Escaped

Chyanne Adams 

Within seconds, Damien stood at the deck of the bridge. The wind whistled harshly, nearly knocking him off his balance. He had about 15 seconds to decide his fate. Behind him came five men, running at top speed, stopping at nothing to get a hold of him. In front of him lay the ocean, where the tides were at an all-time high. He climbed up to the circular railing, wobbling to maintain his balance.

“Maybe if I jump and try to beat the tides, I can make it to the other side,” Damien thought, watching the water splash roughly against the rocks on the sand. His heart began beating faster as he heard the footsteps behind him accelerating.

Damien began to wallow in his self-pity. He wouldn't be in this situation if he weren’t too greedy and had taken the money his friend asked him to hold for him. Damien was always the one everyone trusted since he was responsible and had a good head on his shoulders. He was honest and trustworthy. But Damien had fallen on hard times and was soon to be evicted from his apartment. He promised to replace the money, but he lost his job due to budget cuts and tried to find a way to get the money back quickly.

But it was already too late. Damien could not fix the things he messed up.

Ty, the friend who gave him the money to hold, discovered his money was missing and was out for blood. Damien had just come home from job hunting and was surprised by Ty and a few friends sitting on his couch. Ty always knew where Damien kept his key, so getting into his apartment was fine.

“Damien, where’s my money,” Ty asked nonchalantly.

“What money,”

“Don’t play with me, D. I gave you some cash to hold for me, and now it’s missing. Now, I’m not going to ask you again. Where is it,” by then, Ty stood up and walked over to Damien, who backed up as Ty began to step forward. Soon after, Damien plopped against the front door as Ty towered over him. He stood about six foot three, while Damien was only five foot ten.

“Listen, man, I fell on rough times and had to pay my rent since I had lost my job. I just came back from job hunting, trying to figure out how to pay you back. I will give you the money back as soon as I get it, man. I promise,” Damien pleaded, hoping that Ty would budge, but Ty simply wasn’t having it.

“Oh, no, no, no. I need the money today,” Ty said in a matter-of-fact tone. Ty never had a problem with his missing money, and it wouldn’t start today. Ty believed that if he let this slide, it would keep happening, and he couldn’t take that chance.

“I don’t have it. But I promise to give it to you as soon as I get it. You know me, Ty. I have never lied to you about anything,” Ty simply tuned him out and did a signal to his boys, letting them know to take care of Damien. Being quick on his feet, Damien swiftly opened the door and put on his track star speed, letting the adrenaline take him as far as his body could. Just minutes later, he found himself at the bridge that separated the city where he tried to find work and the small town where he resided.

“Get back here. I’m not through with you.” a voice shouted behind Damien. Before they could reach out and grab him from the ledge, Damien jumped into the air and began to fall as the warm air from the summer night blew beneath him. Time slowed as Damien kicked his legs in the air, fearful of what would come moments later.

He fell into the water, hitting him like bricks since the drop was so far up. He fell deep into the water as Ty and his people looked over the railing and saw that he was nowhere in sight. Assuming he was dead, they disappeared into the night as Damien rose back to the top of the water, gasping for air.

Thankfully, he survived the jump. He began to swim to shore as his clothes clung to his body and seaweed wrapped around his body. He finally crawled over to the sand. Defeated, he turned over and plopped down into the sand, trying to take in what had just occurred in that short period. He could’ve been gravely injured or dead had he not opened the door. Since he got a second chance at life, he would use it properly. Damien didn’t know where he was going or where life would take him, but he knew he couldn’t stay there. The life he once knew had to be erased. It was time to start over and accept that things were no longer going to be how he remembered them.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Chyanne Adams is a college senior majoring in creative writing. In her free time, she enjoys watching anime, and true crime, doing word searches, and playing card games. Growing up, she had a passion for literature but lacked the confidence to publish a book. Today, she has the confidence and resources necessary to tell her stories and share them with the world proudly.

Painting by Jack Robins-Somerville. Jack Robins-Somerville was born in New York City, grew up in Brooklyn, and currently resides in Cambridge, Mass. He is a student at Bunker Hill Community College.