When I Reach The End

Chapter 3: Dealmaker

He was gone.

Mars blinked a few times and questioned if she was going crazy and had just imagined the whole thing...

She hadn't.

Mars took a second to look back over the ledge but decided just to walk home instead. She was hardly awake for most of the walk home and couldn't stop thinking about what had happened just moments ago...

Once she finally got home she climbed back into her bedroom and slumped down onto her bed. She was so tired, so done... she just wanted it to be over, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. 

And so she fell asleep

The day that followed went the same as all the others did, she woke up, went to school, chickened out again, rode the bus back home, and sat down on her bed. She looked at her clock,

5:32 PM

Mars sighed was she seriously going to do this?

Yeah. Yeah, she was. I mean who would blame her?

If you were as desperate and foggy-headed as Mars was you probably would have been willing to take a shot in the dark too...

Mars climbed out her bedroom window again, she didn't have to worry about her mom noticing since she didn't get home until a little after 7:00 on these days.

Mars left her phone and everything else at home, this wasn't the best course of action but she didn't really care.

Mars walked again to the overlook and looked around to try and find Ajax again but she couldn't seem to find any sign of him, but just as she was about to leave she felt a swift breeze that blew the forest behind her around uncovering what looked to be a path that lead inside.

This was a bad idea, she thought to herself, a really really really bad idea, but what other choice did she have?

Mars headed into the woods.

After a few minutes of walking, she came to a clearing in the forest. Mars started to walk into the middle of the clearing before hearing a familiar voice behind her,

"Ah, I see you have decided to accept my deal..."

Mars turned around to see Ajax "Where did you- ugh never mind. Also, I never said anything about taking your dumb deal! I don't even know what the hell it is!" Ajax sighed and walked toward Mars "I want to help you, really I do but for me to do that you need to place your trust in me!" "Trust you? Trust you!? How many times do I have to say that you are so untrustworthy!? you haven't even told me what this deal even is!?" Mars responds. "hmm how do I say this without... ah! I know! okay so here's the thing, I can help you by making it so that you can keep living but you won't need to suffer! I could do the suffering for you and in return you help me hide." Mars looked at Ajax, still confused but liking the idea of being able to live happily "Wait what do you mean hide?" Ajax chuckled and said, "I'm afraid that there are some things that must wait until later." Mars thought for a while. She still didn't know what would happen if she took Ajax's deal but she didn't think that she would be able to get much more information out of him besides, 

how bad could it be!...

"So? What do ya say?" Ajax says holding out his hand for a handshake. 

Mars sighs "I don't really have much to lose so... why the hell not..." she says reaching out her hand

"Excellent." 

Ajax says smiling as he grabs Mars's hand and shakes it firmly.

A bright light flashes before the two of them engulfing them in brightness causing Mars to cover her eyes whereas Ajax didn't seem to be effected by the brightness. Then from seemingly out of nowhere, Mars falls backward in pain feeling as though she was hit in the stomach with a massive hammer and then everything goes dark...