Picture by @f3nix
Source:https://steemit.com/finishthestory/@bananafish/finish-the-story-contest-week-50

Here is my entry for Finish The Story Contest - Week #56!

You can find the contest at:

https://steemit.com/finishthestory/@bananafish/finish-the-story-week-56

Original Story

The Church

The air was sticky and they’d been drinking for hours. It was late into the evening of the going away party for Ron and Jenni. They’d been good friends to Sean when he first arrived, but since then they’d grown distant. In fact, it had been awhile since Sean had hung out with anyone. He’d arrived to a room full of people he didn’t know, already well on their way to getting drunk.

“It’s so great to see you,” Jenni said, offering a hug. “Sean, oh man!”

Ron offered a handshake. “Hey man, good to see you one last time.”

“Thanks for the invite,” Sean replied. “And sorry to see you going.”

The room erupted with laughter. A man had slipped and fell on his ass and he was rolling on the ground hollering away. “I’m goanna grab a cigarette,” Sean said.

“Oh wait!” Jenni grabbed his arm. “Let me introduce you to everyone!” She proceeded to bring him through the rooms of the townhome they rented for the night’s going away party. There was a Jack and a Royal and a Jeremy and a Kim and a Karen and more and Sean soon forgot all those names anyway. He finally go outside for a cigarette, his heart racing and his anxiety peaked.

“Fucking…” he mumbled to himself. “Too many fucking people in that space.”

“I know, right?”

The voice startled him. He peaked over and saw a girl sitting with pink dyed hair. “Can
I get one of those?”

“You know Jen and Ron?” Sean asked, offering her a cigarette.

“Sure,” the girl replied. “We met a few times at church.”

“Church?” Sean asked. “I’m incredulous. I didn’t know they were Christians.”

“Oh, it’s not that kind of church.” The girl took a drag on her cigarette and the presumed air of mystery she was attempting to paint annoyed him.

“Okay,” Sean said. “Well, then, what kind of church is it?”

The door to the porch opened and the music blared from inside. Ron came outside with a group of other party goers, all drunk and cheering.

“I’m telling you,” one of the guys was saying. “That girl’s totally into me. I’m going to go for it.”

“Do it!” Ron said. “We all believe in you man. Believe in yourself!” Then, turning to Sean. “We’re going for a swim!” Ron announced. He shouted it again, and the group cheered.

Sean glanced over to the girl, whose name he still didn’t know. She was smiling.

They trekked down the dirt road from the pension then through a dirt path. The ground was rocky, volcanic in some spots in that way typical to Jeju. Drunk, most of them stumbled. They passed by a fish farm, the ponds of which were covered in nets. Then a water treatment plant with rumbling generators inside its deep warehouse.
Then they reached a secret, secluded beach. The pink haired girl stripped down, an obsidian necklace dangling from her neck, glowing in the moonlight. She descended into the water.

“It warm and wonderful!” she said. “Come on.”

The group stripped down, and Sean saw many were wearing the same pendant. He began to strip as well, as the idea of warm ocean waters in such a hot night was intoxicating. He went into the water, swimming till it was deep enough to fully submerge.

When he came back up, he heard screaming.

---

Here is my ending

Lantern lights flooded the shore of the beach, authorities warned about an illegal trespass and something about a private area.

"I must go," Sean shouted to the pink-haired girl.

Sean swam quickly to shore. He couldn't get in trouble with the authorities again, another strike and he would be sent to prison. Fortunately, the salt water and adrenaline in his blood had dissipated the effect of alcohol.

Everyone was running through the sand escaping from the guards. In the confusion, Sean forgot Ron and Jenni. As he took his clothes, a familiar Voice surprised him from behind.

"Follow me! I know another way out"

Sean decided to follow the pink-haired girl. He put on his shoes and ran after her. He still ran naked, the sand on his feet bothered him, but he couldn't stop to wipe his feet.

They reached an asphalt road and followed the road to the village. Lights illuminated the road and behind it the sound of a siren made them stop.

Two officers got off the patrol and pointed their taser guns at the couple. The fattest of them lets see a fence of two days without shaving, chewed a toothpick and with a chuckle said

"Whoa, whoa! What we have here?"

The girl covered her body with the clothes she was wearing in her arms.

The youngest pointed his flashlight at the couple and warned in fear

"Drop whatever you hold in your hands."

The girl dropped her clothes and stayed complete naked in front of the two cops.

Sean clenched his teeth after seeing the fat policeman's lustful look.

The thinnest one approached her, put away his taser gun and pulled out his handcuffs. His pulse trembled when he saw the girl's bare chest up close. The policeman stuttered the girl's rights when suddenly she took his hand and folded it behind his back, quickly draw his taser gun out and shot it at the other policeman. This other policeman, who was still pointing at hers, shot his charge at the girl, she shielded herself with the thinnest, making both unconscious by the electrical shock.

Sean was like a fish out of the sea. His two eyes wide open did not believe what they saw.

The girl took her clothes and went up to the patrol.

"Are you gonna wait for them to wake up?"

Sean got in the car and they left the scene.

"You're gonna have to tell me what kind of church you belong to," Sean joked.

After passing through a fast-food establishment, impersonating police to order free burgers and then scampering through the streets with the siren on. They stopped in front of the bus station.

"I suppose you get off here," warned the girl.

A feeling of relief and at the same time sadness took hold of Sean.

The sun was beginning to rise, a beam of light illuminated the girl's clear eyes. Actually, she was more beautiful than he had thought.

"What will you do with the patrol?"

"I'll leave it somewhere public"

They both stared at each other for a while.

A man shouted about a bus about to depart for a familiar destination. Sean sighed and the girl smiled. He got out of the car.

"Hey!" Sean peered out of the car window. The girl gave him a card and then after turning on the siren, she went out burning rubbers.

Sean walked towards the bus, annoyed with himself for not asking her name. He looked at the URL printed on the card and knew that not everything was lost.

“BananaFishTribe.org”