The Favour (COMPLETE)

Chapter 8.

Leyla

My feet are splashing through the stream below me and my breathe is becoming ragged but I can't stop now. I'm so close to the end, to the place where he cannot find me I know it. My feet feel so sore from the water and constant pounding. My throat is burning and my heart feels like it's about to explode it is racing that fast. As I stumble forward I glance behind me into the darkness preying not to see his face tonight. Those hooded eyes always the same piercing hooded eyes staring back at me. He is not behind me but as I trip and stumble forward I feel my hand grab onto something grimy yet soft like clothing. His boney hand grasps my hair and pulls me upwards until my eyes are level with his.
"Please," I beg but I can see in his eyes he has a plan for me. His slug-like lips turn upwards into a smirk and his fringe of greasy brown hair falls over his eyes forcing him to swipe it aside with his free hand which cradles a knife. I feel myself whimper although my throat still burns.

"Shhh," he places the blunt side of the knife to his lips. I don't know what to expect from him, his usual gun is replaced with a knife. I close my eyes praying he won't hurt me but knowing deep down that in this place, this secluded place nobody will hear me scream. I feel the cold sensation of the blade against my neck.
"Please," I croak as he begins to pressure my windpipe making me choke for air. Suddenly he moves his arm swiftly to the side slashing my neck. I feel myself falling and he lets go of my hair, letting me splash into the stream below clutching my neck. The blood oozes out of my fingers and coats my hand. I gasp feeling the air enter my mouth but never reach my lungs. I open my eyes and see him standing over me his knife poised over my chest. Through the spots of black which are slowly taking over my sight I see him drive the knife deep into my chest but do not feel it. The air is no longer entering my mouth, instead I can taste the metallic of blood and feel myself choking on it. As I feel my eyes beginning to close I see the flashes of purple clothe dancing over me through the flashes of silver from the knife.
"Please," I manage to cough watching blood spray from my mouth...

"Leyla?" Ajay's voice is loud in my head as my eyes fly open. I feel my hands around my neck restricting the air flow to my lungs which are screaming out. I release my fingers and feel the cool air racing through my windpipe inflating my chest. I pant as I regain my breathe and my awareness of my surroundings.
"What the hell Leyla?" Ajay shouts not caring that it is dark outside so probably earlier morning, "what the hell?" I don't know what to say to him. I wasn't going to get out of this one easily I had just woke up strangling myself. This nightmare had been different though. He had a knife instead of a gun and it felt more personal. Not to mention he had yet again changed facial features, a smaller button nose, thicker slug-like lips, short brown hair with a long fringe but he still wore the same holey dirty clothes and still had the same hooded eyes and gravelly voice like the other dreams. My back feels wet with sweat as does my forehead and neck but I don't want Ajay to stay long. I had to get down his face before I forget it.

"I'm fine," I lie. I always seem to say the same thing whenever Ajay caught me in the middle of a nightmare but what else could I say.

"Fine?" Ajay shakes his head walking towards the door, "stop pushing people out Leyla." I stare at him as he places his hand on the door handle. I always locked my door at night but Ajay had insisted on getting a replica so he could come in when I was having a nightmare. I have to admit that tonight I'm glad he came in. Who knows what would have happened if I'd been left to strangle myself!

"I'm sorry Ajay, but please don't worry it was nothing," I try to force a smile but Ajay just walks out and locks the door behind him. As soon as I hear him shut the door to his own room I turn my bedside lamp on and rush over to my desk. I grab a plain piece of paper and a pencil and begin to sketch out the face I had seen today. When I've done it to the best my memory would allow I fish for some blu tac in my draw and stick the sketch next to the other six sketches I had managed to make. All six are completely different apart from the hooded eyes and tramp-y looking clothes he wears. The dreams had got worse after meeting Rahul Khanna's parents. It had been such a tense day after the argument at lunch. I just don't know whether I'm ready to be thrust into another family war! My mother's family is already feuding with my father's family over what I'm not completely sure but I'm sure that I can't be in Rahul's family feud. I just didn't understand why he couldn't see how fortunate he is. I can't believe he had said he had nothing to be grateful for! He has parents who want the best for him, a place to call home, people who love him. They are all things to be grateful for but Rahul just seems to want to ignore all that and focus on all the things that aren't going right in life, which is fine but he should at least realise that his life is better than a lot of other's out there, mine included.
"Who are you?" I poke my wall infuriated at both Rahul Khanna and the mystery man, "what do you want from me?!"