"You can't be mad for losing something you didn't fight for."-Unknown

Chloe's POV:

I freeze, bewildered at another firing right behind me.

Xavier..

I hesitantly turn around, biting my lips to stop them from quivering. Xavier's pale and shocked expression stood few inches from me, staring back at me in horror.

He looks down at himself, inspecting if he got shot but finds nothing.

The man that was holding Xavier drops down with a soft thud on the dry leaves of the forest floor.

My heart thunders under my chest, threatening to come out. I heard a gasp from Victoria behind me.

She wasn't the one who shot.

I snap my head at the source of the firing to find Emma standing few feet away from us, holding the silver pistol between her palms that shook in fear.

My eyes brim with tears as she stood alive in front of me but she didn't spare a glance at me.

I narrow my eyes studying the change in her demeanor. Her eyes were bloodshot red and puffed. She was no longer wearing her sweater, showing her gown that was covered with mud and blood stains.

I gave a quick scan over her body, inspecting if she is wounded but found nothing to my relief.

Emma's entire frame was shaking in fear yet she tried to mask her terror, still aiming at the bald man. Her hands trembled even if she held the gun between both of her palms.

She didn't just escape that man Victoria had sent, but most likely witnessed Melissa and Aiden dead in that house. My heart clenches in agony seeing her.

I spot her wearing my backpack, a realization clicks to me.

There's a phone inside it. If I get a chance to call the police..-

My thoughts were cut off when Victoria reacts at the speed of a lightning bolt. She moved quickly past me that I didn't have any time to register her next tactic.

Victoria dashes towards Xavier who stood unaware of the witch behind him, staring at the man, taken aback.

She swings her arm with a large force, smashing the base of the gun at his head.

"No!" A scream leaves my mouth.

A soft moan of pain escapes Xavier's lips. His hands involuntarily clutch his head and he drops to his knees, falling beside the man dressed in black.

My eyes bulge out in horror leaving my jaw slightly open.

Victoria rushes to where I stood sending a dirty glare, her nostrils fuming in rage.

She wraps her arm around my neck making me choke at the sudden, hard impact. I grab her arm trying to thrash away to no luck.

She points the cold metallic pistol at my forehead, digging it deeper. I flinch, gasping for air making my chest burn. My vision becomes glossy.

"Drop that gun or I'll blow her head." She barks loudly, directing the threat towards Emma.

'N-n.." My voice trails off, unable to breathe under her strong grip.

This woman won't kill me unless she gets the antidote.

Don't fall for it Emma...

I watch as Emma's eyes widen seeing my red ones, tearing up in pain. Her lips quiver but she drops the gun, raising her hands in the air in surrender.

I wriggle my neck, choking under her grip. Tears blind my vision and my senses start to grow numb.

Victoria finally loses her grip around my neck a little, making me choke on my own breath as I gasp for air hungrily.

She still didn't let go off me nor did she move her aim from my forehead. An evil laugh rumbles from her chest, making it vibrate when it touched my back.

"L-look at your p-pathetic st-tates-" She goes on laughing, enjoying seeing our miserable faces.

My chest heaves up and down, as I inhale loudly normalizing my breathing rate. My face was probably red as it burned from the heat while getting choked seconds ago.

I glance slowly at Emma who stood shaking in fear, eyeing through her teary emerald orbs.

"Remember..."

A voice rang in my head making me frown. My forehead creases in confusion if I'm starting to lose my cool.

"Remember this tree-"

Victoria stops laughing and finally points her gun at Emma, who deadpans on her spot.

My eyes grow wide and I start to struggle under her hold. She leans towards my ear and a cold shiver runs up my spine.

"I'll kill them all if I can't get what I want." She whispers making my eyeballs fall out of my sockets.

A thought strikes me and my heart jolts.

The tree!

I dreamed about a tree several times, it was obviously a small fragment of my memory. It was something dad always pointed at and told me to remember it.

"It's special just like you, so remember it."

Tears prick my eyes. It's a clue that dad left for me.

Victoria pulls off the trigger and a click goes off. A sob escapes Emma but she doesn't move.

"Stop! I know where dad had hid the antidote. I-I remember it now" I blurt out loud making her stop.

I gulp inwardly and add," I won't tell you if you hurt anyone!"

This worked on her. She lets go off me and removes her aim from Emma.

I hurriedly step away from her, turning to face her. Victoria smirks viciously at me.

"I always knew there was a hidden door, Ava." My breath hitches and I stare at dumbfounded.

How.

"A scientist like him would never hide something so precious in a old wooden room." She smiles pleased at me, aiming behind me towards Emma.

"And you know what happens if you try to trick me this time." I swallow the pulp in my throat and nod at her.

"And if someone's hurt you can kiss that antidote goodbye." She scowls at me but nods nevertheless. I mentally sigh in relief.

There's no way I'll let her get that antidote but I need to show her the secret door or she would have killed Emma right there.

Once I get a chance I'll signal Emma to call Mr. Roy. I specifically saved his number in that small Nokia phone I borrowed from Xavier's care taker.

I gesture my hand at Emma to join me, Victoria eyes her like a hawk until she walks beside me.

I send a glance over Xavier who lay unconscious on the thick flooring of the forest. At least he isn't bleeding, Victoria only knocked him off for now.

Minutes pass as we go on looking around different trees. I groan in frustration wondering which tree was it to be exact. I turn around quickly when Victoria glares at me.

My eyes land on a fairly old oak tree. It was the tallest of all, its leaves swayed along with the cold breeze of the winter. The lavish green leaves rustled whenever it danced with the wind.

My breath hitches and I walk closer to it. This is the tree I saw in my dream.

"Is that the tree brat?" Victoria yells at me, behind my back but I ignore the old goose, pissed off by her nonstop ranting for past several minutes.

I slowly walk towards the tree, memories rush in my head.

This is special just like me.

I wish I could ask dad why this was so special, as well as me.

My fingers brush over the hard surface of the trunk underneath my soft palms. I glance at it, trying to find if there is some sort of hidden note or clue for the antidote.

I frown when I spot a small tree hole. I thought birds usually make their homes as high as possible. I gulp and slowly reach inside the dark hole.

My fingers brushed against small spider webs until it touched something soft yet rigid. It was pushed and a sound beeped.

A button.

My eyes grow wide and I quickly back off, dreading if there is a trap but nothing happens for few seconds.

"Did you find something-" Victoria's mouth closed shut when the land below her feet started to rumble. She yelped moving away from that particular spot.

The wild grass and leaves slide along with the land and a small door opens beneath the ground.

My mouth hangs open and Emma stares at it dumfounded.

A secret door.

"Finally." Victoria grins like a maniac and gestures her head for me to start moving.

I lick my lips and walk towards the small opening. My eyes grow wide looking at it.

A staircase stood, leading further down until it met an end where a large metallic door was built.

A bunker.

Did dad make this?

"Get moving kid." I look behind to find Victoria nudging me to lead her down.

We start descending below the ground and stand in front of the large door of the bunker. This is where the secrets lie, regarding the antidote of Trxyonate.

I glance back at Emma who had an unreadable expression yet she nods at me.

Hesitation was the only thing that stopped me.

"Just move aside." Victoria harshly yanks me away by pulling my shoulder back. I stumble back but Emma catches me, her hold securing me from falling down.

I look at her, desperate to inform about the phone. Her emerald orbs somehow held the same emotion but we both broke from our trance when Victoria opens the door.

The metallic door opens, welcoming us into another room. I trail behind Victoria who rushes inside, chuckling in amusement.

The room lights up automatically giving a perfect view of this room. My gaze lingers around when I realize it's actually a lab.

There were shelves covering one wall, the other half of the room was filled with dozens of test tubes, containers with foreign liquids. There was a huge white table, several sheets were scattered over it.

Victoria walks around, smiling ear to ear as she starts rummaging through the papers. "I found it!" She shrikes in excitement, facing her back at us.

My stomach drops and a small tear escapes my eye.

Dad worked so hard, trying to save lives and here I'm draining his every effort in one go.

My heart tugs with a dull ache as I watched the monster laugh at my dad's paper work, looking at it and studying the list. She looks at the papers, walking to a shelf containing few specific test tubes.

"Chloe.." My head snaps at Emma's whispering. She licks her lips, looking beyond worried as she eyes Victoria before glancing at me.

I need to tell her-

"The police are on its way, let's run away." My eyes grow to the size of moon. She did check my backpack and already called for help.

What's taking them so long?

I nod at her furiously.

If we get back up there safely, I can lock Victoria in the bunker itself, once I manage to get to that main switch. I peek at Victoria who was busy, scanning the white sheets and test tubes like a hungry beast.

I start to retreat backwards and Emma follows me. My throat dries up and my heart starts to pound faster.

Not a single sound comes from the two of us as we start to ascend back up to the ground.

Adrenaline pumps in my bloodstream and my instinct kicks in with new fond determination.

I glance at Emma and mouth at her 'slowly' and she nods knowing I'm gesturing towards the dry leaves and twigs on the ground.

We both steadily make our way towards the large oak tree. I clench my sweaty palms as I start nearing my target.

'Bang'

An ear piercing gunshot rings making me snap my head towards the side.

Emma yells in pain, dropping down on the ground, face first. The red liquid stains her upper right shoulder, soaking her dress in an instant.

"Emma!" I scream, crashing down beside her. I eye her fresh wound where the bullet was pierced. I blink vividly to clear my vision that was being blocked by tears.

I turn her body, slowly, placing her head on my lap. She looks at me through her half closed eyelids.

"Run.." A small whisper leaves her mouth and she falls limp on my lap.

"No no no.." Shaking my head, a deep cry leaves my sore throat.

Emma's blood stained my own hands and I started to lose my sanity at this point.

A sharp sting pierces at the back of my neck and a yelp escapes my dry lips. I reach towards the back of my neck and feel a syringe but it was removed the moment my fingers brushed over it.

"It will be an honor if you die just like your dad, Ava."

I turn around to find Victoria standing with a tiny syringe in her hand that was now left empty, its contents injected in my bloodstream.

My head starts to spin, and the vision becomes blurry.

"How dare yo-o-ou" I couldn't finish my sentence as I start coughing rapidly. My chest felt like it was burning, with every bit of air I inhaled.

I place my hand against my chest and start rubbing it, trying to soothe the agonizing sensation but the coughs started to get worst. I remove my hand from Emma's body, placing it over my mouth.

That's when I tasted the ironic liquid. I glance down at my dirty rough palms to find blood all over it. At first I thought it was Emma's but it was until I coughed, splattering more blood over my hands.

"What a pitiful sight indeed. So very pitiful." Victoria's laugh echo in the woods as she watched me.

"Trxyonate will start its effect in seconds." She giggles, bending towards me. I look at her wide eyed making her chuckle as I start coughing out more blood with every breath I took.

"Now you will either die instantly or turn into a monster." She gets up, erupting into fits of laughter. "Oh! I just burned those papers down there, the whole place would eventually catch fire soo-"

Her voice started to dim, my ears were ringing with a weird sound. I wasn't able to breathe normally without coughing and choking on my own blood.

This is it. I'll die here.

Tears brim my eyes, as I frantically look around and find Emma and Xavier laying unconscious. Emma needs to be aided immediately. She is losing lots of blood.

I failed them all. My parents, my friends.

I grit my teeth, suppressing more coughs. My visions starts to turn red, it felt like my insides were churning upside down.

Faint horns and sirens echo in the woods making me halt. They're here.

Victoria's laughter dies off as the sirens became loud and clear. I quickly try to stand up, but my head starts to spin making me stumble and drop down.

"Time to bid farewell." I heard her announce. My vision starts to zoom in and out.

She is trying to escape. It will take a while until they find where we are. I need to stop her.

I sense her retreating making me glance up at her.

Get up. Fight till your last breath.

I grit my teeth, clenching my jaw. I try once again, to stand up and barely make it. My knees are about to give up, my body reconciles as I start coughing harder, splattering fresh blood over my feet and the ground.

"S-s-sto-op." A weak whisper leaves me but Victoria halts few inches away from me. She turns around, cocking her eyebrow at me.

"Still alive?" She sounded amused. I blink several times, it felt like my eyes were burning just by trying to look straight. A chuckle makes me look at her, squinting my eyes, fighting to stand straight.

"You lose Ava Edison." Her voice was cold and she turns her back at me, walking ahead.

Something clicks in me, rage seething into my nerves. She can't leave without paying for all this.

I glance down and find a solid fist-shape rock.

I grab it hastily and dash towards Victoria tripping on almost every step but still manage to run in her direction.

If I hold her down just a little longer, help will arrive.

My vision was blurry and I scream, jumping on her short frame. A surprise yelp escapes her as I collide with her, making both of us fall down.

Victoria loses her grip on her weapon and it tosses an inch away from her hand.

"You brat..." She growls under me.

My head starts to spin and I honestly didn't have any strength to fight her. I grit my teeth trying to hold her down by literally sitting on her back.

I swing my arm, gaining momentum to crash the small rock on her head but a sharp pain shoots in my waist making me stun. The rock loosens from my grasp, falling lighting over her head.

She groans and throws me off in a snap. My body drops down, powerless. A hiss passes through my teeth when my head collides with small pebbles and rocks on the forest floor.

I snap my blurry eyes open, the vision starts to black out little by little. I watch as Victoria crawls towards her gun from the corner of my eye.

Come on. Fight.

I grunt loudly, pain shoots in every inch on my body. My head felt severely heavy, making my sight spin rapidly.

I dig my nails into my palms, trying to regain my posture.

"I should have killed you right there." She grabs her gun, getting up from her position but I stop her.

I use my every ounce of strength left within me and swing my left foot between her feet, making her trip. She yells and falls down right beside me.

String of curses leave her mouth as she snaps her head at me. I quickly move over her back, grabbing her neck trying to choke her with my thin arm.

My body starts to shake and I cough harshly, spilling blood all over her shoulder. Victoria tried to wriggle out of my grip, I watch from the corner of my eye as she tried flailing her gun towards me to get a hit on me.

I gasp for air but end up choking on my thick blood. I blink rapidly and use my other free arm, trying to reach for her gun which she kept swinging in order to smash me using it.

I felt my eyes burning as I strained them, not allowing them to close shut. A horrible pain churns in my stomach making me gasp loudly and my body stuns, electrified from it. My face contorts as a nasty cramp twists in my stomach.

The drug.

My grip loses over her and Victoria thrashes under me. She flings me on the ground, trying to sit up straight, grasping of air.

The crimson blood was smeared all over my mouth, my eyes roll back into my head as I choke uncontrollably. I try to fight back to no avail.

I don't get any chance to recover. Victoria leaps towards me and aims her silver pistol.

'Bang'

My bloodshot eyes widen and a gasp escapes my lips. A sick pain radiates in my lower abdomen, numbing my mind. I felt my shirt getting soaked, sticking to my skin as the red liquid gushed out.

I stare at Victoria for few seconds, whose smirk changes and her face contorts into pain suddenly.

Her hand reaches to her head, as she stared at me in shock, dropping beside me with a loud thud.

Xavier stood behind, holding a large rock. His face held unreadable expression until it lands on me.

My vision finally starts blacking out, and my eyelids could no longer obey my commands to stay open. I could feel my body being lifted off the ground.

I heard the sound of faint sirens but it felt distinct to one particular sound.

"Chloe, stay with me. Don't you die on me!"

Everything in my body shuts off, leaving me in complete darkness.

---

Damn that was a lot lol.

Stay stunned :P

Love,

Cadance.