Infinite Loop - Chapter 48

A Tough Decision

ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT!!!!

New to this story, start at the link below. It’s free to start.

Chapter 48

The sun was closing out the day when the couple finally made their way to a bridge, which took them over a lazy, meandering stream. Fine marble benches sat scattered in an open area next to the waterway. Amber took a seat while Warren watched a few people hurrying along. Pulling off her shoes out of habit, Amber noticed her feet didn’t ache even after the long day of walking.

Warren joined her. As he sat, he saw his hands still shook. While the walk gave him time to recover, he still felt the tug to return to the place they just escaped. He realized he accepted the wrong path for the sake of excitement. Dio stated his lack of self-control put him in this purgatory. The illusion he experienced was a trap to take him away from this rest stop. A chilling thought came to him when he looked over at Amber. She glanced at him as she weighed the same thoughts. She saved him and he thanked her.

“There’s no need to thank me,” she replied. “You would do the same for me.”

Those simple words made him catch his breath, and he put his arm over her shoulder. They leaned back and remained silent for a while, content with their closeness. Eventually, their eyes focused on another portal between ancient trees in front of their bench.

Unlike most of the places they visited earlier, only a few people wandered by as the couple silently observed the portal. The scene inside revealed a paved street with a khaki color house nestled between two other small houses. In the street in front of the bungalow was a yellow DeSoto coupe, similar to the gray vehicle Amber drove around Boston. An older man in a brown suit and hat walked along with a young girl in a white dress. The girl took a sip of soda between her detailed explanations concerning the day’s events with her friends. The tranquil view caused both of them to remember the last few days, which now seemed so distant.

“You’ve been quiet for a while,” Amber finally spoke.

She slid her hand across the cold marble seat. She looked at the engraving on the seat, then ignored it when he replied.

“Just thinking. That last place got to me pretty good,” Warren confided. “I’m still a bit shaky.”

“So am I,” the woman replied.

“Yeah, but you’re better at handling it,” he stated softly.

She looked over at him with a confused expression.

“No, I’m not. I just found out who was behind the curtain.” The woman looked down. “You frightened me when you left.”

“What do you mean? I was standing there, and you were…” He shook his head.

“That place screwed with both of us,” he finally growled.

“When I looked for you, I saw something we weren’t supposed to see. Something was inside the glass, watching us,” she explained. “Call it hell or something similar, but I think it was a test for us.”

Warren agreed with a nod.

“After first, it was like my nightmares had returned. That’s what I saw in the mirrors at first. It was nearly mind-bending in what I was feeling. Finally, I realized something was manipulating us to stay there.”

“It gives me the willies thinking about how I wanted to stay,” Warren agreed. “Like a kid at the movies, I wanted to see the next thing coming. That was the way I always acted when I was alive for the first time. Impulsive and looking for the next fun thing to do, the hell with the consequences.”

Warren suddenly stopped.

“You know, I kept trying to think about what I remembered about Dante’s story. All I could remember was something about his descent into hell. Each level is different, like a stop. I wonder if the journey for us is similar.”

She bit her lips slightly as she thought.

“I’m not sure of anything right now,” she confessed.

A weary silence filled the air as they went back to their thoughts.

“I’ll tell you my biggest fear,” Amber suddenly blurted out.

Find all my stories at gordonbrewer.com.