All at once

She fought to hold back tears as she trudged down the narrow, dimly lit path, her footsteps echoing against the cracked cobblestone. It was like there was a force weighing down on her; crushing all her hopes, squeezing her lungs so hard she could barely breathe. The only noise to be heard was her own wheezing. The night was falling and the sun had disappeared, but the stifling heat had not.

The path was lined with tall trees, but they did nothing to make it cooler. They watched. They watched as she staggered, then collapsed. They watched as she grabbed her bruised knees. They watched as the tears came down in torrents, dripping down her cheeks, spattering on the road.

But she didn't care. Not anymore. Because of these tears, they weren't tears of pain, of sorrow, like the tears she shed every night. They were tears of regret, realization, of hatred.

She made a decision that night; that she would spend the remainder of her days for revenge. Her life was already ruined. She had nothing to lose. The time had come.