She had been sobbing for hours.
I watched helplessly from the living room couch, my heart yearning to help her as she wiped her nose and rubbed her eyes.
"Sasha..." I started to say, and she looked up and stared at me. Her eyes were pink and puffy from crying, snot running down her nose. 273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0a17n9JoMF
But I couldn't say anything. There were no words that came to mind to comfort her. I couldn't help.
I was helpless.
"What is it, Ashley?" Sasha cried, "I can't do this anymore. I can't go on."
"I know," was my reply, nodding as sniffed again, hiccuping from the horrible sobs that continued to rack her body, the grief a dark claw around her heart.
"I just-I can't do this. I can't keep on living when I know what you've done. I can hardly look at you."
"I know," I repeated, regret filling my voice as I looked away from her.
"Why, Ash? Why would you do it? We had a whole life ahead of us! I needed you." Sasha waved her arms around as she spoke, furious at the horrible thing I had done. "And now you're-now you're a..."
"A killer." I finished.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZKham92bc
"Why?" 273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWbYRvkgER
"I don't know!" I shouted, standing as I screamed in her face. Her lip quivered, as new tears sprang to her eyes. 273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpuLlsTydD
"Oh, no...I'm sorry," I immediately apologized, sitting back on the couch. "It's just-It's just my anger. It's just too much. I can't keep pushing it inside and leaving it to shrivel away. I need to let it out."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcIdvwZhsG
Sasha was silent for a moment, then set her jaw as she glared at me. 273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNtrtsNe3K
"By killing people?!" 273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MVkAuX3h4
"I-no...yes. I just-I got really mad one night, and I just...snapped." I began to scratch at my palms-as if that could clean the blood on my hands. 273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDhDpug3b4
"I-I can't believe you!" Sasha screamed, ripping at her hair. "I mean...why? Why couldn't you just go to therapy? You killed five people, Ash. Five."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGKjfPCIT5
"I know," I was starting to believe this was the most a person could ever say those two words. 273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQy1PIoLKB
Sasha laughed, almost maniacally. "Of course, you know! You always know! Just like how you knew I shouldn't go to college, and how you knew that Megan was a bad person for me. But of course, you knew that you were the perfect person! Well, guess what? I dated a-"
"Stop." I gripped her wrists in my hands, pulling my face close to hers. "We used to be in love. We were going to be okay. And now you're throwing that away for my mistake. Give me another chance. You can visit me in prison."
Her brown eyes were filled with fear, her freckles standing out on her white face as I stared at her. Even though she was terrified, I still thought she was beautiful.
I couldn't help myself. I let go of one of her wrists, pulling her waist close to me as I kissed her. She was frozen in fear, perhaps remembering the time we used to spend with each other. Before I made the mistake. Before she couldn't look at me the same.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qneGeJK6H
But that only lasted for a moment. Her hands reached up to my shirt and pushed me away.
"You had your chance," Sasha muttered, her voice ice cold. She rubbed her lips with the back of her hand, erasing our final kiss, a kiss that should never have occurred.
"But I can't be your girlfriend again." Sasha's eyes fell to the ground, before staring back at mine. "And you can't be mine."
I was in shock. She was really leaving me. After all we'd been through, I wasn't the girl she met.
But that shock quickly turned to anger.
"But you can't leave me," I argued, glaring at her with a rage far greater than the one I'd been feeling as I killed all those people. "We're together. Soulmates. You...are mine. I love you."
I didn't notice how I was striding towards her, as she backed up in fear. I ignored it until her back hit the living room wall. 273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmthJrlNmk
"Ash..." she warned, staring up at me as I glared down at her, "What are you doing?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9aDYPNwfqw
"I love you. And you love me. We're together. Forever."
"This isn't love, Ash," Sasha held her hands up in front of me as I felt my hand reach behind me for my knife in my back pocket.
"Ash...what are you doing?" Sasha froze in fear as she stared into my eyes, my grip still strong on the switchblade's handle.
"We will be together...forever," I said in a daze, one hand on her shoulder and the other on the knife. "You...are mine."
I raised the switchblade next to her throat...
...and stopped.
Her eyes were closed, tears running down her cheeks. Her hands were gripping my arm which still held the knife, and I dropped it as I stared at her beautiful face.
I was going to kill her.
Like the others.
No...
"Ash?" Sasha tentatively asked, as I let go of her and slowly backed away.
"Ash, what are you doing?"
I ran out of the house and down the street.
"Ash!"
I didn't know what to do. I had been in a trance, blinded by my rage, and almost killed Sasha. But I...I wouldn't do that, right? I love Sasha.
But she was right, this isn't love.
I finally found the bridge.
"Ash!" Sasha shouted as she found me climbing the barrier. "Ash, don't do this. Turn yourself in. We can still be together, I promise! Just...please, don't. Don't jump."
I turned, looking at Sasha as she shivered in the cold. She didn't have any shoes on, and her hair flew in her face from the wind.
"I'm sorry, Sasha," I apologized, then turned to face the water below. "But I have to do this." 273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMEfSh3iIP
"No, you don't." Sasha held a hand out, her fingers just grazing my shoulder. "Ash, you can still live. I'll visit you in prison, I promise."
"No..." I answered, "No, I'll just keep hurting people. I almost killed you. I don't want to do that to anyone again."
"Then listen to me," Sasha pleaded, and I turned around and looked at her. "Don't do this to yourself. Climb up the barrier and come with me to the other side. We'll turn you in, and we'll figure the rest out from there. Just please, come here. Come back to me."
But I had already made up my mind.
"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever met," I said to her, putting a hand up to her cheek as I took a deep breath. "I love you, Sasha Jones."
I jumped.
I couldn't hurt anyone else. 273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzg1hAUoQG
I was free.
ns 15.158.61.6da2
