Shadows In Durango

*****Sofia's POV*****

The weight of his words press down on me like a lead blanket, suffocating the breath from my chest. I stare back at him, my heart pounding in my ears as the cold reality of what he's just said settles in. He's serious. He's actually dead ass serious.

A prison. He's turning this place into my own personal prison.

I blink rapidly, trying to suppress the panic that rises up in my throat, threatening to overwhelm me fully. My vision blurs for a second, and I squeeze my eyes shut, forcing myself to take slow, deep breaths to stay awake. Think. Think. What can I do here?!

I glance around the room again, hoping for some sort of escape, but it's just as grim as it was before. The bare bulb overhead flickers slightly, casting a sickly light on the sparse furniture - nothing promising that it could help me to get out of here.

Nothing I can use to even fight back.

My mind races, desperate for a plan, anything. But the cold knot in my stomach tightens with each passing second.

The silence between us feels heavier now, his eyes on me, waiting for my next move, his body leaning against the wall, casual and calm like he's made peace with what he's doing. "How long have you planned to do this?!" I breathe, as he all but shrugs.

"Not long. I knew that I had to do something extreme when I saw you at school and you didn't text or call my number when I gave it to you. I was certain you would have text me almost immediately after the initial shock. But then I seen you running off in Daryl's damn car at the end of the day, and I just lost it!" He grumbles out his reasoning, furrowing his eyebrows at the memory.

This is fucking insane! Does he forget that he supported my father's plan to marry me off back when we were actually a couple?!

Now he claims to be fully obsessed with me?!

He doesn't care for me, he never did! He's just a cancer that I tried so hard to cut out of my life: he's sheer narcissistic evil.

I take a step back, instinctively putting some distance between us, but his gaze never wavers.

"So, what now?" I ask, my voice shaking, but I force it to stay steady. "You want me to just stay here? In this... this... place? For how long?!"

I can hear the tremor in my words, but I don't care. I need to sound strong.

Ashton watches me closely, his lips curling slightly. "As long as it takes I suppose. You'll stay here, get used to it, and we'll work things out. You'll see. It'll be better this way, Sofia. Once you get back out, we will be the perfect couple!" He claims. I can't believe this.

He really thinks this is for the best.

"The perfect couple?!" I exclaim, my voice rising with sudden frustration. "How can this be better for anyone, Ashton?! You can't just keep me locked up like this. I'm not your prisoner! This is what crazy people do! You'll go to prison for this sort of stuff!" I shake my head, not believing the situation I had found myself in.

It didn't feel real, it was too god damn ridiculous to actually be real!

He doesn't even flinch at my outburst. His expression remains eerily calm, almost pitying, like he's dealing with a child who doesn't understand what's best for them.

"You're safer here. I told you, Sofia, I'm just trying to protect you from making more mistakes by running away. I fucked up back home with your father, I know that now. Let me make it right. You're just not seeing the bigger picture yet, but you will." He takes a step closer, his eyes gleaming with that unsettling mix of possessiveness and obsession he had developed.

"I'm doing this because I care about you. You'll realise that soon enough. I almost forgot about you until I seen you in school - I can't help that all of my old feelings came rushing back. I need you in my life again, one way or another!" He states firmly, as I fight back the tears that begin to build.

Don't cry...

Don't cry...

Not in front of him again!

I swallow hard, the lump in my throat growing as my thoughts spiral. He really believes that this stunt is ok. He thinks this is for my own good. For the good of us.

He thinks he's going to rectify what we had before... that I'll somehow leave here madly in love with him after being held captive?

He wasn't like this before... he was normal before my mother died... so what the hell happened?

My father must have well and truly broke him...

The idea of being trapped down here with him, in this dark, tiny, suffocating space - fills me with instant horror. But I can't let him see how terrified I am. I can't give him that power over me.

"I'm not staying here," I say, my voice quieter now, but it's firm. "I won't."

But he only chuckles, low and cold, as if my words are nothing more than a tantrum.

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"You'll get used to it," he says, his voice almost too calm. "In time, you'll see things my way. You'll understand to listen and to trust in me - and only me - not guys like fucking Daryl." He confirms, as though I would just comply with becoming his puppet after some time...

Considering that he hadn't met Vincent yet, explained why he seemed to obsess over my fake relationship with Daryl that he had well and truly constructed in his own mind.

Little did he know that Daryl wasn't a threat to him at this point at all, maybe a week or two ago, but not anymore. In fact, I was pretty sure that Daryl didn't give a shit about me anymore, not after how he had treated me lately... If only he knew that it was actually Vincent that I was discussing a twisted marriage with only some time ago... he would lose his damn mind over that!

"Daryl and I aren't a thing..." I whisper, as he seems to blow air out in response - seeming to not believe my words.

"Not anymore... save your shit Sofia, I seen it." He argues, and at that point I know there is no use in trying to win this fight: he's gone mad.

With that, I just want to scream at him.

I want to lash out and to hit him so damn hard, to do anything to make him see how wrong and ridiculous this whole thing is, but the rational part of my brain tells me that would be pointless. It would only make things worse for me. So, I take another deep breath and turn away from him, looking towards the one door that seems to lead me out of here, sitting at the top of a wooden staircase.

Maybe if I just act like I'm accepting this, he'll let me out. Maybe I can find a way to slip past him and to run when the doors unlocked?

His footsteps echo behind me as he moves closer, creeping in on me.

I flinch when I feel his hand brush up my arm slowly. "Come on, Sofia. Let's just sit down. I'll make you something to eat upstairs and then we can talk more." He coos, as I almost gag at his sick change in tone.

I want to pull away from him, but I don't. I keep my gaze fixed ahead, forcing myself to move toward the sofa in a trance like state.

If I can just stay calm, maybe I can buy some time to think of an escape...

The room feels smaller now, the air thicker. The reality of what's happening crashing over me again, and I can barely breathe, but I push the panic down.

I have to.

The longer I stay down here, the more desperate I'll become, but for now, I have to play along. I have to keep him calm, so I can find a way out.

And I will find a way out.

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"I'll be right back ok? Just know that this basement is fully sound proof and that my grandmother is also pretty much deaf so she won't hear a thing... there's no use in crying either, the sooner you accept it, the better." He concludes, as I remain seated, staring ahead at the blank TV.

He's lost his mind.

At least now he had confirmed my location to some extent - his grandmothers house. Although, I didn't actually know what part of town that was in.

His words hang in the air like a suffocating cloud, pressing down on my chest, making it harder to breathe.

Soundproof. Deaf grandmother. He's trying to make me feel more trapped, more isolated, like there's no hope of escape, no one to hear me.

I grit my teeth, trying to swallow the wave of panic rising in my throat as he leaves the space.

He wants me to accept this. Wants me to break for him.

But I won't.

Not without a fight.

I force myself to focus, to take in the space around me. The blank TV, the chipped walls, the dim light that flickers above me - it all feels like a cage that's closing in with every second that ticks by.

His footsteps fade as he moves to unlock the door at the top of the stairs, his voice trailing behind him. "Stay put, Sofia. I'll be right back." He mocks, knowing that I can't exactly go anywhere.

But I don't stay put.

I can't.

The second he disappears, I rise to my feet, my legs shaky beneath me. I don't know what I expect to find, but I can't just sit here and wait. I need to do something.

My eyes dart around the room, searching for anything I can use. The small table by the sofa, the trash can in the corner, the old rug beneath my feet-it's all useless, just ordinary objects that are too far out of reach. There has to be a way out...

I have to get away from him...

This is only the beginning.