Make Em Pay

Mallory Bricks

I step into the room crammed with exceptional artworks you’d think were forged from years of practice and finesse but they all pale to the background the moment I spot Jojo.

She's standing stark naked in a dark corner of the room, holding a bloodied pocket knife to her left wrist.

“Jo!” I call but I'm too late. Again.

The knife cuts into her flesh, swiping through, from edge to edge and blood gushes out of the broken skin.

She slumps to the floor and I rush towards her, dragging her into my arms.

“Why! Jo, Why would you do this?!” I scream, dread and panic coiling to form a deep knot inside my stomach.

“I'm… so… tired… of… being… useless…” She mutters, her eyelids drooping with each word.

Red crimson forms a bloody pool around us. My fingers slide to her neck and I feel her pulse getting weaker and weaker.

I can’t let her eyes close. I can let her eyes close. I can't let them close. What'd I do? What'd I do?

My hands rake through my hair, tugging hard at the