Danica's POV:
I fluttered my eyes open and an awful pain pounded in my head as I began to gain consciousness.
My fingertips felt the injury, and crimson blood stained my skin.
Is this what it's like to die, I thought, feeling the warmth of my life oozing away from me.
I was in bed, but not my bed.
I sat up, and heard a rattle as I moved. I glanced at my wrist which had been chained to the bed frame.
The nightmare was real.
My heart was thumping loudly against my chest and I felt a heavy weight in my stomach as I viewed my surroundings.
I was lying on a wide mattress, heavily soaked in my blood. I shuddered at the sight of it.
The frigid air was due to the lack of sunlight, which was blocked off since I was in a cellar.
The stone walls that surrounded me, had a metal door at the center, with bars through it.
"Help!" I tried to yell, for anyone. "Help!"
Someone walked down the stone stairs, "Well, look who's awake. Good afternoon, darling."
Marcello smirked at me as he gripped a bar at the door.
"Please don't hurt me." My voice squeaked.
He began to unlock the door, shaking his head at me, "Shh... it won't be too bad." He smiled.
I felt the tears stream down my face as I tugged on the chains, trying to break free.
Failing to do so, he walked up to me and gripped my hair. He pulled my head back, sharply so I gazed straight into his malicious eyes.
I unintentionally began to hyperventilate, my heart was pumping out of my chest, nearly scared to death.
Marcello began to laugh sinisterly as he continued to stare into my eyes drowning in despair, "You escaped the first time, but you won't now. You and Eric will feel this scorching pain, burdening your heart. You'll feel what I feel. You both deserve this."
I frantically shook my head and cried out, "Please, please don't, Marcello. I beg you, please just let me go. Eric made a mistake, he could never forgive himself for it, but you have to move on from it. Like Alessandra said, it's been years."
He stiffly inhaled, then snapped out of it, "Shut up! Stop talking! Eric meant complete harm, and quite frankly, so do I."
"Marcello, please! Rethink this through. This won't help you."
"Its getting even, darling." He smirked as he pulled out a knife from his pocket. "It'll only hurt a little."
I shook my head as he yanked my arm, forcefully and beginning to slice it horizontally.
I yelled in anguish as he continued to carve my arm out.
After he ran out of skin to slash open, he shuffled back upstairs, but only to retrieve a bowl.
I watched my scarlet blood trickle down my arm from each wound I had across each of arms. The sight left me shivering as I cried out in the awful pain.
His demonic smile sent chills down my spine as he extended his hand into the bowl and scooped out a handful of a clear liquid. Every ounce of me hoped it was water, until I smelt the distinguishable odor.
Once realizing what was in the bowl; my heart dropped. The liquid was not water, but vinegar.
For the first time in my life, I genuinely wished I was dead.
At that moment, without any hesitation, he bellowed as he snatched my arms and poured the excruciating acid across the deep cuts.
I yelled so loud my throat burned, tears fled down my eyes, and my jaw hurt from my teeth clenching so hard.
After an eternity of misery, Marcello left the bloody room I was in.
The heart that was once beating quickly, began to slow down. Before I bled out, I ripped off a piece of my dress at the bottom, and wrapped it tightly around my gruesome wounds. I groaned loudly from the violent pain.
I felt my body get weaker and I was now unable to stand, or move around.
Eventually I became so weak I couldn't lift my head.
I needed Eric, there was no way I'd survive this. Or Marcello in general.
Every ounce in me was hoping Eric would come rescue me.
But he never did.
Eric's POV:
I was forced to lie to each guest there, telling them Danica wasn't feeling well.
The house was evacuated, and Santiago managed to get on his computer to find any traces of her.
Unfortunately, there was nothing. She was gone.
Santiago typed for hours, but found nothing. Nothing but the ring that she had on.
Every second I grew more and more impatient as the days rolled by with still no answers.
I dug my fingers in my hair and groaned in frustration.
I paced back and forth, my self control quickly slipping away.
"Did you find anything?" I asked again with a stern voice.
He continued staring at his screen, "Nothing but dead ends." He leaned back in his chair and shook his head disappointingly. "Marcello already planned this all through."
My body was shaking in fury. All this anger had to go somewhere.
I drove my fist into the wall beside me and watched the picture frames swivel back and forth on the wall.
Pulling my hand out of the wall, I immediately noticed the slits on my knuckles, bleeding profusely.
I expected the pain, but my entire body felt numb. Including my heart.
Santiago added softly, "I've been watching his house in San Francisco... no one has entered of left in weeks. He's somewhere else."
I exhaled tensely, "Track the phone call."
He cleared his throat and sat upright, "I already tried that, but it just lead to a disposal. Marcello's counteracting all our tactics."
I growled in a deep, menacingly voice, "No! Find her! Look harder, Santiago!"
Santiago pursed his lips and whispered softly, "There's no trace of them."
"Give me the list of his most recent purchases and each of its location." I demanded.
His brows furrowed in thought and he began to type. In no time, he scoffed incredibly, "Bingo! An isolated country house in Oregon. He has to be there."
I felt a little weight lift off my shoulders, "Well, what are we waiting for?"
He grinned.
Danica's POV:
I ended up losing track of time, though I'm sure it's only been hours.
But then those hours later, bled into days.
As the time went on, I began to lose faith and hope in Eric.
I noticed my bones slightly peek through my skin, and my olive, healthy tan began to fade into a very fair shade. My lips turned from a scarlet rose, to a cracking bare-pink.
Thankfully, there was no mirror to see my frightening body in the reflection, but I could only imagine what I'd look like.
The quietness and lonesome of the darkness was interrupted by loud, unrecognizable voices from up the stairs.
There was shouting, followed by glass breaking, and thumps on the wall, ground, and furniture.
I heard my heartbeat thump and the hair on my skin stood up from goosebumps. My eyes wouldn't open completely, they didn't have the energy to do so.
An unfamiliar silhouette rushed down the stairs, and froze at the sight of me.
The harsh light behind the man blinded me to the point where I couldn't see anything.
The silhouette called from the bottom of the stairs, horrified, "Eric! Eric!"
I recognized that voice, almost immediately. But my brain couldn't pinpoint who.