Amy Cross - Persona

“They’re probably all dead by now,” I imagine myself replying.

“There’s still a chance, though,” she points out. “After the way you betrayed Bran and the others five years ago, don’t you think you should try to do the right thing for once? This might be a way for you to set things right.”

I pause for a moment, trying to find the strength to agree with her. All I can feel, however, is the cold soup lapping at my waist, soaking through the fabric of my tunic to chill my flesh.

“Or are you just a coward?” Della’s voice continues, sounding further away now. “I always thought you were a better person than that, Iris. I always looked up to you as my big, tough sister. Was I wrong?”

Even though I feel as if I can’t possibly climb again, I know deep down that I have to keep trying. Taking a deep breath, I try to imagine what kind of ‘nasty little surprise’ Walter might have left up at the top of the pit, but I tell myself that he might just have been trying to scare me. Hearing a faint gurgling sound from nearby, I turn just in time to see the woman in the far corner sinking beneath the water’s surface, joining the other bodies that are slowly decomposing and adding their remains to the soup. Realizing that I’m not ready to join them yet, and that I have to try one more time to warn Asher, I dig my fingers into the muddy wall and staring climbing yet again.

The pain in my arms is excruciating, and I feel several times as if I’m about to fall. Somehow, though, I manage to keep going until finally I’m almost at the top. I pause for a moment, trying to summon the energy I need to haul myself over the edge, and then I reach up with my left hand and grab the top of the pit.

I let out a cry of pain as my fingers slice down onto a set of metal spikes that have been left in the grass at the top. This time, when I try to pull my hand back, I find that the spikes are too deeply embedded in the flesh, which at least means that I can’t fall back down.

Telling myself that I need to be strong, I realize that I can use the spikes to my advantage. Reaching up with my right hand, I slowly force it down against the spikes, letting the metal dig through my flesh so that at least I’m no longer in danger of falling. Now that I’ve impaled myself up here, I just have to work out how I’m going to find the strength to haul myself up and over the edge to freedom, because right now – hanging here with my soaking wet tunic weighing me down – I feel as if I can’t possibly move another inch.

“You’re going to die like this,” Della’s voice whispers from down in the pit. “You’re not strong enough to get out.”

He moves slowly down my body, kissing my bare flesh and avoiding all the cuts and bruises. No matter how much I tell myself that this is a mistake, I can’t bring myself to push his warmth away. My mind is screaming for me to stop, but my body craves the warmth and refuses to let go.

Suddenly I realize I can hear Walter heading back this way. His feet are trampling through the dark undergrowth and he’s whistling too. He thinks he’s in complete control and he might be right, but I’ve got one final chance to get out of here. Still hanging at the top of the pit, shivering in my soup-soaked tunic and with my hands impaled on the metal spikes, I know that failure now will mean death down there in the pit far below.

This is it.

Life or death.

“What have we got here?” Walter says suddenly, as I hear his footsteps getting closer. “Don’t tell me… Can it be true?”

Looking up, I watch as his silhouette appears above me. There’s just enough moonlight for me to be able to see the delight in his eyes, as if he genuinely enjoys the fact that I’m fighting back.

“Well,” he continues, “I’m impressed. Truly, genuinely impressed. You might not have very much longer left in this world, my dear, but at least you’ve put up a good fight. Better than anyone else who’s ended up down there, that’s for sure. I’m almost tempted to let you go, but of course that isn’t possible. You’re very admirable, though. Very admirable indeed.”

I wait, hanging in darkness, to see how he’ll free me from the spikes. If he simply cuts my hands off, I’ll have no chance, but if he actually bothers to slip the hooks out of my flesh, I might be able to do something.

“Let’s see,” he mutters after a moment, and I feel him taking hold of my right wrist. Sure enough, he starts slowly lifting it up, and the pain is immense as he slides my hand free of the spikes. As soon as he turns his attention to my left hand, I use my right to grip the pit’s muddy edge. My fingers are already slipping through the cold mud and I know I won’t be able to stay up here for long, but I try to summon every last ounce of strength as I feel Walter starting to lift my left hand free from the spikes.

“You can’t do this,” Della’s voice whispers from the darkness below. “You’re too weak.”

“Watch me,” I imagine myself telling her. “Just watch.”

A moment later I feel my left hand coming free and I make my move, quickly gripping Walter’s wrist and holding tight. I feel bursts of pain running along my entire arm, but if I let go now, I’m dead.

“And what’s this in aid of, eh?” he asks, his voice once again filled with amusement. “Do you think I’ll show pity for you and haul you up? You poor, weak little thing, why haven’t you given up yet? Are you so desperate to cling on to life? Let me give you a word of advice here… Life isn’t worth a dime! There’s only misery and pain here on the island, so do you really want to fight so desperately to experience more of that horror? Just let go, and soon you’ll be able to leave this world behind.”

Ignoring his taunts, I tighten my grip.

“I’m not going to bring you up,” he continues as he looms above me, silhouetted against the starry night sky. “You’re going to die down there, girl.”

Letting out a grunt of pain, I squeeze his wrist even harder, waiting for the right moment.

“If it makes you feel any better,” he tells me, “I can assure you, I’ll never forget the way you’ve fought to survive. You’ve shown me just how tough and resilient the human spirit can be, even when face with insurmountable—”

Before he can finish, I use my legs to kick away from the side of the pit. There’s a brief pause as he tries to stop me, and then he lets out a cry as gravity does the rest. As I start to fall, I squeeze his wrist tighter than ever, tight enough to ensure that he comes tumbling after me. We fall through the darkness, and a fraction of a second later we crash down together into the soup below. He lands on top of me, pushing me down until I feel myself hitting the submerged bodies at the very bottom of the pit, but I quickly twist around and swim back up, finally reaching the surface and gasping for air. Frantically, I start wading toward the side, so I can start climbing up again.

Suddenly Walter grabs me from below and starts pulling me down. I try to struggle, but I barely have the strength to fight back. He grabs my shoulders, pulling on me with all his weight until finally I’m submerged again. Hauling myself up, I manage to break the surface after a few seconds, just as Walter starts trying to climb up the side of the pit. I lunge at him, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him back, but he elbows me in the face and sends me tumbling back. I crash into the water, but this time I manage stay on my feet and I reach out for him again, pulling him around and slamming him against the pit’s muddy wall.

“You’re a dumb bitch!” he hisses, grabbing my face with his right hand and trying to dig his thumb into my eye. “You’re never going to—”