to Yuna for me".

With one quick leg movement, Jeff full force boots Derek right in the face. He reels back, loses complete grip of the hill and plummets over 700 ft below to his death, yelling all the way down. Glenda screams and I just watch, feeling just like I did when I believed I killed Derek, when I stabbed him in the back with that knife.

Nothing.

Glenda sobs and screams abuse at us and Jeff just looks at me, grinning wildly.

"Care to do the honours?", he says, gesturing towards Glenda.

It takes me a moment to wonder what he means. I look down at Glenda who suddenly looks scared shitless. I think of just a few moments ago when I was dangling over the edge of the hill with her, just as scared as she was. She nearly made me fall. She nearly caused me to have to sacrifice myself. To save Jeff. But Jeff saved me regardless.

Jeff never gave up on me.

The temptation is strong but I cannot bring myself to do it. Jeff senses this and steps in, rather quickly before I try and talk him out of it and try and convince him to let Glenda live. I probably would. He gives a swift kick to Glenda like he did Derek and pretty soon, she's gone.

I breathe out, stumbling back far from the edge and actually falling to the ground, trembling a little. I shake my head in disbelief. I just can't get my head around it.

It's...over.

It's finally fucking over.