Last time on Tragedy...

The voices in my head were so much louder than they ever had been before. I grew so scared...so...cold. The voices grew louder and louder as Cain came closer. 'What is he doing...? What is he doing? What is he doing?!' His eyes...they weren't cold anymore...they were hot. Blazing hot. They were angry, indescribably angry. His grip on the rope was tight, and he looked like he had lost control. Analiese's cries grew louder as Cain towered over us. He pulled out a pistol from his back Jean pocket and held it in one hand, and held the rope in the other...My eyes weld up with tears as I listened to his next words...

"How do you want to die...?"

James' POV

"You won't feel pain if you take a bullet, but the rope will be slow and painful..." Cain said.

I wanted to cry...I wanted to scream...and in some ways, I wanted to die. And yet, it already felt like I had. The moment Analiese heard what Cain had said, she let out a bloody scream. She was so terrified...and so was I. I expected Cain to lash out because of Analiese's scream, but he didn't. He didn't even flinch, he was completely fixated on me. Why did he just come down stairs in a sudden rage, so strong that he would kill me, when yesterday he was fine? Today's the day...the day I die...I never had any confidence that I would live. If I'm was gonna die young, then I'm gonna die protecting the people I love. Protecting my family, protecting Analiese. Bullet or rope, I'm gonna die, and she's gonna live. That's all I want. That's all I've ever truly wanted. Now the question is...bullet? Or rope...? Like he said, if I take the bullet then I won't feel pain. If I take the rope, it'll be slow and painful...

I chose the rope.

Maybe...could I? There's a chance...isn't there? Maybe I could tell Analiese I love her through my last breath. She'll grow up, make new friends, she'll be a teenager one day. I know that she'll never go to her senior prom without dad keeping a close watch on her date from the punch bowl table. Heh...she'll look so pretty. She'll be out of here today, and she'll smile and that would be enough. She'll get married, and maybe I'll be an uncle. And I'll kiss her goodnight...

"I want the rope..." I tearfully told him, giving into his demands.

He nodded, and bent down next me and Analiese. I had to let her go. I had to rip away the only thing she could hold onto, the only thing she had left. Me. "Analiese...let go..." I whispered slowly. "NOOooo!" She cried, holding me tighter. For the first time, she was actually bold enough to defy Cain by not letting go of me. "Analiese...plea--" Cain cut me off by grabbing Analiese's shoulders and ripping her off me, then throwing her onto the concrete floor. She let out a horrible scream as a cracking sound came right after she hit the floor. She started screaming, and screaming, and crying endlessly. I think she broke something...

I shot up off the floor to run to her, but Cain grabbed my arm and pulled me back down. I struggled to pull away from his grip, but he was too strong. "ANALIESE!!" I cried. My vision went blurry as the tears clouded over my eyes and I felt my face burn up. I failed her...I promised she would be okay...I promised her we would eat ice cream for dinner when we got home...I PROMISED HER!! And I failed...he can't do this to her! Wake up! I want to wake up! Please, let me wake up!! This can't be real! This has to be a dream! But I never did. And it was. And Cain continued to abuse me. He rapped the rope around my neck and pulled. I could feel my breath being torn away from my body, and the rope felt like it was on fire against my skin. Breathing was hard enough while crying. Everything is going white...and I felt that I only I have s few more moments to say something, to say my famous last words.

"He..lp her...Cain...Let her...go." I turned to Analiese, "I...love you....Analiese..."

I almost couldn't see anything anymore. But I did get to see Cain's eyes soften the slightest bit. I can only hope...

"Please...don't, Jet..."

His eyes grew soft just before I couldn't see or breathe anymore. Everything was just black...there was no sound...no light, no nothing...just emptiness...is this death? This isn't what I thought death would be like...I thought I would go to heaven. Oh, no! Is this Hell?! No, couldn't be. You would think that Hell would have fire and lava and....stuff. But it's just empty. Maybe there is no Heaven or Hell...? Maybe it's just an empty space...an empty...black...eternal and endless space. Or maybe this is Hell, and instead of fire and lava like people think, it's a space where people are punished by going crazy because of loneliness. I mean, like people say, "isolation changes a person"

Maybe this is death...maybe this is pain...maybe this is hell...

"I imagined death so much more it feels like a memory. Is this where it gets me...? Analiese, my love, take your time...Ill see you on the other side..."

My Hamilton fans will get that one ;)