Chapter Four: Shot By Dante

ASHLEY'S P.O.V…

"You had better stop right there if you don't wanna get shot at" a voice groaned inhumanly and it had me turning but then my jaw instantly dropped.

"It's you? aren't you the elderly lady who came into my room to give me new clothes?" I whispered with shock written all over my face

"Yeah it's me" she confirmed

"Please don't raise an alarm, just let me go I really don't wanna be here" I pleaded letting all the tears flow and sob to express all the pain and disgust I felt.

"No my child I'm not here to stop you, Iooking at you I knew how you felt about being in such a horrible place. The boss is a very cruel man and once he holds you captive you're never going back to living your normal life,I never helped myself but at least I can fulfill the duty of helping someone else"

"But you have the opportunity right now, I have created a ruckus and it will take long for them to find me so why don't you just join me and let's escape I'm sure you have a family who must be waiting for you" 

"No my child I can't escape with you I have gotten used to my fate. Yes it's true I have a family but they must have forgotten about me by now and I'm too old to escape,my legs are weak and it can't carry me for long. It's been 23 years since the boss held me captive, run my child and never look back"

"Thank you so much Miss I'll forever be grateful to you" I said and without looking back I took to my heels as I ran towards the desolate road. I didn't have the faintest of idea on where it was leading to but I knew I didn't have to stop.

I pushed harder and I ran as fast as ever as I tried to keep a steady breathing, my heart was pulsating but then I heared the tracks of footsteps coming towards my direction and I increased my speed.

"Get that fucking girl! if she escapes I'll drill a hole in your heads and dig your graves" I heared a faint familiar deep voice call out and his thunderous voice which erupted like a volcano made my legs shiver as I tried to keep running knowing fully well my energy was draining up,it felt as though I was being dragged back but I didn't look back neither did I stop on my track. It was Dante's voice and in this game of life and death, I chose life.

The desolate road led to the woods and they were just more roads. My foot slipped and I fell over to the ground then my body got splashed by the mud and a thin branch of a tree root prickled into my skin and I shrieked. Guessing from the quiteness I felt, I knew Dante and his men had lost track of me and I muffled my screams to avoid alerting them then I stood up abruptly with the help of the rock which layed still on the ground and I took to my heels.

The sharp branch of the tree root had clunged deeper into my skin and with every step I took I could feel the excruciating pain,it went deeper and deeper. I knew I had to look for a way to deal with the broken bottle under my foot and now a tree root had been clunged to my skin. Tears trailed down my cheeks and I wished everything could come to a standstill.

For a moment I needed to catch my breath and I found a little hut, the ambience looked as though it had been vacated for long and I doubted it had anyone living in it. I made my way inside then my butt dropped on the ground as I stretched my foot forward and turned it to the side. The colour of my foot had begun to change and I knew it needed immediate treatment otherwise my foot will have to be amputated, I saw the broken bottle that was lodged under my foot then I closed my eyes and bit my lips hard then I pulled it out. 

I looked at my shredded shirt which tried to cover up my burst region. I removed it and ripped the bottom then I wrapped it round my foot so it would stop the bleeding and perhaps it wouldn't hurt so much, I proceeded to wrap the shirt round my burst then I heared an alarming sound.

"No I don't think she's inside this hut, she must have gone far" I heared one of the men say and I felt peace ignite through my body. Due to the harsh toils my heart was definitely going to burst out from my chest. I slowly crawled before getting up to my feet and sprinted out of the hut, I came to a standstill when Dante appeared before me.

 Damnit how could I have been fooled? my breath got caught up in my dried throat as tears stung my eyes once more and I could feel the trickles of sweat rolling down my body.

I knew every mistake could be rectified and I turned to the side to run but then a man jumped in front of me blocking my path to escape and the hallowmess in his black eyes made me realise the game was over but I have been taught never to give up.

"It was so foolish of you to take me as a fool. You have played smart with me for long and now it's high time I end this game if yours, you started it and I'll end it" Dante said, taking few steps towards me and I stepped back. He was holding a revolver and I felt my body quake, there wasn't any damn fucken chance to escape, my eyes peered around to see some of his men standing bolt upright blocking my path but then the unexpected happened. 

He leveled the revolver directly at my stomach and I felt my heartbeat pulsating heavily with every second, I promised not to beg but I just couldn't bring myself to accept the fact my life will flash before my very own eyes.

"Please don't kill me" I spoke with my voice soft like a plea but his face only grew more grim. His hands gripped my neck and I felt it tighten,his finger twitched on the trigger and the shot was muffled through my stomach. It was loud, so loud I didn't even hear the gun shot it'self, I didn't feel pain or any impact instead I felt it was more like a massive heat which rapidly turned into a sort of throbbing tingling numbness.

I knew something had happened but my mind hadn't quite caught up with it. I staggered and fell on my knees, mostly aware of a feeling of intense wrongness with my entire back and upper body..