The easy way out

The woman he loved called him a stranger, the woman he hurt called him a selfish bastard, and the woman he adores admitted to him that she’s in love with a ghost. Life had reached for his testicles and squeezed them until the pain drowned his cries for mercy. He decided that he’d had enough, he was taking the easy way out. He wrote the note, changed his will and made sure his insurance was paid up. But when the moment came he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t commit to his decision, the story of his life. He walked away from the ledge on the roof of the building that he built his career in, the security guard at reception never asked any questions, and his workaholic tendencies were well known. But little did he know that it would be the last time he’d leave that building 4 hours after everyone else had gone home.

She’d ignored his flaws and committed herself to him, a union she lived to regret. The woman he confided in, the woman he did business with, and the woman he emptied his desires into; she knew them all. She decided that she had taken all she could stomach. She packed her suitcase, called her lawyer and left the key to the house she’d failed to make a home under the carpet.

He picked the wrong day to not look twice as he crossed the road, and she’d picked the wrong day to ditch her no speeding rule. He never saw her coming, and she couldn’t slow down quick enough. He hit the windscreen and flew into the night sky. Their paths had crossed, literally. She kissed the airbag as she struggled to get out of the car, his blood was smeared onto the windscreen. Her life was over, she’d probably see jail time, what had she done to deserve such misfortune? She stood in the empty street contemplating getting back into the car and driving away. All was lost, until she heard her name called out, “Faith!” She was hallucinating, maybe the antidepressants had more side effects than those listed on the bottle.

Everything seemed to go to shit, until she realised that it was him calling out her name. “Faith,” he called out again. She walked towards him, half his body was twisted one way and his arm was human mincemeat. A cloaked figure froze her where she stood, she’d never seen death but he looked like it.  All the joy seemed to disappear from her body, she felt cold, and fear crippled her. “Faith!” This time the shout was louder. The shadowy figure seemed to levitate and fly off into the night sky. “Faith,” he called again. She knelt beside him, his arm twitched, he was alive.