Suicide

10 years later (present day: 12 May 2058)

My world was ending.

People would consider that quite ironic, for the world itself had already ended 10 years ago. Nobody took the time to realize that, for they were the ones who caused the damage. They caused male extinction.

It was sad, knowing that I had no one left to turn to. Greed had corrupted the minds of all the women in the world. The good, the bad, all of them. My very own mother was one of them too. It made me want to disown myself, knowing that I was the child of one of those witches.

I recalled everything that happened on the day of male extinction as I stood on the sharp edge of a building, ready to jump off and end my short journey of life. That was how bad it was. The cruelness of society killed the child within me. It killed my happiness. I might as well have finished the job by killing my body too.

"Thando, stop!" A familiar voice echoed from the back of my head.

I wasn't going to listen to it. Never listen to those creepy voices in your head. They'll only make you paranoid. I knew damn well that that voice was fear trying to conquer the little self-consciousness I had left in me. But when I heard the voice echo within the background the second time, that was when I realized that that voice was coming from the one person I cared for most in that dystopian world.

"Thando, get down from there! It's dangerous." Amara pleaded, her voice soft and sweet as usual

Amara was the only sane person I knew in this world. We knew each other ever since primary school. When we met at first, she appeared so rowdy and hyperactive, as if she were on a wild sugar rush. But once we became friends, I started to see her soft side. And lately, that was the only side I had been seeing in her. She and I were 17 years old, so we've both been through hell and havoc for the past 10 years.

"Thando, come down from there so that we can talk. It doesn't have to be this way."

"It does." I said, my voice cracking. My lips were dry and peeling due to the coldness of the weather.

I turned my entire body around to face her, and there she was. She was beautiful, believe me. I was the only person who told her that, but she kept denying it. She looked scared, and her eyes were red as if she was crying not so long ago. I bit my dry lip in guilt as I witnessed my only friend in such a state. I never meant to make her cry. I was only doing this, so that she wouldn't have to see me cry anymore. I had to jump, not for me, but so that she could be happy without my unhappiness.

"I'm sorry for doing this, but I have to." I said

"No you don't." She protested, "I know you're scared. I'm scared too, but this isn't the solution. Please come down so we can chat. I'll even make you your favorite tea."

I smiled at that thought. A warm cup of tea in my hands, a cosy blanket over my lap, jazz music playing softly in the background, Amara next to me---no! Those moments could die within seconds, then it would be back to square one again-- unhappiness. I needed to leave the world, and fast. I turned around, my back facing Amara, and readied myself to fall to my death.

Amara sobbed behind me as I tried to concentrate. I gritted my teeth. No, Thando. Don't go back, Thando. Don't do it Thando. Don't run back to her, Thando. Don't--- darn it!

I jump off the edge and ran to Amara, embracing her with my cold arms. Her body was warm, and...soaked? I let go of her and observed her shirt. I widened my eyes after I realized it wasn't wetness from sweat or water. It was blood. And more of it seeped down her shirt and dripped onto the ground. She had a knife in her had too. Something was definitely wrong

"Amara! What ha--"

Before I knew it, she swiftly moved the knife and stabbed it into my chest. The knife tore into my favorite shirt, and splunged into my skin. The blood felt cold, numbness in the place of pain. My vision became nothing but a blur. The last thing I knew was that a few seconds later, Amara pressed her body against mine, and whispered,

"You and I... will die together..."

Then, she pushed me away, leaving me to fall to the ground. It felt as if everything was moving in slow motion. The fast wind turned into a gentle zephyr. The weight of the knife in my chest felt light, and the blood tickled my skin. Was that me slowly entering hell? Was that how my life was destined to end?

Then, I landed on surface.

My eyes were closed shut. I lay on a ground which surprisingly felt warm and fluffy. The atmosphere felt strange too...was I dead?

I shot my eyes open and jolted up. I scanned my surroundings, and found that I was in my room, on my bed the whole time.

It was just a dream.