Lights Off (Eurovision 2022 AU) [COMPLETE]

11, We Live To Die For Worthy Things

"Not so fast." He cackled. "You're not going anywhere!"

"What have you done to Filip?????" Žiga wept.

"That's none of your concern." Matteo chuckled.

"IT IS OUR CONCERN!!! FILIP MEANS EVERYTHING TO US!!!" Zala screeched as she walked closer to Filip and ran her fingers through Filip's auburn brown hair.

"Let's just say that he won't be telling any more secrets!" Matteo laughed. "But if you still want to... Be with him, I can kill all of you right now."

"N-no.... Leave them... Leave them out of this!..." Filip stammered.

"Oh, you're alive?" Matteo asked rhetorically. "Well.... Not for long...."

.....

"He's this way!" Sam cried as he led everyone else to Filip's location. Mahmood had a million questions racing inside his head. "What was going on?" "What happened to Filip?" "Would he be okay?"

“Hurry!” Sam cried out. Everyone ran at a fast pace to get to Filip. When they arrived, Sam stopped suddenly. He saw Matteo, and he knew that all he wanted was trouble.

“Well, well, well. Look what we have here.” Matteo cackled. The moment Mahmood heard that voice, he remembered everything. He remembered the night of the party. He didn’t trip and fall.. he was put unconscious by Matteo! He remembered the words “You heard nothing, pretty boy,” come out of Matteo’s mouth. He knew everything now.

“Ahhh, Mahmood! I’ve been awaiting your arrival.” Matteo snickered. Mahmood clenched his hand in the shape of a fist.

“What are you doing here? What are you doing to my friends?” Mahmood asked in a quiet angry sounding tone. Blanco knew that whenever Mahmood got quiet and angry at the same time, the outcome would be powerful. All Matteo did was laugh and rub his hands together,

“WHAT DO YOU WANT?? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME??????” Mahmood cried out, his pain filled voice sounded more serious than anything he’d ever said.

“Oh, Mahmood. You wouldn’t understand.” Matteo chuckled. “You know, I was once like you. I had a big dream. A dream to make this country the best it could be! I wanted people to look at Italy and say: ‘wow, look at that amazing country with its amazing prime minister’! I had no exceptions for any tomfoolery with… immigrants,”

Mahmood lunged forward a bit.

“You could imagine my outrage when an immigrant’s son was chosen to represent Italy in Eurovision 2019! I make one simple comment and suddenly, I become the bad guy! All because I wanted this country, my home country, to be acknowledged by its true colors! Not by wannabes like you!” Matteo scoffed.

“For your information, I was born and raised in this country! I’ve lived here my whole life. This is my home! Milan is my home, Italy is my home! No one, not even if they try harder than ever, will ever take that away from me!" Mahmood stood tall.

"Wow, very bold of you. Well just do you know, I'm the one with the gun. I can end you and everyone else here in a snap." Matteo threatened.

"You wouldn't!" Stefan trembled, still holding onto Filip.

"Watch me." Matteo cackled. Mahmood knew what had to be done. If everyone else wanted to live, if he wanted everyone to escape, he had to fight back.

"No! Leave them out of this!" He cried out. "This is our fight."

"Alessandro, No!!!!" Blanco cried. Sam held him back. "Alessandro, don't do this!"

"Stay out of this, Riccardo. It's for the best." Mahmood sighed, then looked at Matteo again.

"Oh, is that so?" Matteo cackled.

"I'd rather die in my home country, in Italy, than anywhere else, and if it means you'll leave everyone else alone, then so be it." Mahmood sighed, accepting defeat. "Just please, do it quickly..."

Matteo loaded his gun.

"ALESSANDRO!!!!!" Blanco cried. His tears were streaking down his cheeks as he watched Mahmood offer to sacrifice himself for everyone else. Sam held Blanco tighter as he tried to pull free. Sam was just trying to protect his friend.

"Well then," Matteo said, pointing the gun. "Any last words, Mahmood?"

"Just a few... arrivederci, Italia... Ti voglio bene, Riccardo......"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" came a voice from the ceiling. Then, a mysterious figure swung in and knocked Matteo off of his feet. The man then stepped on the gun, and it broke.

"What the..." Mahmood asked as he lifted his hands from his face. He looked up at the masked figure that just saved his life.

"Who are you?" Mahmood asked the man. That's when he slowly lifted his mask. Once he revealed his face, everyone gasped.

It was Duncan Laurence!