No Coincidence

Chapter 8

Sorry its so short...

will upload the next chapter soon

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Chapter 8

She stood there as he watched, froze behind glass. He watched as she moved over to him, and then sank to her knees crying. He watched as she spun around startled by something behind her. She must have heard something bad because her head whipped back to look at him with horror. Slowly she started to creep backwards into the dark.

“No, wait. Don’t go.” He pleaded. Just before she was consumed by the dark she stopped and pulled her hand in front of her. As a glint drew his eyes to her hand he saw the hand gun she held. Slowly she raised it up to him and aimed it at his chest. She mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’ and he started screaming “No, wait. Please don’t. Please help me.” He could see the tears streaming down her face like he was looking in a mirror. Then he noticed why. The woman kneeling, crying in front of him was Ava. He swallowed as he saw the flash of the gun going off. He waited for the pain that never came. He opened his eyes and saw the world through a haze of red. Ava was kneeling next to him. She was crying and saying words he couldn’t hear. ‘This is it’ he though ‘this is how I die’. He smiled at the thought that Ava would be the one to kill him, not some thug he didn’t know. He looked up into Ava’s eyes as the darkness began to cloud his vision…

Mason woke, drenched in sweat. Breathing heavily his head snapped up and searched the small room he was in. he saw four walls of solid concrete with a small rectangular outline of a door cut into the wall opposite him. Swallowing he jingled his wrists and found them chained, above his head, to the wall. His ankles were also chained to the wall, so he was spread eagle on the wall. His head spun around the room. The remains of his nightmare embedded on to his brain.

“Ava!” he screamed. But he knew before he said a word that she wasn’t here. Mason tried to remember what happened. He was on his way to Ava’s when he got a tip about who was terrorising his family. He immediately called Joy to tell her he’d be late, then he headed to the place his informant wanted to meet. As he turned up at the abandoned warehouse he knew something was off. But he went in anyway. He needed to know who killed his family. As he opened the door, Mason heard a noise behind him. As he turned he felt the sting of something in the side of his neck. He reached out for the handle before he collapsed. The next thing he knew he was chained here. Mason sank as the look on Ava’s face…

Mason opened his eyes but still that look seemed to burn bright in his eyes. As he went to that place in his heart, the place where Ava lived, he tried to see how she was. His heart hurt as he thought about what he’d done. It was so stupid to come without backup. Mason groaned in frustration at his stupidity. Mason froze as the sound of footsteps reached his ears. He listened until he heard the hard scrap of metal on metal as the door in the wall opened and a tall slim figure started towards him. Even though he knew it was useless, Mason started to struggle against the restraints. As the figure moved closer Mason swallowed and clenched his jaw. Before he could see the persons face, he felt a sharp prick in his neck and a numb feeling started to spread through his body before his eyes closed and the darkness consumed him.

*****

Ava woke with a gasp as she felt a sharp prick in the side of her neck. Sitting straight up in her bed Ava took some deep breaths trying to calm herself down. Quickly she jumped out of bed on her way to the bathroom and collapsed to the ground on legs she couldn’t feel. Ava gasped as she braced herself for the impact. Then using her arms she pulled herself into her bathroom and made it to the toilet just before she threw up. She heard someone come in, then heard the tap run before a hand passed her a wet wash cloth, Ava said thank you to the still unknown person as they reached across her to flush the toilet.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it.” Ava heard Joy say as she closed the toilet lid.

“You alright?” Joy asked. Ava nodded before saying “Anxious stomach.” Ava watched Joy nod then lean down and hold her hand out.

Ava just shook her head and said “I can’t stand up.”

Joy’s eye brows seemed to join as she said “Why not?”

Ava looked at her legs and said “my legs are numb.”

“How did you get in here?”

“I pulled myself.” Ava looked up when Joy didn’t answer and saw Joy gapping at her. She let out a small self-conscious smile then started to try and make her way towards the door.

“Wait here.” Joy said as she headed at the door at nearly a run. Ava huffed out a big heavy breath and had to hold back the sobs that started to rise. She listened to Joys footsteps on the hardwood stairs, then as she ran into one of the down stairs rooms, ‘probably the kitchen or lounge room’. As Ava sat there with her numb legs in front of her she started to hit and pinch her legs, trying to get feeling back into them. Suddenly Ava slumped backwards and she realised that the numbness was moving up her body. Suddenly, as if pulled, Ava pitched to the left and hit her head on the tub. Using her arms, Ava moved off the tub and rubbed her head, feeling the slip and slid of blood forming just above her left eye brow. She heard the pound of feet up the stairs as she felt another sharp pain in her side. Reaching for the toilet Ava pulled herself up and threw up just as people rushed into the bathroom.

“What Happened?” she heard Matt ask.

“I don’t know. I came up to see if she was awake and she was in here throwing up. I gave her a wash cloth, flushed the toilet then tried to help her up. She said she couldn’t walk and that she pulled her way into the bathroom.” Joy said in a rush of words going a million miles an hour.

“Okay.” Matt said. Ava felt another hit to her abdomen and knew what was happening.

“Mason.” She managed to squeeze it out while her arms went around her stomach.

“Mason’s not here, honey.” She listened as Matt tried to get her into a position where he could lift her.

“No.” Ava started “he’s being beat up.” She said as she felt another blow hit Mason. Swallowing, she turned and, as the numb feeling reached her rib cage, she reached out to Matt. Ava felt his big strong hands clap around her arms and pull her towards him.

“You gotta find him, Matt.” Ava begged as he pulled her into his arms and carried her into her room.

“I’ll try Ava, I am trying.” Matt said as he placed her on the bed.

“They’ll kill him.” Ava said as she squirmed around in pain, and the darkness started to creep up her body turning her chest numb.

“Where are you hurt, Ava.” Matt said as he tried to lift her shirt looking for the wound.

“Superficial,” Ava said as she continued to clutch at her unharmed stomach “Mason’s hurt, and I feel his pain.” She felt a breath of wind brush against her cheek that was accompanied by a sound from Matt. She felt the bed move as Matt stood up.

“Go get GP and Dougie. Get all the help you can. Find Mason.” She heard Matt say to Joy.

“How?” Joy asked in a quiet voice.

“I don’t know.” Matt almost screamed at Joy. Then in a quieter voice he added “just find him.” As the numbness started to spread through her arms and her neck Ava started to sink into darkness she knew all too well.

*****

Matt watched as Ava slipped into unconsciousness. After Joy left Matt stayed there for at least half an hour just sitting there watching her. When he realised how much Joy and the others would need his help he left the room and headed down stairs to work on his laptop.