A Connection That Transcends Time and Space

Tejumole gritted her teeth and extended her hands once more. She would never be controlled again, especially not by a freaking voice.

Even if they all sounded like hers…

She closed in on the child before he could react and wrapped her hands around him. After which, she carried him and gently placed him down.

He was light, and she could feel his bones sticking out while she held him. Looks like he also had a difficult time.

She slowly separated from the kid and spoke in the softest voice she could muster.

"…don't… stay…so… close… to the…edge. You…will fall…" Her words came out broken and hoarse. A far cry to the tone she attempted to use.

The child watched her silently and didn't respond. He probably saw her as a freak.

But wasn't she…

Tejumole glanced at the knife in her hands and smiled bitterly.

Unlike her appearance, this knife was relatively clean, but she knew it was the filthiest of all.

After all, she had killed people with it.

Her hands were tainted with blood. She now carried a stain that would never wash away in her body and soul. A stain that she knew would, sadly, only continue to expand.

Tired, Tejumole proceeded to ignore the child as she slid to the ground. She had helped him using the last remaining goodness in her heart.

If he still decided to jump, then that was his business.

She closed her eyes and arranged her thoughts. Already, her consciousness was starting to blur, but she bit her tongue to remain awake.

The resulting sharp pain and iron taste in her mouth allowed her to retain a semblance of clarity.

The black screen with blood-red letters remained in front of her eyes. Even when she shut her eyelids, it remained in her sight.

This made her feel like there were a pair of callous eyes recording her every move.

It was particularly unnerving.

"Close." She tried for the umpteenth time to shut the screen and, perhaps feeling her resentment, it finally disappeared from her view.

She sighed in relief, but the dark thoughts she tried to quell were starting to resurface.

'Kill. Kill. KILL THE SINNERS!' The whispers were getting louder and Tejumole felt the urge consume her thoughts.

She was falling into a dark abyss that she was beginning to find oddly comfortable and reassuring.

It was like a soft embrace that took away all her fears and troubles. A warm embrace she knew would hold her forever. An embrace…that she never wanted to leave.

"You'll die if you don't go to a hospital." An unfamiliar voice brought Tejumole out of her thoughts. She peeled her eyes open and turned her head to the source.

The little boy was now sitting next to her with his gaze on the stars.

Tejumole tilted her head to look at him. His childish voice pulled her away from the abyss and caused her ragged breathing to return to normal.

"Lady, can you hear me?" The child now faced her and waved a hand from side to side, trying to get her attention.

Tejumole nodded, and he dropped his hand, hesitating a bit before speaking.

"… I wasn't going to jump." His youthful voice resounded in the night, and although he spoke seriously, Tejumole could swear she saw a trace of guilt in his gaze.

He lied, but his dishonesty made her want to laugh instead. Something she hadn't done in a long time.

Seeing her twinkling gaze, the child knew she didn't believe him. He repeated his words, even more solemn than before, like he wanted to convince himself and the lady.

"I wasn't going to jump."

"Okay…" She responded, and the child nodded in satisfaction before resting his back.

They remained silent with the steady wind, sounds of nocturnal animals and each others breathing as their symphony.

"My name is Haoyu." Haoyu felt he should introduce himself and he did.

"I'm…Tejumole…" She responded and continued.

"Why…are…you…alone?"

"Why are you alone?" He questioned back.

"They were killed." Tejumole responded calmly. She didn't specify who 'they' were and spoke like it was nothing serious.

"I see…my dad was taken. He's probably dead." Haoyu spoke with lowered eyes, but his tone was devoid of despair. If he were affected, he did a good job at hiding it.

No one spoke after this. They were both lost in thoughts.

Haoyu glanced at Tejumole. She was such a strange person. With his senses, he could detect the strong smell of blood surrounding her.

However, there was also something about her that attracted his attention. He didn't know if it was because they were in similar states or that she 'saved' him but…

Thinking for a moment, Haoyu rose to his feet and extended a hand towards Tejumole.

"Do you want to leave?" He questioned the lady who stared at his outstretched hand.

Tejumole eyed the small hand reaching out to her.

Should she take it?

She had committed so many sins, so dying here was what she deserved.

But, the child is alone, too. If I die, will he survive?

She glanced at the small figure waiting patiently for her decision, and then at her right hand holding the knife.

The hand reaching out to her was like the only source of light in a world of darkness. It was like the light at the end of a tunnel. Attractive and compelling. She couldn't help but want to grasp the soft radiance.

And she did exactly that.

Tejumole placed her good hand on top of Haoyu's, as her left hand was broken and could barely move.

Haoyu supported her trembling figure with his smaller one. He wondered what could have happened to leave her in such a terrible state. They were nearly the same height, and he was just a few inches shorter.

The two people walked slowly and soon left the bridge with their battered bodies. Their destination, still a mystery.

Behind them was a small kitchen knife that gleamed softly, left behind by its owner.

Not long after the duo disappeared, the old bridge collapsed, and the knife was lost forever.

Under the canopy of a moonless night, two people who met by chance after suffering great pain, encountered one another on an abandoned bridge.

Their paths were never meant to cross, but tonight their fates had been intertwined with one another.

They were two strangers who met under unfortunate circumstances.

Two people who carried heavy burdens on their shoulders.

Two souls who saved each other from damnation.

Every encounter, they say, is a reunion at long last. And these two souls will form a bond even closer than blood. They will be soulmates whose paths will cross during every lifetime, with a connection that transcends even time and space.