Recap:

"Do you trust me, (y/n)?" he asked.

"Of course," you replied. "Why?"

He sighed, "Because I know what we have to do."

"What if it doesn't work again?" you questioned.

"Oh, this will. Without a doubt," he said. "We just have to go to the cliff."

It's a reckoning he calls for.

And it'll be the death of you.

-+-

The moon seemed to be less and less of a beautiful thing to you.

As the sun decided to peak over the tress, the passenger seat you were in got warmer. With ice shifting and wheels turning, your anticipation grew more and more. Anxiety ran through your stems as the car turned onto a bumpy road. Clanks of metal and yells of fuel were common in the momentous state of the vehicle.

Jeff still hadn't told you what he was planning. Though you weren't worried, you still questioned how stable his mind was at that point. He had been through so many traumatic instances, not including the scenes that were missing from your mind. What if all his flashbacks were of those two years? What if they dated back even further? It would be impossible to know.

Putting away your questions, you decided to follow him out of the car when he parked it at the end of the road. You followed him up an aesthetic trail into the coverage of the woods. Pure, white roses lined the trunks as all their red washed into the roots.

"Those are beautiful," you muttered, plucking one from its tortured ground.

"Oh," Jeff said. "I guess they are."

You were perplexed at its indescribable entirety- the tiny glow it appeared to give off- the freedom and enticement that it so tempted you with.

"Too bad we can't be like that," Jeff sighed. "We can't be that perfect."

You looked up at him and smiled, "Maybe one day we could."

He frowned back.

"We can't be perfect, but flowers aren't perfect either," you stated.

Silence hit the bell again as a disagreement formed upon his lips. The ends almost curled into a smile before being forced into seclusion.

"We should go," he mumbled.

The rest of the journey up the hill was as wild as a masquerade. Thoughts danced in your head as the quietude and tranquility of the music set the beat. Perfect little ideas awoke from their slumber and decided to whine, cry, and force you to feed them, completely dragging you away from the party.

And with a sun brighter than the previous night's moon, you stepped onto the edge of the horizon and stared at the nostalgic side of the trees. A flash of safety cooed your subconscious and confused you even further.

"So what's your brilliant plan?" you asked, stepping onto a lonesome rock.

Jeff glanced at the end of the gravel as he replied, "You might suggest a different version, but..."

You awaited his continuity.

"We have a couple options," he muttered. "I don't think you'll like the same one I do."

"Just tell me," you said.

"We could always wait for them to show up here and try to defend ourselves," he stated. "It isn't really what I want to do though."

"Well, what's your preference then?" you questioned.

He eyed you with hesitation.

"I think we both know how this is gonna turn out in the end," he sighed, choking on his own words.

"What do you mean?"

He took a couple steps towards you, ending the distance between your feet and the edge.

"I mean... No one lives forever, right? We aren't immune to death," he persuaded.

"I get that, but," you started, "I think we can at least make it through this." You laid your eyes on his and watched his every move.

"All I'm saying is that we saw this coming," he said.

"Saw what coming?" you asked.

"Well," he mumbled, looking down. "You should've seen this coming."

He kicked the rock from your foot, allowing you to fall backwards. With your body arched in such a way that you couldn't even attempt to regain your balance, you screamed.

Jeff's hand caught your wrist with carelessness.

"What are you doing?!" you yelled, wind chipping at your hair.

"I'm trying to end this game," he replied, his grip on your wrist inching away.

You tried to fumble your legs back into stability, but it failed miserably. Death crossed your mind as you saw a scythe form behind Jeff's head. His eyes grew with a blue intensity and shook in your skull.

"I can let go of your wrist right here and now," he said. "All you have to do is say so."

"No!" you screamed. "Just help me back up!"

"I...I don't get it," he muttered. "Why do you wanna live so badly?!"

Why did you want to live? Why did you fear the pain of death?! Well, who wanted to die? Who wanted to waste everything they built- everything they cherished- just because they were in a bad situation?! People counted on you! People loved you! Why in the world would you want to embrace nothingness? It was something you despised ever since you were born. Even as a child, you were absolutely terrified of the reaper.

And he was standing right in front of you.

"Why are you trying to take the easy way out?!" you yelled.

"Oh, (y/n)... This isn't the easy way out," he said. "This is the hardest thing I've probably ever done."

"Then why are you doing it?" you asked.

"Because it's the only way I'll survive!" he declared. "This is my last chance to kill you and I can't waste it! That demonic doctor has the capability of killing everyone whenever he wants- do you understand that?!"

Your jaw hit the floor before your body. Jeff pulled your hand towards him and let you fall forward onto the dirt.

"If I don't push you off that cliff," he started, "I'll be dead in a matter of minutes."

You couldn't blame him. If your life was really the price of his, then maybe it wasn't meant to be. Maybe you were really destined to die by falling off that cliff. After all, fate has a weird way of doing things.

A strange voice called out from behind the trees. Laugh after laugh, its intent reached you before the person whom it belonged to.

"I didn't know he was so good at making people turn against each other."

You stared at the black-haired girl in awe.

"An amazing skill, if I do say so myself."

Blair emerged from the shadows and stepped into the light as the clouds faded away. The sun gave her skin another tint of tan, which wasn't very suited to her.

Knees firmly planted on the ground, you sat on your feet. Jeff stood next to you with the stance of a hero. His bipolar change wisped at his hair and tugged at his jacket.

"Jeff," you mumbled. "I think I'm okay with running again."

"No," he replied, keeping his eyes locked on the antagonist. "Our lives don't matter anymore."

The girl giggled.

"You're idiots for coming back here. Don't cha know that black-haired girls in white dresses are unlucky?" she mocked.

What a pleasant sight.