Shadows In Durango

Chapter 115

Frxek\incent's POVH#kxk

The tires screeched as | swerved the car down on to the right street, having just ended a frantic call with Daryl

who one second was finding no luck as he knocked on a few doors near to where he found the silver Jag to be

parked, only before he started freaking out and saying he could see Sofia on a fucking roof!

The call quickly ended in a frenzy, which only forcedto press down harder on the gas to get there before it

was too late!

Reid was beside me, gripping the dashboard, his face set in grim determination as Emma freaked out in the back

- talking incoherently as neither of us listened.

Ahead of me, | eventually spotted Sofia, her figure barely visible on the roof of a house which caused forto

swerve the car up on to the front lawn - not caring about the damage caused to it or the car.

She looked frantic and terrified, her voice barely carrying out over the distance as she screamed out for help

before calling my name.

"FUCK!" | shouted, throwing the door open before the car had even fully stopped.

| barely registered Reid yelling atto wait as | bolted from the car. The urgency to get to her taking over all

else as he quickly followed me.

But then, as we both began to take in the smashed downstairs window and the state of Sofia up on the roof, the

sound of a gunshot tore through the air, a deafening crack that seemed to freeze time.

| saw Sofia flinch on the roof, her screams ripping right through me.

| barely caught a glimpse of Reid as he dove back behind the car, his hand instinctively moving to his head

unsure of where the sound had even cfrom. Gunshots?!

| didn't think next - | just moved.

|

| sprinted towards the house, eyes darting toward the shattered window as | forced myself through it and ignored

the shards of glass piercing me.

There was no tto think, no tto plan. Sofia was up there on the roof, and Ashton was armed... he could

shoot her at any minute!

| scanned my surroundings once | was inside, my eyes adjusting to the chaos locked within.

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The living room to my right was trashed - furniture overturned, glass shards littering the floor, as if a storm had

ripped through it.

But | barely registered the destruction.

My ears were ringing from the loud sound of gunshots, but beneath that, | could hear something someone

coughing and spluttering nearby.

The sound coming out was guttural and wet, horrific to anyone that could hear it.

Ispun myself toward the staircase where it echoed from, horrified at what | find laying at the top of it-

"Daryl!" | breathed out, my voice catching in my throat.

He was hunched over at the top of the stairs, slumped against the wall, his clothes stained through with dark

patches of blood.

He coughed again, each sound rougher than the last, a grim gurgling noise escaping from his throat.

Blood spilled from his side, pooling around him on the floor. His eyes were unfocused, his face pale.

"No, no, no," | muttered as | bounded up the steps two at a time, my heart slamming into my ribs. "Fuck Daryl,

just hold on! You'll make it through this! FUCK!" | panic, ripping the jacket off from my back to help plug the

bleed in his abdomen.

His eyes fluttered open for a second as | reached him, but they were glassy, barely conscious. "V-Vin..." he

croaked, blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth. "I- he's - Sof..." He coughed again, his body convulsing in

total pain.

"I know, | know, shhh!" | whispered, pressing my hands to his wound in a desperate attempt to stem the

bleeding. But the flow was relentless, hot and slick under my fingers.

My hands shook as | tried to keep the pressure, but Daryl's breathing was shallow, his face growing paler with

each passing second.

We have to move fast to get him to a hospital! But first, | have to deal with Ashton and his gun!

I glanced down the hall, and that's when | saw it - movement. A shadow disappearing into one of the rooms at

the far end of the corridor and remindingof why we were even here. Ashton needs dealt with once and for

all!

My blood ran cold. This wasn't just a fight for a girl anymore - this was far more personal. Rage surged through

me, a burning wave that overtook the fear and panic.

"Stay with me, Daryl, I'll be right back for you!" | state, even though | wasn't sure if he could even hearnow.

I couldn't waste time.

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| had to stop Ashton before he hurt anyone else close to me.

Every nerve in my body was screaming to be careful, but the anger was too strong, too blinding as | rushed

towards the room at the end of the hall.

Ashton had gone too far with the wrong fucking crowd this time!

| burst into the room, expecting to find him straight away, but instead, | squint oddly to find an old woman lying

unconscious on the bed - assuming to be Ashton's grandmother.

She was pale, her chest barely moving at all, with an empty pill bottle spilled out across the bedsheets.

But that wasn't what caught my attention. Out of the corner of my eye, | saw something more movement.

A glint of metal.

Ashton.

I ducked, instinctively throwing myself to the side as a second shot exploded out in to the room and just missed

me.

The bullet whizzed past my head, embedding itself into the wall behindwith a sickening thud.

Ashton stood behind the door, the gun trembling in his hand, his blood coated face twisting with a mixture of

rage and desperation by now.

"You're not getting out of this, Ashton! You don't even know who you're dealing with in this fucking town!" |

roared, suddenly charging at him before he could get another shot set off.

My shoulder slammed into him with full force, sending us both crashing out into the hallway wall.

The gun clattered on to the ground, but Ashton wasn't done. He lashed out with a wild punch that caughtin

the side of the head, the impact making my vision blur ever so slightly which madeall the more furious.

| grabbed his wrist, twisting it back quickly until I heard the crack of bones as he screamed out like a girl, before |

followed through with my elbow against his face - knocking a tooth out of him.

We grappled briefly, as he only managed to slamback into the walls, fists flying in every direction but never

managing to land.

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He was strong, I'll give him that, and crazed with sheer desperation, but | was fighting for more than just survival

now - | was fighting for Sofia and for Daryl who lay only metres away fighting for his damn life thanks to this

bastard! With a final surge of strength, | slammed Ashton's head back into the wall, the impact reverberating

through the house and causing for the brick to crack behind him.

His body instantly went limp, collapsing in a heap on the floor at my feet, unconscious but still breathing - which

is exactly what | wanted.

He deserves a life of suffering... not an easy way out!

| stumbled back, breathing heavily, grabbing the gun from the floor to ensure it wasn't used by him again.

I glance down, with my knuckles throbbing painfully from the fight, before police sirens are heard approaching

from the distance.

The adrenaline pumped through my veins, but | forced myself to calm down. | had to go check on Daryl. | had to

make sure Daryl was still alive...

| stepped over Ashton's unconscious form, rushing back toward the stairs where | had left Daryl.

My breath caught as | saw his chest still moving - but barely-though | was relieved to find him still alive

nonetheless.

It's not too late... surely they can save him?!

"Hold on, Daryl," | whispered, dropping down to my knees beside him to add more pressure to the wound. "Can

you hear that? Help is coming for you, just hang on! Please hang on!" | beg him, fighting back the sudden flood

of emotion that reaches me.

He might actually die from this...

He's bleeding real fucking bad...

My best friend might fucking die...

With a single tear falling down my face, the front door is suddenly smashed open, as the rush of police officers

quickly invade the space two at a time.

Everything from then on seems to go by in a blurry haze, as the cold metal handcuffs are placed around my

wrists as more officers rush to drag a concussed Ashton out to the car.

Paramedics rush in after, immediately finding Daryl as | squeeze my eyes shut and pray for him to make it

through before they start to dragout of there.

| can't even speak or think straight, as the world moves aroundat record pace.

Please just let him be ok....