The ashes we left behind

Chapter 25

A strange noise wakes me up. My eyes get wide when I see someone astride of Asher. I slowly turn my hand to their direction. The man's hands are around Asher's neck. The latter is choking. Wow, I didn't know that my wishes could come true.

The guy doesn't now that I'm awake. So I discreetly get up. I walk behind him and look at Asher, his face getting red because of the lack of oxygen.

I grab the man by his short hair and pull his head to the ground. Then, I kick it until he's weak enough. I rush to Asher and sit next to his body.

"Are you ok?" I ask as he's still trying to breathe correctly.

His eyes aren't on me but behind me. He suddenly widens them before whispering something.

"What?"

"Behind you", he tries to say louder.

I don't have the time to look behind me. But, thankfully, Asher puts his arm around my waist and pulls me to him. I see a dagger fall right next to me. I turn my head to the guy. He's still on the ground. The fool tried to throw a knife at me.

I look back at Asher. My face is too close to his. Our noses can almost touch. I show him the fear in my eyes. I can't decrypt the glance he gives me. But in a way, it makes me feel safe.

The guy groaning makes me jump. He's trying to get up.

Asher pushes me away and gets up. I follow him. We both walk to the guy and push him to the ground again. Then Asher grabs him by the arm and takes him to the lake's border.

"He's the one who followed us", he says.

"Shit! I completely forgot about him."

"Same."

We force the guy to lay on his chest. Asher puts a knee on the man's leg. That way, he cannot free himself.

"Ask him", Asher orders me.

"What?"

"Interrogate him!"

I look at the guy and say in a small voice, "What do you want from us?"

Instead of replying, he laughs.

Suddenly, Asher puts his hand on the guy's head and pushes it into the water for a long time. When he takes it out, the man seems breathless.

"Answer to her fuckin' question!" Asher shouts at him.

The man doesn't say a word which gets Asher to drown his head again and longer.

"I won't stop until you talk."

"I would rather die."

"Really?" Asher ask. "That's not what is going to happen. You won't die that easily."

I know exactly what Asher means: he will torture the guy. The latter would be forced to give us any information he has.

So Asher continues and continues. I let him do. He looks like he's used to it and I'm not surprised. It seems like the guy gets more and more tired. It won't last longer before he speaks, I guess.

It's exactly what happens since Asher's anger gets to increase the man's pain.

"Stop!" he cries in a choking voice.

Asher is ready to continue but I stop him by grabbing his wrist.

"Asher, stop!"

He obeys before asking the guy, "Do you have anything to say or is it just for me to stop?"

"I have an information."

"What is it?" I ask.

It takes him a moment to finally say, "The great leader is back."

Then, by surprise, the man takes something from his pocket and eats it. He dies less than a minute later.

"No!" I scream.

Asher swears.

I breathe deep before asking, "Who is the great leader?"

Asher is still on his nerves. "As if I knew! As if I fuckin' knew!"

I don't have the courage to tell him to calm down. All I can think of at the moment is Hailey. Where is she?

To remind myself of her, I try to reach her necklace around my neck. But as I put my hand on it, all I can touch is my skin.