Dark roots

Epilogue

ASHLEY POV:

Yesterday I found out I was pregnant, both Simon and Jhonny seemed to be happy with the news. Although I still need some time to wrap my head around it and really process that I'm pregnant, I am happy too. We stayed the entire night in Jhonny's room and talked about the future, more like dreaming about the future.

When I woke up an hour ago, I was still tangled in between Jhonny's arms. I had to be careful with all the tubes that were still monitoring his health, as I gently got out of bed, not wanting to wake him.

Last night I had a strange dream, it was so vivid and real that it still made me feel uneasy. After everything that happened and with a baby on the way, I knew I had to take action.

It was still early in the morning when I slipped out of Jhonny's room and made my way down the stairs towards the holding cells of the base. I walked past a couple of holding cells until I finally reached the one that kept my dad imprisoned.

"Are you finally here to visit your old man? It took you a while."

"Why did you do it? Why kill mom?" I asked, ignoring his attempts to get under my skin. I merely came to get answers, not to chit-chat.

His body tensed up at my words, but he quickly collected himself. "Collateral damage. Don't hate me for pulling the trigger, you could've saved her."

I scuffed at his words, was he really trying to turn this around and blame me for her death? Back in that room, I made a promise to myself and to my mom, to avenge her death. And that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Before coming here, I had made a quick stop at the weapon cache and tucked a handgun in the waistband of my pants. I reached my hand behind my back to grab the gun, my hands immediately tightening its grip.

This wasn't just about revenge for killing my mother, this was for everything he had done to me while growing up, and most of all, it was to protect the unborn baby. The thought of my baby being born in a world where this psycho was still breathing didn't sit well with me.

I wasn't going to risk anything. Last night I had a dream, that my dad somehow escaped prison and he came after me. That he'd see my baby and he or she would have to go through the same things I had to go through.

Shaking those thoughts away, I lifted the gun and aimed it right at him. Seeing him captured in the small holding cell with nowhere to go, tucked a smile on my lips. My dad didn't seem impressed by the gun, he merely stared at me. It almost felt like he was challenging me.

"You're not going to shoot your own father." He said unbothered.

"Push someone too far and you'll be surprised what they're willing to do." Unlike before, I wasn't scared to stare right back at him. He must have seen how serious I was because he shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"You're not a murderer."

"This is for my mom, for Kelly," My hands were slightly trembling, but my finger moved over the trigger, taking in a deep breath before I pulled the trigger. "For me,..."

The shot rang through my ears, and I stared as my father's body fell onto the ground. Watching him lay there without moving a muscle, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I continued to watch him for a few minutes, just to make sure he was really gone.

Minutes passed and I heard footsteps rush down the stairs, making their way over to me. With the gun still in my hands, I raised my hands in the air to surrender, when I saw a group of Shadows moving closer to me.

Graves pushed past the Shadows, staring at me with a shocked look on his face. His eyes land on the gun in my hand and the lifeless body in the cell behind me. There was a hint of empathy in his eyes as he stepped forward.