The roar swallowed the air, the ground beneath us trembling violently. My survival instincts screamed. I didn't hesitate. I grabbed my bag, my precious art supplies, and bolted, scrambling over the loose rocks, my gaze fixed on the higher ground.
Frida, however, let out another ear-piercing shriek and, in a moment of pure panic, grabbed my arm. Her grip was like a vice, digging into my already bruised flesh. "Help me!" she screamed, her nails tearing at my skin. The sudden pull threw me off balance, and I twisted my ankle on a loose stone, sending a jolt of pain up my leg. She was going to drag me down with her.
I managed to shake her off, biting back a cry, and limped frantically forward, finding a small, shallow overhang that offered a momentary reprieve from the cascading debris. My body throbbed, every muscle protesting, but I ignored it. The world outside roared, a symphony of destruction. The path I' d just taken was now a river of mud and rock. We were trapped. The distant hum of cell service was gone, swallowed by the sheer force of the mountain. All we could do was wait.
Time stretched, thick and slow, until a familiar voice cut through the lingering echoes of the slide. "Adelle! Frida! Is anyone there?" It was Bentley.
Frida's head snapped up, her eyes widening with a predatory gleam. She shot me a quick, jealous glare, as if my mere presence was an affront. I just stared at the sound, a strange mix of dread and a flicker of the old hope battling within me. The last time he saved me, it led to this nightmare. Would it happen again?
Then, a figure emerged from the dust and gloom, Bentley, disheveled and covered in grime, his face etched with worry. He looked exhausted, but his eyes, sharp and searching, found us.
Frida didn't wait. She scrambled out from the overhang, throwing herself into his arms, sobbing dramatically. "Bentley! Oh, Bentley, I thought I was going to die! It was so terrifying! Adelle just left me to fend for myself!" She clung to him, her voice a theatrical wail.
Bentley' s arms automatically went around her. His gaze, however, flickered to me, still under the overhang. "Frida, are you hurt? Are you okay?" he asked, his voice laced with concern, carefully examining her for injuries.
"Just a few scrapes, darling," she sniffled, burying her face into his chest. "But I was so scared! Don't leave me, Bentley! Please don't leave me!"
Bentley held her close, murmuring reassurances. He then began to lift her, carefully, gently. He was going to carry her out of here. He was going to carry her away. He looked at me then, a brief, fleeting glance, as if he had just remembered I was there. But his focus remained solely on Frida. The realization struck me with a chilling force: he had forgotten why he came here. He was looking for me. But he found her, and again, I became invisible.
"Bentley!" I cried out, my voice raw, desperate. "Bentley, wait!"
He paused, a slight hesitation, and turned his head, his eyes meeting mine. They held a flicker of something, perhaps concern, perhaps annoyance.
With a surge of adrenaline, I pushed myself out from under the overhang, ignoring the searing pain in my ankle, and stumbled towards him, my hand outstretched. "Bentley, please! My ankle is twisted, I think it's broken!" I pleaded, my voice cracking. "I can't walk!"
Frida, still clinging to him, stiffened. She tightened her hold, her head turning to glare at me, her eyes flashing a silent warning. Then, she pulled at his shirt, her voice muffled but insistent. "Bentley, my head is spinning. I think I'm going to faint."
He hesitated for a moment, his gaze flicking between my outstretched hand and Frida's pale, "distraught" face. The internal battle was brief, almost imperceptible. Then, he secured his hold on Frida, his jaw tightening. "I'll be right back, Adelle," he said, his voice flat, devoid of emotion. "I need to get Frida to safety first." And with that, he turned his back on me, carrying Frida away, disappearing into the fading light and the rising dust.
"Bentley! No! Don't leave me!" I screamed, my voice raw with desperation. "Please!" But he didn't stop. He didn't look back. He was gone.
The silence that descended after they left was absolute, broken only by the distant drip of water and the thudding of my own desperate heart. The sun had completely set, plunging the mountain into an inky blackness. He had left me. Again.
I hobbled back to the small overhang, my twisted ankle screaming in protest. The cold seeped into my bones, matching the chill in my soul. How many times had he left me? How many times had he chosen her? I thought about my mother, how alone she must have felt in those final moments. And now, I was utterly alone too.
Hours passed. The cold grew more intense. My ankle throbbed with a dull, incessant ache. Bentley never came back. The darkness became oppressive, alive with unseen rustlings. A long, mournful howl echoed through the trees. A wolf. Then another. My blood ran cold.
Panic, cold and sharp, clawed at my throat. I couldn't stay here. I wouldn't. Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself up, using the rough rock face for support, and began to drag myself down the treacherous path. Each movement was agony, but the thought of staying, of being utterly helpless, was worse.
The howls grew closer. A pair of glowing eyes, then another, emerged from the darkness. They were circling. I screamed, a desperate, hoarse sound, and tried to run, but my ankle buckled. I fell, pain exploding through me. One of them lunged. I felt a sharp, tearing pain as teeth sank into my leg. I kicked, screamed, fought with a primal fury fueled by terror. Somehow, miraculously, I managed to break free, scrambling blindly, desperately, down the slope. I could feel the hot, sticky blood soaking through my jeans. I finally collapsed at the base of the mountain, the last vestiges of my strength draining away.
My mind, hazy with pain and exhaustion, replayed Bentley' s face as he carried Frida away. He saves her, and leaves me to die. He cares for her, and abandons me to the wolves. The irony was a cruel, final punch. My last thought before darkness claimed me was of my mother's kind, smiling face. Mama, I'm coming home.
I woke up to the smell of antiseptic and the muted beeping of machines. Hospital. Again. My leg throbbed, heavily bandaged. My arm still ached. My head pounded. I tried to sit up, a groan escaping my lips.
"Adelle!" A familiar voice, laced with frantic concern. Bentley. He stood over me, his face pale, his eyes wide. He grasped my hand, his touch surprisingly gentle. "Thank God! You're awake! I was so worried!"
I stared at him, my eyes empty. Worried? He was worried? The word tasted like poison on my tongue. "Where were you?" I croaked, my voice rough.
He winced. "I'm so sorry, Adelle. The rescue teams were overwhelmed. The path back up was blocked. I tried to get to you, I swear. But Frida... she needed me." He squeezed my hand harder, his eyes pleading. "It was chaos. Pure chaos. I just couldn't get back."
I looked at his face, at his manufactured concern, and something inside me, the last fragile thread of hope, snapped. He was lying. Or, if not lying, then desperately clutching at excuses. He hadn't tried to get back. He had chosen. He had chosen her. The memory of her snuggling into his arms while he carried her away, leaving me to the mercy of the mountain, was a vivid, burning image.
I remembered when I'd accidentally burned my hand on a hot pan, years ago. Bentley had rushed me to the emergency room, his face green with worry, convinced I was going to lose my hand. He'd stayed by my side for hours, holding my uninjured hand, murmuring reassurances. That Bentley was gone. Replaced by this hollow shell of a man, full of excuses.
"Don't," I said, my voice barely a whisper, pulling my hand away from his as if his touch was toxic. "Don't touch me."
His face fell. "Adelle, please. Don't be like this. I know you're angry, but it was an accident. My father explained everything. The mountain was unstable. You were just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time." He reached for my hand again. "That talk about breaking up... that was just anger, right? We can fix this, Adelle. We can still get married."
I looked him dead in the eye, my gaze cold and unwavering. "No, Bentley," I said, my voice clear and firm. "We can't. We are over."
His face contorted, a mixture of disbelief and fury. He paced the small room, his movements agitated. "Adelle, don't be ridiculous! I saved your life! I'm here for you!"
Just then, the door creaked open. Frida, dressed in a delicate silk robe, her hair a perfect cascade, her face a picture of innocent concern, peeked her head in. "Bentley, darling? Are you coming? The doctor said I need my pain medication."
Bentley's head snapped to her, his agitation instantly replaced by concern. He held her gaze for a moment, then turned back to me, his eyes now cold, hard, and filled with a chilling finality. "Are you really sure, Adelle?" he ground out, each word a stone. "Are you really sure you want to end this?"
I met his gaze, my own eyes holding nothing but contempt. My silence was my answer.
He let out a harsh, humorless laugh. He turned from me, his back rigid. He walked to Frida, put an arm around her, and pulled her close. "Frida, darling," he said, his voice sickeningly sweet, "I think it's time we made our relationship official, don't you?" He looked at her then, his eyes a cold promise. "Let's get married."
