When you know

23. Blood

Ariana opened her eyes. Everything was blurry. Terror overcame as she realised that her hands were bound to the metal chair she had been tied to. A bulky man stood in front of her, his knuckles red with blood. Her blood.

She could taste the metallic blood in her mouth. Her arms, upper body and head ached. The numerous punches and hits had made her lose consciousness already.

After being led to the dining room, her Uncle Kamal had sat with an unreadable expression on his face. His voice had been cold as he welcomed them and throughout dinner. However, things had quickly taken a turn for the worst. As soon as the conversation turned towards her escape and the secret services, the atmosphere changed. Ariana couldn't stand the acting and had been blunt.

'You stole everything from me.' She had bravely accused her Uncle. He had chewed the steak slowly, watching her. She refused to squirm under his glare. That had broken the ice and her Uncle jumped at the wheel and begun asking her about the formula. Soon after, she has been forced to the dark basement, where water dripped and the light was dim. The torture began.

'Tell us the what we want.' Juned said as he stood watching from the corner. He too had finally dissolved his façade and was now showing the side that she had known all too well.

'I don't know. And even if I did, I would never tell you.' That led to another hard punch landing across her right cheek. She coughed and spat out blood mixed with saliva. It was strange how she was still wearing Aidan's shirt from those few days ago but now it was crimson.

'Right keep asking her and every time she doesn't answer correctly, you know what to do.'

After what seemed like years, a man came in and muttered something. Her arms were untied, but they made sure to cuff her hands. As she stood up, she almost collapsed from the pain and exhaustion. They both held her up by the arms and dragged her upstairs. The calmness that had encompassed the castle had disappeared and it seemed like something was wrong.

As they walked down the corridor, there was shouting and gunfire shots that filled the air. Had they come for her? Was Aiden here? Without another, though, Ariana saw it as her chance to try and escape. She checked to make sure that it was just them. She gathered her strength and using her handcuffed fist, struck the man on the right under the chin and quickly kneed the other man in the groin. Before the men could react, she grabbed the gun from their waistband. She moved back, holding the gun in front of her.

'Don't move. I'm not afraid to shoot.' She ordered. Both men raised their hands. Once again, her heart pounded as she found herself in a dilemma. They would run after her but if she shot them somewhere where it wouldn't kill them, she could get away without being followed. 'Slide me your weapons and the keys now!'

The men did as they were told. Not moving the gun from them, she grabbed the keys and another gun. Ariana took a deep breath and then she fired the gun twice, shooting both men on their thighs. They howled in pain, but she didn't have time for remorse and felt nothing for the man who had made her blood flow.

Reaching a secluded corner, she quickly uncuffed her hands. God, she felt so scared, but it was either fighting or waiting to be killed. She was a fighter. This was the real world, and she didn't have time for a knight in shiny armour to rescue her. The fighting and gunshots were getting louder. It seemed like a full-on gun battle was taking place in parts of the castle and outside, as the noise echoed through the grey stone walls. Ariana begun speed walking in the shadows. She went towards a large window. It was pitch black and the waves crashed angrily against the boulder, but there were flickers of ammunition being fired. She turned around and rested against that damp wall. In that moment, she decided that she was going back. She could save herself but she couldn't live with the guilt if she left Aisha behind and she would most likely be with her Uncle.