Better Off Edit

The flame cast an amber light as it lapped at her rosebud cheek. The milky white tear hardened as it slid down her face. He held the candle’s flame close to her flesh with a frightening indifference painted upon his face. She made not attempt to escape the dancing flame as he burned her. True tears began to bead in her eyes, threatening to fall in time with those of wax.
After a moment he stopped, and as he walked out of the bathroom and down the hall the candle faded away in his grasp – it was no longer important. He walked into the living room, occupied by friends of both his and hers, and sat in an empty chair. Time passed as everything around him blurred and the faceless voices around him became distant.
The colors of the room around him swirled and the noise was soundless. A second woman drifted into the churning room and he could feel her stare burning a hole in him. Her eyes lambasted and scorched his conscience. She seemed to float towards him, with her arm cocked and ready. As she approached him he could not help but look back into her eyes. His eyes were filled with apathy. Her hand fluttered for a moment before it lashed out at his face.
Clarity came with the sting of the slap. The room snapped into focus and noise cascaded into his ears.
“Sara, what the fuck,” John, a mutual friend, said as he rose from his chair, prepared to stop the situation from escalating any further.
“You fuckin’ bastard,” she snarled as she jumped upon him possessed by rage. Her arms flailed about as he sat there indifferently taking the blows. After a moment John and others attempted to restrain her.
“The fuck is wrong with you?” John yelled out as he clasped her around the waist and pulled her away.
“Him! That fuck,” she screamed. As her legs kicked violently, striving to strike him as they tasted the air. “He hurt her again. He burned her. He fucking burned her!”
The groups knowing stare fell upon him as he looked at his feet.
“What’d you do?” John demanded of him. Their eyes locked for a moment before he looked away once more. “You – you sonofabitch,” he stuttered as he let go of Sara. “Get the fuck outta here. Now.” He didn’t move. “I said get the fuck out of here,” John said coldly.
“John,” one friend tried to object.
“No,” John motioned for his silence. “I said, get the fuck outta here. Are you not listening to me?” He ripped him from his chair and grasped the collar of his shirt, “GET THE FUCK OUT!”
The corners of his mouth curled as he smiled at John. After a standoffish moment he broke John’s wrists with one fluid motion. It was nothing to him. John fell backward as he walked away from the jostling room. John’s new plight caused no one to notice him walk down the hallway towards her.
The sounds in the living room were drowned out by the thunderous sound of her muffled sobs moving down the all but empty white hallway. Without knocking her opened the bathroom door. She sat on the floor huddled within herself crying. He went to her and without a word took her in his arms and she buried her head into his warm chest.
He felt her hair softly with one hand, and took hold of her elbow using the other. He spoke to her, “I’m sorry.”
He lied and she knew.
She continued to cry.
“Listen to me. I’m sorry. You know I am.” His lies only made her sobs louder and her tears sting worse.
“Go,” she said. “I don’t want to see you anymore.”
“Please.”
“No.”
“I love you,” he told the truth.
She looked up at him and smiled as tears rolled down her cheeks, “If you love something…” she lost her words.

“That’s a bunch of crap,” he whispered..

“I know.”
She let him look into her loving eyes for a moment before she lowered her head. He brushed back her blonde bangs and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry.” He lied.
She pulled away and he began to leave the room. “I love you,” he said once more. He closed the door as she started to cry once more.
He didn’t notice that everyone had left when he walked through the living room. He made a beeline for the exit. He had an old fried at home he wanted to see. A frayed rope.
He met the chilly night air and a sprinkling of rain as he swung the storm door open and walked outside. He made no attempt to hurry as he strolled down the sidewalk. The rain comforted him and eased his self-loathing mind, but not the pain. No, what would ease his pain stood in the shadows.
He knew she was there, bu he walked on towards the darkness. He could see the glint of the gun before she wanted him t. He stopped as Sara walked out of the shadows, realizing he had seen her.
“You’re not going to hurt anyone else,” she said as she moved towards Him.

“Who’s going to stop me? You?”

“Y-yeah.”

“What?”

“Me.”

“Do it then,” He said, advancing on her.

“Stop,” she said as he came towards her. “I’ll shoot.”

“No shit.” He wanted to smile as he came closer.

“I will.”
He was nearly upon her.

“Good,” He said, inches from the barrel of the gun. “Do it.” A tear ran down Sara’s cheek. “Look at you. Crying just like her.”

“Stop it.”
“Do it.” He kneeled before her.

“I am!”

“THEN FUCKING DO IT!” He yelled at her, swallowing the barrel into his mouth.

She began to sob as the rain picked up strength.

“Shoot me,” he tried to speak with the gun in his mouth. “Fucking do it!”

“I will.”

Light suddenly engulfed the area as lightning flashed above them.

He spat the gun out of his mouth, and she lowered it, as he began to choke up. “Just shoot me. Please. I’m fuckin’ begging you.” Tears formed at the corners of his eyes.

“I can’t.”

“Please.”

“I CAN’T!”

Rain and tears poured down his face as he sobbed and yelled, “It’s not going to stop. I can’t stop. I’m just gonna hurt her again. Please. Make me stop.” He pleaded. "She's better off," he dropped his head, "without me."

She slowly raised the gun to attention and without hesitation pulled the trigger, sending the monster to Hell.

A moment later, he woke up.

“No.”