Selfie Inflicted

5

I pulled my coat around me. The wind was fierce and came roaring down over the tall trees of the woods.

I had last heard from Ryan two hours ago. For a while I had studied, then tried a sappy movie. I even spent some time online searching local web forums to see if anyone had posted a lost phone. I'd tried plugging the phone into my computer but it didn't recognise it. I wondered where he was.

I found myself wishing he was there. It would be nice to have that sandwich and maybe curl up together and watch the movie.

Then I'd heard the sirens go by. At first I didn't think much and barely noticed it. Then there was another siren, and then the booming horn of a fire engine. I looked out my window to see a police car and a fire truck move slowly down the street.

Something weird was definitely up. I messaged Lyza.

You seen all this going on? What is it?

She wrote back right away.

Not sure. Seems serious. OMG headache.

I tried Ryan again. No answer. I called but my phone went straight to voicemail. I was starting to get worried and the cops and everything were really freaking me out. Although I had the heat on my apartment was freezing.

I had gone downstairs to the lobby and walked outside. A few people were walking along the road in the direction the police came.

I jumped as someone ran by me quickly, scowling. He'd pretty much knocked me right over. I looked around in shock and caught sight of a woman in a car. She was staring right at me and I shook my head politely and held my hands up like I was saying What was the deal with that?

She kept staring at me, no expression on her face.

A car drove by in the other direction breaking our contact for a moment. When it passed and I looked back she was chatting happily to the passenger in her car.

"Something bad happened bro, let's check it out!"

I looked up to see a few guys I'd once met at a party walking down the road.

"Hey, Connor, it's Connor right?"

One of the guys looked at me. "Yeah, oh hey Jemma."

"What's happening?"

"I heard there was an accident. I think someone might have fallen off the bridge over the river. Some guy, they say he was a student."

My stomach churned at the thought. The river cut through the woods and fell down a jagged set of waterfalls. Most of the time there wasn't much water in it, but it had been raining a lot this fall and the water had been flowing strong. The bridge was old and wasn't safe for crossing. You weren't actually meant to cross it by foot at all - there was no footpath. They expected you to walk way down and cross at a newer bridge downriver but people crossed all the time to take a shortcut to the strip mall.

Something buzzed in my pocket and I wondered what Lyza was saying now. Then I realised with a chilling feeling that my phone was in my hand. It hadn't buzzed at all.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the phone we'd found. I swiped it open and saw a notification on the gallery. I opened the app and the most recent photo came up. The photo of us together at Lyza's table.

My heart sank.

Ryan was not in the photo.