(Prompt photo by Andreas Fidler on Unsplash.com)

We made our way down the muddy, waterlogged roads of Annapolis, Maryland. Our car hit pothole after pothole filled with sludge and grime. The small, previously lively town was derelict and seemed almost...haunted. The stench of salt was strong in the air; the sea was lively. It waved to us as we passed, big, strong hands grasping to touch us. Concerned and worried, we continued on.

The sky, which was previously a beautiful cerulean blue, had become dark and frightening. Tall ship masts wobbled ominously towards the broken road and bent like long, spindly fingers. Black cotton candy-like clouds began to envelop the bay.

"It looks like it might thunder," my sister said from the back seat as she leaned between the driver and passenger seats. "I hate thunder." She shivered. I agreed wholeheartedly. Concerned, I peered out of the window at the slowly darkening sky. The addition of looming fog trapped us in the area, a section of road cut off from all of society.

I gazed out of the left-hand back seat at the slowly-worsening waters and grimaced. Our old, silver Dodge gasped and spluttered as we hit a particularly rocky piece of road. Our mother had poured thousands of dollars into its maintenance and repair over the years (after buying the car for $23,000) and yet it (or she, as my mother would say) struggled across the stones. A large clang sounded as we hit something in the road.

We came to an abrupt stop after a few seconds of choking from the engine and a large billow of grey smoke emerged from under the hood. Almost as if sensing the impending disaster, the heavens opened and rain poured down in sheets from the sky. Bucketfuls of water hit the roof of the car with an audible splash. The cloud of grey smoke began to disperse in the falling rain.

"Come on everyone!" My dad yelled as joyfully as possible in the current situation. "Out!"

I swung the door open and stepped out. Right away my senses were all assaulted. The smell of salt and rain wafted to my nose and my exposed skin shivered under the freezing water. I was wearing thin pyjama bottoms and within a minute they were completely soaked through and sticking to my skin. My siblings huddled in a group near a rope fence as my parents looked under the hood of the poor car. I tilted my head up and closed my eyes, relishing the feeling of the rain on my face.

Boom!

My eyes widened and I jerked back just in time to see the sky split by a flash of white. Thunder and lightning.

From the corner of my eye, I observed my mother squint at the masts of the ships just a few feet away from us. Was she worried that they'd get struck? Surely it wouldn't matter, they'd just fall in the water? Or maybe not, I contemplated as I watched one of the closer ones wobble and lurch towards the road.

"I can't fix it," my father said, defeated. "I'll have to call someone to come help, but there's no service here."

Disbelievingly, I checked my own phone only to be greeted with a depressing 'No Service'.

"We can walk the rest of the way," my mother proposed. "It's not far, only a couple of miles."

I chewed on my lip slightly, glancing at my siblings. Poor Angelika was shivering, hugging Marston's chest. She was only nine. Could she handle a two mile walk? I doubted it. But there was no other option. We'd just have to carry her as much as possible.

With a deep sigh I began to follow my parents. Marston and Angelika trudged behind me, the heavy rain weighing down their clothes and Marston's long fringe blocking his sight. Angelika began to shiver in his arms and he stumbled slightly under her weight. His thin arms looked weak as he was still recovering from a serious bout of illness. I sighed and took Angelika into my arms. Immediately, the rain began to fall heavier. A bolt of lightning illuminated the sky and a crash of thunder shook me to my core. It sounded close.

The car was just a dot in the distance now, barely visible through a thick layer of fog. I fought through the harsh weather, my arms pleading for a rest.

"Bridge up ahead!" My mother cried over the sound of the howling wind. Expecting a sturdy, wooden bridge, I was nauseated to realise I had just stepped on a rickety rope bridge. Each slat had a large gap of at least a half an inch between them. The rope was frayed and torn. A rumble of thunder rocked the bridge slightly and I gasped, freeing a hand from around Angelika to grasp the old rope. 

I heard a sob behind me and turned to see Marston gripping so hard onto the edge of the bridge his knuckles were going white. His face was pale and tear-stained, eyes wide and frightened. I beckoned him and tried to call out but my voice was carried away by the gales. Shakily, he took a step onto the next slat and hunched in on himself when it wobbled ominously. I beckoned him again, more frantic this time as our parents had already made it to the other side and I was in severe danger of dropping Angelika. Marston put on a brave face and took another few steps, his whole body trembling but his eyes hard and determined, and made his way slowly but surely towards me. Eventually he fell into my arms, toes balancing on a slat.

"Come on!" I yelled into his ear. "Just a little further!"

We made our way across the rest of the bridge, jumping at each strike of lighting that flooded the sky with a startling white light. Each boom of thunder rocked the bridge a little more. I threw my head upwards and let the strong wind catch my hair. The rush of noise filled my ears: rushing waves, gales, pouring rain. My head pounded with the onslaught of sound and my left ear began to ache with the rain hitting it at full force. 

By now, Marston had made it across the bridge after sliding past me and was wrapped in my mother's arms. Angelika was clutched in my arms and I finished the walk across the rotten slats to where my family were waiting anxiously.

I stumbled over an unseen step at the very end of the bridge and went flying to the ground. Angelika went sprawling from my arms and landed in a heap beside me. Cringing, I attempted to stand but a sharp pain shot up my side and into my shoulder. A sinister sounding crunch emitted from my shoulder as I rolled it.

"Come on, get up, darling. We'll get you to a doctor as soon as we can." My mother pulled me up in one swift movement and I stumbled to stand up right. The flash of pain made me sick and the world spun for a few moments. Before I could balance myself properly, Marston tugged on my hand to try and continue onwards. My father was now holding a very muddy and disgruntled Angelika in his arms. We were still right at the edge of the bridge and the rough water called to us.

A large bolt of lightning struck a tree in a fork in the path, the pavement splitting in two in order to accommodate it. The tree had very few leaves and was already singed slightly, almost as if it had been struck before. Marston jerked backwards in fright, dropping my hand.

Everything happened in slow motion. I watched as he stepped foot back on the bridge. I watched as his foot went through a gap in the slat. I watched as he fell with a heavy thump. And I watched as the slats broke. Horrified, I tried to reach out to grab his hand but I was too late. My parents had rushed to my side, but by the time they arrived it was far too late. Marston dropped into the rough waters like a slab of stone, immediately disappearing beneath the surface. The choppy waves washed over him, engulfed him, dragging him downstream. I watched him fight valiantly for his life but the water was too strong. He went limp and his body floated on the current.

"No!" I screamed. Tears poured from my eyes, salty and harsh. The wind whipped my face as I sunk to my knees in pain and desperation. "No...no...no..." I whispered into the path.

My parents stood shell-shocked behind me, clutching each other's arms. Silent tears fell from their eyes. I gazed into the abyss below, but Marston was long gone. My brother. My baby brother, just 19 years old. Dead.

I tugged myself upwards and took Angelika from my father's arms so he could properly hug my mother. Poor Angelika had no idea what was going on and she just cuddled my chest, attempting to warm herself.

"We have to go on," I heard my father's voice say. "We can't do anything here. The emergency workers might be able to recover him. Come on!"

We began to walk away, grief still overwhelming us but determined to have the rest of the family in safety. We won't forget, Marston. We won't forget.