The Life Of The Daughter Of NCIS

Chapter 22: Burning Toast

Azalea

My head was heavy and my eyes stung. Using the bottom of the long top, I wiped my eyes and nose the best I could. Someone was arguing.

A flood of Spanish assaulted the other person, their conversation more than likely it involved me, they only ever spoke in Spanish when it did.

The door swung open with a breath of stale air. I didn't like it when the door opened. I wasn't sure why, but I knew something bad always happened after that door was opened.

A shadow fell over me, and I cringed away from the woman who sometimes visited, Gabriel... or Gabriella... clicked her fingers at me, I looked away. "C'mon," she growled, I pushed her away, Gabriella stumbled back- shocked- "you're nothing but a little bitch." she wreched back my hair and slapped my face repeatedly, yelling the entire time, I tried to fight back but the pain was too much and I was too weak from lack of food to be able to put up a good fight. Curling up, I tried to protect my body, and endure the slaps which had turned into punches as they rained down on me. I could hardly breathe.

I was too exausted to fight off another attack as Gabriella hooked her hand around my arm and yanked me out the cell. I stumbled, falling to my knees, retching up a thin stream of watery vomit.

We went the opposite way to where we normally go, it was darker down here, less tiles and lights.

"Are you ready?"

I glanced up and saw a guy, I frowned, I couldn't seem to hold any information in my head for long now. The pain was constant, and most of the time it's all I could think about. "Ready for what?"

"To see your family."

I felt a surge of emotion,a slight ache of happiness, "really?" It was almost too good to be true.

The man, Reggie, I think his name was, nodded and pointed to the door behind him.

The room I was taken to had nice looking furniture, some of the few undamaged pieces left in the house.

After a few comments in a different language, Reggie turned to me and secured my arms behind me and my feet together. "You know we need to make a show? For you team?" He mused, sliding his arms around my shoulders, groping at the flesh slightly, I shuddered and tried to wiggle out his grip but he just tightened it and pulled me closer. "No moving now." He warned, squeezing his hand tightly. Forcing me to swallow down bile.

"Detener. Antes de castrarte y empujarlos hasta tu culo pervertido hijo de puta." Another woman ordered, slightly older than the other.

He raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Tienes suerte de no haber matado tu culo."

"Esto es una mierda!"

He walked out and slammed the door behind him.

Alina passed over a long metal object with a pincer shaped point at the top, Gabriella smiled and pressed the button on the side, causing a spark and a crackle. "This is your last chance to tell us something." She said, waving the stick in my direction, "tell you what? What do you want to know?" that object looked dangerous, something I didn't want near me.

My muscles spasmed and contracted as bolts sent shock-waves through my body. I gritted my teeth and strained against the tape around my wrists. Tears collected in the corners of my eye as my muscles tremored uncontrollably, I buried my head in the cushion to tried to unclench my teeth.

A psychotic giggle left Gabriella twisted smile as I gasped for my breath. Large beads of sweat had collected on my nose and my forehead; I wiped them away with the back of my hand.

My muscles were still trembling from the small aftershocks. Gabriella's beady little eyes lit up as she watched me wither in pain.

What kind of sick person took pleasure in seeing someone like this?

The next shock was much stronger, or it just felt that way because I was still reeling from the last, I clenched at the pillow and screamed, my body contorted and seized beneath me. I was left wheezing, my heart was beating far to quickly and I could feel the overload of blood rushing through me, to my relief she put the object down.

And picked up a gun.

I gulped as she tugged me to my feet, I had to get her away from the weapon, as she pulled me closer I threw my head forward and my forehead collided with the bridge of her nose. Gabriella dropped the gun to grab my other arm, I kicked it away with my foot before Alina could even reach it.

Using all her weight, Gabriella forced me to the floor, she landed on top of me causing a yelp of pain from me. She sat up so she was straddling my waist. "Any last words?" Gabriella asked, wedging her thumb at the base of my throat and wrapping her hands around my neck "I wanna... see... my... dad." I choked out, with a frustrated scream she put more pressure.

My hands tugged weakly at her wrists. It felt like my ribs were collapsing in on themselves. My eyes begun to feel heavy and I knew that I didn't have long left, I dropped my arms to the side. I felt weightless, nothing was pressing on me anymore. I could see Gabriella was still there through the slits between my eyelids, but I couldn't hear what she was saying, the slowing thump in my ears blocked out the whole world.

People say your supposed to smell burning toast before you die, but I can confirm that's a myth, I smelled nothing.

My body felt sluggish, like I'm wading through a pool of thick syrup but every time I paused I sank further into the sickening mixture, that is exactly what dying feels like. It felt like an invisible rope is pulling you further down into this sea and you can't do anything about it because your drowning in this thick substance.

There was a distant sound of shattering.

And the weight was gone.

Gabriella looked like she was suspended in time, the bullet tore away a gaping hole on the left side of her head, blood saturated anyone in the immediate vicinity. I felt it on my face, my neck, my arms- everywhere. Her body flopped to the side and she landed in an unnatural position next to me.

Noises began to come back to me as the beats sped up again and dissipated into nothing. Alina was kneeling by her sister, sobbing into her chest, and muttering some sort of prayer. I was too preoccupied with filling my lungs with air to worry about her rituals, or where the bullet came from. I felt lightheaded as I tried to sit up, the world spun around me and I collapsed back onto the rug.

Although I didn't think about where the shot came from, Alina did. She wrenched me out of the room and dragged me downstairs, Reggie ran out of the kitchen with a torrent of Spanish words falling out his mouth, Alina told him something before he replied with some sort of time. I was pulled into the kitchen and shoved on a stool. The granite worktops were full of piles of dirty cutlery and glasses, along with food containers scattered everywhere.

It wasn't log before the windows began to rattle with the force of a draft caused by an incoming vehicle "come." Alina ordered, holding out a hand, shuddering at the thought of what might happen if I didn't take it, I reached forward.

In her other hand was a Glock 17.

Using Alina as a crutch I limped out into the sun. For the first time in what seemed like forever. The mixture of bright lights and vicious winds made by the downdraft of the helicopters rotors stung my eyes. Alina shrugged. "It's a shame, I really did like you." She replied, shoving me forward and aiming her gun at me. I swayed slightly but managed to keep upright on one leg, I shrugged at my impossible position. I had expected it would end with my death a long time ago, and I accepted it.

A small neat hole appeared between her eyes and her body buckled beneath her, she slowly sank to the ground and her blood began to pool beneath her. A strange sensation filled my chest and I instinctively raised my hand to where it originated, and when I pulled it away my fingers were coated with blood.

Being shot was nothing like I expected; it was peaceful, not painful. I felt that strong invisible cord pull at me again, so forcefully I would say it was physically true. I felt my whole world fall backwards and my back collided with something hard, like concrete.

I watched as my old friends, the butterflies, floated through the air. With a smile, I embraced the feeling of nothing, and floated with them.