𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗲 || 𝗝𝗝𝗕𝗔 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆

Blood on the Wrong Hands

How many hours that had passed, Diana didn't know as she opened her eyes. The blue sky that trapped everything inside of the cruel earth stared down upon her. A puffy white cloud went by before her brain had its first thought. Where's Adelio? That was the first thought she had. No, no that wasn't what she had been taught. Where am I? Was the new question. Diana forced her muscles to work and she sat up, her spine aching of stiffness. A smokey oder polluted her nose as her vision focused on Hol Horse. A cigarette was laying loosely in his mouth while he focused on driving. 

"Glad to see you've stopped napping, sweetheart." Hol Horse didn't even have to glance over to see she was confused. "Just think for a moment. It'll come back to you." 

Sure enough, memories faded back and replayed on Diana's eyes. Every tiny and explicit detail was there as if she was back in the place where it had happened. Okay, staying calm was a key component to this whole situation. Diana tried to analyze her current position.

Okay. Ajna doesn't want to kill Polnareff or any of the group for that matter. Polnareff knows what my true intentions were. Hol Horse...I think he rescued me from Enyaba's minions? I'm now in a car somewhere. Adelio was left behind. Adelio doesn't know the change of plan. 

"Remember yet?" Hol Horse tossed his cigarette outside of the car and chuckled as he exhaled his last puff of smoke. "We've been driving for a while now Mrs.. In case you're wonderin', we're still in Pakistan." There was a moment of silence. Diana yeeted herself out of the car and landed with a nice roll on the dirt floor. She had to get back to her son. He didn't know. He had to know or they might kill him if he succeeded with murder of one of their own.

"Dammit woman!" Hol Horse's foot stomped on the break but he wasn't going to be able to catch up. Diana was bolting as hard as she could in the opposite direction. There was a small thud. Diana quickly turned around on the toe of her right foot to see what she had dropped. The only thing she had left of him. The necklace. Extending a hand to grab it, Hol Horse stepped on the chain.

"Get. Off." Her pearly whites looked thirsty and her eyes looked furious. Yeah, he wasn't winning that one. Hol Horse took his boot off of the golden chain.

"We have to get to where we're going-," He grabbed her wrist.

"Why?! I have to-," she tried to pull away.

"Mrs. Diana, I don't think you understand that if word gets back to your father about you 'changing your mind' about killing them, he'll send relentless attacks on them. Possibly even you. I have to get you to safety." Diana loosened under the pure truth.

"H-he wouldn't hurt me (I think)...but, you are right about them...Alright, let's head out," her voice turned melancholy. Often times the realization that some situations are hopeless can be rather crushing. 

Diana hopped back into the car, fiddling with her necklace in her fingers. The rough terrain speedily passed by as her thoughts were locked on other matters. The silence was deadly like poison.

"So, uhm, why is that necklace so important to ya?" 

"It's not something I want to talk about." Diana rather mundanely mumbled.

Hol Horse sighed, "Alright Mrs.. you're not too talkative are you?" Silence. "Look, I'm sorry. From the few times I've seen your son, he's looked cold. Like you. He'll be fine."

"I have to be cold. How else do you think I've gotten this far?"

One more hour passed before Hol Horse parked the rough looking car and jumped out of the car. He opened the car door for Diana. Her arms were crossed as she looked down, still in a foul mood.