14 Finding an Escape
As months passed by, Ashley lost the will to live. She grew miserable and just waited for the time of her death. To the point where her thoughts were already suicidal.
She tried holding her breath a couple of times but failed. She still couldn't control her body. It was like it was broken. She did it till she already grew tired from the attempts.
When she couldn't handle her thoughts sometimes she would force herself to sleep. She did it to forget and shut herself off.
As for the people around her, they were mostly absent.
Cassie and Jamie never visited her again. Although she would not like to see their faces, she didn't expect that they would completely cut her off from their lives.
She knew that she could move on. She was known to be a positive and confident person but now... Her self-esteem plummeted. She felt like it never existed.
She wanted to leave this situation. If only she could disappear from the face of Earth.
Ashley spent her days in anxiety, however this day was the day when she really gave up.
As usual, her mom left for work early in the morning. After that, she was left with her personal nurse who minded her own business and only checked on her from time to time.
Late in the afternoon, she would force herself to lose consciousness. At first she didn't know how she did it, but the years she spent taught her to control her mind to this extent.
She slept for 3 hrs and after that she woke up for her meal. The nurse fed her and tidied her up. She did nothing else but that. Well, Ashley wasn't expecting anything but if the nurse could at least talk to her, saying just a few words, then she'll feel better. However, she wasn't hired to do that. She was a nurse not a nanny. She was considered a very professional nurse.
At seven, she would automatically sleep because it was useless to stay up all evening. This was her everyday routine.
Ashley stared at the window where she was facing. The wind was moving the curtains and she could see a glimpse of the moonlight and the darkness enveloping the surrounding. It was boring but she didn't have a choice. It was the only scenery which she had access to. She wanted to put ear plugs. The noise from the room next to hers was disrupting her calm thoughts. She wanted to enjoy the picturesque though she's been seeing this for months now.
'It's been three years now... '
She felt lonely because her room was so dark. The nurse already switched off the lights minutes ago. If only she could hug herself, she would feel comforted.
Her mood declined when she couldn't shake off those voices. Her father and mother were arguing in the room beside hers. Their voices were audible since they were literally shouting at each other. She could hear hateful words she never thought she'd hear from them. It never crossed her mind that they would eventually talk about...
'Divorce'
They brought up the topic of divorce. She wanted to cover her ears but her disability prevented her from doing so.
She heard her mom crying and her dad shouting at her. It was unbearable. It broke her heart to another degree. This life was both traumatising and exhausting for her.
'Why can't I just die.'
She knew why her parents were arguing. It was because their family business was failing and her mother wanted her to be transferred to a better facility. However the cost of that said facility was very expensive and they could no longer afford sending her there.
She tried to distract herself, finding a diversion to stop her suicidal thoughts. She didn't want it roam around her mind again. She was afraid she'd go crazy.
She stared at the window and she eventually fell asleep.
*Ring
'What?'
*Ring
Ashley wondered what that odd sound was. She immediately woke up when she heard it. It was very odd.
The sound was a ringing of a bell.
She unconsciously tilted her head to look around. Her room was devoid of light. She realized that it wasn't morning yet. It was probably late at night when she woke up. She continued to scan her eyes around the room. The moon was still high up. It was the only thing that helped her in seeing.
She froze.
'Wait... I can move my head now?'
She touched her neck and her face. She slapped her thigh and pinched her cheeks. She felt pain. Finally... Complex emotions dawned on her.
To be honest, she didn't know what to feel. This was all too much to take in. She didn't know if it was real or all a dream. She was happy and angry at the same time.
She tried to move her hand again. She squeezed her other palm. She sat up from her bed. The bed made a creaking sound.
She glanced at the window. She attempted to get up from the bed. Feeling her feet, she placed it on the floor. The floor was soft. The carpet was warm, it gave her a sense of comfort.
The feeling gave her a thrill.
' After three years...'
She teared up. She was so overwhelmed by being able to walk again. Putting her hand on the bed as a support, she stood up carefully. Her knees were wobbling but she held her ground.
"Yes!" she exclaimed. She was joyous. She couldn't wait to tell her parents the good news. They didn't have to send her to an expensive facility...meaning their misunderstanding can be cleared and not divorce anymore.
'Yes. We'll just start all over again. Maybe we can go back to where we were.. ' she hoped.
Ashley took a step and started walking towards the door. Her pace was very slow for her knees were still adjusting. With a clicking sound, the door opened revealing the dark hallway.
Ashley touched the wall as a support, she slowly walked towards her parents' room. Even though it was very dark and for some reason the lights didn't seem to work, she managed to reach her parent's room.
When she opened the door, she immediately called out her parents.
"Mom! Dad! Look I'm fine now! I can walk!" she said with happiness as tears of joy escaped her eyes.
However seconds have passed and not a single response was heard. Ashley suddenly felt afraid.
"Mom? Dad?" she asked. Still, there was no response.
Her lips quivered and she panicked. She immediately roam around to search for them. She checked every nook and cranny of their house. Each time she called out their names, no response was given.
She began to give up. She spent almost an hour repeatedly checking every room however she always emerged disappointed.
'Where could have they gone?'
She suddenly felt sullen. Now that she was able to move, she thought that she would escape this nightmare however it only kept on chasing her. She couldn't find her parents. Did they run away from her? Did they abandon her?
After coming back to her room, she slumped on the floor and weeped on the bed... However she heard the sound of a bell from a distance.
'Where is that sound coming from.'
It rang again. This time, Ashley was determined to follow where the sound was coming from. She believed that the place where the sound came from was her only way of escape.
She followed the sounds downstairs. When she realized where the sound brought her, she immediately recognized the place. It was the basement.
She reached her hand to open the door. She bit her lips and carefully placed her feet to feel the stairs. She held to railing beside it and slowly went down. She descended to a flight of stairs. When she was already down the basement the sound rang louder in her ears. She couldn't see anything since there were no windows. She decided to follow the direction of the sound. She stopped when her forehead bumped into a wall.
*Thud.
'Ow!'
She rubbed her forehead due to the slight pain. She crouched. The sound stopped which made Ashley confused.
She patiently waited until the sound appeared again. As expected it came back minutes later.
She leaned her head to the wall. The sound seemed to come from the other side of the wall.She knocked on the wall. Luckily, it was made out of wood so her knocking was audible.
Later on, a sound of scratching was heard. Ashley was alerted. Finally someone seemed to respond.
Ashley knocked once more to confirm and it was answered by scratching sounds. Hope arose in Ashley's heart.
