Chapter 111 Rebelling For Freedom

Chapter 111 Rebelling For Freedom
Alyssa’s POV
No.
I couldn’t leave her.
I couldn’t run and pretend I didn’t hear the way Louisa’s body just hit the wall, the sickening thud echoing through the room as Fred flung her like she weighed nothing.
“No!” I screamed, my voice tearing out of me as I twisted back from the window.
My grip slipped.
The broken glass scraped my arm as I lost my balance and dropped back into the room, my body hitting the floor hard enough to make me groan.
Pain exploded through me, but I barely felt it.
All I could see was Louisa trying to lift herself from the floor but failing. 
Fred had his gun raised at her.
Over my dead body.
Louisa was slumped against the wall, her breathing uneven as blood streaked down her forehead. Her body was barely holding itself upright.
“No—please.” I choked, scrambling up.
“I hate when people don’t listen to simple instructions. You think you can escape me? You are even more stupid than your mother. Now die, bitch.” His second finger moved dangerously to the trigger and I stopped thinking. Stopped stalling.
I just moved.
A sudden drive that felt wild and desperate, that didn’t feel like me surged through my veins as I launched myself at him. “Go to hellll!” The angry words tore from my throat roughly as my body collided with his back just as the gun went off.
The shot rang deafeningly through the room.
But thanks to me, it didn’t hit Louisa.
Fred staggered forward, the force of my weight throwing off his aim as the bullet slammed uselessly into the wall. His eyes widened as he turned around swiftly, anger written all over his face.
“You stupid bitch!” he roared.
I tried to move out of the way but he was quick. His hand shot back, grabbing a fistful of my hair, and the next second- My body slammed into the wall.
Pain burst across my spine, my head snapping sideways as white light filled my vision.
I gasped, choking on the impact, barely able to breathe.
“Aly…No…” Louisa breathed, and the next thing I saw was her body movement. 
With a broken, desperate cry, she lunged forward and sank her teeth into his arm when he tried to reach for me again.
Fred howled in pain, his grip loosening just enough for the gun to slip from his hand and clatter to the floor.
“Fucking bitches!” he snarled, shaking his arm violently.
Louisa lost her hold, stumbling back, but she didn’t stop fighting.
Neither did I.
My eyes snapped to the floor and saw Louisa’s knife laying there.
It must have fallen from her hold earlier.
Fred moved faster than us both.
He kicked Louisa off her feet, sending her crashing down again, and dove for the gun.
“Get off!” I screamed, my hand closing around the knife.
He turned with the gun in his hand now, but he was barely keeping balance. My heart stopped as he targeted Louisa again.
“Louisa…!”
I shouted and surged forward with everything I had left in me and drove the knife deep into the bastard shoulder.
Fred screamed through gritted teeth, the sound raw and animalistic. His body jerked as the gun slipped from his hand again and crashed to the floor.
Blood spread instantly beneath my grip.
For a second, I froze. I had done that. I stabbed someone.
“Move!” Louisa’s voice snapped me back.
She scrambled forward, grabbing the gun with trembling hands.
The moment she had it- She fired. She didn’t hesitate at all.
The shot cracked through the air, loud enough to make my ears ring.
Fred’s scream followed immediately as the bullet tore into his leg.
He dropped to the ground, writhing, clutching his thigh, curses spilling from his mouth as blood pooled beneath him.
“Run!” Louisa shouted.
I didn’t need to be told twice.
She grabbed me, pushing me toward the broken window.
“Go, Alyssa—go!”
My limbs felt heavy and uncooperative, but adrenaline shoved me forward.
I climbed, my hands slipping against the jagged edges, my body shaking as I dragged myself up.
“Come on!” Louisa urged from behind, pushing me upward.
“I’m trying…” I gasped.
With one last effort, I hauled myself through and dropped onto the other side.
The ground hit me hard. I felt grass beneath me. Okay, I was outside now.
I turned immediately, reaching back through the window.
“Louisa- give me your hand!”
She jumped, grabbing onto me as I pulled with what little strength I had left.
For a second, she slipped. No no no. Fred was dragging himself towards her. My heart was in my mouth as I waited to feel her hand.
“You can do this, Lou. Climb!”
As if she had just summoned all her strength, Louisa jumped without climbing and tumbled over the ledge.
Straight into me.
We both crashed onto the grass in a tangled heap, the impact knocking the breath from both of us.
I groaned, my body screaming in protest.
Everything hurt.
Everything.
For a moment, I couldn’t move at all.
I couldn’t think or breathe.
But Louisa’s voice cut through the haze.
“We can’t stay here,” she said breathlessly, her words shaking. “We have to go.”
I tried to push myself up but my arms gave out.
“I… I can’t,” I whispered, panic creeping in. “I can’t move…”
“You have to,” she insisted, crawling toward me despite her limp. “Alyssa, look at me.”
I did.
Her face was pale, streaked with blood and dirt, her eyes red and glassy but focused. 
“We didn’t come this far to die,” she said hoarsely. “We can’t assume we are safe yet. We have to fucking move away from this goddamned forsaken place.”
I swallowed. She was right.
She hooked my arm over her shoulder and forced me upright.
My legs barely held.
My vision tilted dangerously.
We started moving but my waning strength and Louisa’s limp was dragging us back. All of these because of a shitty guy who was unhealthily obsessed with our mother.
Each step felt like dragging myself through water.
Louisa limped beside me, her grip tight around my waist as she practically carried me forward.
“I think… this is an estate,” she murmured weakly, glancing around the dark, silent surroundings. “Too quiet…”
I couldn’t respond.
My hearing felt distant like I was underwater.
“Don’t worry,” she added, her voice cracking. “We’ll be safe.”
“I think…” My voice trembled. “I think I’m dying.”
“Dead that thought. You’re not. Do you hear me? You’re not dying. We didn’t fight for this just to end here.”
But my vision was blurring.
Dark spots danced at the edges.
My body was giving up. I couldn’t feel anything else but pain. Shit. I had stabbed him. I could still feel how the knife had cut into his skin and it made me want to vomit. Louisa shot him in the leg. I saw blood. Too much blood.
Was the light also in my head?
“Light?” I didn’t even realize I had said that out loud until I heard Louisa’s voice.
“Yes. I can see light too.”
A sudden flash of headlights cut through the darkness ahead.
Louisa stiffened beside me.
“Wait,” she whispered, pulling me to a stop.
The car driving towards us suddenly slowed.
Then it stopped.
Fear shot through me.
“What if…they are with him?” I whispered weakly. 
I could hear Louisa’s heavy breathing beside me. “We hide if that’s it,” she said quickly, trying to drag me toward a darker corner.
But before we could move…
“Alyssa!” The familiar voice hit me like lightning.
That was…Impossible. Was I dreaming?
My head snapped up.
Through the blur, through the dizziness—I saw him.
He was running toward me. Red shirt.
“Kayden…”
My voice broke on his name.
“Oh my…they are here for us. We are safe now.” Louisa’s voice broke with heavy relief beside me.
For a second, I thought I was imagining it.
But as he edged closer, I couldn’t help it.
“Louisa!” Another masculine voice called out.
Louisa’s grip on me tightened. “Dad—!”
Kayden reached out for me in Louisa’s arms.
His hands were suddenly on me, strong and warm, pulling me away from Louisa as I collapsed against him.
My body gave out completely.
But he held me to him. Securing me tightly like he was afraid I would disappear.
“Kay… Kayden?” I whispered, barely conscious.
“I’m here,” he said, his voice rough and urgent, filled with what sounded like satisfaction and dread. “I’m here, love. I’ve got you.”
Love. The word wrapped around me softly. I felt safe. I survived. I was in his arms.
“Oh my God…” he breathed, his hand moving around my face as he looked me over. “Who did this to you?”
I couldn’t answer. My eyes were drifting in. I had no energy left.
Louisa was in her father’s arms now, sobbing uncontrollably, pointing weakly toward the building.
“He’s… in there,” she cried. “The bastard…he’s in there…”
Then I heard the sound of sirens
Red and blue lights flooded the area as police cars pulled in.
Voices shouted. Doors slammed. Everything blurred together.
I turned my head slightly, looking back at Kayden.
“How… did you find me?” I whispered.
He pressed a kiss to my forehead, his grip tightening around me like he wanted to be sure I was real. 
“Let’s get you safe first.” He murmured between us.
A weak smile tugged at my lips.
And then—Everything went dark.