Part I
Ian smiled as the chill Toronto air breezed the blood on his cheek. He had trekked the Edgewalk of the CN Tower once before, with his brother, but that was ages ago. This time, he thought, was more pleasant. Several hours had passed since Ian started his day’s adventure, and the moon was now illuminating the clouds above the city. The lights of the CN Tower still shimmered like a rainbow--a celebration for Audric’s plan.
The sirens wailed at the foot of the tower, but there was no way up but to climb. Audric had convinced Ian to detonate a bomb in the single elevator of the tower, and the bullets relinquished him of any interruptions from the patrons inside the tower. His brother, Shawn, a guide, had put up a decent effort for survival, but Audric had convinced Ian to purchase a blade. One jab to the ribs, and Shawn could struggle no more. “He splattered quite nicely”, Audric had whispered.
Ian sat on the Edgewalk, unseen by the crowd below, smiling.
“Audric, what are we going to do now?”
The sirens wailed at the foot of the tower, but there was no way up but to climb. Audric had convinced Ian to detonate a bomb in the single elevator of the tower, and the bullets relinquished him of any interruptions from the patrons inside the tower. His brother, Shawn, a guide, had put up a decent effort for survival, but Audric had convinced Ian to purchase a blade. One jab to the ribs, and Shawn could struggle no more. “He splattered quite nicely”, Audric had whispered.
Ian sat on the Edgewalk, unseen by the crowd below, smiling.
“Audric, what are we going to do now?”
There was no response. Ian jerked around, looking for his friend, but there was no one. He lept through the broken window into the tower, calling out Audric’s name. He ran back to the Edgewalk, circled around, and nothing.
He was about to go back in through the window when Audric finally appeared. Ian was so shocked he nearly fell backwards.
“Christ, Audric, don’t do that! I thought you were gone.”
“Ian, I am here for you.”
“Thank you, Audric.”
“Ian.”
“Yeah?”
“You know they’re still looking for you.”
“The police are already down there.”
“Not them.”
“The hospital?”
“Yes.”
“If Shawn had left well enough alone this wouldn’t have happened.”
“They want to send us back.”
“He should never have committed me in the first place!”
“We can’t let them take us.”
“What are they going to do? Fly here, grab us and take us back? The elevator is gone, Audric! Gone!”
“Indeed.”
“So, what do we have to worry about?”
“How do you intend to get down?”
Ian stopped. He hadn’t considered leaving the tower. He was only following Audric’s command.
“Audric, this was your plan. Didn’t you have a plan for what we were going to do now?”
“Ian, I am your friend. You know that, right?”
“Of course! We’ve been best buds since we were kids--well, since I was a kid. You find the fountain of youth? You don’t look like you’ve aged a day,” Ian chuckled.
“And, as I’ve told you before, no one can harm you--not while I’m around.”
“I know. I don’t want to go back there. I just felt fogged. They locked me up. Made me dizzy. It was like swimming in a black lagoon. I felt like I was disappearing.”
“I know.”
“But you--you were there, Audric. You were always there with me. They said I was crazy, but I knew they were lying. You left when I was a kid, but after Mom and Dad died, you were there. You came back. You care about me! You’re my friend! I’m not alone! And Shawn--Shawn tried to get rid of me, but he’ll never try to hurt us again.”
“No, he won’t.”
Ian turned to look out over the moonlit city. Flashes of red and blue sparked below the tower. For the first time, Ian heard a crackling voice through an amplifier from below, but he disregarded it. As Ian jerked around to face his friend, Audric was gone. Ian, startled by the sudden disappearance, stumbled, fell backwards, and rolled off the side of the Edgewalk. His fingers latched on to the ledge, knuckles turning white, and Ian screamed through tears of fear, “Audric! Audric, help! Help me! Please!”
There was no response.
“Audric! Help me! I’m gonna fall! I’m--”
The crowd watched as his body plummeted towards them. Ian landed beside the pool of blood his brother left behind. His eyes were glazed and devoid of life as people swarmed him, bulbs flashing his picture.
As days passed, the tower soon regained life, and the city overcame the horror of that night.
One crisp, autumn morning, as her mother smoked up a storm with the other moms, little Mary Hawkins ran amok through the playground a few blocks from CN Tower. As she ran towards the monkey bars, a man stopped her.
“Hello, dear. My name’s Audric. What’s yours?”
“Mary.”
“Mary. Would you like to be friends?”
He was about to go back in through the window when Audric finally appeared. Ian was so shocked he nearly fell backwards.
“Christ, Audric, don’t do that! I thought you were gone.”
“Ian, I am here for you.”
“Thank you, Audric.”
“Ian.”
“Yeah?”
“You know they’re still looking for you.”
“The police are already down there.”
“Not them.”
“The hospital?”
“Yes.”
“If Shawn had left well enough alone this wouldn’t have happened.”
“They want to send us back.”
“He should never have committed me in the first place!”
“We can’t let them take us.”
“What are they going to do? Fly here, grab us and take us back? The elevator is gone, Audric! Gone!”
“Indeed.”
“So, what do we have to worry about?”
“How do you intend to get down?”
Ian stopped. He hadn’t considered leaving the tower. He was only following Audric’s command.
“Audric, this was your plan. Didn’t you have a plan for what we were going to do now?”
“Ian, I am your friend. You know that, right?”
“Of course! We’ve been best buds since we were kids--well, since I was a kid. You find the fountain of youth? You don’t look like you’ve aged a day,” Ian chuckled.
“And, as I’ve told you before, no one can harm you--not while I’m around.”
“I know. I don’t want to go back there. I just felt fogged. They locked me up. Made me dizzy. It was like swimming in a black lagoon. I felt like I was disappearing.”
“I know.”
“But you--you were there, Audric. You were always there with me. They said I was crazy, but I knew they were lying. You left when I was a kid, but after Mom and Dad died, you were there. You came back. You care about me! You’re my friend! I’m not alone! And Shawn--Shawn tried to get rid of me, but he’ll never try to hurt us again.”
“No, he won’t.”
Ian turned to look out over the moonlit city. Flashes of red and blue sparked below the tower. For the first time, Ian heard a crackling voice through an amplifier from below, but he disregarded it. As Ian jerked around to face his friend, Audric was gone. Ian, startled by the sudden disappearance, stumbled, fell backwards, and rolled off the side of the Edgewalk. His fingers latched on to the ledge, knuckles turning white, and Ian screamed through tears of fear, “Audric! Audric, help! Help me! Please!”
There was no response.
“Audric! Help me! I’m gonna fall! I’m--”
The crowd watched as his body plummeted towards them. Ian landed beside the pool of blood his brother left behind. His eyes were glazed and devoid of life as people swarmed him, bulbs flashing his picture.
As days passed, the tower soon regained life, and the city overcame the horror of that night.
One crisp, autumn morning, as her mother smoked up a storm with the other moms, little Mary Hawkins ran amok through the playground a few blocks from CN Tower. As she ran towards the monkey bars, a man stopped her.
“Hello, dear. My name’s Audric. What’s yours?”
“Mary.”
“Mary. Would you like to be friends?”