57 - SAVED AGAIN

ARIA’S POV

In as much as I wanted to be out of there, I needed to be cautious. I didn’t have the slightest inkling to where I was, or how many people were out there watching guard. I paused for a minute, listening for the sound of any footsteps or the loud whispers of the deep baritone voice of men discussing but only a silent echo returned back. Then I took the sharpest curve right, down a winding corridors with wet floora and a faint flickering bulb. The corridor smelled of damp walls, mold and sweat, anchoring to my nose like a bad odour as I scurried my way out. My heart pounded in my chest as I prayed silently to find a door or anything that will lead me out of this hell hole.

I walked briskly but smoothly until I saw what looked like a corrugated gate left slightly ajar and I let out a sigh of relief as I slowly approached the gate with my heart stuffed in my mouth, my breath shallow and the cold wind blowing against the dirty silk top that still clung to my skin. I slipped past the gate into the wild and I stopped immediately, a gasp escaping my lips at the sight of the large expanse of forest with no sense of direction. Where the bloody hell am I?

That was when I heard it, the hurried sound of footsteps echoing behind me and I didn’t waste no time to verify, I took to my heels. The evening sky was darkening and the moon lay hidden behind a thick blanket of clouds and I could hear the sound of whomever was chasing me echoing through the night, their curses driving me forwars with renewed determination, because I would rather die than to fall back into being their prisoner. My lungs burned and my muscles ached with exhaustion as I ran through, a tree branch whipping my face and I could feel the blinding pain through my entire being but I didn’t have time to stop not even to manage a wince.

“Stop you bloody – ” I could hear his screams, louder than the erratic beating of my heart and the instant terror that seized me.

Then I heard the gunshot – I froze on the spot. The sound blaring off in my head and sending emergency alarms in my brain.

“Get down Aria!” a voice screamed my name with another gunshot blasting off in the air and I fell to the ground immediately. My throat closed up and I could barely breath, the harsh memories stained my brain and I could feel myself being teleported back to that night in the car with my father and the gunsots going off.

One – two – three – and then the metallic taste of blood splashing on my tongue and my face and the instant realization that the blood didn’t belong to me. I was reliving it all with my face buried to the ground and my lips quivering in fear.

“Aria!” I heard someone calling my name but I was too far gone in my trauma to respond to anything else

“Aria, if you’re alive I want you to answer me” it was Kyle and there was a certain desperation to his voice. I consumed the familiarity of his voice and I allowed it pull me away from the toxic reverie I was lost in.

“Aria!”

I let out a whimper and I raised my head from the ground and he spotted me instantly, and immediately he had reached me and taking me into his hands on the floor.

“I’m here now, you’re safe” he pulled me into his hands in a tight embrace while I whimpered silently. Smoothing my hair down, I could smell the deliciousness of his cologne and slowly I could feel the warmth drifting from his skin unto mine.

“I’m so sorry – I couldn’t get to you sooner” his voice was like the healing balm to my soul and I stayed clenched to him, unwilling to let go and he wasn’t in a hurry either to pry me off him.

“The gunshots – who - ?” I tried to form words but Kyle jacked me up immediately and holding me to close to him while I wrapped my hands around his neck .

“We need to get out of here” he said and began trailing through the dark forest. I could see that he was still dressed in his work clothes and the white shirt stained dirty and brown from the mud.

“I doubt Mr. Venzo knows you’ve escaped, that was spider you heard earlier and don’t you worry, he works for me now”

“How’s that – possible?” I asked as he carried me down a winding path to fleet of cars parked and what looked like men dressed in black suits rallying round them and one of them rushed towards Kyle.

“Spider?” Kyle simply said and the strange man nodded his head briefly.

“Let’s get out of here” he said before getting into the back seat of the car with me first while I laid across his laps and he cradled me closely.

The car ride started out quietly with Kyle running small circles on my shoulders and then I spoke.

“Do you know what I was thinking about while I laid on that dirt after the gunshots went off?” I asked and Kyle skipped a beat before he responded.

“No”

“My father” I said instantly “The few moments before he died, he was talking about my mother, that he missed her, he talked about having another shot at life but there was an inkling in his eyes as if he knew what was going to happen. It wasn’t surprise or shock that he had gotten shot – it was acceptance” I paused a bit to choke back the tears that threatened to fall. Kyle’s clothes were ruined already, I didn’t want to ruin them any further with my muddy tears, but he only stayed silent, listening to me speak as the words flowed seamlessly out of my mouth.

“I think about him all the time you know – what could have been if things didn’t change so bad” then immediately I sat up from him and looked into his piercing eyes that shone in the darkness and Kyle never failed to hold my gaze. My body still shook from the trauma, but I felt a sense of safety with Kyle’s skin next to mine.

“You know what?” I said next, my braid clouded with some new found determination and Kyle raised his brows, urging me to go further.

“I think I’m ready to find my father’s killers – would you help me?”