"Are you scared?" Rudy asked?
He turned to his friend, hoping to find more bravery than he could within himself. Vlad appeared distant, lost in thought.
"I know there's no turning back now." Vlad replied honestly.
Rudy leaned over, dug into the pocket of his red hoodie and pulled out a small bottle of liquor. Vlad reached into the pockets of his worn jeans and began opening a pack of cigarettes. The two sat together in the alley of a busy street as the world passed them by.
"What do you think Logan looks like now?" Rudy asked.
Vlad grew quiet, staring down at the cigarette burning away between his fingers.
"I bet he's taller than you."
"Everyone is taller than me." Rudy stammered jokingly.
"You keep me around for my big brains."
"That's the funniest thing you've said all day, Rudy." Vlad smirked.
Vlad knew Rudy was right. Rudy was smart, and Vlad would need him tommorow when they crossed the bridge. Tommorow, when they'd face death.
Rudy struggled to pull his red hoodie off and shove it beneath him as a cushion.
"We've been preparing for four years. We did everything we could. And yet... it feels like we've learned almost nothing."
Vlad sighed. "No one outside of the Lyrencian Council gains access to information about the bridge. We've learned more than most citizens know about this island. The truth is, no one who has ever crossed the bridge to leave the island has returned, so there's no way to know what's on the other side."
Rudy sat and pondered for a moment. He looked at Vlad, and it pained him knowing the words he yearned to speak would tare old wounds.
"Four years ago... when it happened. When we entered the Obelisk and... "
"Rudy. Stop." Vlad cut him off. "There's no time for that."
Rudy clenched his fists as he stared down at his feet. "You... you know what we saw that day. You know what's waiting out there for us. We're the only ones who know. Everyone is going to die Vlad!"
"Not if we can make it to the other side you dumbass!" Vlad shouted back.
"We don't even know if it's possible." Rudy sighed. "They only thing we know is tommorow, our lives are over."
The two sat silently for less than a moment before laughing. "Sorry man." Rudy shook his head. "Guess we'd better enjoy tonight." Rudy tossed his bottle to Vlad with a grin. Vlad smiled back. "Sounds good. I'm in."
After a few hours of wandering the city aimlessly, Rudy and Vlad headed towards the library. The two hurried through the halls until they reached a room with a large round oak table in the center, surrounded by columns of book shelves. A few people sat silently reading at the large oak table. Rudy recognized one of them, their friend Elizabeth sitting in the same spot as always. Her back was perfectly turned. Rudy took his chance and began approaching quietly to surprise her. He raised his hands up above her shoulders, but before he could strike, Elizabeth quickly turned and grinned. "Nice try loser."
"Awe come on." Rudy sighed.
"You'll never get me." Elizabeth grinned.
"I'm used to your tricks now."
"You haven't seen anything yet!" Rudy retorted playfully.
"Where's Vlad?"
"He's .. uh.. " Rudy looked around the library, swearing Vlad had just been there.
"Lets go get him."
Elizabeth stood up, tucked her book beneath her right arm, and they proceeded together throughout the library.
They headed to the right side of the building to a set of large spiraling stairs that lead to a second and third floor. "This is too much walking." Rudy sighed as they reached the final step of the third floor. Elizabeth was the first to see Vlad, tucked in the corner between two book shelves sitting and reading alone. She walked over to him and sat in front of him. Vlad proceeded to read without noticing until she spoke.
"A bit late now for studying, isn't it?"
Vlad looked up to see Elizabeth smiling. Her bright blue eyes still made him nervous after all this time. Something about them made him feel as if she were looking straight into his soul. It left Vlad unnerved.
"I'm just reading it one last time" Vlad stated.
"You must have it memorized by now?" Rudy asked as he approached his friends.
"Every last word. Still.. if there was something I overlooked..."
"Then it's too late now." Elizabeth replied with a laugh. "Tommorow we're crossing the bridge. No one knows what's waiting outside of this island. Maybe we'll find out why we were trapped in Lyrencia. Maybe we'll find out why the bridge was created and who made it. Don't you want to know what's on the other side? We might even learn about the Obeli-"
"Or maybe we'll all die." Rudy laughed.
Vlad sighed. He knew Rudy was playing it off, but he'd still meant those words, and he was right.
"Come on you guys. No looking back now."
"Have you even thought about what you're going to tell your families?" Elizabeth asked. Vlad shook his head. Rudy just grinned.
"You guys are my family." Rudy chimed. "My mom will understand. She's still got my brothers to take care of her. She'll understand. They will too."
Elizabeth looked at Vlad, awaiting more of a response than his initial shake of the head.
"I don't know..." Vlad looked away in guilt. "My mom and dad... they won't understand. But we need to do this. We need to find out why we're trapped on this island. We need to try and cross the bridge, and... I want to be with Logan when they send him. It was my fault. I owe him."
Rudy shook his head.
"We were all there Vlad. We all owe him."
"I know but... still... you guys didn't need to come."
Elizabeth kicked him lightly in the shin. He looked up at her eyes and once again they cut through him.
"No thinking about that now. We've prepared for four years. No looking back."
Together they walked down the old spiraling stairs. Rudy gripped the brass handle on the old wooden door as he took one last look at the library. The trio then proceeded down the concrete steps out into the street. The island had now grown dark, the last sight of sunset quickly fading in the distance.
"I'll see you guys soon." Rudy said, turning from his friends to head home. Elizabeth and Vlad lived near the library in the suburbs, but Rudy lived on the south side of the island.
Rudy watched as wooden picket fences and freshly paved concrete streets turned to chain fences and dirt roads. He stepped carefully over broken glass and trash as he proceeded, until finally he reached his home. The bottom hinge on the door had broken off, so Rudy needed to lift the door each time he opened it to prevent it from falling off.
He poked his head in to see all four of his brother's laying around the TV in the living room. "Hey guys." Rudy waved.
"Hey bro." Josh replied, jumping up from the floor to come see Rudy. Josh was his youngest brother.
"What'd you learn today?" Rudy asked him.
"We never learn anything at the school." Josh argued.
"Come on. We learn something everyday. Even if it isn't in school. What'd you learn?"
"Do we need to do this everyday?" Josh sighed.
"Actually, today is the last day I'm going to ask. I need to go do something far away to help people, so from now on you'd better keep studying hard for me on your own."
Josh's eyebrows furrowed as he looked up at his brother.
"You're leaving?"
Rudy leaned in close to his brother, though he was almost positive his other two brothers couldn't hear him over the television.
"I am. Make sure you guys take care of Mom. I'll come back soon and tell you all about my trip."
Josh was already fourteen. The same age Rudy had been when they'd entered the Obelisk. When Logan was imprisoned and sentenced to death. Had it really only been four years since then? Rudy pulled in his brother for one last hug, unable to hold himself back.
"I'm sure it's going to be super fun, and I'll bring you back something cool okay?" His brother just nodded, but Rudy was sure he knew. There was only one way to leave this island, and tommorow Rudy would be crossing that bridge into the unknown.
"I'm going to say hi to mom. When I get back, you'd better tell me what you learned today!" Rudy turned from his brother and headed towards his mothers room. With the door now missing, a curtain was all that separated the rooms. He knocked lightly on the wall before lifting the curtain, knowing his mother would be asleep. Rudy stared down at his mother, hooked to IV's and monitors. He could still remember her in the kitchen, smiling and laughing with his father as they cooked together. Another lifetime ago.
Rudy reached for her hand and cupped it in his own. It felt cold, alien. And yet it was the most familiar thing he'd ever felt. "I'm leaving Mom. I'll be back soon. I'm going to leave this island, and then I'll come back for you. Maybe I'll find dad out there, and I'll bring him back with me. I love you so much. I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help you. I promise..."
Rudy let go of her hand. He knew she couldn't hear him, but that made it easier. He turned and proceeded back out of the room to find his brothers still sitting by the TV. As Rudy headed towards the front door he felt a tug on his shirt. Josh was standing behind him, looking down nervously. Before Rudy could speak his brother pulled him in for another hug.
"Today I learned that I'm really going to miss you bro. You'd better come back soon."
Rudy squeezed his brother hard.
"Hell ya." He laughed. "I'll make it there and back in no time. Just wait and see."
Rudy lifted his front door and pushed without looking back. In his eyes, he had nothing left to look back to. Rudy headed off towards the center of town to meet Vlad and Elizabeth outside of the library. As he arrived, Vlad was the only one sitting on the concrete steps waiting for him.
"Where's Eli?" Rudy asked.
"She must still be telling her family. Come sit and relax." Vlad replied, staring up at the stars as they danced for him in the dark night sky above. "This might be our last chance to enjoy a night like this."
Rudy sat beside him without saying anything. He tucked his legs between his arms as he sat next Vlad, who had now laid his body across the concrete stairs. Rudy was sure he'd be asleep within minutes.
Rudy pulled out the bottle of liquor from earlier and twisted open the top. He took a quick swig and choked it down. The taste was bitter, but he knew the night air wouldn't feel as cold soon.
"I want some." Vlad chimed.
"Have some." Rudy replied. He opened the top again and threw some of the liquor on Vlad.
'You jerk! Gimme that!" Vlad laughed, leaning up to grab the bottle from Rudy.
Together the two continued to drink and smoke as they laid on the concrete steps of the library.
"I can't believe this is our last day in Lyrencia." Vlad stammered.
"It might be our last day alive". Rudy sighed.
"No way man." Vlad replied. "We didn't just train physically. We spent hours everyday at this library, learning as much as we could. We're going to make it to the other side of that bridge. I know it. We'll be the first."
"That's what I want to hear!" Elizabeth cheered as she approached from the street corner on their left.
Rudy tossed her the bottle. "Sorry there isn't much left. Vlad needed a shower."
"It's okay. I brought my own." She laughed, pulling out a bottle much larger than the one rudy had tossed to her.
"I want some!" Vlad cheered again.
The three wandered the streets that night, lost in the moment. Safe from a past that yearns for the light, and a future that looms in the darkness.