Spoiler
THIS IS NOT THE CORRECT VERSION! For some reason, YWS thinks i posted this chapter more than once - the proper version is here post811776.html#p811776 thanks for reading 
Chapter One: The End
The fog had lifted by the time I reached the corner. The night air was cool and crisp and a soft breeze ruffled my loose hair sending it cascading down my back like a waterfall. I approached the tunnel slowly, its old brick walls were crumbling slowly throughout the decades and the disintegrating roof was not much better. The cobblestones beneath my feet were cold and the cracks between them were overflowing with bedraggled weeds.
It was as I stepped into the dangerous darkness of the tunnel I felt a cold shiver pass down my spine and the hair on the back of my neck stood up on end. About ten feet away from me, visible only by her ivory hair that was as thin as cobwebs, was an old woman, wandering slowly up the path. Her skeletal body was emaciated and looked as if a single gust would blow her over. Although she turned her head back to check behind her she showed no signs of recognition. In fact, she acted as if I was invisible, like I didn’t exist.
When she staggered beside the lamppost she looked directly at the place I was standing, frozen to the spot. There was no possible way for her to have missed me, yet she seemed to stare right through me with glazed eyes. My sharp eyes caught a glimpse of her face, half in shadow, partially lit by the warmth of the light falling on her. The face was a maze of lines, each twisting and turning into each other. Her mouth was twisted into a painful grimace, the lips as dry and cracked as the path I was walking on. The only reason I was sure she was alive was her eyes, although they were sunken into her, I was sure I could see (but it may have been a trick of the dim light) a shadow of fire dancing in them and twinkling mischievously behind the enormous spectacles that she attached to her person by means of a long silver chain, hung precariously around her wasted neck. There was something familiar about her, but I couldn’t quite be sure what it was.
Checking her watch, she seemed to discover she was late. She hurried, more quickly than I could fathom in her decaying body, up to the end of the tunnel and out into the crisp night once more. The light flickered and went out. I ran past it, my feet slapping against the ground, anxious to follow her and not to be left in the darkness.
But upon reaching the mouth of the cavernous passageway, I found that I could not see her anywhere. I glanced left and right but she was nowhere to be seen. She had vanished, exactly like all the hopes and dreams I had ever had. Part of me wanted to find her, to abandon all my efforts tonight and simply find this hag. I had no idea why I was drawn to her, but she was so deeply entrancing. I felt like the world could rest on her gaunt and withered body, and she wouldn’t feel the weight whatsoever.
I shook my head. I had to remind myself of why I was out tonight, the memory almost brought tears to my eyes and I had to put my hand over my mouth to stifle the sobs that were struggling to escape. I couldn’t, I wouldn’t let them down. Forcing my eyes to tear away from scanning the streets intently, I focused my gaze on the path ahead of me and resumed walking.
As I rounded the bend I was met by a beautiful sight. The bright coloured lights of the city I knew so well. The city I would never see again; were reflected on the glistening water, shimmering as the soft ripples passed over the river.
The buildings had become a theatre of lights, illuminating the waters with its glow. If it had been any other day, any other situation, I would have felt obliged to retrieve my brick of a mobile phone from my thick woollen jumper to capture this picturesque scene forever, but it wasn’t different.
As I passed the lonely trees on the side of the riverbank, the last of the evening winds disturbed the few leaves on the concrete ground and whipped them up, into a final frenzy of swirling green. They fell, moments later, resting once more on the solid ground, waiting to be kicked by the busy crowds on the bustling streets the next day.
The river meandered along slowly now like a snake lingering in the long grass, murmuring softly. It had always seemed odd to me that a perfect illustration of nature’s beauty could be found in the centre of city life with its loud atmosphere. Usually the place was teeming with crowds of people, ceaselessly fighting their way through the throng, dressed in colourful attire. The passionate shoppers had no restraint when it came to shoving their way through the multitude of people, pushing and shoving the crowd to get exactly where they want. The sound was deafening as the music blaring from speakers around the various parks added to the din.
Now that velvet had been laid over the sky, peacock blue and covered with sparkling gems, it was hard to picture the cloudy, wet, London days. I had only passed one person so far tonight, and if I was lucky, she would be the only one. This area of town was often empty at night. Few cars drove by and once through the park it was as quiet as death. Or quieter, maybe I would know that soon.
Looking up; I could see the reflection of the moon on the surface of the river, clear as a crystal and as pure as a blanket of white snow. Dark, grey clouds loomed over the moon ominously like a murderous figure, cloaked in black robes, and the river was perished and brought to despair and darkness once again. A symbol of the way this night would be remembered.
This was a night nobody, nobody I knew anyway, would ever forget, no matter how hard they tried. I tried desperately not to picture the headlines the next day combined with the face of my sister. She would be so… No. It was too painful. I couldn’t think of her anymore, not of anyone. If I did I wouldn’t be able to help her, to maybe save her tonight.
I couldn’t be responsible for their deaths; it wasn’t something my already troubled mind could cope with. I faintly remembered being told that my brain was already overheating and that too much stress could
I drew near the menacing bridge; cautiously peering around to check that there was nobody around. The street was empty. The coast was clear. This was my chance. I had to take it.
Forcing myself to put one shaking foot in front of the other I advanced along the tightrope like bridge. The elderly crone appeared to have taken all my courage. Once at the edge, next to the water, I stared, as though deeply entranced, into the depths of the sinister looking river.
I couldn’t backtrack now, I had come too far. If turning back had been an option before, it certainly wasn’t now. I had to do this. I had to. For her. For all of them.
Slipping through the cold metal railings I stripped off the warm beige jumper that hung like a blanket draped over my shivering body and hung it over the rust covered railings. What was the use of it now?
For all of two minutes I teetered dangerously on the edge. Between life and death.
Suddenly a worried shout alerted me to the presence of a middle aged man whose face reminded me of a worried parent, eye brows furrowed and a shaking hand reaching out to my terror stricken body, His feet firmly rooted to the street next to the left of the iron bridge.
‘HEY!’ he bellowed.’ Get off there!’
That was all the encouragement I needed. Yelling my best hopes to the heavens I leant forward and plunged off the side of the bridge. The night air streamed past me and whipped my hair into a whirlwind as I plummeted rapidly toward the water. The fall was exhilarating. I forced my eyes to remain open, to see my beautiful world for the last time. Then, I hit. The impact was tremendous. The water filled my lungs as ruthlessly as a storm, angry and fierce. I was drifting as I sank and my sister’s face settled in my mind, she was my last thought. Everything was for her.
