Alice shuffled uneasily and peered out into the night. A cold breeze blew straight through her chilling her to the bone. She hunched down and shivered cursing under her breath. Squinting over the small, squat, poorly constructed houses, hoping to catch a glimpse of Nick who should have been there by now. They had planned to meet just before dawn on the second steps of the wall. From her vantage point she could see the entire town even though there wasn't much to see, just a little over two dozen rinky-dink structures. They had planned for weeks, and he knew as well as she did that it had to happen today. This was their last chance to leave, and the window of opportunity was getting slimmer and slimmer. Tears slid down her cheeks as she turned and retrieved her duffel bag from the step below. It looked like it had lived through one too many lifetimes, but it contained everything she owned in this world. She had to leave with or without Nick.
Reluctantly, she climbed up the steep, weathered, stone steps that led to the top of the wall taking them two at a time. She quickly reached the top of the wall that surrounded the little shoddy village, the only home she had ever known. The wall was a large, towering structure that surrounded the front of the village all the way to the stark, rocky mountain that sat to the back and perfectly cut it off from the outside world.
The sky was slowly turning a shimmering shade of deep pink and purple. Reaching the top, she took a deep breath and the air that filled her lungs was so fresh and clean that it made her lightheaded. For the first time she felt free. She didn't even bother check for anyone else on the wall. It was forbidden to even look at the wall for too long much less climb it, so she knew she was completely alone. She always wondered why they had even left the steps intact but anyone with half a mind would know better than to climb it. Most villagers treated the wall like some kind of deity which is probably why it was left untampered.
Desperation had led Alice to this. Soon enough they would find the body and she would be blamed. It was better to die a free woman that to be tortured and killed like a dog. The wind was whipping through her short curly mass of hair and for a moment it felt warm and friendly coxing her to the edge. She took slow cautious steps forward. The wall had no guard rails, so she walked all the way up to the edge.
The other side was a lot less welcoming than she had expected. A small part of her hoped that it would be a grass is greener on the other side type situation. No one had seen the other side in hundreds of years. Anyone who climbed the wall never came back to tell the tale, so she had no idea what to expect. A jagged chasm stretched out in from of her. It was two or maybe three times wider than the entire expanse of the village on the other side. In the dim light of dawn, it looked like the ravenous predator with its mouth agape about to bite down on its unassuming prey. There was no end to the depth that could be seen. Just a cold dark mystery.
A shiver ran down Alice's spine this time it had nothing to do with the cold. A fresh bout of tears was brimming in her eyes and threatened to fall as she fruitlessly attempted to blink them away. She couldn't remember the last time she cried this much, and she cursed herself for being this weak. This was her last option. Death was the only choice either by her own hand or at the hands of the merciless.
Turning back to face the village one last time she wiped her tear-stained cheeks with the back of her hands. She would have preferred not to have to face this alone. She always felt braver with Nick by her side. They had survived living on the streets of that barren wasteland of a village and she had no memory of a time before he was there. It pained her to leave him but if she got caught, he would be taken in with her even though he was innocent, and they would suffer the same brutal fate.
Although she wasn't religious, she said a prayer. Not for herself but for Nick. She gave the village one last glance and tried to brand the image in her mind so she would never forget it knowing that this was the last time she would ever see it. The wind picked up and it felt like gentle hands tugging on her clothes and pulling her toward the chasm. Building up all the courage she had she took one step back over the edge and let herself fall backwards into the unknown of the cold dark abyss.