Assiana continued to push through, her once steadily paced steps turning into a limp from the pain in her side.
You'll be fine.
Just keep going.
You'll be fine.
She reminded herself. She'd made it to the main road and knew all she had to do was walk abit farther before turning right on the corner ahead to see the gas station.
Just a little farther.
She could almost cry from happiness knowing she was basically there. And almost free. All she had to do was turn that corner. She just had to go a little fast-
"Can't believe you got this far and I ain see you assi" she heard and all the colour drained from her face, along with the hope she'd previously had. A sob escaped her as she still tried to push through and picked up pace, ignoring the pain in her body.
D'mani sighed.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard. Just come back and I'll look past this. If not-" she hears his gun cock and she covers her mouth to muffle her desperate cries. But she'd honestly rather him kill her here than go back.
"That's the choice you wanna make? Alright" his voice boomed towards her. She had yet to look back and see where he was but she knew he wasn't close from how his voice sounded.
But at this point it wasn't his voice that scared her. It was the silence that now followed.
D'mani held the gun up and aimed at the fast moving girl, his eyes narrowed on her. Just as he pulled the trigger, she stepped abit to the side frightened, not getting completely hit but instead, grazed on her hip. A few fragments also hit her and she cried out.
He actually did it. She thought, though she didn't know why she thought he wouldn't. He'd proven himself more than fucking crazy.
Shaking her head as she cried, her walk slows until she stopped, leaning on a road sign as her heart races. Looking back he was about 50 or more meters away. And looking at the turn off it was about the same.
You can make it. She tried to convince herself.
But she was so tired. And in so much pain.
Maybe she should just go back.....
Maybe..... just maybe......
Shaking her head, she stopped herself from thinking that way. She wouldn't let herself fall so low. She had to keep going.
Turning, she continued walking.
"Assiana bring your fucking ass. I don't mind bringing your corpse back!!" She heard but she still pushed on.
And just as she heard his gun cock once more, she's blinded by bright headlights turning onto the road and coming to a halt beside her.
Seeing this, D'mani pauses and starts stepping back but before he'd even realized what was going on, Ares stepped out of the car, guns a' blazing. D'mani cursed and ran, successfully escaping but not without getting a bullet through the shoulder.
As Ares watched him run he turned back around to see Assiana leaning on the side of his car. Going over to her, he put his gun on the floor of the passenger side and pulled her towards him. He wrapped his arms around her and without saying anything, Assiana broke down. She had gone through so many emotions and wasn't even able to fully comprehend them. But now she was so relieved. She felt safe.
"Sh shhh, I gotchyu mama." He comforted her as he held her.
"He hurt you?" He asked her, pulling back slightly to give her a once over. He could tell she had a few cuts here and there as her once white jumpsuit had blood splotches all over.
She nodded.
Ares gritted his teeth, growing upset not only at the fact she was hurt, but it could've been over a lot sooner had he put his pride aside and came for her when she'd begged him.
Nonetheless he sighed and comforted her before helping her get into the car. Grabbing his gun off the floor he walked around to the other side and hopped in, his jaw still clenched in anger and his eyes dark, fueled by the soft sniffles coming from the girl beside him.
He started his car up before driving forward.
"Where he live at? Down this way?" He asked, referring to the bumpy turn off Assiana had just made her escape from.
Looking over at him confused, she looked down the road terrified.
"Why??" She asked. Ares doesn't even turn away from the road to shoot her a glance.
"Fuck you mean why? No nigga gon fuck wit you like dis and get away Si. No fuckin way. Am I turnin down this road or not?" There was no way Ares was gonna let this slide.
No matter what terms he and Assiana were on, he still felt for her. And she was Aunt Kat's daughter.
So Ofcourse he was gonna raise fucking hell about her.
"Ares please....." Assiana had just left from there. She couldn't handle going back. And even so, she didn't want to be the reason a man dies.
"Si-"
"I can't Res.... Please, I -I..... I don't wanna- I....... Can't-"
"Sh sh shhhhhhhh.......... I gotchyu Si. Cmere" Ares cut her off, as he watched her stumble over her words between her uneven breaths and sniffles. Pulling her over to him so he could hold her and comfort her, she broke down sobbing once more and Ares hushed her.
"Please don't R-Res" she said between sobs, begging him not to kill D'mani.
Ares licked his lips but nonetheless agreed, seeing how much she seemed to be against it.
"All.... Alright" he said.
As per usual Ares would tell her just what she needed to hear.
And after allowing her to calm down, he took her home.
Or Atleast where ever she wanted to be.
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"So why you tryna go by mines?" Ares asked as he drove towards the place he was staying at.
Assiana shrugged.
"I don't think.... I can be normal round my mom right now..." she answered honestly.
Ares looked at her from the corner of his eye as she played with her fingers. Deciding to say nothing, he simply hummed and continued driving, already knowing the situation was tearing him apart.
When they finally got to the familiar house- or better yet- mansion. Ares helped Assiana inside before going back to the car to grab his bag.
He met her in the kitchen where she sat at the island, staring at the granite, seemingly interested in a specifically patterned spot.
But In reality she'd zoned out, her heart pounding as she relived the moments that had just passed, memories flashing behind her eyes.
The memories graphic and revealing things she'd seemed to have been too drugged up to have remembered originally.
And as the moments went by she grew disgusted.
Disgusted with her own body. Her own skin.
As some how.... She felt tainted.
"-and come back?" She's suddenly pulled out of her mind by the sound of Ares' voice and she looks over at him.
"Huh?" She managed to squeak out to express her confusion.
"I asked if you'd be ok if I went to deal wit suhm and come back?" He asked her and she gave a small nod.
"You sure?" He pressed, not wanting to leave if it wasn't something she could handle or wanted.
"I-I'm fine. Gonna just take a shower" she told him, trying to shoot a small smile. She could feel her lip twitch slightly as she thought about scrubbing her skin free of that lunatic's touch.
That's all she could ask for in that moment.
Ares looked at her for a while, not knowing whether or not to believe her.
Letting out a sigh, he decided to let it be. He didn't plan to be gone long so he'd be back in no time.
"Aiite. Ima be back in less than an hour don't worry." He reassured her. Assiana nods and with one final look at her, he nods before heading out the door.
And in the same moment, she makes a bee-line for the bathroom, kicking her shoes and clothes off as she made her way there.
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Assiana scrubbed herself furiously, biting her lip as she cried, her tears mixing with the water that rained down on her.
She cried for how helpless she felt in the end, after feeling like she was all alone. And that it was her only chance to save herself.
She scrubbed harder as she remembered where he touched and the crazy look in his eyes as he did so.
And scrubbed harder as she thought- maybe.... It was her own fault.
Letting out a sob, she scrubbed herself red and raw, till the pain of her body feeling as if it were on fire, covered the pain of her heart and mind and distracted her from the thoughts that plagued her.
After which she still didn't let up.
She set the water temperature to the highest and let it fall down on her, taking it as the steam filled the air.
All this in hopes of getting rid of what he'd left on her.
If only she could scrub her mind.
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Ares gripped the steering wheel tightly as he navigated his way back to where he'd been not too long ago. Where he'd picked Assiana up. And where he knew that fucker was gonna be.
Though his facial expression seemed stoic, looking closely, his anger could be seen in how his jaw clenched, forcing a vein in his forehead to become all the more prominent as his eyes narrowed on the road. They held a fire that could only have been lit by harm coming to someone he cared for.
And though he was on a journey of change, for the time being the only thing that could put out this flame, was blood.
Ares followed the directions on his phone from the location he had been following to get to Assiana. Except instead of stopping upon seeing her on the side of the road, he drove straight to where the pin 📍 was.
He turned down the dirt path, knawing the inside of his lip in anticipation.
He wasn't even sure what he was gonna do to this guy. However, Ares did know one thing.
He was gonna hurt.
Just like Assiana had.
Matter of fact.
Worse.
When he could finally see the house he stopped, smirking as he realized he was just in time.
A truck was parked out front and it seemed someone was in a rush to leave. Ares was glad to have been able to drop in before the guy left.
Turning his car off, he reached over to the glove compartment to grab something. Sliding the black latex gloves on his hands and ski mask on his face, he Hopped out of the car and made his way towards the house. It was best no one know he was there. not only for him but also Assiana.
D'mani throws the last of his things into his bag before closing it and heading out of his bedroom. He stops as he sees a body blocking his path and the color visibly drains from his face.
Ares cocks his gun back, looking at D'mani with a look of absolute disgust and disdain.
"Now where the fuck you think you goin?" He asked, taking slow steps towards him.
D'mani gulps but glares nonetheless, making Ares smirk slightly in amusement.
Aren't you just audacious.
"Listen man, Ion know what she told you but I ain touch her. She came back to mines and we got into it and things got outta hand after-"
"Shut the fuck up and don't piss me off. I picked her up bloodied and fuckin bruised and you tryna talk shit down like you'on deserve to die right now?" Ares scoffed. "Nah. But we can skip allat, and get to the more important shit" Ares rolled his shoulders back, a dark glower on his face as he took his switch blade out of his back pocket. "Like how much damage I can do in less than an hour" he flicked the blade out and within the same second grabbed D'mani and thrusted the blade into his stomach.
"That's if you even last that fuckin long"
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Assiana stepped out of the shower, steam following behind her and filling the room and she felt grateful as it blurred the mirrors.
Though her skin was scrubbed clean, she still felt tainted. No matter how much she scrubbed, there was only so much she could get rid of. Especially physically.
Drying off, she made her way to the room she knew Ares kept his stuff in. The same room where they had......
Her cheeks burned at the thought and for a moment, she didn't feel so bad.
Trying to keep a clear mind, One without flashbacks of his naked body against hers, both of them dripping in sweat and her legs flung over his shoulder as he thrusted his big co-
Assiana shook her head. Look how quickly her thoughts could get carried away...
She grabbed an oversized tee and a pair of his stretchy boxers and threw them on.
As she made her way back to the kitchen, she rubbed her puffy eyes. She grabbed her phone as she sat down at the island and went through it, in hopes it would distract her from thinking about what had happened to her only hours ago, if even that much.
But as she continued to stare at the bright screen of the device, skipping from one app to the next absently, her lip quivered before she let out a pained sob. She shook her head as the tears fell.
If it's over, why the fuck can't I stop thinking about it? Why am I still haunted.....? She thought as she cried. Letting her phone fall back onto the table, she held her face in her hands, running them up and down as she became frustrated with herself.
She knew she had made the wrong choice when she decided to date D'mani. But she thought she could make it work.
He was the safe choice after all.
But obviously she was mistaken. Safe was the farthest thing from what that man was.
She shook violently as she cried, blaming herself for the whole situation. Knowing if she'd just stayed with Ares none of this would've happened.
She cried as she recalled short snippets of the night, more things that made her stomach turn in disgust.
More things that made her want to forget even more. Made her want to feel nothing. To be numb.
And as she continued to think, her hold on her head tightening aggressively as she cried, she looked up slightly, her eyes finding Ares' bag. And her sobs died down slightly as an idea popped into her mind.
'you not focused on outside pain or problems. Just the moment'
Ares' voice rang in her head. And she found herself staring heavily at it, knowing exactly what the contents were. And without a second thought she made up her mind. She wanted to feel something- anything but this pain and internal loath.
And if that meant popping a little pill, she was okay with that.
She hopped up off the stool and reached over the island to grab the bag and pull it towards herself.
When she opened it, she found big labeled bags of substances both powders, pills and weed.
She searched till she found what she was looking for.
A clear ziplock bag held capsules of a brownish looking powder, labeled 'Molly'.
She pulled it out and inspected it, feeling hesitant. But is once again reminded of the reason she was doing it in the first place.
"Fuck it" she muttered to herself, pulling the bag open and taking a capsule out.
Throwing it into her mouth, she swallowed it down quickly, her eyes squeezed shut. As she opened them, she let out a shaky sigh, humming before standing and heading to the living room.
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