Wingless {Clifford A.U}

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Astrid collapsed against a wall, using it to keep her steady. Since she knew she couldn't fight back, she ran, she wasn't even sure how she managed to get away, but somehow she did. She thought she had a concussion because her dizziness and the pounding inside her head wouldn't go away, though it was dying down slightly. The storage crates were like a maze and she had no clue where the hell she was going but she lost Ashton, or at least she assumed she did. She couldn't breathe, her breaths were short and quick, her heart pounding in her chest, and her nerves going crazy.

"No, no, not now." she whispered to herself between breaths. She looked frantically around, it was very dark, the only light was from the street lights that flooded through the windows at the top of the building, and everywhere she turned there was a crate that was taller than her, she felt hopeless. She heard footsteps that were getting closer.

"Astrid, come out come out wherever you are." Ashton's voice echoed and she shuddered. Could he be any creepier? She looked for a way out and quickly followed the path of the crates, his footsteps progressively getting closer, but no longer than a couple of minutes she came to a dead end.

"Dammit." she muttered. Think, come on think, she thought to herself before looking at a set of crates that were stacked on top of each other. She jumped, grabbing the edge and attempting to pull herself up over the top. At this moment she wished she actually participated in PE because she had barely any upper body strength whatsoever. She got halfway over, her legs hanging over the side and she was laying on her stomach. God why am I so short? She tried to pull herself all the way up, his foot steps getting louder and she started to panic.

"That's not a good idea sweetheart," he said, grabbing her legs, "you might hurt yourself." he said yanking her off the crate and she landed on her back, knocking the breath out of her and she groaned in pain. She sat up and crawled away backwards (gif^^) until her back hit the opposite crate.

"You shouldn't have ran, can't let you make that mistake again." he said menacingly. She scrunched up her eyes, not wanting to know what he meant, but her eyes shot open and she let out a loud scream when she felt crushing weight on her right leg and the sound of the bone cracking. He covered her mouth with his hand as tears spilled down her cheeks. "Shh, you're going to give me a headache." he grumbled and she bit his hand, tasting blood. He drew his hand back with a groan and she smirked weakly, wiping his blood from the corner of her mouth.

"Y-you're crazy!" she said, her voice strained from the excruciating pain that spread through out her leg.

"Me, crazy? I don't think so. I'm just making sure you don't get in the way again." he snarled.

"Is-is that why you k-killed M-Michael?" she stuttered, hissing in pain. He looked shocked, he didn't know that she knew.

"I don't know what the hell you are talking about." he said.

"Y-yes you do. Y-Your classmate Michael C-Clifford," she started.

"How do you know that?" he asked. She kept her mouth shut. He pressed his weight down on her leg and she cried out choked sobs, clenching her fists at her sides to the point where they began to ache. "The longer it takes to answer the question, the more it's going to hurt." he growled, though she still didn't talk. He pressed down harder and she screamed, biting her lip until she could taste her own blood, but soon the pain was unbearable.

"S-stop! P-please!" she begged, sobbing.

"Tell me how you know about Michael." he said.

"G-go to hell." she spat. She knew she was digging her own grave, but actually she was buying herself more time in her opinion, because the more she could keep him talking, the longer she has to live, the more time for some bypasser to hear and help. He glared at her hitting her in face.

"You think you're so smart, but you're nothing but a stupid pathetic brat. Just like he was, but at least he was smart enough to put up a fight, unlike you. It's funny," he said getting very close in her personal space. "because it's like you don't care if you end up dead tonight. It's like you want to die." She stiffened, for more than three years she had been suicidal, but now, being faced with death, she realized she doesn't want to die. She wants to live. He grabbed her wrists, pulling her sleeves up. "I see you still slice your wrists," he said running his fingers over the scars making her squirm. "so I guess it won't make a difference if I do this." he said, taking his knife and pressing it to her skin, dragging the blade down where the once healed scar was, now blood seeping from the wound. He cut deep, deeper than she had ever done herself. She cried out, wanting to jerk her arm back, but with one wrong move he could sever a vein and she'd bleed to death.

He laughed at her as he continued doing the same thing, reopening the scars and watching her try not to move. She was taking quick, short, shaky breaths, whimpering noises escaping her mouth and tears spilling down her cheeks. It was one thing doing it herself, because it was her choice, now it's just torture. "That's okay, you're going to die tonight anyway." he said causing chills to run down her spine and dread washing over her mixed with fear, anxiety, and pain, but the pain was becoming more numb, but she wanted it to stop. "No one's going to save you sweet heart." he said, but instead of hearing her response he heard someone elses.

"You're wrong." They both turned and there was Michael, and relief washed over her, but Aston stared wide eyed.

"You're supposed to be dead!" he said as Michael started towards the two and Ashton stood up backing away. "You're not really here, just part of my imagination." he said, but Michael grabbed him by the front of his shirt, shoving him against one of the crates.

"Wrong again."

A/N: so that was a predictable ending to the chapter, though the last few lines I had problems ending, but whatever. Please vote and comment. Love you guys

-Xx E.J