CHAPTER 87
Attack.
Elena
My shoes slapped on the tiles as I left the hospital.
I was so distracted and caught up in my thoughts that I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings.
I walked over to my car, parked on the other side of the road, opened it up, and got in.
It wasn't until I pulled onto the highway that the tears started rolling down my cheek, blurring my vision.
So many thoughts flood my mind, most of them centered around Damien and Sophia, and well…their baby.
I'm still in shock.
Sadly, I got so caught up in my head that I didn't realize that a car had been tailing me for a long time, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.
Unfortunately for me, it came sooner than I thought.
Just when I was turning the corner of a lonely road, a dark blue sedan sped up and cut me off at the edge.
Instantly, I snapped out of the funk I was in, my eyes widening in surprise. "What the hell?" I muttered under my breath, squinting at the car while pressing my horn.
Move, dammit!
Then I turned around to see if I could reverse but I couldn't as the road was too narrow.
I also noticed that no other cars were coming up behind me.
My heart started to beat faster as fear bubbled up in my throat.
Nevertheless, I tried to keep a brave face. It was getting late and the last thing I needed was to be
stuck out here with a lunatic so I got out of the car.
In hindsight, that was probably a stupid move but I blamed it on the fact that I wasn't thinking clearly.
As soon as I stepped out of the car, the car doors on the sedan popped like they had been waiting for me to step out and four large guys rushed out.
At first, I thought their car had become faulty but as they moved closer to me, my instincts screamed at me that something was off.
I tried to evade them, wanting to head back to my car but they were smarter than they looked, spreading themselves out so they could corner me.
I looked at the closest guy. He was big and tall with multiple tattoos across his neck and even his knuckles…he also looked mean and scary. "Um, please excuse me. I don't want any trouble."
"Neither do we." He licked his lips, laughing like it was some sort of inside joke.
"Okay," I muttered under my breath, moving to the left but he mirrored my footsteps, blocking my path.
Shit.
It occurred to me that they might just be a group of armed robbers, and all they were after was my phone and my wallet. I had no qualms with giving it to them as long as I was safe.
"If you want my money or my phone, I'll give it to you. Please, don't hurt me…" I whimpered.
"I don't want your phone, stupid girl!" He growled, taking a step forward.
Every bone in my body wanted to cower before him, but I managed to face him head-on. "So what do you want then? Why… why are you doing this?"
"Sadly, today's not your lucky day!" he cackled, displaying yellowish teeth. With a smooth move that had been practiced way too many times, another guy from the back slipped something into the big guy's hand, and the next thing I knew, he was waving a knife in front of me. "I'm here because unfortunately for you, someone wants you dead."
Dread coiled in my veins.
Dead?
No, that can't be true…right?
My eyes darted between the big guy and the road behind him.
If I could just get to the road then I would be able to call for help.
But first, I would need to get past these guys.
Which looks easier said than done.
"Look guys, I'm sure that we can come to some sort of agreement. You don't have to do this…" I tried to plead with them but my words fell on deaf ears.
The men were already murmuring among themselves about how 'fun' it would be to break my bones and make it look like an accident.
I'm pretty sure 'it' meant killing me.
Following a knee-jerk reaction, I bolted towards the road, which was probably a stupid move, but I wasn't thinking logically.
Unfortunately, they were faster and stronger than me, and in literal seconds, someone pounced on my back and tackled me to the ground.
I fell with a groan, pain blooming in my chest.
I tried to fight the person off but it was useless.
Aside from the fact that whoever it was weighed a ton, I was overpowered and outnumbered.
Someone grabbed my legs while another held my hands.
My eyesight went blurry for a moment when they flipped me over but it refocused only to see the big, mean guy reappear with the knife much closer to my face.
"Where do you think you're going, little girl?" He grinned and it was much more horrifying now that I was lying on the ground, helpless and defenseless.
It was starting to sink in now…
That I really could die here, staring at a bunch of nobodies while I breathed my last.
The terror filled my bones, robbing me of breath, and against my better judgment, I felt tears welling up in my eyes.
Realizing that I could die here at any moment, I decided not to let them kill me so easily.
The big guy that held the knife was slightly bent towards me, so I reared my leg back, summoning all the energy I had, taking everyone by surprise, and hit him in the balls.
His reaction was comical…the way his face turned red and he bellowed in pain, doubling over to cup his junk while he hopped on his toes, trying to alleviate the pain. "Oh, you bitch!" He yelled, glaring daggers at me, pure rage vibrating off his body.
I cowered, turning my head to the side and that was when the first blow came.
It was so sudden and quite powerful enough to snap my head backwards, knocking a few teeth loose.
The pain that followed afterwards was unlike anything I've ever experienced but that wasn't all… the blows kept coming and coming until I didn't have the willpower to stay conscious anymore.
At this point I could feel blood gushing down my nose and lips, reality blurring with dreamland.
Maybe that was why I thought I heard Cornell's voice yelling my name.
As my eyes fluttered closed, the last thing I thought was…
Out of all the people that I could have thought of in my last moments, why was it Cornell?
And then I blacked out.