Hell

Chapter 8: Attacked

CHAPTER 8: ATTACKED

ASHLEY'S POV

My mom and I make it to Paris safely. We're both a little shaken up, but we know we have to remain calm. No one knows we're here. As soon as they catch whoever is doing this, we can go home. 

Our hotel, tall, white, and very classy, has thirteen floors. Our room is on the fourth floor. Mom is sitting on one of the beds staring at the tv, trying to comprehend French. I walk out to the balcony to find a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower. Below me is a small pool that overlooks gardens. If I wasn't in hiding, I would say that this could have been a good vacation spot.

"Ashley, you shouldn't be out there," mumbles my mother. I look back at her. She eyes me like a lost puppy and has a bit of plead in her voice. I step back inside and close the door.

"We're safe here," I whisper. We spend a view hours in our room until we are greeted by a few French officers. We're told that there is a sort of festival and that we are allowed out, just not too far away from the hotel. Despite my mother's earlier warnings, we both get dressed.

"Stay near the hotel okay? Don't talk to strangers, I'll be right back. I'm just getting some coffee," she says as she kisses my forehead and briskly walks out the door. I make my way down the elevator and into the hotel lobby. Outside, people are running around in the dark, dancing and laughing. After admiring their celebration, I walk outside to the pool area and stand in front of the deep side of the pool. It's quiet out in the back of the hotel, everyone is running through the streets below. The reflection of the stars softly dance across the dark water in front of my feet.

BANG.

I'm startled by the sound of fireworks. I laugh it off quietly and watch the beautiful colors light up the night sky. If only dad and Brandon could see this.

My thoughts are interrupted by a soft sound behind me, towards the left-side. I turn around surprised to see a young boy around my age standing about thirty feet away. His soft blonde hair laid just above his eyes and he kept a straight serious face towards me. I gave a small smile to invite him over, but he kept the same look and distance. The longer I stared at him, the more I could notice his features. Dark bags hung from beneath his eyes and his mouth hung in a sort of half frown. His deep blue eyes kept their hold on me.

"Ashley?" he trailed off. He knows my name..

"H-How do you know my name?" I stutter out in astonishment. My eyes widened as my voice died down.

"Because you fucked up," he said calmly. At that moment, he reached at his side and pulled a gun at me. I quickly turned around to try to run but I was stop my a piercing pain in my left shoulder blade. I was hit. 

Shocked by pain, I fell forward and into the pool as he continuously shot off towards me. I might have counted five more bangs from his gun when another bullet grazed the right side of my lower stomach. I couldn't breathe, but I remained calm and floated towards the top of the pool, every now and then letting my mouth open slightly for air. I waited for someone to hear the gun going off, but the sound of fireworks masked away the loud bangs. Finally, after what seemed to be a hundred bullets, the firing stopped. I waited for ten seconds to make sure I didn't hear him afterwards. Taking turns covering up my wounds with one hand and swimming to get out with the other, I finally managed to pull myself out of the pool. I looked back to see the water filled with a murky red. 

I couldn't stand, I couldn't breathe. I began to try to crawl towards the lobby of the hotel. I gave up on screaming for help halfway there because all I could do was mumble. The pain blocked my thoughts. I was able to enter the back-way into the lobby, a long stream of blood behind me. No one was in the lobby. I began to cry out for my mother. I drug myself out the front door and into the street where everyone was partying. It took a few moments before anyone was able to notice me, aside from the fireworks. I hear a loud scream and everything goes black.