A Liberated Decision - COMPLETED!

Chapter 32

Content Warning! - Violent content, disturbing imagery.

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Ashley peered out from the alley she was stashed away in. She had wanted to get away from the peering eyes of everyone around her. It was no secret that she had been put in her place, and the curiousness had proven that.

People watching in the darkness of the oncoming night gave her the break she needed. She couldn't help but wonder how much different their lives were compared to hers. Simple, she bet.

She could hear a clasp of thunder not too far in the distance. A storm was rolling in. Not much of a surprise considering it had looked like it would rain all day. She didn't have much time to people watch before she'd have to seek shelter soon. It didn't bother her too much though. Maybe she'd go find Liv and bug her. A smile tugged at her lips as she pulled her hoodie up closer to her neck. Nobody would be out looking for her during a storm. If she wanted to talk to her new friend, this was the best time for it.

Her eyes perked up as a man emerged from the store with a bag of groceries. She smiled as she recognized Tom's outline. She began to emerge from her shadow to greet him. The second her foot had touched the lightness of the street lamp, her body froze up. A rain drop had fallen on her face, sliding its way down off the tip of her nose. She quietly laughed at her timidity from just a simple drop of rain on her face.

She pulled her focus back in time, as her pulse felt like it had stopped, as her breathing increased. She watched Tom drop the bag of groceries and fall to the hard pavement. Her breath caught in her throat suddenly. She looked around the parking lot. Looking for something that stood out. She caught a glimpse of Eddie scurrying away. What the hell was Eddie doing here? And why was he running away?

"No!" Her brain let the word pound in her head. She was surprised when Eddie turned around to scan the parking lot as if he had heard her. Swallowing hard, she covered her mouth and ducked back in the shadows to avoid being seen. She could see his eyes had narrowed to a glare and a gun hung by his side.

With barely a second scan, he took off into the darkness.

Ashley let the breath out that she had been holding and rushed over to Tom. "No, no, no." She barely breathed out as she slid to her knees. The roughness of the pavement burned through her cargo pants and into her knees. She ignored the pain and focused on Tom.

"Ashley? What are you doing here?" He choked out. He was curious, but he also flashed a little protectiveness in his voice. "You shouldn't be here."

"Shhh." She tried to soothe him. Perhaps it was more for herself though. Her eyes burned. She looked over his body. He still had his uniform on. The darkness of it intensified the dampness that quickly formed on his left side. Ashley swallowed hard. She could see where a bullet had plunged into him. Her fingers worked quickly as she tore open his shirt, starting by the bloody hole in the uniform. She ripped the shirt underneath to reveal the hole etched into his body.

"It's okay, Ashley. Everything's going to be okay." He pulled the focus off of himself to reassure the girl fighting her emotions above him.

"Damn it, Tom! It's not okay!" She tried to be angry with him. Her eyebrows tried to furrow together, but ended up supporting her contorted, pained expression instead. The bullet looked like it may have just missed his heart, but it had definitely done damage to his lung. Her heart pounded hard as she unzipped and pulled her sweatshirt off. She could hear the wheezing in his voice. She had heard the sound before. It meant death wasn't far off. In spite of the quietness of the sound, it was deafening. It was all Ashley could hear. She slipped her sweatshirt under his head for comfort. Maybe she could slow the blood from getting in his throat with some elevation. She pulled her t-shirt off, leaving her in just a thin, tight camisole. She shoved her t-shirt on his wound with pressure surging through her fingers.