Pretty Poison

Thirty - Eight

I wake up to the space beside me vacant, Luca's once warm body now gone. I stir and rub at my eyes, the space between my legs sore and pulsing. I hug the sheets to my chest, hiding my naked body.

I search for Luca in the room, my eyes narrowing on his body sitting outside. He sits on a rusted metal chair with his feet kicked up on the railing, and at that moment I notice the smoke rising from where he sits with his back towards me.

I reach over the bed, finding my panties and his shirt and placing them on my body. I make my way to my feet and stride to the balcony, stepping out so I can meet him.

"I didn't know you smoked," I say, standing behind him as he taps the embers into an ashtray with his finger.

"I don't. I only do it when I'm stressed," after he says this, he turns his head to meet my gaze and smiles up at me.

He reaches for my hand, rubbing it gently. He then notices me wearing his shirt, and he smiles to himself.

"Did you sleep well?" He asks, looking back up to me.

I nod, weakly smiling, "I did."

"Good," he says, smashing the cigarette in the ashtray.

He stands and takes me into a tight embrace, hugging me tightly with his arms around my waist as I wrap mine around his neck. He pulls away and places a soft kiss on my tender lips.

"We have to go back to Levada," he says, his eyes full of sadness, "They tracked us here and we can't keep running from them. Enzo knows that I'm here, but he doesn't know that you are with me, and I'm going to keep it that way."

"How?"

"I will do everything in my power to keep you safe from him, no matter the cost, I will keep you hidden from him in Levada, but you have to promise me to keep yourself from sight."

I nod, sullenly looking down to the ground.

Luca places a gentle hand under my chin, "What's wrong, my love?"

"I-I'm just tired of hiding, all my life I've been isolated. I just want to be free, I wanna stop feeling like I have to hide myself from everyone," I say, directly staring into his eyes.

"I know, I know," he pulls me back into a tight embrace, his chin resting on my head. "We will leave for Levada once I get back, I'm going to go and get us some new clothes and something to eat, alright? You say here, I don't want you to be seen in case they're still here, okay?"

"Okay," I answered, pulling his naked chest closer to my body.

"I am gonna need my shirt back though," he gently chuckles.

"Ugh, but it's so comfortable," I whine.

"Okay, fine, I've got my suit jacket," he
intertwined his fingers into my hair and placed a kiss on my forehead, stepping back inside the hotel room. "I'll be back really soon, alright, then we will leave," he comes back over to me after slipping on his shoes and buttoning up his jacket as far as it will go. "I love you," he says sweetly, placing one last lingering kiss on my lips.

"I love you, too," I say, meaning every single word with the utmost sincerity.

He smiles at me, then heads for the door, "I'll be back soon, love," and with that, he opens the door and slips outside.

***

"You need to run, honey, you need to go now."

"No, mom, no, I'm not leaving you."

"You have to, he's coming!"

Their voices mix, that of a young girl and her parents. The girl's voice repeats over and over like a mantra. Over and over again like vinyl playing on repeat.

A pounding fist knocks on the door again and again.

"I know you're in there! Open this damn door!"

I see nothing. I only hear. My surroundings are nothing but pitch black figures, only sound echoing in the space. I feel like a spectator, my mind only listening.

A door comes free from its hinges. The pounding stops as the door flies open, hitting an invisible wall.

"Get the fuck away from her!"

"Don't you dare touch her!"

"Run!"

"Baby, run as fast as you can, go!"

"Go!"

I wake up in puddles, the bed around me soaked with sweat.

I wince as I move, but the wincing turns to screams, and the screams turn to howling as I struggle to stand. My hands grip my side with a strong hold. Tears stream down my face as I stumble to the closed bathroom door, struggling to grab hold of the handle.

"Please, stop!" I scream. Over and over again my side feels as if it is on fire, as if thousands of nails are being pounded into me.

"Please! Make it stop!" I shout louder, falling against the bathroom counter as I hunch over the sink.

I stare at myself in the mirror through blurred eyes. My skin is beyond pale, my skin indented as my body seems to morph. I morph into a different being, an unrecognizable human in the mirror.

"Luca!" I scream, "Please!" My body begins to shake violently, falling onto the floor as I flop around like a fish out of water.

My body falls limp, but my brain is still active. The pain seizes my entire body, adrenaline seemingly replaced with venom. It courses through me, my heart pounding in my chest quicker and quicker.

I can't move, but my screams only grow louder. No one hears me, no one helps me. My vision becomes blurred, black spots engulfing my vision everywhere I rapidly stare. At that moment, my body begins to convulse rapidly, foam coming from my mouth.

"Luca, please...help me," one last tear falls down my face, falling to the cold tiled floor.

Within moments, my vision goes dark, just as my world collapses down on me, leaving me in complete silence.