As I walked home hand in hand with the prettiest girl in the world, the golden sun shining safely above the horizon, only one thought came to mind: How could things get any better? Who could ask for more than an amazing girlfriend, a loving family, a successful school life, and luxury around me?

We strolled a bit longer down Central Avenue, enjoying the feel of our hands intertwined as we made our way up the block. Just before reaching the corner that she would turn to head home, she stopped, embraced me, and let out a long sigh.

“Alex,” she said slowly, “you know you can’t go around with me, right?”

“Yeah, I know, honey,” I replied, still wishing I could.

“But it doesn’t mean we can’t say goodbye here, right?” She smiled.

“Of course not,” I said teasingly, as I leaned in for a passionate kiss. For a while, I simply stood, relaxed, embracing her warmth, finding great pleasure as our tongues collided. After what seemed like 5 minutes but was only 10 seconds, she pulled back, sighing once again.

“I have to go. She might be wondering where I am.”

“I suppose,” I sighed, giving her one last peck on the cheek.

“I’ll see you later,” she said smiling once again. “Sweet dreams,” she added, turning back towards her corner.

What a day, I thought to myself. An extremely long walk, but I did not dare complain, for it was definitely worth it.

Who would have known that it would be my last?

I turned to head back from where we had come, but I had not yet taken 3 steps before my fate would turn for the worst.

“Who in the hell are you?” A dark, angry voice called out. I had not heard the voice before in my life, but I knew at once who had spoken.

It was my girlfriend’s mother.

Normally, when faced with a difficult situation, I try my best to remain calm, and hope that it works out for the best. On this day, strangely enough, there was not an ounce of patience in me.

That should have warned me that today was no normal day.

I turned rather quickly and faced my fear. Rather than answer her question, I began my slow walk towards the corner where they stood, taking in the scenery as I went: the bright Spring sun, the soothing odor of the pollution from the nearby freeway, the chirping of songbirds resting in their houses. From my view, time had slowed down, and everything was in peace.

Everything but my mind. Step by step, my thoughts lashed out at me, begging my feet to stop, negotiating with my legs. But still I carried on, hoping some good would come from this ordeal. I was so disoriented, so distracted, so out of place, that I failed to notice that my girlfriend now stood alone on the sidewalk, screaming and crying. Where did her mother go?

My answer came when I was 5 steps away from my girlfriend. The frantic woman appeared once again from the house, but as I registered her now, I froze, sensing that the worst was yet to come.

In her left palm was the first scary object: a small, cylindrical tube, which she hastily attached to the second object, a much more frightening one to the eye.

In her right hand, shining a bit in the sunlight, was a small, 9mm semi-automatic pistol, now complete with a black silencer.

Suddenly, nothing seemed real anymore. My girlfriend, her mother, the gun, the silencer...nothing mattered anymore. The shock of the metal object took me to new depths in my head, and for a brief moment I wondered whether or not she would actually pull the trigger. Time had once again changed speed, but this time, it began speeding up. Faster than expected, my mind returned to the body I was now paralyzed in. Once again, I heard the faint songs of the birds, but they had now lost their meaning. I smelled the air once more, and it now smelled as beautiful as the spring flowers that the day had brought forth. I looked directly at the sun, and only now I saw the welcoming arms of it's warmth. The cries of the girl grew louder and louder, but to my ears, they were but a whisper, for I could no longer hear over the sound of the gun cocking.

“What the hell do you think you're doing?” the woman asked with a now crazy-like voice, in a language I could no longer interpret. She pointed the gun straight at my heart, but I moved not an inch. The girl cried still louder, and the woman repeated the question. I simply stood, too scared to move or speak. The girl was on the verge of collapsing, and it was the woman who now began to whimper.

“I'm sorry to do this,” she said, clearly no longer capable of rational thought. The girl had stopped crying, and I had stopped thinking. In a desperate attempt to save myself from the horror of what I would witness, I closed my eyes. The whole world seemed to hold it's breath, and there was sudden peace in my mind. I smiled a gentle smile. No more smells, no more sights, no more sounds.

But no more pain.

A quiet boom cried out, and there was absolute darkness and silence.