GORE AND VIOLENCE. BEWARE!
~Matteo's pov~
"Thank you so much," I said to the receptionist with a genuine smile. She had just handed me another key to my room. I had lost the previous one, and she had been kind enough to provide me with a replacement. As I made my way down the hallway, the weight of the day's events began to weigh heavily on my shoulders. Losing the key was just the latest in a string of unfortunate incidents that seemed to follow me wherever I went. I walked to my room but stopped in my tracks as a thought crossed my mind. Maybe I should meet up with Lenna.
I turned back to her room and knocked on it softly, hoping she would be there.
A soft smile appeared on my face as I thought about her and the possibility of spending some time together. As I stood there, I couldn't help but wonder what she would be doing at this moment. Would she be eating or sleeping?
But no one opened the door. I knocked again, this time harder, making the door open by itself , revealing an empty room bathed in the soft glow of the evening sun. My heart sank, a mix of disappointment and concern washing over me. Where could she be? Had something happened?
I pulled out my phone and tried calling her, only to hear her phone ringing from across the hall. Confusion and worry consumed me as I quickly made my way towards the sound. As I reached the source, I found myself standing in front of Cal's door, the familiar ringtone echoing through the thin walls. A surge of relief washed over me as I realized that she must have left her phone behind.
I knocked on Cal's door, but no one opened. Growing more concerned, I shouted her name, hoping she would hear me. Silence followed, intensifying my apprehension. Without thinking, I reached for the doorknob and turned it slowly. The door creaked open, revealing an empty room. My heart sank as I realized that neither Cal nor Lenna were anywhere to be found. Frantically, I began searching for any clues or signs of her whereabouts or his. I ran downstairs, searched around, and asked a receptionist.
"Did you perhaps see a woman with black hair and grey eyes and a man with brown hair and brown eyes?" I described Cal and Lenna to the receptionist, desperately hoping for any information that could lead me to them. The receptionist furrowed her brow, clearly trying to recall any recent visitors matching the description I provided. After a moment of silence, her eyes widened as if a memory had suddenly resurfaced.
"Yes, I remember seeing the man carrying the woman in his hands. She was unconscious, and he said that she had fainted, and he was taking her to the hospital immediately," the receptionist said, her voice filled with concern. My heart skipped a beat at the mention of Lenna fainting.
"Do you know which hospital they went to?" I asked, my voice trembling with worry. The receptionist quickly consulted her computer screen, her fingers typing away furiously.
"No, I'm so sorry, sir. I do not know which hospital they went to. We have several hospitals in the area, and without more information, it's difficult to determine where they might have gone," she replied apologetically. I felt a surge of frustration and helplessness wash over me, but thank God she was at least with Cal. Unfortunately, neither of them had their phones on them, so I couldn't even try calling to find out where they were.
~Lenna's pov~
I woke up with my head throbbing in pain and my vision blurred. As I tried to move, I realized that I was blindfolded and that my hands were cuffed to something cold and solid. Panic gripped me as I struggled to remember how I ended up in this terrifying situation. The sound of a distant voice reached my ears, but the blindfold prevented me from identifying who it was or where they were.
" I guess you're awake now," a deep voice said, his words laced with amusement. Slowly, he removed my blindfold, and the room came into focus. I blinked several times, trying to adjust to the sudden rush of light. As my eyes adjusted, I noticed that I was in a dimly lit room, its walls adorned with eerie paintings and strange symbols. Where the hell was I?
"Sleeping Beauty is finally awake ," he continued, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "I hope you enjoyed your beauty rest." My heart started racing as I tried to make sense of the situation.
Cal grinned evilly. I clenched my jaw.
"Let go of me, you fucking psychopath!" I yelled, struggling against the restraints that held me tightly to the chair. The room suddenly felt suffocating, and the eerie atmosphere only heightened my fear. I needed to find a way out, to escape from him, who seemed to take pleasure in my distress. Thoughts raced through my mind, searching for any clue or plan that could lead to my freedom. But as I looked around, my hope dwindled as I realized that my options were limited within the confines of this dimly lit prison.
"Why should I? I enjoy the power I have over you," he sneered, his voice dripping with sadistic satisfaction. His eyes bore into mine like a predator toying with its prey. "You thought you were so clever, so untouchable. But now, here you are, helpless and at my mercy," he continued, his words laced with mockery. I wanted to spit on his face and wipe that arrogant grin off his lips. But I knew better than to provoke him further. Any sign of defiance would only invite more torment and pain. I had learned that the hard way during my time in this hellhole. The only chance I had was to play along, to bide my time until an opportunity presented itself. As I stared back at him, I forced a weak smile, masking the fear that churned in the pit of my stomach.
"Why.. Why would you do this to me? To everyone?" I managed to stammer, my voice quivering with a mixture of confusion and desperation. His eyes narrowed, his amusement evident as he leaned in closer, his hot breath sending a shiver down my spine.
"Because I can," he replied with a chilling tone, his words dripping with malice. The room fell silent, the air heavy with the weight of his sadistic power. I clenched my fists, feeling the urge to fight back surge within me, but I resisted. I knew that succumbing to my anger would only lead to my downfall. So, I swallowed my pride.
"You were my best friend," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. The words hung in the air, a reminder of the bond we once shared. His laughter filled the room, mocking my vulnerability. I could see the twisted pleasure in his eyes, reveling in my pain. It was then that I realized the extent of his betrayal. The person I had trusted with my deepest secrets had become my greatest enemy.
"I was never your best friend, let alone your friend ," he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "You were nothing more than a naive fool to think otherwise. And now, that naivety will only lead to your downfall."
A bitter knot formed in my stomach as his words pierced through me. I knew I had been blind to his true intentions, but hearing him confirm it stung more than I could have imagined.
"What have I ever done to you?" I exclaimed, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt. The room fell silent, the tension thickening with each passing second. His eyes bore into mine, cold and unfeeling, as if he took pleasure in my pain. I searched desperately for any hint of the person I once knew, but all I saw was a stranger filled with malice.
"You did nothing to me ," he replied nonchalantly, a sly smile creeping onto his face. "But that's precisely why you were the perfect pawn for my plan."
As his words sank in, I felt a rush of emotions overwhelm me. Betrayal, anger, and confusion all swirled together, making it hard to find my voice.
"W-What do you mean?" I stammered, my voice barely audible as I struggled to comprehend his sinister revelation. The room felt suffocating, the air thick with tension as his smile widened, relishing in my vulnerability.
"You were always so trusting," he sneered, his eyes glinting with a twisted satisfaction. "And that made it all the more enjoyable to manipulate you to watch you crumble. Especially since you had a secret. You were an underground street fighter, and I knew that if anyone found out, your whole world would come crashing down. So I used that knowledge against you, pulling strings behind the scenes, making sure you never got too comfortable in your own skin. I reveled in the power I had over you and the way I could bend and mold you to my will. But now, here we are, face to face, and the tables have turned."
"You pathetic excuse for a human being," I sneered, my voice dripping with contempt. "All those years of manipulation and control, and for what? To satisfy your own sadistic pleasure."
He chuckled and gripped my jaw tightly, forcing me to look directly into his cold, calculating eyes.
"Oh, my dear," he whispered, his voice laced with amusement, "you greatly underestimate the depths of my satisfaction. It was never about power or control for me. It was about breaking you, shattering every piece of your soul until there was nothing left but a hollow shell of the person you used to be." His grip tightened, and a surge of anger welled up within me.
"JUST WHY?!"I yelled.
"Because it would kill your mother," he replied, his smirk widening. "I knew it would cut through her like a knife, watching you suffer because of her. That's the true power I wanted - to see the devastation and despair in her eyes, knowing she is responsible for your demise." He released his grip, stepping back with satisfaction as I sat there in disbelief.
"What has she done to you?" I cried out, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and confusion. How could someone harbor such deep resentment towards my mother? I struggled to make sense of his words, searching my memory for any clues that could explain this vendetta. But nothing came to mind. My mother had always been loving, kind, and selfless, sacrificing everything for my well-being. I couldn't fathom what she could have possibly done to deserve this twisted hatred. Anger and protectiveness surged through me, overshadowing my disbelief.
"She ruined everything because of her my mother killed herself and my sister died a gruesome death"
My heart sank as his words sank in. The weight of his accusations crushed me, leaving me gasping for breath. The room seemed to spin, my mind struggling to comprehend the darkness that had consumed his soul.
"My dad, Donovola fell in love with your mom and abandoned us. He left my mother broken and alone, unable to cope with the betrayal. She spiraled into a deep depression, and one day, she couldn't bear the pain anymore. She took her own life, leaving me and my sister to fend for ourselves in a world that had turned its back on us." His voice trembled with a mix of anger and sorrow, and I could see the torment etched into his eyes. "And when my sister tried to speak up my dad sent that bastard of a politician to kill my sister as well." He sneered. He yanked my hair back violently, forcing me to look directly into his eyes. The anger in his gaze was palpable, and I could feel the weight of his pain as if it were my own.
"Do you understand now?" he spat, his voice filled with a bitter rage that sent chills down my spine. "If your mother never seduced my dad-"
"MY MOTHER NEVER SEDUCED YOUR DAD! SHE INFACT HELPED YOU BY KILLING YOUR DAD!" I shouted back, my own anger rising. The room grew silent as we locked eyes, the tension between us suffocating. The truth hung heavy in the air, both of us aware of the depths of our family's twisted history. But I refused to let him manipulate me any longer. I took a deep breath, mustering all the courage I had left.
"You can't blame my mother for your father's mistakes," I said firmly, my voice trembling with a mix of defiance and sorrow. "Your father was a cheating man whore but that doesn't mean my mom and I are to blame for the pain it caused your family." My words hung in the air, the weight of them almost tangible. His face contorted with anger, his eyes narrowing into slits. It was clear that my defiance had struck a nerve. He punched me square in the jaw, the force of his fist knocking me backwards onto the ground. As pain shot through my face, tears welled up in my eyes, a mixture of shock and disbelief filling me. I couldn't even defend myself since my hands were tied.
He yanked me up by my hair and looked me in my eyes.
"I'm going to cut you up into pieces and mail it to your mother and then we'll see how defiant you still are," he snarled, his voice dripping with venom. The threat hung in the air, suffocating me with fear. Every fiber of my being screamed for escape, for a way out of this nightmarish situation.
He threw me face forward unto the ground , causing a sharp pain to shoot through my body. The hard impact knocked the breath out of me, leaving me gasping for air. I tried to steady myself, my mind racing to find a glimmer of hope in this hopeless situation. But with my hands still tied behind my back, I was completely at his mercy. The taste of dirt filled my mouth as I struggled to push myself up, my muscles trembling under the weight of fear and exhaustion.
"And while I do that I might as well torture you a bit more."