Mercy

Aphrodisia

For every dark night, there's a
brighter day- Tupac
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Aphrodisia - craving for something,a burning desire.

                       Chapter 8

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My heart pounded as I heard their voices, muffled at first, echoing off the bare walls. The cloth was ripped from my face, and I groaned, my head throbbing as my eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden brightness. The room I found myself in was dimly lit by a single, flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling. The cold concrete floor beneath me scraped against my knees as I shifted. Old, rusted metal chairs were scattered haphazardly across the room, along with a small wooden table covered in papers, a few empty beer bottles, and what looked like a used syringe.

In front of me stood Alex and Agatha, both wearing coy smiles that chilled me to the bone. The room felt oppressive, the air heavy with dust and the lingering scent of something metallic—blood, maybe, or rust. The small barred window on the far wall let in barely any light, and from the dimness beyond, I realized we were likely underground or in some abandoned building.

The moment I saw their expressions, I knew I had to think fast—maybe I could get a confession or stall long enough to stay alive.

"W-what do you want from me?" I stammered, trying to sound calm, but my voice betrayed my fear.

They burst into laughter, the sound filling the otherwise silent room, amplifying off the cracked concrete walls. "You don’t get it, do you?" Alex said, stepping forward, his boots scuffing against the grimy floor. The glint of a knife appeared in his hand as he closed the distance between us. Panic surged through me. I tried to scramble backward, but my legs gave out, and I crashed against the wall behind me, the cold surface unforgiving against my back.

Agatha giggled, the sound unnervingly high-pitched in the eerie quiet. She leaned against the far wall, near a door that looked as though it had once been solid wood but now was chipped and rotting at the edges. I couldn’t help but feel betrayed by her. She was like a sister to me. How had it come to this?

Alex grabbed me by the arm and yanked me to my feet, his fist colliding with my face as soon as I was upright. The sharp, coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. Pain exploded in my head.

“Why did you have to be there that night?” Alex’s voice was dark, filled with venom, as his fist connected again. "We had it all planned."

This time, he raised the knife, the blade catching the dim light from the bulb above us. My breath caught in my throat as I watched him, my mind racing. I knew I was in danger, but even then, I couldn’t help but notice the tattoo peeking out from the top of his trousers as his shirt fell open. Memento Mori. A dark laugh bubbled up inside me, despite the terror gripping my heart.

"If I'm going to die, might as well admire the view," I thought grimly, my eyes tracing the ink on his muscular torso.

Alex gripped my jaw, forcing me to meet his cold gaze. "Do you know how long the three of us planned that night?" His voice was low, almost a growl. "We were so close, and then you ruined everything."

“Th-three of you?” I gasped, each word painful to speak.

Almost on cue, the door creaked open, its rusty hinges groaning in protest, and Beatrice walked in. She shut the door behind her, leaning casually against it as if this were all some normal day. Despite the pain wracking my body, a smirk spread across my lips. “I knew it…” I muttered.

With that, they began narrating the twisted tale of betrayal. Alex had met Beatrice on a trip that Leonard took him on to meet Elijah Conti. They had started sleeping together, and when she got pregnant, they made it look like Leonard was the father by spiking his drink that night. As for Agatha—she had only ever wanted to replace me, but Alex offered her a better deal, and she became their ally.

As they talked, I noticed a large crack running across the ceiling, and the flickering light above made shadows dance ominously in the corners of the room. The only sound apart from their voices was the steady drip of water leaking from a pipe in the corner. It was a place forgotten by time, a perfect hideout for the three of them to carry out whatever dark plans they had.

By the time they were finished, I was barely conscious. Agatha walked over to my bag, tossed carelessly in the corner, and pulled out the book I had been hiding. Her fingers flipped through it, her eyes widening as she scanned the pages.

“Fuck… this is more than enough to get us all jailed,” she muttered under her breath, her expression twisted with fear.

Without a second thought, Agatha reached into her coat and pulled out a gun. She stood directly under the dim bulb, casting long shadows across her face. “Look, sweetheart, we never meant for it to come to this, but you're in our way. You’ve got to admit, we deserve everything we want,” she said, cocking the gun, her tone casual, as if she wasn’t moments away from pulling the trigger.

I squeezed my eyes shut, too exhausted to care anymore. I waited for the pain to come, for the darkness to take me, but all I heard was the deafening crack of the gun. My body jolted, and a tear slipped down my cheek. I braced for the pain… but it didn’t come.

Tentatively, I opened my eyes, and what I saw took my breath away. Agatha was on her knees, blood pouring from her mouth as she gasped for breath. Her eyes, once filled with mockery, now reflected sheer terror—she was dying. I glanced at Alex and Beatrice, who were frozen in shock, staring at the doorway.

There, silhouetted in the dim light from the hallway, were Mike and Matteo. Relief flooded my entire being as my vision began to blur, darkness threatening to take over. I could hear distant voices shouting my name, but it was too late.

“Allesandra… no, no, no! Eyes open, Allesandra!” I heard Mike’s frantic voice as I finally slipped into unconsciousness.

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                      Authors note:

       L Agatha guys, but we're getting close to the end and we've got 110 reads.
I actually love y'all 🫶🏾