Lost Lombardi

Chapter 63

Dino used all his strength to stay awake. Sometimes, he stood against the wall without thinking about the pain, hunger, or weakness in his body. He knew he had to stay awake, close to the door. After what felt like an eternity, a small flap on the door opened from the other side, and a thin hand reached in with a bottle of water. Dino quickly grabbed the hand and pulled it with the last bit of energy he had left. The person on the other side screamed in pain, but Dino didn't let go.

"Let me go, you idiot!" the voice shouted, and Dino realized who it was. He pulled harder now, filled with anger, and the person had no choice but to open the door to save their hand. The door swung open, and Dino collapsed onto the floor, still gripping the hand.

"Let me go!" Emily screamed, furious. She looked like a zombie. Her hair was a mess, and she was so thin, like she hadn't eaten properly in years.

Dino grabbed her by one arm, shoved her to the floor, and ran out through the door. He slammed it shut behind him and locked it. Inside the dirty house, he ran around frantically, searching for a way out. It only took him a few seconds to find the main door. As soon as he threw it open and leapt outside, he realized the house was in the middle of a forest. The place was abandoned, surrounded by trees, and to make things worse, rain was starting to fall.

"Robert, that brat escaped! Robert!" Dino heard Emily scream, and he looked around. Then, he saw Robert coming out from the trees with a gun in his hand. Dino started to run, heading into the forest. Luckily, he still had his shoes on. He forgot about the pain in his body. Of course, he was shaking, even feeling like he was ill, but he had to escape somehow.

Robert wasn't fat anymore, but he still couldn't run well. Dino could run—he was a rugby player—but he was weak, starving, and hadn't eaten in days. Still, that didn't stop him.

He heard a gunshot behind him and fell to the ground. When his body hit the earth, the pain was excruciating. He heard Robert laughing behind him. Dino quickly got back up and continued running. The rain grew heavier, soaking the ground and turning it to mud. Dino felt a little comfort from the rain, but soon realized he was shaking from the cold.

As he ran, he slipped and fell multiple times, hurting himself and bleeding. His mind felt like it was slipping away. His breathing was heavy, and he knew he was close to fainting. He had no idea how long he'd been running. Every now and then, he glanced back—stupid Robert was still chasing him. Robert wasn't shooting much, maybe trying to save bullets.

Then, Dino's foot got tangled in a tree root, and he lost his balance. He didn't fall to the ground, though. Instead, he landed on someone's body. The person caught Dino firmly, pressing him to their chest. Dino inhaled a familiar smell.

"Don't look," the sinister voice murmured in Dino's ear, and he wondered why Luca said it. Then, he heard the gunshot—it came from Luca's gun. Dino heard Robert scream, and in fear, he covered his ears with his hands.

Luca noticed that Dino was about to faint. He stopped shooting and held Dino to keep him steady.

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When Dino opened his eyes, he was in a hospital bed. He saw someone rush to him—it was Pietro. He looked like he had just come from a war.

"Papa," Dino tried to speak, but it was hard for him. He realized he was very sick and felt like crying. He wondered if it was all just a dream.

"Dino," Pietro said, hugging him tightly, tears streaming down his face.