The encounter with Romeo and Juliet yesterday is still with me today. I think I need to go see them again. After breakfast and some scavenging of the neighboring houses, I'll go.
I ran past where Romeo and Juliet were yesterday. They were still there. My friends do tend to wander but some I have found may just stay put for a while. I have found some wandering in their own back yards for who knows how long.
They were sitting almost in the same place as the day before. This time they seem to be leaning against one another as if sharing a lovers secret. They didn't seem to notice me this time as I ran by. I decided to go around the fence to approach them myself.
I suppose you, my imaginary reader, are wondering why the FUCK I would want to go near these creatures? As I have said before. It is not like the movies. They do not run after me. They do not always look at me as if I am the last meal they will ever see. I also do not fear becoming one of them. More on that another day.
I found the end of the fence that separated the stream from the path. It was rocky and a bit muddy at the bank. I did my best to stay on the rocks so that I did not get mired in the mud. As I approached my loving couple they still didn't seem to notice me.
I left the muddy bank and walked into the stream. It was refreshingly cold on my feet and legs. It was deep in some places but I stayed close to the shore. I walked around so that I could approach them from the front and see what, if anything, they were doing. As I got closer I could see that they still held hands and that they had their heads pressed together looking down into the water. They looked so peaceful I almost felt like I was intruding on a private moment.
When I was about ten feet away, Romeo raised his head slowly to look at me. Juliet did the same. I looked from one to the other in turn taking in the strange scene. Romeo raised his hand to me as if beckoning me nearer. Juliet simply stared at me with almost a sad look on her rotting features. She looked from me to Romeo holding out his hand, then she to did the same. Monkey see, monkey do I guess.
They did not attempt to get up in any way, so I decided to get a bit closer. As I did Juliet lowered her hand to the water then back to me. Romeo continued to beckon me. If I was not mistaken, they were wanting me to look into the water in front of them. This was so strange. I had never encountered my friends act so, so human! I shook my head as has become habit with these two. I don't know what to make of them. I had encountered others in this city but only passing and never giving them this kind of attention. I decided to risk getting closer.
I now stood directly in front of my young lovers. They did not get up. Only looked up at me and then down to the water at my feet. I looked down and at first could not see anything of interest. I squatted down slowly, keeping an eye on my friends before me. I may not fear them but I am no fool!
The water swirled around my legs and soaked my shorts as it flowed quickly past. The young lovers looked at me and pointed awkwardly into the water before me. The shadows beneath the bridge made it hard to see into the water too deeply. I reached in to feel around. My fingers touched something metal. As I wrapped my hand around what felt like a small pipe and lifted it out of the water, I could see that it was a gun. I had grabbed the barrel of a very large revolver. It reminded me of Dirty Harry's.
I don't know much about guns. Only enough to know how to load them and fire. I have a rifle that I carry with me and a small hand gun. Not that I use them much. Only as a last resort and for killing the occasional game animal for food. This gun was a cannon compared to mine.
I had no idea how this could have came here below the bridge. I suppose if I went above I could find more answers. Perhaps someone dropped it during a fight with my friends when there was more than just me living. Who knows.
I forgot my surroundings as I looked over the gun for my friend Romeo grabbed my hand gripping the gun. It startled more than frightened me. I went to pull my hand away from him when Juliet grabbed my other. Now I was a little more nervous.
Their grasp is strong but not unbreakable but now I had two with a grip on me. I was about to kick Romeo away so I could release his girlfriends hold on me when the rocks beneath shifted and I fell back into the cold water.
I panicked like I had not in a long time. Water flowed up my nose and chocked me. I was fully immersed when I felt my friends boney hands on me again. I didn't realize it at the time but they had let go of me when I fell. I had lost a chance to get away from them.
They pulled me out of the water as if I were nothing more than a rag doll. I was able to gain my footing again and prepared myself to fight to get away. As quickly as the pulled me out of the water, they let go. I stood on shaky legs in front of my supposed rescuers. I still held the gun surprisingly.
I was about to turn and run when Juliet's hand reached out and softly touched my arm. She did not grab me. It made me stop. I looked at her then to her boyfriend who just stood there. Juliet slowly touched the gun in my hand then put her hand to her head. What the fuck was going on?
Romeo did the same as she did. Putting his hand to the gun then to his head. Then they both sat down on the shore before me and looked up at me. Could this be happening? Were they asking me to put them down? As you could guess, I shook my head in surprise. I felt that I was going mad like when I had the fever. Was this a hallucination?
Once more they reached up and touched the gun in my hand then their heads. I looked from one to the other and then to the gun. They almost seemed to nod as they put their heads together and looked down. I wiped the water from my face and stared at them for moment. They were as when I first saw them. Sitting with heads together, holding hands.
The gun was big enough to blow through both skulls in one shot. I couldn't believe that this was really happening. I checked the gun to see if it was loaded. It was. But no idea if it would fire. I walked to Juliet's right. I figured that I should let the shot go in her head first and out Romeo's. If I were him I would want to make sure she didn't suffer and if the bullet only passed through her, then I would know she was finally at peace.
I put the barrel to her temple and pulled the hammer back. "Rest in peace my friends." I said as I pulled the trigger. The sound of that gun going off under that bridge rang my ears painfully. Juliet's body crumpled forward into the water.
Romeo still held her hand and I thought that I would have to fire a second shot into him to finish the gruesome deed. I put the gun up against his head and as I did, he slowly slumped forward next to his lover. I could see where the bullet blew a gaping hole in his head as it passed out that side.
I stood over them for a moment taking it all in. What did this mean? Never has one of my friends acted so alive, let alone two! Is it possible they knew what they were? It had to be. They knew what I could do for them. How is this possible?
I need to clean up and clear my head. I'll explore this further at another time.