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I blinked, the weight of his confusion question sinking in. “Huh?”
“Do you want to drown or suffocate?” he reiterated.
What a choice.
Both options seemed terrifying, and neither seemed merciful.
My mind raced, images of the two deaths flashing before my eyes. “Neither. I want to live!”
“You are going to die,” Jayas said, his voice devoid of emotion.
It wasn’t a threat, just a statement of fact. “Don’t worry. You will reset — we all will. But how do you want to die? By drowning in water or suffocating in space?”
Tears stung my eyes.
This was a choice no one shouldeverhave to make. “Isn’t there a third option?”
The river raged ahead, roaring so loud I could hardly hear myself think.
Jayas shook his head. “The current is too strong, and we’ll never make it to the river bank. Choose. Now.”
“It’s not much of a choice,” I choked out.
His grip on me tightened. “I’m sorry, Aurora,” he whispered, pain evident in his eyes.
Time seemed to slow.
The edge loomed closer, and the vacuum of space seemed to beckon, promising a cold, silent embrace.
Wasn’t space so cold it was hot?
And your blood would boil, and your body explode?
Or had every sci-fi movie I’d ever seen lied to me?
Next to that, drowning seemed a cakewalk.
My heart raced, the weight of the decision pressing down on me.
“Drowning!” I screamed suddenly, my voice echoing above the roar of the river.
Without hesitation, Jayas pulled me into his embrace, securing my body against his.
He pressed his lips against mine and looked deeply into my eyes. “See you in the next life.”
He dived deeper into the river, the water pressing down on us, consuming all light and sound.
I felt the pressure build in my chest, the burning sensation in my lungs growing unbearable.
He anchored us to a rock at the riverbed, ensuring we wouldn’t drift into space.
My body thrashed involuntarily against the agony of drowning.
I tried to pull away to escape the pain, but Jayas’s grip was unyielding.
I looked into his eyes, searching for some semblance of solace.
But all I saw was deep regret, a pain that mirrored my own.
