Chapter 3 Escape Route{2}

Ashley’s expression did not seem like one with any weakness nor any sign of giving up as her legs carried her farther away from the warehouse. The more she ran, the more her chance of escaping from this unexpected death became broader by the second. She jumped over the stone, hissed, and cursed as it left her skin exposed to the cold breeze. She swerved into a narrow street, bent over, and breathed out.

Only a few miles from here, she’d be safe especially when a police station began in the city. She focused her mind on one thing and that in particular, was having herself whole and after this, getting justice for those in their captives.

Her mindset changed and once she breathed in sufficient air to help her progress in her running, she continued. Ashley’s running slowed by every minute as a result of the open large cut on her ankles. Ashley paused as she cornered along the Neel Street up ahead, and took a break.

“I saw her go this way!”

Another voice broke Ashley into pieces as storms of hefty footsteps approached her path and before she could react to them, her neck was gripped harshly and smoke filled her nose.  Ashley hung her hands up in the air as a symbol of defeat and slowly but surely turned her back to see who had her neck gripped tightly.

Ashley shivered at the sight of the owner of those tough hands and was frightened. She gulped and struggled to attempt speaking but her entire efforts were all in vain. Ashley stared at the man’s face with a piteous gaze. From his appearance, he did not seem to be one of them who had her captured, but again, she couldn’t trust this man.

   The feisty look he gave her was one capable of holding prejudice and also, caused her to tremble and quiver. Ashley gulped her saliva down and breathed out loudly.

“Who are you?” His seductive pink lips were lifted as his teeth which were as white as snow shone dominantly through the night. His voice was thick and masculine, and from the way he appeared, he did not seem like someone ordinary.

His clothes spelled affluence and extravagance and so did his haircut. Ashley watched as her body got lifted from the ground by the man who himself was in no mood to feel any single remorse for his actions.

   Slowly, she felt the air which she breathed in allying with death, and her neck was choked up by the strong hands and smoke. The lighted cigarette puffed in nostalgic gasses right into her nose and she forced herself not to breathe.

“Listen, I don’t have that patience, young lady. You better tell me what you are doing out here this night or I will make you have a nice trip to hell”

His words were more of a threat rather than being kind. Ashley wiggled her legs in the air to ensure that this wasn’t a dream or whatever nightmare she imagined it to be.

She looked into his feisty eyes attempting to at least get some emotions from him, yet nothing!

   He hid his emotions so tightly that even a psychiatrist herself found it impossible for her to read. Ashley sighed in defeat.

   “Walked from a lion’s den and straight into the devil’s warehouse” She shook her head while belittling herself. How funny was it!

Here she was celebrating her escape and instead of her victory to bring her happiness, it turned into an unspeakable rejoicing. No sooner had she expected that a familiar man’s voice, definitely belonging to Alex and his crew, would ring again which meant they had tracked her down.

Ashley pleadingly looked into his eyes begging for his mercy. At least it was best if she stayed with him rather than with these hooligans, as she referred to them. A sigh escaped from her mouth as her eyes teared up.

So this is her end at last! Funnily enough, this was the farthest she could run knowing that she had no slight idea of where she was and perhaps the location she would flee to safety if things drifted badly. Everywhere was foreign to her.

“Give her to me and I won’t harm you both” Alex's narcissistic tune echoed deeply into Ashley’s ear begging her to burn up and thrash his skull into the dustbin. The man who dragged up her glared skeptically at Alex with a bloodthirsty look and scoffed.

The smoke he puffed out from his expensive cigarette gushed up into Ashley’s nose and she coughed.

“You have no shit idea of who you are messing with, Let me make a simple introduction should I? I am………….”

Bang! Boom!

Those were the sounds that I heard as my hands plunged quickly to hold my ears from hearing any of those horrific sounds of guns.

And slowly Ashley had her eyes opened from where she stood protectively shielded from the disastrous body that flew past him. Ashley gasped and took a step away from the man when she saw that all the bodies of those who had chased after her earlier were on the ground bleeding and some lifeless. Her eyes scrolled through them, one by one, identifying some which she met previously, like the likes of Rick, The guy whom she bit, and the other who undressed the latter. Everyone whom she could recognize was dead!

     Her eyes were brought to the bloody body on the ground, a few millimeters away, seeing it, she covered her mouth and gulped in. It was none other than the second boss’s body, the one who led the crew, ALEX!

Alex’s body bled profusely and compared with the bodies lying on the ground, his own sustained lots of beatings and scars. Nathan picked him up from the floor like a piece of trash, and flung a thick and stiff punch to his stomach, resulting in Alex puking out liters of blood followed by his large intestine.

The wormy-looking intestine coiled on the floor and instantly was marched upon by Nathan.

    Having a drastic change of expression, he smiled and grinned evilly that his white teeth again regained their mighty glorious beauty. Nathan took his time to clean off the stinking blood off his leather jacket and squatted on the ground. His mighty hands gripped tightly to his neck while he raised Alex.

“Now little boy, go tell your mighty master that she is mine.”