Page 120 of Destined for the Devil
"Does Pietoso mean anything in Italian? Does it translate to anything?" I thought I was grasping at straws, but Vincenzo’s answer pinned me to my seat.
"Yes. It means pitiful. Or merciful."
53
Giovanni
Isla
Thepaininmyeyes zinged straight into my temples. Was I blind? I was on my stomach, lying on something soft with lots of give. The light peeked through my eyelids, and I finally opened them to see that I was on a small bed in a tiny room.
I reeled back, panic surging through all of me. I wasn’t home. I wasn’t at Roman’s; I hadnoidea where I was.
Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!
My whole bodyached,like it had been bruised and beaten with a bat. It hurt to breathe, to move my neck, and to sit up, but I jumped off the bed and whirled around. Was this a hotel room? But then I looked down and realized I had no shoes.
I remembered…I was outside, wearing a coat and scarf, and I had a tote bag filled with books and my phone and some chocolates even…because Roman was coming tomorrow.
Where was all that?
The room was barren—a small bed, one large window, stone floor, and a tiny hallway. There were two doors at the end of it; one led to what looked like a small bathroom, and the other…was probably the exit.
I stood in the middle of the unknown room in my white t-shirt and blue jeans and held myself back from hyperventilating. This…this was not good.
The door.
I was down the hallway in two large strides, pulling on the handle, but it didn't budge. I pulled harder, turning the locks every which way, but it was like it was glued to the doorframe.
Roman…
My heart nearly stopped when I realized he had no idea where I was.
On the verge of tears, I cautiously approached the large window and moved the yellow curtain out of the way, only to be stunned by the beauty of the landscape outside. Green mountains and tall hedges intertwined in a peaceful and gorgeous scene bathed in sunlight. But there were bars on the window. Steel bars.
Oh God, oh God, oh God! What the fuck did I get myself into?!As soon as the thought crossed my mind the memory flashed bright and obvious in my mind.
I got into John’s car.
Cold sweat broke out on my palms. What else did I remember? Not much. John’s smiling face, a foreign and sharp pain in my thigh. And something else—his hand. I remembered his fist on my thigh. The weight of it, like he pierced my skin with that sharp pain.
And now…this room.
Trapped, I paced back and forth, screaming at the door. I kicked it. I pounded on it until my fists were bruised, but there was no one. There were no sounds anywhere around except for the singing of the birds. There was no one outside, not a car, not a bicycle, not even an airplane.
There wasnothing.Just me, in a tiny room, with no way out.
The sun was replaced by darkness outside, the moon illuminating only the sky. I tried to peek down in the hopes of seeing a lightanywhere.But there was nothing.
Lost in my thought spiral and drained from my useless tears, I slumped down beneath the window and stared at the opposite wall, pulling myself back from a panic attack every few minutes.
I must have passed out at some point, because the next time I opened my eyes, it was bright again, and…silent. I was still on the stone floor, sore and freezing. I climbed onto the bed and wrapped myself in the blanket, hoping this was just a bad dream. I would wake up soon.
I would wake up soon.
But Iwasawake. I waswide awakelistening to the deafening silence. There were no footsteps, no voices, no sounds. No signs of life. Like I was dropped here and abandoned, left to rot. Were these people trying to break me? Drive me crazy?
I threw the blanket off and rushed to the door again, screaming to open it until my throat was raw.
