“He felt surrounded by Ashlynn.
Steven usually wouldn’t feel a text message in his jean pocket during a power walk, but the constant buzz of text after text made its presence known. There were too many to read all at once, and he was sure they all said the same thing, or something close. How nervous and scared she was. Pleading to stop something that hadn’t even happened yet. He stopped checking the messages and focused on what he needed to say to her as he passed by landmarks of their relationship on his way to the river.
He approached the bench where they ran into each other the next morning after having sex for the first time. The encounter was sweet yet jarring. He remembered her face lacking make up. Flashes of her jaw smashing against his as they fucked. Thoughts like that weren’t going to help him. He had to focus on breaking her heart.
“Steve! What’s up?”
It was his friend, Jerry. He always hated running into people in the midst of a tragedy. He hated the burden of worry he had to place on other people, and the shame that they would know that his life wasn’t perfect.
“What are you up to?”
“Well, actually.”
The words came out in a matter of fact way,
“I’m going to go break up with Ashlynn.”
Then came the shock of someone who never took the time to imagine that the relationship wasn’t perfect.
“No way. I thought you guys were so great together.”
“Yeah, me too. I gotta go handle this though. I’ll talk to you later.”
Fucker, steve thought. It wasn’t Jerry’s fault. Just the wrong place at the wrong time. He was fifteen minutes late already and still had another fifteen minutes to walk. There had been so many times when she had been late. He had been pissed every time, but the minute he showed any negative emotion, she became the victim. There are no rights with Ashlynn. No right to be angry or upset. You only had the privilege of being with her, and you had better be happy with that. He was getting mad just thinking about it and his face pricked and tingled as it grew red. There was no way he would let her play the victim here. Hopefully.
She put on her sorrowful, sappy act in front of all of the river visitors. He could see it form fifty feet away. Her body constantly fidgeting. Cartoonishly slapping her hands to her face in woe. It was surprising that some sorry individual wasn’t coming to her rescue. That used to be his job. Not anymore. Luckily most of the river visitors were gathered around the concrete edge, looking at something in the river.
She noticed him walking up to her. Her lips curled up slightly in a small gesture of a smile. Steven shrugged his shoulders and mouthed “hello”. It was stupid that they had to do the little dance they were about to go through. Why couldn’t he just say, “it’s over,” and walk way? Instead he was forced to milk the situation.
“How was your day?” she asked.
“Good. Woke up late. came here. You know. How was yours?”
Ashlynn rolled her eyes ever so slightly. He guessed it meant that she was having a shitty day so far. It wasn’t about to get any better, so he might as well blurt it out.
“I’ve just been feeling really-”
Crash. Splash. Gasp. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Both Ashlynn and Steven looked towards the river. There was nothing but settling water and river patrons falling back away from it.
Steven shook it off and diverted his eyes from her to his lap.
“I’ve been feeling really, I don’t know, caged by you. I’m not happy, and I’m not saying it’s your fault, but I can’t do this anymore.”
She sate speechless. What a relief. Maybe she understood. He looked up at her expecting a tear and look of understanding. Instead he caught her gaze towards the river. Her eyes were as wide as cows and her mouth agape. Steven snapped his head towards the river.
Twelve tentacles stuck out from the water and down the throats of the once curious river patrons. The people convulsed silently and grew plump as something pumped from the tentacles into their bodies.
Steven grabbed Ashlynn’s wrist and pulled her up. They had to get out of there. Run back into the city, he thought. Whatever that thing was, someone in the city would stop it.
“Let’s go!”
Steven turned quickly and ran with her wrist in his hand, but her body tugged upwards. His shoulder jerked and her wrist fell from his hand.
“What are you doing? We have to-”
As he turned around he traced the frothy, purple tentacle down to Ashlynn’s peach, candy lips. Small cracks on the side of her lips stretched farther and farther as the tentacle undulated from full to empty, pouring a horrible substance into her. Her eyes tremored, looking far right at Steven. She looked like everything he didn’t want to break away from that day, but to survive he had to turn his back on her, just as he had planned. Steven didn’t bother to say he was sorry as he ran into the city.”