It's getting colder and so is my heart.
It's getting darker and so are my thoughts.
The leaves are falling and so am I,
falling
(apart)
_____________________________
Olivia Brown
Fortunately, Noah's boot was empty. Unfortunately, I didn't know Noah drove so...bumpy. There were a lot of sharp turns and uneven roads. My body did not appreciate all the hit it took. Luckily, I managed to be silent the entire drive to Joseph.
I had heard that a half hour before we would arrive, some other men would open fire and kill as many people as possible. So, when we arrived, there were already gunshots being fired and many bodies hitting the ground. A lot of shootings, moans and grunts out of agony filled the air.
Everyone else got out of the car and ran to the mansion...beside Noah. Fuck. I didn't take into consideration that Noah was the tech guy, not a field guy. That meant he would not leave his position from his vehicle.
How, the hell, am I supposed to get out of his car without him noticing?
Noah parked more far away than the others. Thanks to the lamps Joseph had throughout his mansion, you could still see the premises, it was about fifty meters away. I could make a run for it, but it was likely that Noah would see me and stop me. Maybe if I created a distraction? But what would that be? I couldn't open the tailgate without him noticing and throw something out.
Ugh, I'm so stupid.
Why didn't I get into someone else's vehicle?
Because all the other boots were full of weapons, idiot. You should have thought about your plan more thoroughly. The annoying voice in my head added. For once, she was actually right. Made her more annoying than before.
I kept my cool. Silent and immobile, trying to come up with a way to escape.
The silence made it possible for me to hear what Noah was up to. You could hear him fumbling and clicking on his keyboard. He was setting up his gear. When the gears started to make sounds, I slowly shifted and attempted to see what he was doing. He cussed under his breath before he gazed out at the dark sky and put an earpiece in his ear. It was silent once again. It seemed like he listened to something through the earpiece. Unfortunately, he had on one earpiece in one of his ears. Meaning, he could still hear the outside world. Luckily, he had the earpiece on the ear that was facing me. Because of that, I dared to move a bit more, so I could see better. I could watch his laptop screen now. It seemed like he was looking at the security cameras in Joseph's house. On the screen, you could see Theo opening fire at someone. Theo lowered his weapon when the body hit the floor. The body was painted in blood with a lot of dark holes. Theo didn't even glance at the person he had just killed mercilessly as he stepped over the corpse and was about to walk away. All of a sudden, someone was behind him. The air got stuck in my throat as the person raised his gun.
"Theo! Watch your back!" Noah barked suddenly. Apparently, Theo could hear him through the earpiece since he turned around and shot the guy between his eyes. I breathed out a quiet sigh of relief.
Damn.
Theo walked away, and the screen changed to an image of Anton and Diego shooting bodyguards that blocked their way. They hit the floor in a second. Anton gazed back as he said something. I guessed all the guys and their men had earpieces, since Noah answered.
"Joseph is on the second floor. He has realised he can't escape, so he's making his way to his safe room. In his office there's a hidden door that leads to a small hallway then to his panic room. The door to his panic room is a vault door with a technical code. If he gets in, it will take a few minutes for me to unlock it." Noah gazed at the image of Joseph and some men run to the panic room.
"On the other hand, it's best to let him get to the room. Then he's locked away and you guys can kill all the remaining men. While his in there, I'll make sure he can't contact for backup. I'll block all of his devices," Noah spoke as his fingers swiftly moved across the keyboard. The screen showed Anton and Diego again. Anton and Diego gazed at each other with solemn expressions as the spoke, they nodded and prowled further down the hallway.
My body yearned so much to move since it had been in an uncomfortable position the entire drive. I shifted a little on my knees. It made a sound that caught Noah's attention. I ducked and prayed that he didn't see me. A second went by, then two, until I heard him clicking away on his keyboard again. A small puff of air came out of my mouth, relieved that my plan was still in motion.
From my pocket, I retrieved the extra key to Noah's car.
"Look out! Behind you Colt!" Noah yelled obnoxiously loud.
If he keeps up the barking, he won't notice me opening the tailgate. Besides, he has that earpiece that distracts him with loud gunshots. I would be amazed if he heard me.
I glanced one last time at Noah before I gazed back at the tailgate.
I could even hear the gunshots from his earpiece. I hope Anton is okay.
"Collin, to the left!" Noah yelled with a hint of fear in his voice.
Damn, Joseph's mob wasn't as bad as I thought. They held up good.
The situation over at Joseph's kept Noah busy. I took my chance and pushed the button on the key. Opening the tailgate slowly and enough, so I could slip out. With shaky hands, I opened a bit further, so my legs stood out. I took a hesitant breath, waiting for a sound that indicated that Noah heard me. Silence greeted me instead. I slowly slipped out into the cold night. I didn't dare breathe until I was fully out. The cold snow under my knees melted and soaked me as I gently closed the tailgate. The tailgate wasn't fully closed, if I closed it fully, he would have heard me. I couldn't believe that I actually managed to escape. Yet, I wasn't fully out of Noah's hair. In a few minutes he would notice how strangely cold the vehicle had got, hence the tailgate was slightly open. I hadn't much time.
I sat on my heels and gazed around. Thank God that there were many vehicles covering the entire way to Joseph's house. Making a run for it to his house would have got me caught if it was an open field. Especially with the snow. It was like blank canvas and there was I, completely dressed in black, running like a maniac.
I chuckled, would have been fun to see.
I glanced through the back window at Noah before I deemed it safe to run. My body was happy to run in the cold to the nearest car since it had gone stiff and numb from being in the boot.
I rested my back against the vehicle and exhaled clouds. So freaking cold.
I glanced back at Noah's car. His head was tilted down, watching his laptop screen. Good. I looked in front of me, the next automobile was parked quite far away, near the house. I still thought I could make it. There were a lot of vehicles blocking Noah's view, and if I bent down and ran, he wouldn't be able to see me at all. With a hesitant exhalation, I sprinted. The snow crunched under my shoes, leaving a trail behind me. When I reached the car, I let myself fall down. My back against the wheel, rapid breaths left my mouth as I attempted to calm down and concentrate. I was between two black vans, hidden from Noah's eyes and those dead bodyguards.
I didn't know how many of Joseph's men were still alive, but I knew it couldn't be that much. Neither could they call for backup. Thanks for the information, Noah.
Vittoria took a photo of the house plan that the guys had and showed it to me. I memorised the way to the basement and a way out of the mansion. So, I knew where to go, I just didn't know if it was safe. I got down on my stomach and looked through the gap between the van and the ground. The front door was wide open, showing a pile of dead bodies. The coast seemed clear.
I got up, brushed off of me some snow before I walked the few yards to the door with my gun raised. My steps got closer and closer until I stopped near the door and put my back against the wall. I took a quick glance and saw no one alive. Cautiously, I made my way inside. Judging by the gunshots it seemed like everyone was on the second floor.
Better hurry before they come down. My subconscious suggested.
I rushed through the first floor without bumping into someone all the way until I was near the stairs to the basement.
"Where do you think you're going?" Busted lip, blood running down from his temple, broken nose, bruised throat and a black eye, eyes dilated, he seemed like he didn't feel anything, like he wasn't even aware of his state as he leisurely took me in with his intoxicated, hungry eyes. He didn't even acknowledge my gun until I raised it and shot him between his eyes.
"I don't have time for this shit," I exhaled as I quickly descended the stairs down to a hallway I knew led to the cells. As I rounded the corner, I felt a rush of air near my head. I sharply inhaled when I noticed a man with his pistol. The bullet missed me by an inch. He aimed again, but this time a dodged it. I rounded back the corner quickly as possible.
What am I supposed to do? I'm not a filed guy.
Fuck.
He kept getting closer, the bullets were flying nearer and nearer me. This couldn't be the end of my journey, but it felt like it. He was two meters away now. His shots were aimed at my head, if he just came a bit closer, I would be dead.
The sound it made was deafening. So loud, so close, too close.
Come up with a plan, Olivia. Come on!
Okay, okay, okay...his aiming high. Could I use it for my advantage? Maybe if I ducked down and shot him in his leg?
We don't have time just do something before we're dead, bitch!
Fuck, okay.
I quickly ducked down, pivoted out from my poor choice of hiding and shot him in his right leg.
"You bitch!" He stopped for a fleeting second before grunting with vicious force and jumped on me. A brief yelp left my mouth as I hit the cold concrete floor. The air was sucked out of my lungs in matter of seconds. I struggled to breathe while the big guy over me slapped me right across the face.
Oh, great, more bruises. Back and cheek, just great.
Fortunately, I managed to breathe again before he was about to strike me again. I prevent the hit with my arm as I noticed the cold steel in my other hand. I still had my gun, while he dropped his.
I owe you one, God.
Before finishing him off, I just wanted to paint him in blue-green and purple...and red. I threw a hard punch at his nose, and before he could react, again at his face. Thanks to Collin and those training sessions, I was better than ever. Blood ran down, his face got red, either from pain or anger. I hoped it was pain, yet it looked like it was from anger. He threw a punch at my face that I dodged at the last second. His fist went right down at the hard concrete floor. I winced. That must have hurt.
I took advantage of his moment of agony and kneed his back. Because of that action, he fell on me. Fuck, it hurt like a bitch. Why the fuck do they have concrete floor?!
I swiftly rolled him over. I didn't even have time to stand up like in the movies, stand over him heroically and shoot him. No, I was on my knees, fearing that he would bounce on me again. So, I just shot him in his chest as fast as possible like a coward. Thank God I was only one meter away from him, or I would have missed with my shaky hands. The amount of adrenaline that was rushing through my veins was indescribable, I was on a high. A high that made me wobbly and unsteady.
In the mist of my self-observation, I saw those shiny little things that would help me tremendously. I snatched the keys from him. With wobbly legs, I got up and headed deeper into the hallway. The hallway was grey, empty, cold and silent, the perfect eerie basement. Yet, what I came to see was not a basement, it was a prison. I had never seen a prison, but this was worse. Some of the cells had bars, the other were rooms with a steel door and a small window. By the look of it, the cell rooms with bars were torture chambers. There were things in those chambers that I had never seen in my entire life. The only thing that I recognised was the electric chairs.
With a shiver, I shifted my gaze from the empty, bloody chambers to the cells. Now with the silence, I wasn't sure if anyone was down here. The mansion was definitely not empty, I could still hear vague gunshots from somewhere in the house. But I began to doubt whether Alex was down here. It was so quiet, too quiet.
To my right was the torture chambers and to my left was the cells. Since the chambers were empty, I made my way to the first cell with little hope. The small window on the steel door were very far up. I had to stand on my toes and drag myself up with my hands that had a poor grip on the window. The vague, dark view made it impossible to see. No windows or lamps were in the rooms, the only light was from the small window that I was now gazing through.
"Alex?" I whispered loudly. Maybe he was in there, I just couldn't see him. When I got no answer, I moved on to the next cell. The next cell greeted me with the same view.
"Alex?" This time I didn't whisper. Still, I got no answer. I grew a bit anxious.
What if he wasn't here? What if they killed him?
No. No, he's alive. He got to be.
I don't care to be silent and quiet anymore. I ran further down the hallway, screaming my brother's name. I stopped and listened. Silence.
"Alex, please answer me!" A hysterical cry fell from my lips as I let my head rest on the wall. Hopeless and numb again, I had to take in the harsh truth that he wasn't here.
"Via..." A faint whisper, barely audible. I gazed around. I was alone. Have I gone mad? Or did I just hear Alex calling my name. No, it couldn't be him. I was truly mad. Wanting to hear him so bad for the last time had messed up my mind.
"Via." No, that was truly not in my mind.
"Alex?!" My ears were on alert as they tried to hear where his voice came from.
"Here." The sound came from the last cell. I ran to it.
"Oh, Alex. I'm so relieved." A few tears of happiness ran down my cheeks as I fumbled with the keys. Finally finding the key with the number ten, I unlocked his cell and pushed it open. The light from the hallway lit up the cell and presented my new nightmare. The sight of him made me immobile and nauseated. For a second, I couldn't breathe as I took in his state. Shirt ripped open, chest covered in blood, slashes, bruises, face bloody and bruised. His hands and feet were bound to an iron chair. I ran up to him with shaky hands and wobbly legs.
"Oh my God, Alex." I kneeled before my brother's weak state. Quickly, with my knife, I cut open the ropes around his feet and hands. His barely open eyes watched me with numbness.
"You lied," he said with anger and authority somehow with his state.
"What?" Confused, I put back my knife.
"You said you were with Joseph," he grunted. Oh. I had forgotten about that.
"I will tell you everything later, but we don't have much time. C'mon." I helped him up.
"Why didn't you tell, why didn't you tell me you were with Antonio Romano?" He grunted with agony as he shifted his weight on me.
"I'll have a tête-à-tête and a tea party with you later, but can we just go!" I yelled the last part and dragged him with me out of the cell.
"Fine," he growled and limped beside me. With great strength that I didn't know I had, I escorted Alex to the stairs. The stairs were trickier to climb up with some of Alex's weight on my shoulders and his limp. But thanks to Alex being strong, he took help of the railings, and we made it to the first floor. To our unfortunate, it seemed like Joseph had managed to call for back up, because through the window you could see men in uniforms jump out of several black vans.
"Shit." I took a hasty decision and turned to another hallway, away from the entrance where Joseph's men were storming in. There was another exit in the back, but I didn't know if this hallway led to it. It didn't. It led to the living room. The floor was covered with corpses and gore. His huge white wall was covered in spots of blood. Funny enough it looked like one of Jackson Pollock's paintings.
From the living room, I knew where the other exit was. We just had to walk to the kitchen and there was a back door that faced his garden.
Alex grunted. I felt so bad for him, I had never seen anyone in this much pain and blood still standing up... still living. If I didn't get us out of here, maybe he wouldn't be standing up anymore.
"Come," I said reassuringly as if I had everything under control while in fact, I was falling apart. With difficulty, I dragged Alex with me the short distance to the kitchen. Alex's energy was getting less and less for every second, resulting in me having more of his weight on me. He was a big guy, the weight on me slowed us down.
When we got to the kitchen, I felt more hopeless than ever in my entire life. There was no door in the kitchen. I didn't understand. I memorised the map. It supposed to be a door here. I untangled myself from Alex and made him put his weight on the counter as I ran further in. It had to me a door here. I frantically touched the wall, searching for a hidden door.
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon. Where are you?! Ugh!" I hit the wall with a cry and let my head fall against on the wall. The shootings got louder and louder, and so did the screams. They were close. Fuck, I failed. I failed Alex. I pivoted to face him. He was in a worse state than before. Pale and sweaty, struggling to breathe.
"I'm so sorry. I thought I could save you," I whispered and walked closer to him. Just then someone kicked open the kitchen door, halting me in my steps The man raised his weapon and aimed at me. At the last second, I managed to duck. I pulled out my gun and aimed at him, hitting him in his chest. There was no time to celebrate the small victory, since behind him came another one. I was on a roll, I didn't even give him time to react, I just shot him. As a result of the immense kitchen having two entrances, men were filling the space rapidly. We were surrounded. With my clouded eyes, I hadn't notice that most of the men were Antonio's men. Their uniform had his symbol, the angel of death. Thank God.
They started shooting at Joseph's men.
Since Joseph's men had forgotten about me and Alex, I walked to him and dragged him out through the entrance Antonio's men came through. The dining room was filled with men too. We had nowhere to go, and Alex was getting worse. An old wound had opened, and he was trying to put pressure on it, but the blood ran through his fingers. In the mist of concern for Alex, I hadn't notice someone aiming at me. Too late and too difficult to dodge the bullet with Alex's weight on me, I waited for the pain, for the darkness, for the silence. Instead, I got none of it. I opened my eyes, in front of my legs was a dead man, with a bullet right on the dark angel on his chest.
Wha...he took the bullet?
All of Joseph's men in the dining room were dead, only Antonio's men surrounded me.
"Miss, we need to get you out of here," The man shouted and put Alex's weight on himself.
How did they know of me? How could the know I was in the kitchen with Joseph's men.
Oh, Noah. The cameras. Shit, how did I forget about that? I should thank him.
"Olivia! What. The. Fuck?!" Antonio's roaring voice brought me out of my thoughts. Antonio ran up to me with a furious expression. He gripped my arms and shook me.
"Why do you never listen to me!? For fuck's sake, you could have died!" he growled as his grip got painfully tight. He shook his head in anger and disgust. He pushed me away at his man behind me and growled.
"Get her out of my fucking sight."
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Thanks for reading another chapter of Life Is A Living Hell
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