Shadows In Durango

"Excuse me! | need your help! P-Please can you help me?!" | whispered urgently, rushing to her side and

grabbing her frail arm, finding her to be ice cold to touch.

"P-Please wake up, | need shelp. He's coming to get- A-Ashton - he's" My words trip out over each other

in a panic, but when she doesn't even stir, dread begins to sink in instead.

"H-Hello?" | shook her harder, but her body remained limp, her breathing seeming non existent. My eyes flicked

to the bedside table where a bottle of pills lay tipped over, the contents spilled across the bedspread. Oh no... is

she dead? Maybe just unconscious? It was hard to say...

A wave of nausea hitsas the reality set in- she wasn't waking up any tsoon.

Whether it was the pills or something else, she was completely out of it.

| was on my own with this...

Behind me, | heard Ashton's voice calling from downstairs, his footsteps now on the ground floor. "Sofiaaa...

where are you?!" He mocks, his tone groggy and hinting that he was still in pain from the attack. Terror twisted

itself in to my gut, and | instinctively backed away from the bed, scanning the room for another way out.

My eyes landed on a heavy lamp on the bedside table and without thinking, | grabbed it and yanked it out from

the wall socket.

I moved swiftly to the window, my fingers shaking as | pulled back the curtain.

The sight of the outside world — a glimpse of freedom-made my heart lurch, but it also felt impossibly far away.

| was trapped on the second floor, but I didn't care. I'd rather jump down on to the concrete below than be

caught and dragged back by Ashton again.

With a trembling breath, | raised the lamp and smashed it against the window.

Glass shattered everywhere, the sound ringing through the room as shards flew in all directions - instantly

cutting my bare legs and feet.

Cold air rushed in, hitting my face and filling my lungs.

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| didn't hesitate despite the fresh blood and the pain. | climbed through the broken window, ignoring the added

stings of glass against my palms, as | made my way out onto the roof, sucking in through my teeth.

The tiles were slick beneath my feet, the slant of the roof making it hard to keep my balance. The wind whipped

my knotted hair around my face as | crouched low, trying to steady myself.

And then - as | blinked a few times to view my surroundings - | saw him.

Across the street with a phone held up to his ear, standing on the porch of one of the neighbor's houses with his

back turned: Daryl.

| would recognise his oversized black baseball jacket with his initials on the back anywhere.

It was as though my mind struggled to catch up with what | was seeing - was this real? Was | maybe

hallucinating from fear and exhaustion?

But teventually caught up to me, as the sight beforeremained the sfor longer - it was definitely

him!

He was real!

"DARYL!" | screamed out at the top of my lungs, my voice cracking as | waved frantically at him with one hand,

waiting for him to turn and find me. "DARYL HELP ME, P-PLEASE! IM STUCK UP HERE!"

I watch as he quickly jolts around as soon as he hears me, his head snapping up in surprise to spoton the

roof.

His eyes widened and nearly fell out of his head as they locked onto my own.

For a slight moment, he just stared, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"D-DARYL, HE'S GOING TO KILL ME!" | shouted, my voice breaking with sudden desperation. "P-PLEASE!" |

screamed again, now beginning to sob hysterically.

Daryl seemed to shoot in to action next, scrambling off of the neighbours porch as he sprinted across the road

towards me, his face a mixture of shock and confusion.

As he got closer, he called up to me. "Sofia? What the fuck-"

"There's no time, he's still inside!" | interrupted, my voice rising in a panic as | turn to look back at the smashed

window in fear that Ashton would appear behindat any moment.

Daryl's expression shifted from confusion to urgency. He was almost at the front door now, his hand reaching for

the handle but finding it to be locked like | had done earlier.

"No!" | screamed again, realising what he was about to do. "The door's locked, you can't—"

Before | could finish, there was a loud smash from below, indicating that another window had been broken, as

my breathing ran out of control.

Daryl was coming up to get me...

But could he take on Ashton in his crazed state?

As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005sis your destination for the complete story. Share the

joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away! | think so!

At least, | hope so?!

Unsure of what to do next, | tried to steady my breathing, attempting to stop myself from sobbing in order to

focus.

| looked around for any other people who could rush to our aid - perhaps even to call the cops or just for

someone to cand help?!

But as hope ran low, a car suddenly cscreeching in to the street, driving at an incredibly high speed down

the road before pulling right up and on to the grass lawn before me.

| know that car anywhere...

"VINCENT!" | yell down loudly to him, seeing him rush out of the car with Reid closely at his back, them both

looking up and around at the scene.

But before | could utter another word, the deafening sound of a gun shot is heard banging out from inside of the

house behindfollowed by a loud yell, causingto flinch and almost slip down off of the roof as | scream

and clutch on to a nearby pipe to remain stable...

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" | scream out loudly in a cry, as only now a couple of other neighbours begin to

emerge out on to their porches to see what was going on.

I look down, finding no sign of Vincent anywhere, with Reid now crouched by the side of the car - eyes scanning

the surroundings for danger.

"R-Reid?" | sob, with my voice cracking as | feel my hands slipping on the pipe due to the build up of sweat.

Seeming to cback to reality, Reid instantly moves out to stand beneath me, before another gun shot is

heard which causesto scream out again and for him to flinch. He has a fucking gun! This is getting even

more insane!

"Sofia listen to me, just jump and I'll catch you! It's not as high as it seems!" Reid states loudly, as the watching

neighbours all rush back indoors at the sound of the second shot fired.

Surely one of them will phone the damn cops at least?!

"I- | can't!" I cry out, terrified and feeling paralysed with fear.

"YOU HAVE TO JUMP! LETHELP GET YOU TO SAFETY!" Reid pushes on, his tone growing more desperate as

new yells and commotion is heard coming from inside.

"ON THE COUNT OF THREE... LET GO... OK? ONE, TWO... THREE!" Reid calls up to me, and with squeezing my

eyes tightly closed, | release the pole and allow myself to fall down - screaming before landing on top of Reid

with a heavy thud. We both fall backwards on to the floor, but Reid is quick to regain his composure by dragging