I hate waiting.

Being the daughter of the President, I've never had to wait that long for anything before. Not until now.

I should probably explain. My name's Ashley, and right now, I'm cowering in a heap in a small dumpster that Leon found. Waiting. All I can do is wait. It seems like hours since I saw Leon, but I know that it could have only been a few minutes. Every once in a while, I'll hear his voice from far away, but in between that I can't feel anything except terror.

I've always hated waiting.

Before Leon came and rescued me, I was stuck in that room, no, not room - cell. It was the worst experience I've had in my life so far, being alone, isolated from any company. Well, I suppose those crazed villagers kept me company, but I think I'd have been better off without them. I shudder out of instinct every time a door opens. They'd come in and drop some rotten meat on the floor before leaving. Sometimes they'd deliberately get as close to me as possible, just to watch me recoil in fear. One of them actually threw me across the room, but the next time I saw him, his face was scarred. I guess Saddler wants me to stay alive.

Saddler. I hate him the most. I still remember seeing him for the first time. Some weird American guy named Krauser, with a giant scar on his face, is the one who kidnapped me. I was just out for a walk when he did… well, something. I can't remember much. All I know is that one moment, I was hearing a dog barking, and the next, I had tape over my mouth, my hands and feet were tied together, and I could hear helicopter blades. Still, that was easy compared to him. Saddler. At least I never had to hear Krauser talk. He just dragged me into a room by the legs and left me on the floor before Saddler. Saddler's voice gave me the creeps. I don't like thinking about it.

…

"So, what do we have here?"

I was finally untied by two of Krauser's henchmen. They looked like ordinary villagers, except for the eyes, and their movements. They seemed unlike any humans I'd ever seen before, and now that I was untied, they each gripped my arms tightly to ensure I didn't try to run away. Saddler loomed over me, his twisted face horrifying me.

"Would the young lady like to introduce herself?"

I recoiled initially, but forced myself to answer. I wasn't going to give him the pleasure of watching me squirm.

"I'm Ashley Graham, what do you want with me?"

Saddler gave that same shallow laugh that would come to haunt me.

"Well, it's looks like we've got a feisty one."

Saddler raised a clammy hand and brought it to my face. Holding my chin firmly, he wordlessly instructed the Ganados to tighten their grip on me. I struggled, but there was nothing I could do. Saddler leaned closer. I could feel his breath on my face as he stared straight at me. I panicked and tried to think of something to do, anything! Desperate to get him away, I drew my head back for a second and spat in his face as hard as I could.

It definitely surprised him, and he cursed and stepped backwards. However, the Ganados didn't loosen their grip, and as Saddler drew one of his hands across his face to wipe it, his expression changed to anger. As he approached me again, I struggled harder, but I couldn't get free. Saddler leaned forwards again until his face was almost touching mine, and then he did something I couldn't believe.

He opened his mouth as wide as he could, and he stared at me. From his mouth. He had a huge deformed eye, inside his mouth! I tried to back away, but the Ganados pushed my head forwards. I was millimetres away from… it. Struggling as hard as I could, I actually managed to get a hand free. Even with an eye in his mouth, I could tell that Saddler was smiling at how uncomfortable I was. Wrenching my arm free, I pulled it back quickly and punched him as hard as I could in the mouth. I hoped that it would injure, or maybe kill him, but it didn't. It just made him mad.

Recoiling from my punch, he closed his mouth. Now he looked furious. Before I could move, huge tentacles erupted from underneath his cloak and they wrapped themselves around me. I began to scream, but a tentacle wrapped itself around my mouth. I can still remember the horrible slimy feel of it against my skin.

"Perhaps you do not understand this situation, so let me make this clear," he began. I tried to scream in pain as the tentacles squeezed me even tighter. My mouth was clamped down onto one of the tentacles in agony, but Saddler smiled at my suffering.

"Poor, deluded Ashley," he continued, shaking his head as if he was genuinely sorry, before tightening his grip again and muttering, "Don't you realise that I am in control now? Nobody is coming to save you!"

As he finished his sentence, another tentacle disappeared behind me, and I felt it running up the back of my leg. My panic tripled, and I tried to scream even harder, but I was powerless. The tentacle ran up to my back, touching my bare skin. I lost control as tears started gushing down my face. The tentacle rubbed itself against my skin, as if it was stroking me. As Saddler finally pulled the tentacle back, he finished his little speech.

"I am in complete control…"

The rest of the tentacles quickly retracted, and I fell onto the cold floor, still broken down. As I continued weeping, I noticed Saddler grinning before he ordered the Ganados to take me away. They dragged me, as I was too weak to walk by myself, and took me to a cell somewhere in a church. Every few days, someone would come in and dump something for me to eat. Several times it was parts of bodies, but I had to eat to stay alive. I swore that if I ever got out, I'd become vegetarian immediately. Even though they weren't allowed to hurt me, some of them still tried to touch me. I don't want to think about it, but let's just say that when I first went to the cell, I was wearing more than just a knitted shirt and a short skirt.

…

I shudder. I hate remembering these things. After all, I'm with Leon now, and he can protect me, although every second I'm still here makes me worry a bit more about whether he's ok. He's been gone for an awfully long time…

I've just heard a gunshot. That means he must be alright, because he's still firing. Either that, or one of the villagers has got a gun…

No, it must be him. I just heard him grunting the same way he always does when he kicks an enemy in the head. I really hope he's careful. He seems nice, and let's face it, without him, there's no way I'm ever going to survive here.

Oh God, I can hear chainsaws. I hope Leon's ok. He's the only man here I can trust. I already learned that the hard way.

…

After Leon had found me, I was still terrified of being captured again. I know I must have seemed extremely clingy, but I was focussing so hard on staying out of capture, and Leon seemed like a tough man. I know he has the power to protect me. Still, that didn't stop me from having a moment's doubt.

"Ashley, close your eyes!"

Leon was battling Ganados, and had just thrown a strange item into the crowd of them. It looked like a grenade, so I cowered behind him, but his order to me seemed a little odd, and I allowed myself to doubt him, a decision I instantly regretted.

"Why?"

Before Leon could reply, I saw why. He later told me that he'd thrown a 'Flash grenade'. It gave off a huge flash of light, and I couldn't help but scream as I was temporarily blinded. I felt Leon leave my side as he was unaware that I couldn't follow him. I heard him kicking one of the crazed villagers, and I tried to move to the sound. I needed to stay next to Leon. He was my only hope. Eventually, I felt a hand reach out to my. Using my other hand to rub my eyes, I took it and felt its warmth. It made me feel reassured and safe, until I began to see clearly again, and looked up to see the face of a furious villager.

He started pulling me away, and I tried to claw back at the ground, but he was too strong. I turned back and screamed 'Leon!' as loudly as I could. I knew I was giving away our position, but I didn't want to be captured again. Not ever.

Leon heard me and shot the villager a few times. He let go of my hand, and I ran back to Leon as quickly as I could, knowing I'd never doubt his commands again.

…

Still, memories like that don't help when you're crouching in a dumpster, scared for your life. The chainsaws have stopped, and I think I can still hear Leon shooting. He sure is taking a long time to clear the way…

Ah, now he's coming back. I can hear him walking over here, and now he's lifting up the dumpster lid…

Oh God, It's not him!

For a split-second, there was a villager with a torch above me, but I heard a rifle bullet being fired and the villager let out a scream of pain as he died almost instantly. His head couldn't even take the full force of the bullet, and blood gushed everywhere. I didn't have time to move as the body slumped forwards, onto me.

I swear I've never scrambled out of something this quickly in my life. Luckily, all of this is worth it. I can see him running back. Leon's alright. After jumping off a small ledge wooden platform, he lands next to me.

"You ok?"

"Yeah… Thanks Leon."

"No problem, I promised I'd get you out of here, and I meant it. Come on, follow me."

And I do. I follow him, and I trust him. I have to.

If Leon does get me out of here alive, I swear I'll set something up so that he never has to work again. If he does this, he'll be my hero for life, and I believe that he can.

But that doesn't make the waiting any easier. Whether it was waiting for Saddler to stop torturing me, waiting for Leon to rescue me, or having to wait in containers while he's out there, risking his neck to protect me, while I know that one mistake could kill him…

…

I hate waiting.