Chapter Two
849 Words
Mila Ortega
“Over my dead body!”
Nik’s lips curled into a wry, unbelievable smirk.
His eyes darkening by the moment. Slowly, he produced a gun from the back of his belt and pointed it at me, his eyes narrowed as he corked the pistol. “Over your dead body it is,”
“Do it, Nikolai Moreira,” I charged, “I’m not afraid of you.”
“Let’s see how fearless you are.” He turned the pistol from me, pointing it at my mother.
I froze.
Before I could say a word, the gunshot fired, the sound of it deafening and resounding.
I clenched my eyes shut, afraid that if I opened my eyes, I would see my mother’s body lying next to my father.
When the deafening sound subsided, he was laughing. “You’re shaking.”
His cold voice snapped me back to reality.
“Mila…” mom’s voice quivered as she called for me.
I blinked my eyes open and found my mother. She was still breathing. Unharmed.
I swallowed hard, tears brimming my eyes as I turned to face Nik Moreira.
“I won’t miss the next one,” he warned, “Sign the papers.”
The tears that I thought would never leave my eyes fell freely, flooding my face in a moment of weakness.
“Why’re you doing this? My father is already dead. "Isn’t that enough revenge for you?”
“He framed me!” Nik bellowed, his eyes flaring with something darker than I’d even seen. “Nothing will ever be enough for that! Not even his death!”
"Weren’t you going to kill him anyway?"
“Kill him? Death is too merciful for your father. I was going to make him suffer as much as he made me suffer.”
“But I’m not him, I didn’t do anything to you.”
“Ortega blood is Ortega.”
Just then, one of his men walked in. Dressed in a mask like ninjas in a cosplay.
He leaned towards Nik, and whispered something in his ears.
As if he had suddenly been injected with adrenaline, Nik shot to his feet, threw a mask to my mom and ordered her. “Put on the mask!”
“No, she won’t.” I interjected, “Where are you taking her to? Leave my mom alone…”
“I’m taking her with me, it’s up to you to free her.”
My eyes widened in disbelief, “What will stop me from going to the police, Nik?”
Nik paused, turned around and a slight smile widened his face.
“Your father already did that. It didn’t really work out.
You have twenty-four hours to accept my proposal, Mila, or you’ll never see your mother again.”
Nik Moreira and his men walked out through the same door they came, but with my mother heavily guarded in between them. Her eyes were bound shut, her hands tied to the back.
My heart sank, my lips trembled.
Did my father really kill himself? Did he really frame Nik Moreira? If so, why?
All my life, I believed the Moreira family were the cause of the war between us. But what if…? What if my father had twisted history a little?
No! I snapped out of such thoughts as soon as my eyes landed on his cold body on the floor.
My father would never do that!
Nik Moreira’s reputation preceded him. He was famous for his notorious behavior, how else could my father had convinced the government?
I was drowning in thoughts, my head was spinning from many unanswered questions.
My once peaceful life was now in shambles, just like the scattered screen of the tv on the wall.
Father’s blood flowed nonstop until I was soaked in it too.
Bound to a chair, I couldn’t do anything to get myself out of the smelling stench that was forming in the room.
Living in a family estate had its disadvantages— there were no neighbors to help.
One hour became two, and I was still stuck in a chair.
Soon, dusk fell. And I was still glued to the chair.
Weakness was taking over. My arms felt heavy, my muscles ached from constantly struggling to free myself from the ropes but with every attempt, the ropes dug deeper into my skin, leaving my legs numb with pain.
The blood— my father’s blood— had dried up, leaving a metallic stench that mingled with the stale air of the room, squeezing the breath out of my lungs.
Gradually, my eyelids were gluing together.
I snapped my head up. “Stay awake!” I cautioned myself, but it was late.
The adrenaline that had kept me up all day was now replaced by a hunger for food, water, fresh air and rest.
Every breath came slower, and shallow, like my body was shutting down one piece at a time. I fought to stay awake but I was losing— the last thing I saw was my father’s lifeless body.
Then darkness finally won.
- Writer
