"Wait."
Mae heard the same soft and terrifying voice she had heard in the alley before, and it was Ayden, holding on to Mae by her sleeves.
"What was he doing here?" Mae thought to herself, as she locked eyes with Ayden, and terror filled her eyes as she remembered the brutality that he displayed just a night prior
"Why are you here!?" Mae asked him, her voice distressed by the tearing sleeve.
"Me? I just followed you here. I thought you may not know this place well, and looks like I was right. I think I should be the one asking 'What are YOU doing here?' " Ayden asked, still in a nice but stern voice.
Mae bit her lips, as she knew that she couldn't say out loud that she wanted to end her life.
"It's... not very gentleman-like to poke into a lady's business, is it?" Mae retorted, hoping she could deflect the topic, but the burning fire of curiosity in Ayden's mind only grew deeper.
"Well, It's not very ladylike either to be standing at the edge of a cliff too, you know? So I believe I'm justified asking this here."
"I'm just here to..." Mae hesitated for a bit, before shaking her head, and starting to shout again "Why don't you just leave me the fuck alone? Why did you even follow me in the first place?" Mae again tried to deflect the question, hoping that Ayden would leave her alone regarding this.
Ayden didn't reply, he just stared at her with a cold face.
"What do you want from me, you monster?"
Ayden didn't reply to this question either. He just had an expressionless face. It just felt like Mae was talking to a rock.
It then clicked into Mae's head, that Ayden wanted his previous question of what she was doing here, answered.
"However many times you ask, I'm not-"
_rrip rip_
There was a sudden, sharp rip, and the already worn fabric that was supporting the entire weight of Mae started to tear at the sleeve that Ayden was holding.
_rrrrrrrripp_
There was a sudden, sharp rip, and the already worn fabric that was supporting the entire weight of Mae started to tear at the sleeve that Ayden was holding.
Mae's body swayed back, getting dangerously close to the edge as the fabric started to tear more. Mae's facial expression changed, as she realized that the fabric won't hold for much longer.
"Tell me the reason, and I'll drag you back in," Ayden said, in an ever so unconcerned tone.
Mae's mind was made up, she wanted to end it all, but somehow, being under pressure like this was a stark contrast to her standing on this cliffside alone. She could feel the pressure from the words of this man, and finally, with tears in her eyes, she admitted to him out loud.
"I wanted to end my life here today."
"Oh, okay," Ayden replied casually as a yawn escaped his mouth.
"Huh?" Mae was stunned, because first thing, Ayden did not pull her in. Her heart started to beat in her neck.
"W-why aren't you pulling me in?" She inquired, urgency in her voice.
"You said you wanted to end your life here, and I help people with whatever they want, so why should I stop you?"
"B-but you said-"
_rrrrrrip_
The sleeve was now almost torn apart, Mae's entire weight being held by a single woven strand of red thread.
Mae's eyes showed pure desperation, and in that moment, she didn't hesitate.
"Save me-"
_Chik_
The thread snapped, and Mae lost her balance, and her world went dark.
"This is how it ends, huh?" Mae thought to herself, as she quietly closed her eyes.
"Maybe I should've asked him earlier. Why did I even choose to come here? I'm such an idiot." She thought to herself.
Weirdly enough, she couldn't feel any wind that was hitting her body, and was wondering "Why would that be? Was the descent so fast that I hit the ground before I even realized it?"
Suddenly, Mae was able to get up and walk, it was just pitch black all around her. To her, it felt like she was just walking in nothingness. "Is this what my subconscious looks like?"
"Mae." it seemed like a voice was calling to her from a distance.
Mae spun around, trying to ascertain the source of the voice. "Who is it?" She called out, expecting an answer, but she didn't get any response.
"You there?" Mae could hear a distant echo calling out to her. She spun around in all directions and realized that the noise was coming in from all directions.
It sounded like her mother.
"Mom?" She called out loud, tears flowing from her eyes, as the gravity of the fact that everything was over finally started to dawn on her.
"Why... Did I even decide to come here..." Mae fell to her knees and started to sob.
"Mae, wake up." The echoing voice got closer, but now she recognized the voice.
It was Ayden, calling out to her.
Mae's sobs gradually subsided as Ayden's voice became clearer. She blinked through her tears, trying to focus on the familiar sound. "Ayden?" she whispered, her voice still shaky.
"Hey there, Mae," Ayden said gently as he approached, offering a hand of support.
Mae physically recoiled from his hand, as she started to panic.
"The hell are you doing in my subconscious mind?" Mae asked, taking another couple of steps back.
"I'm trying to wake you up, so wake up." After Ayden said that, without any warning, he lunged forward grabbed Mae's hand, and started to run in the opposite direction.
"Hey! What the hell do you think-"
Then, she could see a blinding white light taking shape in front of the direction Ayden was running towards.
Just as they were about to reach the source of the light, everything suddenly shifted.
Mae jolted awake with a start, her surroundings changing yet again. Her eyes opened to see the green leaves of a tree, interjecting with the otherwise brilliantly blue sky.
She found herself lying on a soft surface, and to her astonishment, she was sprawled across Ayden's lap.
"Welcome back to this world," Ayden said, a slight smile across his face.
"How... am I alive?" Mae asked, looking into Ayden's eyes.
"You asked to be saved... So I saved you. I didn't expect you'd faint from the shock though." A small chuckle escaped Ayden as he said that.
Mae's confusion began to clear, and she slowly comprehended that she was indeed on Ayden's lap. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as the realization sank in.