Chapter 5 Please let me live

The metal made a loud noise as she struggled to get out, and she felt the heavy car pushing on her. Finally, with a desperate yank, the belt wore off her body. She fell against the ceiling of the car, the movement made her cry out pain as the world spun around her.

She gritted her teeth against the pain, and pushed herself to get out of the car. After she got out, she surveyed the wreckage her car turned to. The windshield was shattered, and outside, the moonlight hit against the twisted metal and broken glass.

Ava took a deep breath, her heart raced as she fought to steady herself. She had to get out of that place, had to escape whatever had followed her into the night.

With trembling hands, she pushed herself to stand up.

The darkness around her was too much for her to handle. And she could hear the faint echo of an engine in the distance. He was coming. She couldn't let him find her again.

The adrenaline surged through her body, ready to fight for her life. She fought through the pain, her instincts driving her to flee as she looked around, searching for a place to hide. The road stretched before her, dark and empty, but the shadows felt alive, whispering secrets of danger in the night.

Ava stumbled away from the wrecked car, heart pounded in her chest as she ran, her mind raced with different thoughts. Whoever had chased her was still out there, and she had to stay one step ahead. She couldn't let the night swallow her whole.

As she ran into the darkness, the sound of an engine roared to life behind her, a reminder that the person was still lurking in the shadows.

After a while, she heard footsteps behind her.

"Ava," a voice called out, low and smooth, sending chills racing down her spine. It was a voice she recognized, laced with a sinister edge that twisted her stomach into knots. The realization hit her like a punch to the gut. He was the man who had felt such animosity towards her, the one who had taunted her at the celebration.

He's here.

"Ava, you shouldn't have run," he continued, his tone mocking. "You really thought you could escape me?"

Her blood ran cold as the implications of his words sank in. It was personal. She was prey, and he made the hunt. The weight of his gaze felt like chains binding her, suffocating her lungs and suffocating her will to fight.

"Please," she croaked, her voice barely a whisper. "Just leave me alone."

A low chuckle escaped his mouth, a sound devoid of warmth or humanity. "Oh, Ava, it's too late for that. You brought this upon yourself." He took a step closer, the moonlight finally catching a glimpse of his face, and the twisted smile sent another wave of panic surging through her.

The reality of her situation crashed over her like icy water, chilling her to the bone. She was alone, while the man who had relentlessly pursued her now stood just before her. Ava's mind raced, searching for any glimmer of hope, a plan to escape the nightmare that had surrounded her.

But all she felt around her was darkness. It was suffocating and oppressive, as if it sought to swallow her whole. She could feel as if the silent walls of trees were closing in, the weight of despair pressing down on her chest. In a moment of desperation, she took a deep breath, trying to steady herself against fear.

Just then, the sound of a gun being loaded echoed through the night, sharp and unforgiving.

Ava's breath hitched in her throat, her heart dropping into her stomach as the reality of the situation struck her with horrifying clarity. He had a gun.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice trembling as she fought to keep the panic at bay. "You don't have to.."

"Don't have to?" he interrupted, his voice dripping with venom. "You think this is about necessity? This is about power. You thought you could embarrass me with that lover of yours, and now you'll pay the price."

Ava's heart raced as the gun pointed toward her, her instincts screaming for her to run, to fight, to do anything but her feet remain frozen in place.

'This can't be how it ends.' The thought echoed in her mind, a desperate plead against the cold man who was ready to kill her.

"Please," she begged, her voice cracking with fear. "I can help you.. Just let me go."

"Help?" he laughed, a cruel, derisive sound that made her skin crawl. "You don't even know the game you're playing, do you? This isn't about help, it's about control. You've always been a pawn in someone else's game, Ava. But not anymore."

His words cut deep, resonating with the fear that had settled in her heart. In that moment, she realized she was utterly at his mercy. The weight of despair wrapped around her, threatening to pull her under.

The gun trembled in his hand, a sinister glint in the moonlight as he straightened his arm, ready to aim.

Ava felt the world around her dissolve into a blur, her thoughts racing as she fought to grasp the fleeting fragments of her life. 'I won't let it end like this. I refuse to go out like a coward.'

"Say goodbye, Ava," Dominic sneered, his finger tightening on the trigger.

In that heartbeat, time seemed to stand still. Everything froze. The forest, the moonlight, even the shadows that danced around them.

Ava's mind screamed for her to fight, to survive. She couldn't let him take her like this, not after everything she had fought for. With a surge of desperation, she made a split-second decision. Just as he pulled the trigger, she twisted her body with all her strength, using the last of her energy to shield herself.

The shot rang out, a deafening sound that shattered the stillness of the night, echoing through the trees. Pain exploded in her side, with a hot intensity that sent her spiraling into darkness.

The world around her faded, a blur of shadows and agony as the force of the bullet tore through her. She gasped, and a desperate breath escaped her lips as the life she had known slipped through her fingers like sand.

As the darkness closed in, her last thought was a desperate prayer. 'Please let me wake up. Please let me live.'

But as the edges of her consciousness blurred, she felt herself sinking, a weightless descent into the void where nothing remained but silence.