Page 65 of Alessia
“Where are you taking her?”
“To her room.”
“And then?”
“I’ll see if I can get her a doctor.”
“You’ll see?” I ask confused.
“Yes, Harper. I am still just a lackey to Gianni and Manchini remember? They decide if somebody is worth the trouble of getting a doctor here and paying the medical bills.”
Bile rises in my throat and I can’t stop it, I run over to the toilet and hurl up my breakfast. When I think they’ve reached the limit on being cruel bastards, they cross the limit yet again.
I hear Gabriele leave with Anna in his arms, it’s out of my hands now. What am I saying? My whole life has been out of my own hands these past two weeks. I mindlessly walk over to the shower and clean Anna’s blood off the tiles before I wash myself.
When everything is clean, I go back to my room, I lie down on my bed and stare at the ceiling until sleep catches up with me again. I drift off in a restless dream.
The forest is unnaturally dark, the kind of darkness that felt alive, suffocating. Trees loom like skeletal giants, their gnarled branches clawing at the moonless sky. My breaths come in ragged gasps as I run, my bare feet pounding against the uneven earth. The underbrush claws at my legs, leaving thin, stinging cuts, but I can’t stop. Behind me, the heavy thud of boots and the guttural growls of Gianni and Manchini grow louder.
“Harper!” Anna’s voice pierces the oppressive air, sharp with panic.
I whip my head around, glimpsing Anna stumbling behind me. Anna’s golden hair is matted with sweat and dirt, her pale face etched with terror. But it is her back that makes my blood turn cold. Jagged, deep cuts crisscross Anna’s skin, oozing blood that drips in macabre ribbons, painting the forest floor in streaks of crimson.
“Anna, keep running!” I scream, my voice cracking.
“I can’t!” Anna’s knees buckle, and she collapsed onto the ground with a cry of anguish. My heart seizes, but I force myself to turn back. The world around us seems to close in, the trees leaning forward as if to swallow us whole.
“You have to get up,” I beg, hooking my arms under Anna’s shoulders.
“We’ll get through this. Together.”
Anna’s glazed eyes meet mine, her lips trembling. “I… I can’t feel my legs,” she whispers, her voice faint as the blood loss drains her strength. “Just go.”
“No! I’m not leaving you!” I shout, tears spilling over my cheeks. The sound of Gianni’s and Manchini’s guttural laughter echoes through the forest, growing closer. Their silhouettesbegin to emerge from the shadows, grotesque shapes with cruel smiles and glinting weapons.
Anna grabs my wrist with surprising strength. “You have to go. They’ll kill us both if you stay.”
I shake my head violently; my sobs choke me. “I won’t leave you!”
A low growl rumbled behind us. I turn, paralyzed as Manchini steps into view, his face obscured by a twisted mask. In his hand, he holds a long blade dripping with something dark. Manchini tilts his head, as if savoring our fear.
“Run, Harper!” Anna urges me, her voice fading. Her grip on my wrist loosens. My instincts scream to flee, but my heart is tethered to her.
Manchini lunges. I scream and stumble backward, finally letting go of Anna. I hesitate for one agonizing second before Anna’s weak voice cuts through the chaos. “Go!”
I turn and run, the image of Anna lying limp on the forest floor seared into my mind. The sound of cruel laughter and Anna’s fading cries pursue me as I run, twisting together into a grotesque symphony.
As I sprint deeper into the forest, the air grows colder and heavier. The trees closed ranks, their branches reaching for me like skeletal hands. My chest burns, my legs scream in protest, but I can’t stop. Behind me, Gianni’s footsteps seem to echo endlessly, a relentless drumbeat of my impending doom.
I trip and fall, my hands plunging into the wet dirt. Crawling to my knees, I glanced back one last time. In the distance, I see Anna’s lifeless body, her golden hair fanned out like a halo, a stark contrast to the dark, blood-soaked ground. And then, just as suddenly as they’d appeared, Gianni and Manchini are gone. The forest falls silent.
My scream rips through my room as the nightmare shattered into fragments of waking terror. I sit upright in my bed, drenched in sweat, my breath ragged and shallow. The image of Anna’s bloodied back lingered, a haunting specter that refused to fade.
