Each inhale, each exhale seemed to grow louder by the second. The sounds of the cars behind me were beginning to melt into a dull roar.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Toes curled over the edge, hands on the rail. The iciness of the metal doesn’t affect me. The cold concrete beneath my bare feet doesn’t bother me. I barely notice her come up behind me. She places a hand on my shoulder, the other in a death grip on the rail.

Her face is pained, her gaze is clouded with tears.

“You promised. You said you wouldn’t do this.”

I looked at her, pitying her naivety. “You don’t know what it’s like. This pain, this unbelievable pain. I can feel it pressing in on me from every side. And the voices. These damn voices never stop.” I gave her one last look as I released my fingers from the rail and let go.

A grin spread across my face: this is the end.

A sharp pain in my arm pulls me back into reality. Leila had grabbed my wrist, suspending me 40 feet over the water.

“Leila let go, let me fall.”