3:Goodbye cruel world

Layla tore through the busy road, moving swiftly through the moving vehicles. Drivers honked as she dashed past the front of their cars and a few cursed at her.

She didn't stop though. She kept running through the downpour, the rain obscuring her view. Pedestrians stared at her as she ran past them, taking in her drenched dress that was plastered to her body, her hair that was matted to her face with the rain. And a few wondered why she was in such a hurry. No one stopped her though. They all went about their businesses, trying to get to their various homes before it turned completely dark.

Layla kept running without glancing behind her. She was terrified that if she so much as slowed down to look back, she would see Madame Parker coming after her like a furious maddened woman. So she kept running. Even when she left the busy roads and entered a deserted street, she kept running. Even when she got tired and out of breath, she kept running. She didn't know where she was going. She hadn't stepped out of Madame Parker's home for as long as she could remember. One thing kept pushing her on. And that was to keep running.

By the time she slowed down, it was already dusk. The sun had gone down an hour ago and the downpour had thinned to a drizzle. Street lights had been turned on as night gradually took over the city.

Layla collapsed on the grass and lay still, breathing heavily. Her chest heaved upwards as she struggled to draw in air and her slamming heartbeats shook her dress as it struggled to pump blood for the exhausted body. It was extremely cold but she felt sweaty and for a long time, she lay there on the grass. Unmoving. Allowing the drizzling rain wet her face and body. She could hear the sound of traffic from the distance, about a mile away.

After what seemed like ages, Layla sat up. She looked around her, taking in her surrounding. It was a long stretch of field and trees. The grass she lay on went on forever and she couldn't see the end of it. She had no idea where she was. She had no place to go. She was lost and alone in the world. Going back to Madame Parker's house was out of the question. She would never return there. It was time to find a way to end it all.

Layla picked herself from the ground and started walking. She had no idea where she was going. She just walked, slouching forward, tired of running and shivering from the cold. She walked for hours, reminiscing on the years she spent in Madame Parker's house. She was glad of one thing though. She was free. Getting the pins from the unused clothes in the basement and using it to pick the lock on the door was something she never thought she could do. If she had known, she would have escaped a long time ago.

After successfully opening the lock, she had tiptoed outside, terrified of getting caught but determined to leave. The house had been so quiet with no sign of Madame Parker or her husband. Leaving through the back door had been easier than she thought and no one had seen her. It was like fate had been on her side, directing her on the right path.

Hell no. Fate wasn't on her side. Fate wouldn't let her continue to her death. Fate would find every way to prevent her from escaping the house. Fate would prevent her from walking to her death. No one was on her side, not even Fate.

A deep sigh escaped her. She was getting tired. She needed to rest. But the fear of getting caught by Madame Parker kept her on her feet and she continued walking. Soon she left the fields and entered a rocky terrain. There were no houses here. Just thick cluster of trees and bushes.

Layla continued walking, not even paying attention to her surroundings. The rain had stopped finally and a gibbous moon peeped out from the clouds. It would be full in another day. Unseen animals slithered in the wet grass as Layla walked passed. Insects ceased their endless cries as she approached their habitat. She slipped once and landed on her face. Her lips split and began to bleed and still, Layla continued walking.

After walking for almost three hours, she got to the end of the road. It was a cliff, a piece of rock jutting out. Down below the cliff was a vast ocean, wide and endless. And gathered at the bottom of the cliff were sharp pointed rocks.

Layla looked towards the horizon. It was a beautiful night. The moon cast its silver glow on the earth and the cool breeze brushed over her skin, bringing out goosebumps. She looked down at the ocean. This was the perfect place to end it. A calm environment, with the ocean surrounding her and the moon shining down on her. It was perfect.

Tears spilled down her eyes. There was no going back now. She had come too far to change her mind. With death, she would be free from the cruelty of this world. She would be peaceful. This was her decision, and nothing would change it.

She looked up at the sky and smiled through her tears. Goodbye cruel world, she thought. It all ends for me now. Her lips parted and she tried to speak but no sound was heard. All that came out was a rush of air.

I'm coming mother. Wait for me. She said the words within her and stepped off the edge of the cliff.

For a second she was suspended in the air, floating like a bird. And then she felt her body drop as gravity pulled her down.

With her hands spread out, she closed her eyes, awaiting the peace and calmness that came with death. She felt her body dropping, turning in the air as if in slow motion. Her eyes opened a crack and the last thing she saw was the vast ocean rushing rapidly towards her.

...

Layla's body dropped into the ocean with a deep splash. The waves pulled her body down and her eyes that had been opened gradually closed as the darkness welcomed her. The pressure of the ocean pushed her body farther and farther, taking her hundreds of miles away.

For days her body moved with the ocean, sometimes surfacing, other times deep underneath it.

And finally, on a moonlit night, the ocean pushed her body onto the shores of a hidden island. Her body was washed up onto the sand, looking deathly pale from being in the ocean for so long.

Her body was motionless for a long while. And then her chest moved as she drew in a breathe.