A rose should be red: Part 1 - Secrets

by Akaku Red

  She stopped for a moment.

  I tried to open my eyes, but somehow my body didn’t want to obey.

  I couldn’t control my body.

  I didn’t feel my body!

  “I know that what I am about to do won’t get her back— but I will at least get to experience what she felt …”

  She mumbled the last part, and it made my heart stop.

  She didn’t want to….

  No, this can’t be.

  “Farewell, Jenny! I hope you can live a better life without me.”

  I heard how she moved away from me while I struggled to remain control over my body.

  NO!

  Don’t do anything stupid!

  Please, God! I need to stop her!

  I started feeling the pain again and finally managed to open my eyes.

  My left arm was hurting badly, my breath was coming rapidly.

  But I didn't care about that.

  I got myself up from the bed.

  Even though it hurt, I still pulled myself together, so I didn't wake up Tyler who was sleeping soundly for the first time since we got here.

  His beautiful blond hair was a mess, his upper body was lying on my side.

  He was sleeping in the most uncomfortable position, even though he was hurt.

  His finger was still touching my leg.

  I wanted to stretch my arm out and move him into a better position.

  I wanted to touch his handsome face.

  I really wanted to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't do that.

  Not now … not after all the things that have happened.

  I didn’t have much time left, and without putting any shoes on, I rushed out of the room.

  The patient gown wasn’t really protecting from the cold air, but I didn’t care.

  My body was trembling, all my wounds ached.

  Yet, I tried to leave the hospital quietly.

  It was a bit difficult since the nurses had been informed to keep an eye on me.

  But somehow, I managed to sneak out of the hospital.

  It was dark outside, and cold.

  Luckily, the rain had stopped, but the ground was wet and muddy.

  A few streetlights lit up my path.

  My body felt numb.

  The pain was replaced with concern and worry.

  I needed to be faster, I was afraid I was going to be too late.

  Linette could have only meant that she wanted to end her life like Alice… A bridge… The one that popped into my mind wasn’t far away from here.

  I just hoped that I was right.

  The closer I got, the more my body wanted to give in.

  But I pulled myself together.

  >>It isn’t far away from the hospital, you can do it, Jenny!<<

  I started to run. My legs did it on their own. I felt how some of my stitches on my back split open, sweat and blood mixed together.

  My body was burning up.

  And before I even knew, I was on the ground.

  My body was at its limit, on the verge of giving in.

  What if I am too late?

  What should I do?

  Pictures of Linette came into my mind.

  She was such a lovely girl. She shouldn’t be suffering and thinking like this!

  I can’t stop now.

  I need to get up!

  Somehow, I managed to do it. I heaved myself up and started to move my legs again.

  The streetlamps showed me the way to the bridge, and as I set one foot on it, I felt the pull on my heart.

  A heavy feeling…

  Everything that happened was unfair.

  I almost died, yet I wish I hadn’t survived.

  A shadow appeared behind a streetlamp.

  Looking again, I saw the silhouette standing on the edge of the parapet.

  I didn’t know how to approach her without scaring her.

  “Please, don’t come near me.”

  My body was shaking in fear. She wasn’t even looking at me, yet she spoke those words with a trembling voice.

  “I don’t deserve to live.”

  “N-No! P-Please, let us talk.”

  My voice sounded rough, as if I hadn’t spoken in years.

  The stutter, I couldn't control it.

  But Linette recognised my voice and turned to look at me.

  Her eyes were wide open, her face turned pale.

  “Why are you here?” she whispered in shock, yet I could hear her perfectly well.

  It was only us on this bridge. No one else was here since it was the middle of the night.

  The wind and the sound of the water splashing below us were the only noises besides my heavy breathing.

  “You are bleeding.”

  “I-I don’t care. P-Please, get down from there!”

  “NO! I WON’T! I DESERVE THIS! AFTER EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED!”

  She screamed out loud and turned again, ready to jump.

  I couldn't believe it, with every fibre of my being, I prayed and wished that this wasn't happening.

  I can’t let her die.

  “Linette, it is not your fault! Let us talk it out. Please, don’t do this. Don’t do this!”

  I felt how my body wanted to give in again.

  “Stop it. You hate me! I know that you hate me!”

  My mind was spinning.

  “No! I don’t hate you. Let us talk this out, please!”

  She shook her head.

  She cried loudly.

  “Alice is dead because of me! I am a murderer! I lied to you and made you suffer even more. I can’t take it! I have lost a precious friend.”

  She grabbed her chest, breathing heavily.

  “You didn’t lose me!” I tried again, but she wasn’t listening.

  She was too mad at herself. Her eyes made her look lost. She was dying in her own thoughts which seemed to eat her up alive.

  I didn’t know what to say. This was not right!

  Nothing was right!

  “I am pitying myself, even though you have it way worse. You’ve been betrayed, you lost your friend, you got kidnapped and violated. And here I am! Making you run after me, even though you are seriously injured.”

  She started laughing about herself. She wasn’t in the right state of mind.

  “Please, pull yourself together! How could I live if I lost you, too?” I shook my head in disbelief.

  “IF YOU DO SUCH A STUPID THING, HOW SHOULD I LIVE ON? HOW COULD I BE HAPPY?”

  She stopped laughing.

  “I could have ended everything on my own! I could have killed myself a long time ago, but what keeps me alive are the people around me. People who cherish me and the way I am. I could keep on living because I knew I was not alone!”

  I felt tears run down my cheeks.

  “I need time! I just heard about everything from you, and before Tyler could explain it to me, I was kidnapped. The next moment, I got confronted with so many things! I didn’t have time to process everything, I didn’t have time to rest! If you had all given me some time, then I would have talked with you guys because I don’t want to lose you or Tyler. I would have listened to your explanation! Am I asking for too much? Am I not allowed to be given some time to accept my horrible fate?”

  My voice was cracking. I pressed my arm harshly against my chest, trying to control the heavy heartbeat and my body, preventing it from giving in.

  “Jenny, I …”

  “I don’t hate you. I don’t hate you, Linette! I just need time to heal! Don’t blame yourself for Alice! She didn’t kill herself! She was murdered by the person who kidnapped me, she was murdered...”

  My nose was running. Thinking it was snot; I looked down, but it was my blood.

  “W-What?”

  “She was murdered. She didn’t commit suicide! … So please, come down!”

  Linette didn’t know what to do. She was clearly confused.

  My eyes looked behind her and saw t
he dark water. The bridge wasn’t very high, I was sure that some jumpers could survive the fall, but then I remembered that Linette couldn’t swim.

  “I-I! I-I am so sorry.”

  She moved to the side to get down, but I noticed that her body was shaking.

  I moved towards her to help her, but just in that moment, she slipped.

  “LINETTE!” I shouted, adrenaline rushing through my body.

  With my arms stretched out, I ran towards her and grabbed her hand. My left arm was hurting from the weight on the other end.

  I felt the wound stretch, then I heard the wound burst open.

  My upper body was hanging over the parapet, while my legs were tangled between the railing.

  Linette shook as she hung on for dear life.

  “OH MY GOD!” she screamed.

  I didn’t have any strength left. I couldn’t lift her up.

  My body was only holding her in place because of the parapet.

  “You… need … to … climb up,” I pressed out between clenched teeth.

  My head was spinning, and the wounds on my stomach were pressing against the parapet.

  The pain was overpowering, it nearly made me lose consciousness.

  “I am trying.”

  Linette struggled a lot, she tried to pull herself up and barely managed to do so, but my blood made her slip. Yet, I caught her again.

  “My … neck,” I hissed.

  She didn’t understand what I was trying to say.

  “Neck… the parapet.”

  My voice was muffled, my heart started to beat slower but stronger.

  Cold sweat was rolling down my forehead.

  I could only hear the pounding of my heart, and my blood rushing through my ears.

  Linette finally understood. She pulled herself up to my neck and managed to cling to the parapet with one arm.

  I hung there loosely when her weight finally left me. Linette was breathing heavily and was crying.

  I wanted to lift my body up so I could help her get onto the bridge.

  “I am so sorry. I am so stupid,” she hissed.

  Right now was not the perfect timing for talking.

  I disentangled my legs from the parapet. In this very moment, my upper body felt heavier than my lower body.

  “Jenny, we made it!”

  My body was no longer under my control.

  I felt how I slowly slid down from the parapet – but on the wrong side.

  “OH GOD! NO!”

  Linette tried to hold me, but I was heavier with all the tension gone from my body.

  The air became thinner.

  She fell with me.

  Linette screamed her lungs out, but nobody could hear us.

  There was no one around.

  We both fell into the deep, dark water.

  Her scream was silenced.

  The cold water filled up my mind, my body, my soul.

  Everything was pitch black.

  I couldn’t tell which way was up or down.

  But there was a benefit to the cold water. It cooled down my hot body while we were swallowed by the darkness.

  To be continued…

  ∞∞∞

  You cannot find yourself by walking in the past. You will find yourself, when you come into the present.

  ∞∞∞

  Close

  Dear readers,

  Thank you for reading and buying this book.

  I hope you enjoyed reading it ^-^

  The story is really old; I wrote it years ago… in another language, and as I rewrote it I changed a lot of things. Like really … It is kinda of a different story now— I would like to call ‘A rose should be red’ — Version#2!

  The original story, which I wrote back in the days, was called ‘Between love and hate’; and Tyler is a different character in there, and he was a total badboy… I am thinking about uploading it too.

  I would like to mention the website Mentorium, since they proofread my novel!

  And they really did a good job!

  Again, thank you for reading this book! It means a lot to me, since I enjoy writing.

  I am a full-time shift worker, who's hobby is writing! I only write in my free time :)

  Share this book, write a review if you want to :D It would be nice!

  If you want to get updated about my books and about Part 2 of this novel, then you should follow me on Facebook or Instagram!

  https://www.facebook.com/AkakuRed/

  https://www.instagram.com/akakured/

  https://www.amazon.de/-/e/B0896XKZ1T

  Yours sincerely

  Akaku

  P.S. Well, yeah Akaku isn’t my real name though haha.

  Part 2 is coming soon :D Till next time :)