THE DREAM CATCHER

31. NICCÒLO

I love the sound of a breaking bone that accompanies the punch I gift to him. He's tied to the chair, broken lamp shimmering above our heads in the tiny, steel room. There's nothing in here but the chair he's tied to, me and the darkness. He spits the blood onto the floor as I lean closer to him, laying my hands on his arms resting on the armrests.
,,Where is she?" I ask.
,,I don't know!" He screams through the tears and blood still filling his cracked mouth. ,,I don't know, please let me go!" Diego's agony is so loud and filled with pain its like a honey to my ears. I know that he has no idea where she is. I knew that as soon as I touched him when I grabbed him by the hair when he was walking the streets. But I couldn't miss the opportunity to play with him a little bit more. I have no idea how he avoided being caught by the police the day of the fight. He must have been returning home from the hospital when I kidnapped him few hours ago and dragged him to the cellar of the hotel I live in. Poor guy gained a beating for a second time in two four days. He deserves a beating everyday for the rest of his life. I try not to roll my eyes at him when he snorts his tears back.
,,Fine. So where is Vivienne?" I ask, pushing his broken arms harder, earning a muffed scream from his mouth. His eyes widen so much they threaten to fall out.
,,How do you..."
,,I know you knew exactly what was going on for the last five years. You took advantage of her condition because Vivienne agreed. Well, I have to disappoint you, I don't."
,,You fucking, mind-reader psycho!" Diego screams, kicking around on the chair. I let out a quiet laugh and shake my head with resignation.
,,Where did she take her?" I insist with words and actions earning another grunt of pain from him.
,,I don't know! I swear I don't know!" He screams once again.
,,Okey, listen to me closely." I say leaning impossibly closer to him, so close our noses touch. I can feel the fear evaporating from his sweaty skin. ,,You're going to take me to Vivienne." I say and he reacts with a groan.
,,I can't! I don't know where she is!" He screams helplessly.
,,I know you know where she is. You won't hide from me." I say calmly, deadly, putting an evil smile on my face.
,,So you can go yourself if you know, God!" He screams once again, with resignation breaking his voice.
,,I need some tools." I snort as I push the armrests making the chair fall backwards onto the ground.

We wander around the covered in darkness suburbs, Diego's hands tied behind his back, covered with my body. I didn't bother to clean up his splattered with blood face and took him out the way he was. I, however, did put on some black clothes vanishing in the darkness. The hood hiding my white hair underneath. I push him harder to force him to walk faster.
,,She's going to be leaving soon." He says with a trembling but mean voice. I'll break his neck once we're finished. ,,Can I go now?" He asks.
,,You're underestimating your role here." I whisper to his ear. I'm gifted with another groan. We found ourselves at the very end of the white radius, directly under the Wall. On the other side, the hell is waiting. There's nothing around but deserted ground, dead trees and single, concrete huts. People have hidden in their shelters from the cold night so we are accompanied only by owls screams and a dim light shining at us from the Heart wall. We glued our backs to the bricks, next to the huge hatch. It's a six meters tall arch closed with steel door opening only on a command, when the privileged people enter or exit the Heart. My particular, privileged person is going to walk through them in a matter of seconds. Holding Diego's body close to my chest with one of my hands I spin and throw the dagger in another. I could just kill Vivienne now, get rid of everyone from the laboratory and the problem would be over. But I'm too selfish to do that now, as my mind is occupied by a girl that I'm about to kill for to find. I didn't inform anyone from my group about my present actions. I consider it a private mission. I'm not stealing a hostage this time. I'm rescuing my woman. And nothing else matters now. I stiffen as I hear the alarm and a crack of a metal plate. She's coming.
,,You know what is your job?" I ask Diego rhetorically, like we didn't discuss the plan dozens of times on our way here.
,,I know." He hisses. ,,But I'm not an obedient employee, I'm afraid." He ads and I can hear the smile creeping up his face. He earns a knife to his throat.
,,Try to run away. I dare you." I whisper to his ear. I can feel his body shaking under mine. He is almost my height, still seems so small and helpless compared to me.
,,You know, I still love Eden." He says trying to turn his face to the side making a knife sink deeper in his flesh. I feel my stomach turning at his words. ,,I wasn't a good boyfriend I know. But I do love her. You'll never understand." He says venomously. He's pinned to the wall in a matter of seconds, end of a blade almost piercing through his windpipe. And he laughs. He laughs in my face.
,,Come on. You need me." He says smiling.
,,It's about time." I growl, barely controlling my anger, slipping away from my fingers. I'm seconds from killing him. But in the same moment I hear muffed voices behind a hatch frame. It's her. I drag Diego's body and turn him to face the wall. As I cut the rope tying his hands up he laughs. I'm about to execute this guy. When his wrists are free he turns face to me spinning them and watching the red bruises.
,,Go." I order, nodding my head in the door's direction. He waves his head with resignation but he does what I say. Because he has no other choice. And because he is a born traitor.
He turns out to be a good actor as well as his fake stumble is very convincing. Might be also because I've beaten him several times. Peeking out from the cornice I catch him putting on a mask of panic and worry.
,,Vivienne." He says breathless, falling into the woman's arms.
I haven't seen her in five years but she didn't change a bit. The same long, black, wavy hair, the same tanned skin, the same brown eyes, the same white doctor's coat. The same rotten soul. Words can't describe how much I hate this woman. I hate her so much I could wrench her heart out with my bare hands if only she wasn't surrounded by several guards providing her safety.
,,Miller, what are you doing here? What happened to you?" She asks with so little of concern it only proves that her heart is frozen solid.
,,I wanted to say sorry. For what I've done to Eden. I was drugged, I don't know what I was thinking. I'm..." He fakes remorse so well I almost fall to his lie. But she doesn't. She slaps him across the face with so much force his face turns due to recoil force.
,,How dare you come here and apologise!" She says, now more harshly, more angry. At least this is the one thing I agree with her.
,,Where is she, I want to say sorry." He says catching his red cheek, playing innocent so well it makes my eyes roll.
,,Somewhere safe. From herself and others." She responds. Such a little information I'm boiling inside to approach her and force her to say more. ,,Leave Miller, before I'll regret my actions." She ends harshly. And then, she heads towards the car that has just driven to the gate. She enters the black limo not bothering to glance at Diego standing helplessly in the middle of nowhere. As the car drives by me I pin my body to the wall, hiding in the shadows. When the space is finally clear and that devil of a woman - far away I approach my hostage standing helplessly.
,,I told you she won't say anything useful." Diego says shuddering.
,,Oh I know exactly where she took her." I say gifting him with a smile that is the last thing he sees before I hit him in the temple with the hilt of my dagger.