“We’re weaker when we’re apart.”
“So we just have to be together.”
“We can’t.”
“No…”
“Promise me you’ll protect yourself. Even if I’m not there, you’ll be safe.”
“No, Reina. No.”
“I’ll be safe, too. We’ll meet again. Promise.”
“I promise.”
I’m thrown back to the present with a shove. I stand on the edge, nearly falling down. That’s when I realize I’m literally on the edge.
My surroundings have turned pitch black, but I recognize the college’s towers and the town’s lights in the distance.
I remember coming up to the roof and closing my eyes, then…what?
Why the hell am I standing on the ledge?
My arms are bound behind my back and duct tape covers my mouth. The rope is tied to a pole behind me and my whole body is angled forward as if I’m about to free-fall from the roof.
The reality of my situation hits me like a violent storm.
I shriek, but the sound is muted by the duct tape.
Closing my eyes, I breathe deeply. This must be a nightmare. I’m trapped in a nightmare.
I slowly open my eyes, and the darkness grips me by the throat again. Like a savage animal, it claws at my skin and crunches my bones.
The ground is so far away. If the ropes fail, my skull will be crushed to pieces. There are no people in sight.
I’m going to fall.
I’m going to die.
No.
Not now. I didn’t survive this long to die now.
Panic won’t help me. Not at all. I grip the rope with both hands and drag my unsteady leg on the solid edge.
The pole creaks behind me. The ropes loosen, moving me farther out.
I lose my footing and scream. My nails dig into the rope and I hold on to it with all my might.
My fingers scrape, and a hot liquid trickles from underneath my nails.
Air suffocates me and I can’t breathe. For a moment, I let that gloomy cloud take over my mind.
Why don’t you let the rope drop you?
Why don’t you die?
I shake my head furiously, inhaling shaky breaths.