A/N: Thanks to SpyroCynderMal100, LocalTalent53, Michelle Maria Salvatore, jamesss and A Mosaic Masterpiece for your reviews! Always appreciate 'em. No long speech this time, so let's get to reading!
"Did you hear about that girl?"
"Hm?" Becca turned her head slightly in response to Sneakers question, and pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders to trap in some warmth and avoid getting even more soaked than she already was.
Sneakers shrugged. "I heard rumors that a girl almost died recently. Apparently, nothing ever happens in this town, so it was good gossip. Apparently she just avoided the accident. Worst of luck for her, huh."
Becca nodded silently, not particularly keen to talk about such a subject.
"Urgh... this sucks." Sneakers moaned, rubbing his face as he and Becca strolled down the back-alleys behind a line of houses. "We were meant to be in Baltimore for your birthday present, and now we end up in a weird township I've never even heard of. Well... at least we're just on the other side of the river from Philadelphia... but then again, they got strict covers on the bridges now... they are being way too cautious. Well, there are some townships up northeast, apparently. We could explore-" Becca patted Sneakers' arm to gain his attention and pointed ahead of them.
"Look." Becca said quietly.
Sneakers tilted his head and looked to where Becca was pointing. A man and young boy were leaning against a fence, evidently talking. "Woah..." Sneakers whispered. "Paedophile alert!"
Becca glared at Sneakers before turning back to the two. She pulled him behind one of the houses to watch the peculiar exchange, her eyes narrowed.
"You're awfully enthusiastic..." Sneakers whispered. "Why're you so interes-"
"Ssh." Becca interrupted, watching intently as the boy and man talked. Becca leaned forward in interest as something glowed underneath the young boy. Lights? Glow in the dark paint? Becca tried to come up with a theory, although none made sense. However, she stopped thinking as her mind went blank as a flash suddenly burst outwards, blinding both her and Sneakers. When they could finally see again, blinking away colored dots, the young boy was gone, and the man was strolling down the alley, hands in his pockets, as if nothing had happened. "Come on." Becca whispered, thoroughly interested now, and pulled Sneakers onwards.
They followed the man down multiple back-alleys, before he pushed open a hole in a fence. The man glanced left and right, and after confirming to himself that the coast was clear, he climbed through.
"Why are you so interested, Princess?" Sneakers asked, looking at Becca, bemused.
"Well, the boy just disappeared. That's cause for interest enough."
"Huh, boy?" Sneakers glanced down at Becca. "What are you talking about?"
Becca looked at Sneakers oddly. "The one that you mentioned yourself?"
"I think you're imagining things." Sneakers laughed. "Are you sure you're not having 'visions?" Sneakers patted Becca on the shoulder. "Are we all gonna die? Did the boy run at me with a knife? Should I be frightened?" Sneakers laughed again, but at Becca's expression, sighed. "I'm joking, Becca. Well... let's go find out then, shall we. Let's please your curiosity. Nothing better to do, anyway."
XXX
"Jason..." Jennifer asked carefully, wringing her hands.
"Don't act so frightened..." Jason sighed, rubbing his eyes. He had cleaned up the drawing, but had taken photos of it beforehand. He was studying the photos now, looking at the words to the picture to the words again. "I realise I scared you, but I'm fine now."
"D-Do you know what happened?"
"No clue." Jason rubbed his head and put the photo's down. "But, I can now remember some of the accident."
"Huh? Now?"
"Yeah." Jason stood up. "I remember watching the coach starting to sway slightly and the wind picking up...
XXX
Jason glanced towards the sky watching with intrigue the clouds that were rushing past.
"Looks kind of pretty..."
Jason turned to Jennifer, surprised. "Pretty? Since when do you use words like that?"
Jennifer shrugged. "Well, nevertheless it does. I wish this goddamn traffic jam would – oh! Speak of the devil." As the cars moved ahead finally, Jason glanced at the coach to see it slightly swaying back and forth.
"Hey, Jennifer, is that moving to yo-" Jason was suddenly cut off as a vibration shook across the bridge. Jason watched with wide eyes as the cars windows smashed into shards as a vicious wind blew across the bridge, 'funnelled' by the river. One shard of glass sliced across Jason's cheek, drawing a red line. Jason didn't register the pain or the injury at all, and continued watching ahead with the same wide eyes.
"Jason? Are you all right?" Jennifer looked towards Jason, concerned and slightly scared that practically every vehicles windows had blown out.
Jason didn't respond, but stared ahead. The bridge had started to tilt, the concrete sides bending and creaking. The floor cracked; the diagonal slices criss-crossing across the tarmac. The front half of the bridge suddenly tilted by another gust of wind. There was a squeal of tires as cars slid across the wet tarmac. Car's hit the middle barricade and came to a stop, while others hit with enough force to flip them over the barricade. The coach itself was leaning to the point where it was almost certainly about to fall over.
Focusing on a specific car, however, Jason watched as a Mercedes with a male passenger and female driver skidded and slammed against one of the barricades bonnet first. Jason's eyes widened as he realised that a truck carrying metal poles was spinning out of control. It hit the back of the Mercedes, and one of the poles shot forward and burst through the middle of the females back. The female jolted forward, her spine severed in two. Blood dripped from her mouth while the male beside her froze in fear and shock.
XXX
"That's gruesome, Jason." Jennifer scrunched up her nose in disgust.
"Well, that's what I remember nevertheless."
"But why do you remember that now?" Jennifer asked.
"I don't know. But it's something to do with what I drew. But not only that..." Jason pulled a newspaper up and showed a picture with the caption: Chloe Marvin. "There's a small article in the newspaper. Apparently she had an accident in regards to a 'freak accident' with a fan after getting her hand stuck trying to rescue her phone."
"Oh." Jennifer pointed at the photos.
"Exactly. I drew a phone falling, and a fan." Jason sighed. "Not only that, but that picture matches the girl that I remember getting impaled..."
"That's... slightly weird, but I don't understand what you're trying to suggest, Jason." Jennifer looked confused.
"Surely it can't be a coincidence that the moment that this girl had an accident, I drew those pictures. Not only that, but I now remember something to do with that exact female. I don't understand it. Why didn't I remember anyone else? Why was I focused on that girl? What about all the others that were no doubt involved?"
"So you want to visit her?" Jennifer asked hesitantly.
"No... No, no. This says that she's in a stable, but critical condition. Besides, I'd be a stranger. No, I want to find that Dorothy woman."
"Why?"
"Well, she claims she had a vision without 'seeing' it. I want to see if her information matches with mine that I remember now. If it does, then she's genuine. If she doesn't, then... well, then it would have just been a visit, and she'll be disproved. Perhaps she might know something about this possible connection. I feel this... urge... y'know? I'm not just drawing random pictures. I can't be."
XXX
"Where is he...?" Becca murmured, looking through the crop of trees to find no evidence of the man. Becca peered through the bushes, but Sneakers let out a sigh to interrupt her.
"Becca... Why are you so fixated on the man?"
"I'm not fixated. Just... interested..." Becca said.
"Interested, huh? Been a while since a female was interested in me."
"Huh..." Becca and Sneakers turned around to see the man in the drama shirt leaning on the fence. He had a smile playing on his lips.
"It's not nice to follow people, y'know." The man laughed. "So, what do you want? You're homeless right? D'ya need money, food?"
"How do you know that we're homeless?" Sneakers asked, carefully. He had many an experience of people not liking them on the streets of New York. Sometimes, there were even beatings. But no-one cared for the homeless, no one cared that they were dying. Not the police, the public, no one. One of the many reasons that Sneakers, and most of the others, had become a tight-knit group. A sense of preservation and sense of protection. Protection a lot of them would never had hoped for.
"Hey, with clothes like that? Don't worry, I don't hate homeless people." Laughing, the man put a hand in his pocket and threw a small bag at Becca. "Have one hundred dollars on me." Still laughing, the man turned and started to walk away.
"Wait one second." Sneakers straightened up, his fists tightening.
"Oh?" The man turned back around. "What is it?"
"You can't just give strangers money. What do you want?"
"Want? Nothing. I'm just a generous man, is all."
Sneakers mouth opened and closed, flustered. "I... you..."
"W-What about that kid?" Becca found her voice while Sneakers lost his.
"Kid...?" The man raised an eyebrow and cocked his head. "Interesting."
"I think she's talking about me, brother." Miles walked out of the forest, looking blankly at Becca and Sneakers.
"Ah, Miles, you're back. Good, good." The man ruffled the boy's hair before smiling at Becca. "Keep the money. Consider it my birthday present to you."
Becca's eyes widened at the statement, but Sneakers pulled on her arm and back through the hole in the fence. "Sneakers," Becca tried to pull back, but Sneakers was stronger.
"Princess, we're going. Those people are dangerous."
"But-"
"Hey, listen to me." Sneakers put a hand on Becca's head. "Sometimes you act way too young than you actually are. A twenty-five year old woman accepting money from strangers? I'm surprised at you."
"It's no different than being on the streets with a hat." Becca protested.
"There's a difference between small change and one hundred dollars. Now, let's go. I want to find somewhere to bunker down for the night.
As Sneakers and Becca turned out of the back-alley, the man turned down to his younger brother, the smile still dancing on his lips.
"Hehe... what an unusual pair. Especially that girl."
"She's definitely gone through a lot." Miles nodded. "I saw small holes under her sleeve. I would expect some kind of drug use. Although, no recent holes. Also, that hospital bracelet. Not many people keep hold of those things."
"Well, at the very least, I found it interesting that she wanted to know where you where."
"Not important, brother." Miles scratched his arm and looked towards them. "Well, we better keep a watch on them."
"Why?" The man tilted his head in question.
"One of them is next."
"One of them? Can't you be more exact?"
"It seems as if they died together, or at least very close together. I cannot define which came first."
"Urgh... how troublesome. Although I wonder what will happen..." The man laughed loudly. "I wonder if Death will actually do something, or let another person slip from his grasp."
