Page 2 of Until It Ends

"What is it that you think I don't know. I'm not a fucking boy anymore just in case you can't see."

I can sense that my father holds information, a secret he's been keeping from me. It lingers unspoken between us, heightening the intensity of our clash.

Finally, with a glimmer of resignation in his eyes, he says, "There's something you need to know about Valeria."

I'm desperate for answers, hungry for the truth. "And I repeat...what is it?" I'm demanding facts.

He rubs his beard. "Go get cleaned up first," he says, his voice tinged with a mix of exhaustion and concern. "I'm not going to discuss this here... like this. But you need to know this. You needed to know this before she put me in that coma."

His words hang in the air, leaving me with a torrent of questions and apprehension. What is it that my father knows about Valeria? How could it possibly be connected to his coma?

I leave the room, my mind swirling with thoughts and emotions.

My path is uncertain. I know that whatever it is my father is about to tell me, everything is about to change.

Two

Valeria

I'm wedged between two burly bodyguards in the backseat of a luxury sedan, my knuckles white from gripping the leather seats. The engine roars as we swerve and accelerate away from Dante's estate. The driver looks like a statue at the wheel, refusing to answer as I plead for more information.

"Where are you taking me?" I beg.

"Someplace safe."

"Is Dante behind us?" I demand.

The driver says nothing. Frustration and fear course through my veins as I glance at the driver through the rearview mirror, hoping for some reassurance. But his stoic expression gives nothing away. The tension in the car is palpable, suffocating me as I try to make sense of the situation.

Either he doesn't know or Dante's not coming.

The shadows outside cast an eerie glow into the car. Fear creeps through my chest like a chill.

We leave behind the familiar cityscape and venture into a desolate countryside, where only farmhouses and barns dot the landscape. The isolation intensifies my unease, amplifying the sense of being trapped.

I still can't process everything. All that's happened. Me falling for Dante, my captor. Me even thinking about a future with him.

And then his father comes back, almost from the dead, and shatters that dream. What does he want other than to keep me away from his son? I don't even know why I have to wonder. He wants me dead. I almost killed the man, and for good reason. Why else would Dante insist that I get way?

The car skids to an abrupt stop, and I can feel my heart jump into my throat. Instinctively, I know something is wrong as the passenger's door swings open and they step out. In a split second, alarm bells are going off in my head; the sound of a weapon being readied echoing through the air like a hammer being swung against a bell.

Time stands still as two lifeless bodies hit the ground like bricks, and terror takes me hostage. The bodyguards. The driver. They're all dead. My head is spinning, all I can do is stare wide-eyed in fear at the barrel of the gun pointed directly at me.

A man dressed in black leather gloves and a ski mask steps forward, his presence ominous and foreboding. "Get out of the car!" he orders.

My mind races with questions, my voice trembling as I demand answers. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"

The weapon presses into my back, urging me to comply. The man's voice is cold and devoid of emotion as he speaks, sending chills down my spine. "Start walking."

Every step I take is laden with uncertainty and fear. The darkness envelops us, concealing our path as we navigate through the unknown. With each passing moment, my mind races, trying to make sense of the situation. Somehow I know this wasn't what Dante intended for me.

Silence hangs heavy in the air, broken only by the sound of our footsteps echoing in the darkness. The weight of the weapon against my back is a constant reminder of the danger I'm in. But even in the face of this uncertainty, I refuse to let fear overpower me.

Finally, I gather the courage to speak again, my voice quivering but determined. "Where are you taking me? Why are you doing this?"

The masked man remains silent, his grip tightening on the weapon. We continue walking in silence, the unknown stretching out before us. Doubt and confusion gnaw at my thoughts, but deep within, a flicker of resilience burns.

Minutes turn into what feels like hours as we navigate through the darkness. Finally, we reach our destination—an abandoned warehouse, its dilapidated walls a haunting reminder of its forgotten past.

---