With My Last Breath

Chapter 5

The drive to the house was as silent as a graveyard. Neither of us saying a word while Ashton drove behind the slowest moving truck I had ever seen in my life. In the time that we had been in the car Ashton's phone had been going off like crazy, but he didn't seem to really care at this point. We had stopped at the store, gathering about three weeks worth of food and other things for the both of us.

"Are you alright, Ashton?" I asked, looking down nervously.

A long sigh escaped his mouth before shaking his head. "I've honestly just got a lot on my mind right now."

"Is there any way I can help?"

"If there was I probably wouldn't ask you. Not to sound harsh or anything, I just don't want people dealing with my problems. In any case, I have a few things I need to do tonight so do you think you'll be alright by yourself for a couple of hours? Probably less than that depending on how things go."

I nodded. "I'm pretty good at handling myself."

"Good. If anything happens call me immediately and I'll get you. Understand?"

"Alright; whatever you say."

"This isn't a joke, Krystal," he growled, his brow furrowing. "There's always the possibility of someone tracking you or just a plain old robbery."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled back. "I shouldn't have said that."

He shook his head as he pulled into the driveway. "Forget about it. I'm just a bit edgy right now."

"No you were right. I should be taking this more seriously and saying what I said wasn't the best thing."

"I'll be back sometime tonight. Lock all the doors and don't answer for anybody."

I nodded in agreement as I opened the car door. "Don't have too much fun tonight, Ash. I'll see you whenever you get back."

He remained silent, only a forced smile on his face. We quickly unloaded the groceries from the car, deciding I would be the one putting them away while he was gone. Being alone honestly seemed like a good idea after everything. I hadn't had time alone since everything happened and I really needed to call Jack and tell him what was going on. Glancing over my shoulder once the last bag was on the floor I caught a glimpse of Ashton's car pulling out of the driveway without so much as a goodbye. Not that he really needed to say goodbye or anything; just would have been the polite thing to do. Pulling out my phone I quickly dialed Jack's number, hoping to talk to him a little before Ashton got back.

The phone rang for what seemed like minutes before it went to voicemail. Hanging up, I decided I would try calling him again later or tomorrow depending on what was going on. Glancing down at all the bags that surrounded me, a long sigh managed to escape as I began sorting out the frozen things from the food that needed to go in the fridge and cabinets. Ashton hadn't left any specific placement instructions but I made sure to keep everything that needed to be together in the same general area. Thankfully most of the food we bought was just a bunch of frozen foods, some cereal for a quick breakfast, and some deli meat to make sandwiches for lunch.

Setting down the last loaf of bread I began to walk through the house, taking in the small details that had been painted on the walls as well as the various landscapes that were scattered across the rooms and hallways. In total there were four bedrooms, one of which had my name on the door and Ashton's on another door. Each bedroom had a full bathroom, stocked with towels and other basic things you'd find in a typical bathroom. Overall it had the appearance of something you would see in one of those home improvement magazines; which wasn't a bad thing. Walking into my bedroom, I looked out the window at the open ocean in front of me, a feeling of calmness washing over me. As I turned to leave, my phone had started to ring; an unknown number flashing on the screen.

"Hello?" I answered.

There was a pause. "I know what you're up to. You need to stop before someone gets hurt."

"Who is this? How did you get this number?"

"I'm only going to warn you once. If I have to call you again, I suggest you get as far away as possible. We'll be in touch."

Before I could say another word the call was ended. My heart pounded against my chest and filled my ears as my hands shook and a cold sweat ran down my neck. Pulling up Ashton's number I went to dial the number but quickly decided against it. It wasn't like there was anyone here so it could probably wait until he got home. Yet no matter how hard I tried to shake it, I couldn't help but feel as though someone was watching me. ​​​​​​​