The wind roared through the dense forest through the dark ominous night, its icy fingers clawing at her as she raced along the narrow, precarious path. The trees stood like silent sentinels, their branches swaying due to the furious gusts and creaking in protest.
The ground beneath her was uneven, a narrow trail that clung to the edge of a high, crumbling ridge.
She was running breathless, not caring about the strong storm that faltered her movements and the pursuers at her foot.
Her steps came to an abrupt halt when she reached the end of the path. Before her lay a very steep cliff, the ragged rocks below barely visible through the swirling mist.
She turned to look at her pursuers, who had caught up to her. There was no way for her to run away from there as the waterfall poured violently over the edge, its heavy waves crashing with such ferocity that they seemed to consume the very air around it.
The churning, frothy waters surged with merciless power, creating a deadly maelstrom that promised nothing but peril for anyone who dared to leap into its depths.
''Ashely Moretti, there's nowhere left to run.''
Her pursuer advanced steadily, his footsteps deliberate, one hand casually tucked into his pocket.
Ashley carefully examined her surroundings. Escape was impossible- there was no way she could successfully run from the relentless hunters thirsty for her blood. And if she jumped from the cliff, no one could save her from the merciless hands of death and her fate would be sealed.
As life and death situation flashed before her, she remembered her nanny's words from her childhood,
''Life creates situations that throw sharp turns our way, yet we are seldom prepared for these changes. Uncertainty envelops us, leaving us in a dark, narrow pit. In our desperation, we cling to our inner demons for survival''.
Ashley's gaze flicked to the man standing before her, he had fished out a gun from his pocket, the barrel now aimed directly at her.
''Ashley Moretti,'' he said coldly, ''come with us and receive your punishment according to the book''.
She closed her eyes as the words in her nanny's sweet voice rampaged through her mind, ''Seeking help sometimes feels more futile than asking the moon why it never meets the sun, child.
However, time changes everything. People and things alike do not remain the same.
Every winter meets summer, every autumn meets spring''.
Ashley spun on her heels and sprinted toward the cliff's edge, her heart pounding in sync with her frantic footsteps. A loud gunshot was heard through the night.
In the next heartbeat, she was diving into a void, the world around her swallowed by the icy grip of the wind and water that wrapped her in a suffocating cocoon.
The chilly embrace of the overflow was in stark contrast to the searing heat radiating from her right shoulder, where the bullet had struck her.
As the darkness closed in, the warmth of her blood was the only reminder that she was still alive—if only for a fleeting moment.
The instant all the puzzle pieces align, doubt dissolves, and the undeniable truth comes to light, it marks the beginning of justice by law.