Slight movement of the fingers, then the body, next to the opening of an eye. Alita winced as she tried to sit up instantly, her head still hurts so bad that she can not remember what kind of alcohol she had the previous night.
She let her body relax before she roam her lazy eyes around the room.
“Holy smoke!” She exclaimed as she looked around the strange room in terror.
Memories of what had happened before she got to where she was replayed themselves. She took one stead step down the bed, carefully, making sure not to step on the floor with her full weight.
She glimpsed at the figure of a huge man, she felt he might be huge for she could still see almost all the parts of his broad back even as he was seated on the chair, absentmindedly.
For a quick second, she decided to use her brain. She stood still for a while, expecting to get a reaction from him but none came. It’s either he should be fast asleep or in deep thought.
‘Escape!’ Was the only word that kept ringing in her distressed mind.
She pulled her blouse over her head, leaving her with just her pink bra, she held both ends in both hands firmly, then she tiptoe to where the sleeping man sat and threw her hands over his head.
It happened so unexpectedly, just like he knew she was awake and what she was about to do.
The man held both of her hands, twisted them, and flipped her over. Seconds ago, she was behind him about to strangle him, but there she found herself, struggling pathetically in his strong grip.
Both of her hands were tied together in his right hand while he had his left hand on her slender throat, choking the life out of her.
Another stage of fear!
Alita’s green eyes flipped subconsciously, blinking back tears, pleading. She twisted her small body, trying to break through, only if she could be at least be lucky to slip off his dangerous grip. Her legs won’t stop wiggling, trying to at least reach the next furniture.
Slowly, life began to slip out of her as she struggled to keep her sleepy eyes open. She stared deeply into her killer’s eyes, maybe she would be able to recognize his face in heaven as she dies.
She was expecting to see someone wicked-looking or a kind of emotion on his face as he deprived her of having to continue her pathetic and unfortunate life.
Darkness was all she felt as she kept staring. No sign of life. Not anger, nor pain, nor pleasure.
His face appears cold as death itself. Not even a smirk as many killers usually have.
His emotionless eyes bore deep into hers as if trying to seize the last hope of life as she felt herself taking her last breath.
“You have to let her go, Sir,” A man said as Alita felt relief as the psycho’s hand went off her body like she had not been holding her in the previous minutes.
She lay still, trying to gain her breath and strength as she weakly looked at the man that almost killed her, next to Saviour that walked to him, kissed his cheeks, and took the next seat.
“I’m afraid you will kill her if you have not already”. He added then nodded slightly towards her direction and smile.
The man looked gravely at Alita, then back to the Savior who had a huge smile on his face. He took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, remove a stick, and places it in-between his lips, he searched his pocket aggressively and groaned in anger.
“Lighter?” The man offered with his now signature smile.
“Thanks, Rocco” he accepted the lighter, lit his stick, and took a long drag “We lost one man”
“Don’t act like it doesn’t happen all the time, Lu” Rocco moved close to Alita “At least almost all the time, but we can make her pay for it”
The smirk on his face tells he have nothing good in bag for Alita, he grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her to sit up. With his right hand still holding her up, his left Index examines the red lines on her neck.
“What do you think we do to her, boss” he tilted his head as Alita flinched, covering her face when her wrists “I won’t hurt you yet”
Like a straw would sip till the last drop, Alita felt all hope and life drained out of her as she stared at the mischievous faces of her two captors. Or rather her captor and his right hand.
She winced as Rocco dropped her, International pushing her. She retreats, her lower lip in her mouth as and bites them not to make her cry but not to quiver her lips. She swallowed as Rocco drew closer to examine wound on her neck.
“If you want to sell her to Enzo, I am afraid you will have to keep her long to recover” He scoffed, his expression instantly changed from neutral to sad “What do you think, sir?”
“What about the kid?” Lu said barely moving his lips.
Alita jolt, she rush to her knees as tears began to rush down her cheeks. She placed both palms together and began to rub the vigorously.
“Please leave the boy out of this” she plead “I beg of you”
The excitement on Rocco’s face deprived her of the chance of breathing properly for the next silent seconds as the two men exchange strange looks.
“You killed our man” Rocco relaxed in the chair and crossed his legs “You killed Bone”
“No! I didn’t – I mean , I swear” Alita shuddered “I didn’t mean to kill him” she cried.
Rocco chuckled, he looked at Lu and began to laugh “Can you believe that?” He yelled “She said she didn’t mean to stick her dagger in his head”
Awkward silent engulfed the room, look like it descended from above and took over the moment, leaving them like something caught in a television.
Alita stared at Lu’s face then Rocco, who had a smirk on his face. He winked an eye and lean towards her.
“You didn’t mean to kill him but you did” he whispered “Tell me why I won’t pretend to be a doctor then feed you with Tylenol, valium, Cymbalta, digoxin, and cocaine?”
“You won’t want to do it” Alita whimpered.
“You don’t know me, pretty” Rocco cooed.
“What about Gio” Lu smirked.
“No!” Alita yelped, she pressed both palms on her lips as she got deadly glare from the men.
She looked at Rocco for long, trying to see if he was just trying to act along and pull her legs. At first, she couldn’t get to look at Lu’s face, for the fear that it would be as empty as a coffin but her expectations seems wrong.
For the first time, Alita witness Lu’s expression and it was best that he had nothing in mind. She looked at Rocco who seems to be buying the idea to talking about the kid.
“We can just only inject him with enough Tylenol and watch him turn white” Lu’s mood switched back to nothing.
“Please don’t” Alita rushed to him and grabbed his legs “He is just a kid”
“That’s why I want him to die first” Rocco interrupted “It would be cruel to let the poor boy watch your pathetic body raped by all my men and drugged” Lu said, he kicked Alita, stood up and walked to the door “For your information, that man you killed is called Arturo Salvatore, he is the father of two beautiful young girls, one four and the other one”
Guilt drowned Alita as her shoulders sloped. She looked at the ground as she began to shed tears. Memories of how her parents died became fresh as a new wound.
“You know the worst part?” Rocco added “His wife died a year ago, giving birth to the younger girl”
Alita wished the earth could open and swallow her. She look up at Lu who had his broad back against them as clouds of smoke rises in front of him.
She tried to seize her breath so she won’t inhale any more of the smoke. One thing she is allergic to is cigarettes especially it smokes.
“Please put that out” She choked, her left and over her nose while the right one stayed above her face, shading her from further danger.
“Allergies?” Rocco smirked as he brought out a stick of cigarette and lit it. He drew it long and made sure all the smoke were on Alita’s face he had held firm.
She tried to hold her breath but no for long, she released them. Her breath raised as she inhaled a huge amount of the toxic smoke.
“How do you like weed?” Rocco quenched the hot stick on her face.
Alita screamed! She violently pulled away and held her face, still breathing with difficulty.
“This is evil” she cried.
“You murdered Bone” Lu said, he turned back and walked to her “You made those kids orphans”
“It’s fate” Alita muttered, she moved back, running away from Lu’s smoke.
Seeing the toxic smoke have so much effect on her as her face had become blood red and she could barely breathe.
“You were saying?” Lu moved closer, he quenched his cigarette on the other side of her face and smirked at her reaction.
Alita flinched, she could barely breathe much more reacting more to pain.
“You killed Ricardo” was the last thing she get to say before darkness consumed her.