My mind was blaring. And my survival instincts started to kick in.

A faint memory came to mind from an instant at school when I was about... maybe 13?

Some weird people from a protection program came to teach all the girls in our school how to fend off an attacker. More importantly- a male attacker.

As much as I didn't want to do what I had to... I did it.

In a nutshell, I gave Aiden a... Testicular torsion in order to get out of his grasp.

Probably need to burn my hand after this...

He flinches and lets go of me, cursing and shouting in a bit of agony.

I took this opportunity to run.

'Just get home, he won't be able to do anything once you're behind closed doors'

My pace quickened and quickened, trying my best to navigate through the park at the darkest time of night.

I thought I was widening the gap between us, but I was mistaken. Another pair of heavy and quick footsteps echoed throughout the night, getting closer behind me.

I knew running was my best chance, but I kept forgetting that Aiden was just as athletic-- maybe even more. And his pain tolerance was just as impressive.

But I didn't care about any of that.

The key words 'run', 'escape' and 'survive' kept echoing through my mind. It kept shouting to get away from him.

My actions began getting more sloppier, taking riskier shortcuts and more dangerous paths. I started cutting through and weaving past trees, jumping over small water banks, and going through more harsher and rougher terrain.

Despite all my efforts, it was all futile.

By the time I got back onto the main path, my body was yanked back. Soon the two of us toppled over and ended up on the ground. My back was against the path and Aiden had cradled himself on top of me.

I opened my mouth, an instinct to scream out. Even though I knew it was pointless, I wanted to try. But Aiden knew what I was going to do... so he stopped me by placing his hand over my mouth.

I thrashed my body, wanting to be let go, desperate to get out. I shouted and screamed, but his hand muffled it all.

"Y/N. Listen to me." Aiden says, calmly.

But I didn't want to listen to him. Not anymore.

I continued to thrash and to try to scream, which caused Aiden's grip onto me to tighter and tighter.

"JUST LISTEN TO ME" He shouted down to me.

I hesitantly stopped after hearing his tone and seeing his face.

Aiden was different.

His eyes just now... His whole expression just then looked of a man who was ready to kill.

Aiden right now... Seems like he's on the brink of snapping.

'Am I going to get killed? Is he gonna do what I think he's going to do..?'

This was the first time I've been scared in a long time...

I never easily get scared... And yet- here we are...

But I tried my best to keep calm- or as calm as somebody can be in a situation like this.

"Look, Y/N. I'm NOT going to violate you by any means... Why would I ever want to do that to you? You're my friend." Aiden assures me, a twisted smirk appears on his lips, "All I want to do to you... Is make you feel every bit of anguish I experienced when you betrayed me."

'Betrayed him?'

"You betrayed me for that.... fucking-- ugh. I don't even want to mention him by his name. Hearing it makes me want to just punch the wall..." He growled.

'He's talking about Tom... Great. So what? He's jealous?'

"Hearing you talk, laugh and smile with that... insect, makes me just want to throw myself off a cliff and swan dive into a cluster of sharks." His expression darkened at the thought.

'Gotta be dramatic, huh?'

"Why did you have to change, Y/N? Everything would've been fine if you didn't..." Aiden murmured. His grip on me tightened once more, "Was being there for you not enough...? Was following your lead on everything NOT ENOUGH?!"

'I dunno. Maybe my tipping point was you flipping out on me during detention? or maybe it's because of what you're doing right now. I'm pretty conflicted.'

"Before you were in that community- you use to be the center of it all.... A pure diamond. Someone that no one would dare mess with..." He says. His smile then softened, "You amazed me, you really did exceed any and all expectations I had for a person... And that became even more clear when you saved me..."

'...so now you're a simp? who knew showing someone a little shred of pity would end up being the cause of my demise?'

"I've always wanted you as a friend..." Aiden quietly spoke out, loosening his grip over my mouth for a quick moment before tightening it twice as hard, "But he's made it so much harder for me to keep you as one..."

Aiden stares deep into my eyes, he begins sneering.

"Come on, Y/N.... I know more than he does, Y/N. He doesn't know anything about you, Y/N..!!"

"What happen to the Y/N that use to face danger with a huge smile..? The Y/N that would never shy or run away from anything..?" He asks me, seeming desperate to know, "I want my Y/N back. I want our trio back. Me, you and Luca. That's all I desire in the world anymore..."

This whole situation is weird. It was weird- but it just got a whole lot more weirder... and more alarming.

He's doing all this... because I've changed?

my god- what the world has come to...

Aiden then starts chuckling to himself, sitting up and getting off me a bit. He then raises up to display his pocket knife to me.

"I'm going to reset you, Y/N. To remind you of all the good times we had together... All the fun, all the harm, all the sadness... everything."

At this, he then brings the blade down to my knees and starts slicing away at them.

The cuts that I thought were going to be small, quick and clean... ended up being ones that were deep, largening and slowly made.

My vision started to cloud because of the tears forming. I didn't want this. This was a horrible feeling. The air was seeping into the wounds, making the feeling a whole lot worse.

I madly shook and turned my head on all shorts of angles, hoping to get a little bit of freedom. And when I successfully made Aiden's hand slip, I bit down... hard.

The taste of nicotine and fresh crimson blood started to build up in my mouth as I continued to bite down on his palm.

Aiden let out a quick and sharp gasp of surprise, loosening his grip onto me. I scrambled out from under him and horridly got away.

I didn't even notice that I dropped the shopping. I was too busy running to care.

I kept hearing Aiden curse out at me, shouting my name in such an angry and deathly manner.

The hope to escape was there, the opportunity was there.... But of course, it wasn't going to be that easy... and my opportunity wasn't going to be given so easily.

Every step I took made my legs more and more swore. Every bend my knee would make as I ran stung like hell.

But I continued to run anyways. I was desperate for the chance to escape that I didn't care to think about my own injuries.

Soon enough, my legs gave out from under me, scaping hard against the concrete upon the fall.

I laid there for a moment, taking note of my heavy breathing.

I still needed to get out of here. I was back on the main path, and I was close to the exit.... Surely I would be able to make it.

Out of desperation, I started using my arms to drag my body to crawl forward.

'I can still make it' I kept telling myself.

But Aiden caught up to me.

He just stared down at me as I tried to crawl and claw my way to freedom. He stared down at me in pity.

The same kind of expression I gave him when I first ever saved him all that time ago.

Actually... this reminds me of the exact instant of when I saved him.

Aiden lets out a sigh, bending down and picking me up bridal style from off of the ground.

No matter how much I wanted to leave his arms, I didn't have the strength or energy to do so.

"You can't fight anymore, Y/N... Just allow this to happen. Be able to feel the pain I've went through... and then you'll understand how cruel you are...." he murmurs, "Oh, Y/N.... You're so unbelievably cruel."

'I'm the one whos cruel? funny...'

Aiden eyes around his surroundings, his eyes landing on a nearby body of water... What I assumed to be a water bank.

"Maybe drowning will make more sense for your sentence...? Slow, painful... suffocating... the desperation for air to be your savior..." He starts to list off.

He then starts to walk towards- what I assume is the body of water.

"Do you believe in being reincarnation? being reborn?" Aiden questions me, soon smiling softly down at me, "You loved when others make references... I know you do... You use to tell me all the time...."

No words were exchanged between the two of us. My ears were ringing, and I believed that Aiden was just trying to pay attention on where he was going.

"Let's reborn you Y/N... Back to the Y/N that got me, who understood me... who believed everything I said..." He says.

We come to a stop, and Aiden glances back down to me.

"So, don't you dare be a quitter"

After he finishes his sentence, I felt a lack of presence. I felt a quick gust of wind brushed past me. And soon after, all sound that I previously heard turned into a muffled and suffocating mess.

My body went into a bit of a cold shock, but it settled after a while. Then it replaced with a stinging pain- at least reduced to my knees.

I didn't dare open my eyes. I already knew I was in the water. I knew there was no point in opening my eyes unless I wanted to really mess up my eyes. If my knees were hurting this badly, what would happen to my eyes?

I felt my back hit the bottom of the body of water soon enough. But, I didn't even try to move- to survive.

My legs felt immobile. They were so swore that I didn't dare to move them. I couldn't swim up- even if I wanted to.

Maybe this is for the best. Most of my life- I was a horrible person anyways. So- maybe I do deserve an ending like this.

I eased my body to the current situation.

No point in fighting anymore.... right?

I just peacefully laid there, unmoving. Accepting life and the realization as it came to me.