Now or Never ⇀ John B Routledge [1]

xxxii. maniac

Something was wrong, Ashtyn felt it in the pit of her stomach as she took a step back in her dimly lit childhood bedroom. The sixteen year old was more than confused as her blue eyes darted from wall to wall, finding her posters and tapestry untouched from the day she ran away. She swore Claudia threw everything out, but maybe the blonde woman had false hope that her daughter would one day return.

She wouldn't.

Ashtyn Hughes didn't know how she came to be in that prison cell of a bedroom, but she swore the walls were caving in on her. It was hard to breathe, and as the brunette frantically turned to escape out the door, she found herself face to face with yet another wall.

In fact, all doors and windows were gone.

There was no escape.

Her breathing increased so much that the brunette thought she was going to have a panic attack, but all of that ceased when she turned on her heel and found the devil herself glaring back at her. Time stopped and all Ashtyn could think was, 'this is how it ends'. For once, she didn't see herself getting away from her hellish mother, rather accepting this final beating until her last breath.

Claudia Hughes was larger than her petite daughter in every way; toned from her afternoons at the gym and tall, a trait Ashtyn didn't seem to inherit. She could easily end the young girls suffering right there, but her lack of movement showed that wasn't her goal.

She wanted to incite fear in her daughter, make her cower in a corner or maybe even run so she'd have to chase her, but Ashtyn was tired of running. The sixteen year old no longer saw the point as her blue eyes locked with her mothers, challenging her. "What do you want?"

The antagonistic words were out of character for Ashtyn as her hands clenched into small fists. She was done cowering like a scared pig on the verge of being slaughtered, she was ready to fight.

Fight for her new friends that had risked their lives for her, for her brother who endured so much pain throughout their childhood to keep her safe and lastly, for her boyfriend who would be devastated if anything happened to her.

John B didn't have to verbally tell Ashtyn he needed her, she could feel it in his touch and every time their lips pressed together. The way the older male pulled her body close every time they were near one another and kiss her forehead before tucking his face into her chest. Ashtyn Elizabeth Hughes was everything to John Booker Routledge, and she felt the same way about him.

"Answer me!" Ashtyn screamed again, the teens dry throat causing her to fall into a coughing fit after. This time though, as she bent over to catch her breath, something did happen. Claudia melted away, red dye staining the carpeted floor until the spot she previously stood vacant, leaving her daughter in a state of confusion until a hand wrapped around her throat from behind.

A startled gasp left Ashtyn's mouth as she struggled to get air to her lungs, feeling her feet lift off the ground as her body was thrown against one of the white walls. She couldn't hold back tears when she realized Rafe's cerulean blue eyes were staring back at her, numerous bruises and cuts littering his usually flawless skin. Choked sobs left the males mouth as his shaky grip on her tightened, "You did this to me. You made me a monster."