Chapter 2
2180 Words
WITH a pack of food in his hand, Ash exited a diner on 90th Street. He bought Anne her favorite cuisine as a consolation after they hadn't spoken in nearly three months. When he went on a mission, he always turned his phone off so nobody could reach him since he dislikes interruptions. Fortunately, Anne understands his type of work and agrees with their arrangement. That's why he stays with her even though he can have any woman he wants. Anne wasn't pushy. In their type of relationship, she never complains about anything. She doesn't cling to him like the other girls he has encountered before. She had no expectations from him. Relationship status? None. It's good while it lasts.
Ash smiled at the memory of her. He was anticipating her delighted expression afterwards. Kadalasan ay hindi niya ipinapaalam sa babae kung kailan siya babalik. He simply knocked on her door one day, and she was overjoyed. Magkaganoon man ang set up nila ay batid niyang walang ibang lalaki sa buhay ni Anne kahit malaya itong magmahal ng ibang lalaki kung nanaisin nito. He didn't want to take advantage of her devotion and loyalty, but she's the only woman in his life in whom he harbors complete trust. That's why he kept coming back to her as long as she didn't have her own family yet. But he doesn't mind if he meets another man when he isn't around. They are not committed to each other, and she is free to flirt with anybody else she desires.
Ash grinned as he took a glance at the food container in his hand. Anne may be extremely pleased with just small presents like that. He simply dislikes meeting her without anything to offer. Even though they had not spoken for months, she can be comforted by only eating her favorite cuisine.
Ash got inside of his vehicle and sat in the driver's seat. He glanced at his watch and found that it was already thirty minutes past eleven o'clock. He hadn't heard from Kyle since he left the bar a couple of hours earlier. Nagpalamig muna siya ng init ng ulo bago nagpasyang mag-take out ng pagkain upang dalhin sa bahay ni Anne. They'll probably eat together in the morning. Anne's home was situated in Manhattan Valley, only a short drive away from where he is.
He removed his phone from the coat pocket. He saw his phone was dead and swore, "Damn it!"
Sa tuwing natatapos ang misyon niya ay hindi niya hinahayaang nakapatay ang phone niya dahil ano mang oras ay maaaring tumawag si Lenard para sa kaniyang bagong misyon.
When he turned on his phone, there was Kyle contacting him right away.
"Ash! Where the hell are you?”
Ash's brow pinched as he detected a note of panic in Kyle's words. "What's the problem?"
"I've been calling you for an hour, Ashton! Your phone's off, and goddammit, are you with Anne?" sunod-sunod na tanong nito.
"I'm on my way to her house. Any problem?" kunot-noong tanong niya. Sa tono ng boses ni Kyle ay mukhang may bago na namang problema. His friend will never use a tone like that if there’s no trouble.
"One of my men was discovered injured in the storage room, Ash, and he told me they were coming for you and Anne."
"Who are they?" Ash questioned, despite the fact that he could see the faces Kyle was referring to.
"Who else? Santino and his gang. I have a bad feeling about them, Ash. Please check on Anne. They left more than an hour ago!”
“How did they know about Anne?” takang tanong niya. Maliban sa kanilang magkakaibigan ay wala nang ibang nakakaalam ng relasyon niya sa babae. Nobody, not even Lenard. Not even Don Maranzano. He knows Anne will be in grave danger if anyone discovers her connection to him.
"Jason saw you with Anne once. He is also a resident of Manhattan Valley. Man, he has no choice but to spill. If he fails to submit, they will kill him," Kyle defended his employee.
"Damn it!”
Ash didn't bother to respond to Kyle anymore. He just slammed his phone on the dashboard and sped out of the parking lot of the diner. The tires screeched loudly and painfully. He needed to get to Anne as soon as possible. Alam niyang pipitsuging gang lamang ang grupo ni Santino ngunit hindi niya maaaring maliitin ang kakayahan ng mga ito. Walang kalaban-laban si Anne sa mga ito kung sakali. And he will not forgive himself if something awful happens to that woman as a result of his reckless behavior.
Nang maiparada ang sasakyan sa harap ng bungalow house ni Anne ay agad na sinipat ni Ash ang kabuuan ng bahay. The lights were off. Hindi siya nagdududa na patay ang ilaw sa bahay ng babae nang mga oras na iyon dahil iyon naman talaga ang oras na tulog na ang dalaga.
Marahan at alertong tinungo niya ang pintuan. There was no sign that the door was forced to open. No trace of damage whatsoever but he's not complacent about it. He pulled out his gun in preparation if someone wanted to ambush him from inside the house. The woman used to welcome him at the door step the moment she heard his car's engine. But tonight, the house was silent as the grave and it's giving him a bad feeling even though everything seems to be fine.
Ash lifted the ornamental vase with care and obtained the door key. He and Anne were the only ones who knew where the spare key was found. He cautiously opened the door and inspected the inside of the house with his keen eyes.
"Anne?" he called, but received no response. He entered the living room and noticed that, despite the darkness, everything was in order. In instances like that, his eyes and ears had been trained. He could even hear a mouse racing across the house, but no human noises.
He was about to put down his gun when he noticed the snowball that was illuminated by the street light coming through the window. It has been moved from its original place. It's a gift he gave Anne last Christmas and the woman told him that that thing made her feel safe and nobody will be able to remove it from its place.
Muling itinutok ni Ash ang baril sa unahan. Inatake ng pagdududa ang isip. Sinipat nang mabuti ang bawat sulok ng living room ngunit walang bakas ng pwersa roon. Tinungo niya ang kitchen ngunit wala siyang nakitang kahit ipis doon. Ash walked slowly and lightly like a cat to Anne's chamber. The bedroom door was slightly open, but he couldn't hear anything that indicated the woman was in difficulty. She was probably dozing and forgot to shut her door.
"Anne..." he called, almost whispering. He flung open the door and pointed his pistol inside, but no one was there. When Ash hit the switch, the light within the room erupted.
When he realized no one was present, he sighed. The bed was tidy and not even a little ruffled. Anne could be outside with her girlfriends.
"A... Ash."
When Ash heard Anne's faint voice, he froze. He looked around for the source of the voice and found Anne on the floor across the room, almost under her bed. Ash pushed the bed with all his might simply to have a close look at Anne's entire figure.
When Ash spotted her, he cursed, "f**k, Anne!" Anne was completely naked. She was almost immersed in her own blood. Her intimate parts, abdomen, and even her breasts suffered from lacerations. Ash didn't know where to start touching her because she was coughing up blood.
"Who the hell did this to you?" He grumbled. "Oh, God!" He fisted his trembling hands. He tightly closed his bloodshot eyes to contain the raging wrath within him.
"A-Ash... G-get out o-of h-here," she struggled to get the words out.
Ash opened his eyes, his eyes filled with rage.
Ash took the blanket and wrapped it around Anne's body before holding her. He couldn't stand looking at her suffering body. When he looked at her face, his heart constricted as he saw tears in her eyes. His heart wanted to burst in guilt and pity. Ash's body trembled in rage. He will not let the bastard who harmed Anne live!
"Anne, stay with me, okay. I'll bring you to the hospital. Stay with me, okay, honey?" his voice was desperate, nearly broken.
Anne shook his head and gave him a small smile. "I can't make it, Ash. I just waited for you, believing y-you'd c-come."
"Damn it, Anne. Don't say that! I'll take you to the hospital," he said.
"They've got here, Ash. These men were looking for you. You should g-go."
"No. I'll kill them. They shouldn't have done this to you. Oh, God, Anne! Stay with me, please," he pleaded. His trembling fingers wiped the tears on her face.
Despite the blood in her mouth, Anne smiled gloomy. "You're here, Ash, and your face will be the last thing I remember before I die... That'll do." She struggled breathing and Ash panicked.
"Don't say that, please. You'll stay with me, okay? You're not going to leave me, right? I'll call 911. Where's the damn phone, damn it!" he said, about to grab Anne in his arms when he heard noises outside the house.
"I told you, Ash, you have no idea who you're dealing with. Did you like my surprise for you? That woman tasted good if it was any consolation," Santino boasted and laughed.
"You son of a b***h!" Ash yelled as he gently pushed Anne aside. Tinungo niya ang bintana at pinaulanan ng putok ang mga tao sa labas. Ash has gone insane. Walang habas na pinaputok niya ang baril. Hindi siya titigil hangga't hindi naitutumba ang lahat ng may kagagawan sa nangyari kay Anne.
He couldn't think straight anymore. Tila nakapulan ng makapal na ulap ang utak ni Ash. Bumalik sa isip niya ang nangyaring p******************g. He has already lost both of his parents. His sister had gone missing, and he couldn't let anyone take someone he cared about away from him.
Nang gumanti ng putok ang grupo ni Santino ay natamaan ng bala ang balikat ni Ash. He winced when he felt the bullet pierced his flesh. Ngunit balewala ang sakit na nararamdaman ng balikat niya sa galit na lumulukob sa pagkatao niya sa mga oras na iyon. His murderous instinct was awaken and nobody can stop him now.
"You'll live to regret saying my name, bastard!" he yelled. He exited Anne's room and proceeded to the front door. Balewala ang nadurugong sugat sa balikat. Mas matindi pa roon ang sugat na natamo niya at hindi siya matitinag kahit pa na salubungin siya ng mga bala ng tauhan ni Santino.
"I want him dead!" sigaw ni Santino sa mga kasama nito.
"If you dare, assholes!" nag-igting ang bagang na wika ni Ash.
Sa tuwing pumuputok ang baril ni Ash ay may natutumba sa mga tauhan ni Santino. Ang tama ay sa pagitan ng mga mata. Bullseye. Ash face was dark and dangerous. Ang klase ng mukhang walang sasantuhin na kahit na sino. Walang ititirang buhay kahit na isa. A face that even the devil himself will dread in sight.
"Damn it!" He was out of ammo. Nang makitang walang umaatake sa kaniya ay bumalik siya sa loob ng silid ni Anne. He has guns and other weapons inside her closet that he didn’t expect he would use at that moment. Kinuha niya ang dalawang magazine ng bala ngunit bago pa siya makalabas sa pintuan ng silid ay nakarinig na siya ng matinding pagsabog. Tumilapon ang katawan ni Ash malapit sa kinahihimlayan ng katawan ni Anne. The blinding explosion deafened him. Her eyes were already closed when he turned to her. Despite his disorientation and blurred vision, he reached for her.
"Anne..." But the woman was no longer responding. She doesn't even move. He mustered all of his strength to reach her. His trembling hands reached down to her bloodied neck and softly detected her pulse. There's none anymore.
Ash clenched his fist and weakly smashed on the floor. He could barely stand and couldn't even get them out of the house, which was engulfed in flames. As the dense smoke entered his lungs, he began to cough.
"f**k," he cursed. His knuckles were swollen. "Anne..." He struggled to stand up but couldn't move a muscle. He tried with all his power, but he lacked all strength. He felt as if his body had gone numb. He was on the verge of losing consciousness.
"Ash!" A familiar voice called out. He was approaching them and noticed a familiar figure amid the heavy smoke. He recognized Kyle.
"Anne," he murmured trying to point her direction but failing.
His eyes closed and his body sagged, as if he realized they were already in safe hands.
- Writer
