CHAPTER 60: PARK OF SECRETS ... (5)

The day had been a rather warm one - the perfect day to visit the park. It was sad that it had ended on that terrible note. Shelby’s eyes fluttered open weakly as the dying embers of the sun pierced her eyelids. She had no strength to do anything. The light rays peeked through the rustling leaves of the giant tree she lay under. She struggled to form any coherent thoughts.

"The perfect day to die," she whispered, trying to find the irony in the situation.

"A-t lea-st, I will go down in the news and become famous as the first person to d-ie in the newly constructed park!"

She had cried all the tears she could, and her tear-well was dry. Shelby felt tired and weak even in her sprawled position. She was emotionally spent!

Then she just lay down for what was coming to come.

’Is this how it feels to die? Am I even dead yet? I should be.... Right?’

When she had come to, she could not feel the striking pain anymore. She just felt cold, so cold that she knew without a doubt that her life was draining from her. She couldn’t help but still think, ’...But why do I feel no pain now despite everything? Does that mean that I am at the end?’

It had only been a few short moments, but it felt like a lifetime. Fond memories of her life flashed before her eyes as her brain refused to accept the recent occurrences. They were just too unbelievable for her, who now lay in a pool of her blood! She coughed out weakly. A splutter of blood gushed out, nearly choking her.

She started to feel suffocated.... as if she could not get enough air into her system. She wheezed heavily, instinctively trying to get in as much air as possible, but a small trail of blood flowed down her mouth, making it more difficult to take in more air.

It felt like a pile of bricks was being pressed on her chest, even though there was no such thing.

She used all her willpower to try to raise her hand to wipe the blood but gave up halfway as her hand slumped back onto the ground. There just was no strength in them!

"Is this really the end?"

James had battered her quite brutally, and he had left her for dead. She was sure he had left because, like him, she knew in her guts that she would never survive this much blood loss. The warm, sticky liquid steadily flowed out of her, and she couldn’t do a thing about it. It felt warm because of the contrast of how cold her body felt.

’I cannot believe that I had walked here on my own feet with the only father figure in my life. He had always treated Mum and me well, so why did-’

"Of co-urse, I know why. It is indeed right to fear those closest to you."

’But I cannot just lie here and do nothing.... I must try- to do something.... I mean anything!’ She thought as her eye landed on her phone not far from her.

Hope!

"I just need to get the phone!" She whispered.

Shelby struggled to get herself up or at least reach for it. It was just about fifty metres from her and must have fallen off her during her struggle with James. However, it seemed so far away in her state that she tried to reach it with all her might but to no avail. ’I can call for help only if I get it. This is my last hope and hook back to life!’

"Uhhhh!" She groaned. The light movement had triggered something, and more blood gushed out, and a new wave of pain washed over her. It was strong enough to make her slowly fade out and lose consciousness once again.

She did not know how much time had passed, but when she managed to open her eyes again, the sun had long since set. Shelby was sure that she had heard various voices around her. Her unfortunate incident had occurred on the remote side of the public park.

Her trembling hands reached for her abdomen, riddled with knife wounds. She had a hunch as to why he had left with the knife. ’Of course, he wouldn’t have left with any incriminating evidence...’

Her face had swollen with bruises from the slaps. James’s last words rang back in her mind,

’You should be grateful that you caught my interest, and you dare resist me!’

’Maybe mum will call if I don’t go back. She would have been expecting me hours ago," she thought.

’I have to fight for myself. Mum may be too engrossed in her new clothes to think about me. There should be hope if I am still alive after all this time. I cannot sit here casually for the grim reaper to come for me.’

She moved at a snail’s pace, unwrapped her shawl from around her neck and tried to press it on the wounds to stop blood flow as he hand could no longer do the job.

When the voices approached her, she called out in barely a whisper, "He-lp m-e.... Pl-ea-se, s-omeone... please help." It took all of her reserved strength to call out as she felt another wave of faintness wash over her.

Not far from her, two lovers were taking a stroll, and one paused briefly.

"Did you hear that, Aliya?"

"What? Are you hallucinating again, Tyler?"

"I think someone called out for help!"

"What? Did the person whisper it in your ears?" Aliya asked and rolled her eyes.

"At this remote side, who will be here but us?"

"Aliya, come on, at least keep quiet, and let’s listen again!"

"Stop with your nonsense, Tyler; let’s go," Aliya said as she dragged her friend away further from where Shelby lay behind the bushes about 150 metres from them.

Aliya looked back once, and a strange smile crossed her face. It was so subtle that not even Tyler, who was so close to her, noticed.

"P-lease... help!"

Shelby managed to say again before the effort rendered her spent, and she blacked out yet once again.

’I a-m s-oo- c-old!’ Shelby thought when she came to again.

Her fragile, small, battered body shivered slightly in the cooling night. ’This time, I should be dead, right?’ Were her thoughts again as her eyes fluttered open yet again to the night sky. She also couldn’t help but think, ’Is the Grim Reaper playing a joke on me? He should either take me or give me a lifeline! What is this?’ Her lips felt cracked and parched. The blood had dried up on her face from her chin to her neck.

She tried to take huge gasps of air but to no avail. As her last strands of life faded right before her eyes, she heard it: the crunch of leaves and the unmistakable footsteps heading right towards her direction, bringing with them hope.

She had no energy to react or call out as she had done previously.

The footsteps stopped right by where she lay as the person squatted by her. He pressed two fingers by her warm throat and muttered to himself,

"Alive but barely hanging on..." He observed her for a bit and then added, "With this much blood loss, she won’t survive anyway."

He then stood up and turned to leave. Using her last ounce of strength, Shelby pleaded, "P-pleas-e h-elp me..."

Her voice came out as a cracked, raspy whisper, but it was very clear in the dead of the night.

He stopped and turned, "What do I get in return?" His deep, husky, almost monotone voice sounded in her ears. Considering the circumstances, it seemed like a ridiculous question from him, but she had no mind seeing this point.

"An-yth-ing!"

"I hope you don’t regret this!"

He said and turned back to her, squatting again. He examined the pitiful girl on the ground in her pool of blood, asking,

"What is your name?"

"Shel-by... "

"Shelby?"

"Mo-nroe..."

The man was clearly nuts. Who asked for the name of a dying person in that circumstance?

But instead of calling ’emergency services’ as Shelby had thought he would. The man propped her up gingerly by the tree trunk under which she lay. He firmly pressed on the wounds on her abdomen and tied the shawl around her waist and over the wound.

Shelby watched him intently, using all her self-will to keep her eyes open. She instinctively shrunk back as he brought out a Swiss knife. Her heart sank, and a slight panic set in.

’Haven’t I had enough of knives for one day?’ She thought.

"I am Ian, Ian Thornston; keep that in mind for when we meet again."

Disregarding her reaction, he slashed her palm and did the same with his. She didn’t even feel the pain from it compared to her injuries; that was nothing! She watched as the blood droplets dripped to the ground as if it took minutes instead of fractions of seconds. His hooded gaze watched her as he clasped and intertwined their bloody hands, muttering some words under his breath.

A few seconds passed, and Shelby started feeling it! The pain! So immense that she knew this time without a doubt that she would die from it. She opened her mouth wide and screamed as unbearable and excruciating pain rocked her body.

*********

Thank you so much to all for your votes and comments! I hope we can keep it up ^_^

Support the author by reading only on Webnovel :)