The Broken Winged Bird Trilogy

"Run."

The air was crisp, the night sky hanging low and heavy. I felt a sharp pain prick my lungs, pulling my consciousness toward every breath. The ringing in my ears made me aware of the eerie silence surrounding me. A bleak breeze flurried through the torn-up rags draped over my body and caused me to shiver, and rubbing gently at my bruised arms, I felt the goosebumps form on the surface of my skin.

I opened my mouth and gasped for air.

"Run!"

Sirens blared in the distance, startling me. The tiny sound of a taunting whistle drifted through the air, causing the hairs on my neck to stand. Thick beads of sweat trickled down my temples and flowed into the corners of my eyes. I pushed my body forward and blinked the wetness away, ignoring the stinging in my eyes and the burning in my throat as I swallowed a lump that I desperately hoped would quench my thirst. The road neared its end and turned into a bridge dimly lit with flickering lamps. The beating in my chest rang in my ears and a wave of exhaustion washed over me, as though a heavy blanket had been draped over my shoulders. A grunt escaped my parched lips and the muscles in the back of my legs ached. Despite all this, I bit my lips and trudged uphill, clutching at the rails of the bridge desperately.

What does this person want? Who sent them? What about Simi?

My mind raced as the ghastly uncertainty filled my subconscious. The countless questions I had yet to solve, and the few that I already had the answers to, filled my being with deep sorrow. My eyes watered as the adrenaline in me subdued and the reality of the situation sunk in.

I cannot go any further...

The tears flowed, and I took in a deep breath.

“ I can’t…” a gaunt whisper escaped my lips.

Fine Italian leathered footsteps echoed in the darkness and drew my attention back to reality. It seemed as though my pursuer were right behind me, close enough to reach out to grab my shoulders. I let out a wince as yet another piece of rubble stabbed my bare feet; as yet again my ribs cried and begged for me to stop. The wound in my right knee had begun bleeding profusely, leaving a rusty scented trail behind me. I felt the heaviness of my legs then, as they began to delay, and I snatched a look behind me at the blurred silhouette.

The man cracked a taunting smile; his teeth shone in the darkness, sending a chill down my spine and causing another wave of goosebumps to grace the top of my arms. Slowly, he put his hands in his pocket, and trailing nonchalantly behind me, he lit a cigarette.

It was then I realized the gravity of my circumstance.

Simi’s accident. My mother’s death. My father’s disappearance.

Tears rolled down my face and my vision blurred.

"I'm coming for you..." the man sang, his tone cynical and his footsteps clicking slowly and rhythmically. My feet stumbled on the dimly lit path and I propped my body on the rails to keep steady. stared out into the dark sea, the waves roaring and crashing onto the piers beneath me. A loud toot echoed through the darkness, followed by the sounds of exasperated seagulls as they fled the area and finally, the pitter-patter of droplets as a ray of lightning hit the horizon.

I looked to the darkness below.

Slowly, I climbed over to the other, more dangerous side of the bridge and after steadying myself, I let out a long, shaky breath.

"Hey hey hey," the deep voice loomed, causing my shoulders to jerk in shock. When I turned my neck to look, he was just a few feet away. Standing under a broken lamp, he threw the cigarette to the floor and put his hood up, before throwing his hands into his pockets and stepping into the spotlight of the glimmering street lamp.

Then he smiled.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I couldn't see his face as he was wearing a black cap underneath a black hooded jacket. He wore a loosely fitted button-down white t-shirt that he had tucked into his pants, also black, and of course, those very expensive shoes graced his feet.

"You," he beckoned at me with his left hand, signaling for me to climb back over, "come down before you hurt yourself."

"I swear," my voice came out a cracked croak. I cleared my voice and swallowed another lump in my throat. Slowly, I took a deep breath, "I'll jump."

The man laughed then; a hearty and sarcastic laugh that sent shivers through my body and caused the blood to drain from my face. Tauntingly, he crossed arms, as if daring me to. I glanced below, hoping for something, or someone, to get me out of this predicament.

However, all I could make out was the sound of crashing waves at least ten feet away.

I dragged my gaze back to him and wiped at a tear rolling down my right cheek. He smirked and took a step towards me.

"I’m useless to you dead," I sniffled as salty tears streamed copiously down my face “any closer and I’ll do it.”

"Go ahead," he took slow, rhythmic steps toward me with each word and my hands shook in fear, barely holding me up from the dark sheet of nothingness

"take a leap…”

The soles of his shoes clicked on the pavement.

“...of faith. You're wanted alive…”

Click.

“...or dead and personally," he was almost right in front of me, his mouth in a full grin "I prefer the latter."

Right before he could grab me off the side of the bridge, I threw myself off with a scream. As I was pulled down to the darkness below, a white flash of light shone brightly beneath, a thin sheet that quickly dissipated as my body crashed through. The memories of a family I once had...a family that had been brutally murdered by a woman I had once trusted. My heart ached as I clutched the heart-shaped locket dangling on my neck with one hand, and spread my other to welcome...darkness.

Soothing darkness.

I had always loved the pitch blackness of the night sky. For me, it once held a sense of security; a sense of safety that I could seamlessly blend into. An ambiance that would dissolve anything unbecoming. Now, as I plunged further into the abyss beneath, the darkness enveloped my body. As my consciousness slowly erased itself, eternity welcomed my spirit.

Death to her.

Should I be born into a new life, I will remember the sins of Mrs. Abimbola Alabi, a woman I had once called family. As I welcomed my fate, I begged God to grant me this favor, that I may repay that devil in human flesh, the punishment for her sins. I begged to God to grant me a second life and begged to Him that I may remember the servant of Lucifer by whom I am owed a debt.

I begged with my last breath, and then I closed my eyes.