RED

32. Lily of the valley

Real love stories never have endings.
by Richard Bach.

The same person always dressed in black stepped down from the pick-up truck that just hit Enrico's car, but this time, he wore a face mask to stop people that seemed to have witnessed the accident from knowing what he looked like. The crash had seemed to disturb the free passage of the road, so everyone seemed to be on hold. He headed directly to Enrico's car and opened the door to which Kiana sat.

She slightly opened her eyes and caught a blurry sight of the threatening figure. Weak and unable to gain consciousness properly due to the crash, her eyes slowly fluttered shut once more. The man unbuckled her seat belt and whilst he attempted carrying her into his arms, Enrico slightly furrowed his brows as he turned his head. It hurt a lot from the injury, but he managed to open them and he caught sight of a strange man attempting to take Kiana away.

"K-Kiana." He called a low and husky voice, as he was forced to let go of her hand. His eyes met with the strange man's before the man began walking back to his truck with Kiana in his arms.

Enrico tried everything he could to get back his strength and go after the woman he loved, but he was just as knocked out as she was, so slowly, he fell back into unconsciousness.

When he opened his eyes once more, he was on a bed, in a hospital gown and the sound of the beeping machines by his side didn't help matters. He looked left and then right. He caught sight of his mother seated on one of the chairs in the room. He attempted to get up, but ended up groaning in pain. His entire body hurt like never before and for the first time, he noticed a cast on his right arm.

"Enrico." His mother rushed to him upon hearing the sound of his voice.

"Thank God, you're awake. You really scared me, son." She told him in tears, but Enrico could barely understand what she was saying. His eyes lurked around for the woman he was with and then he recalled the last time he saw, which was when a strange man took her away.

"Ki-Kiana... where's she?" He asked, with hope filled eyes and Giulia could see that. She let out a sigh before speaking up.

"We couldn't find her." She stated and Enrico's brows slightly furrowed. He was silent for a moment before he began attempting to get off the bed.

"I have to find her."

"Enrico, the cops are already doing that? You're not strong enough to stand on your own two feet." She tried to talk him out of his idea of leaving, but he was still a little bit stronger than her, regardless of his present predicament.

"They're not doing a good job with their search. All this is my fault. I shouldn't have brought up the idea of a trip. She's missing because of me." He argued as he tried his best to get past his mother, but she wouldn't let him. Eventually, the doctor came in with a nurse and before he knew what was happening, a sedative was injected into his body and he fell unconscious once more.

Giulia let out a tiresome sigh as she stared at her son.

* * *

Her face squeezed in pain as she slowly regained consciousness. As she tilted her head to the other side, her eyes slowly fluttered open. Her environment seemed weird, so she attempted getting up only to realise she was tied to a chair, in the middle of what used to be a room. Now, just ruin could be seen. She wondered what was going on and a memory of a strange man taking her away crossed her mind and panic filled her. She attempted losing free from the rope that tied her hands backwards, but it didn't work. The pain all over her body grew unbearable, but she needed to get free from this situation.

"Help!" She yelled in cry out for a saviour.

"Somebody help! Help me..."

"No one's going to hear you." The voice of a strange man caused her to turn her head to its direction in a startle. He stood in the shadows and she couldn't make out anything, even whilst he stepped out of the dark area and towards her. He still had his mask on.

"Even if you shout at the top of your voice... no one is going to hear you, Kiana." He added in a deep and slightly husky voice, as he stood in front of her.

"How do you know my name? Who are you and what do you want with me? Why are you doing this?" She questioned all at once, in one breath. Truth be told, fear had gripped her. The person in front of her wasn't exactly hospitable. He kidnapped her from the car crash accident.

He glared nonstop at her that she worried he might do something worse.

"Too many questions, but a common answer... Revenge." He finally spoke up and her brows slightly furrowed at the word.

"Revenge? Why? What did I do to you? I don't even know who you are. Please let me go... I'm begging you."

"Perhaps... but that will only happen after your boyfriend gets here." He stated, as he took closer steps towards her. He slightly bent so his eyes met hers.

"It's not revenge if I don't have my way, is it? I'm going to inflict on you the exact same pain you inflicted on me for years... I'm going to make him wallow in pain, while you watch helplessly. I'll make sure it's slow and painful... you'll wish you were dead instead of having to watch him go through so much because of you, but I won't give you an easy death... No, it definitely won't be easy." He explained and in as much as Kiana wanted to be strong at the moment, she couldn't. The psychopathic look in his eyes scared her to the core. She worried for Enrico and hoped the man's wish wouldn't come through.

"What did I do to make you this way?" She questioned once more, but in a lower and softer voice. He glared at her silently for a while before standing straight once more.

She watched as he took off the mask to finally reveal his face. He stared back at her in search of a certain response, but got nothing. A light chuckle escaped his lips.

"You really don't recall who I am, do you?" He questioned, but all she did was stare back at him, unable to give a reply. Truth be told, the face does slightly look familiar, but she still couldn't say if she knew him. He was clearly still young, possibly in his early twenties. She wondered what she might have had in common with this person.

"You're something else, Kiana Stuart, but don't you worry... when the life of your boyfriend dangles in my hands, then you will recall who I am and the sin that you've gravely committed." He told her, before walking away leaving her to think hard about her past.

* * *

Enrico barely moved due to the sedative that had been injected into him, but his hearing was slightly fuzzy and his vision, a little blurry. All he could think of was Kiana. Where she might be or what she might be going through. He ached with desire to get off this bed and find her, but neither his mother nor the hospital would let him out that easily. His mother smiled before excusing herself, then walking out of the room to pick up a call.

A male nurse with a mask over his face walked into the room and Enrico shifted his eyes away from him. He was sick of the hospital already. He only turned back to him when he felt a strange pull on his hand, as what seemed to be a piece of paper was thrust into it. Before he could utter a word or have a good look at the strange nurse, he had turned away and quickly walked out of the room.

Enrico gathered his strength and unrumpled the paper before reading through. His eyes slightly widened at the realisation that Kiana's life was in danger. As if having been touched by the God of Strength himself, Enrico forced the injected needle out of his hand and made his way off the bed. His legs felt shaky at first, but his love for Kiana kept him going. Stealthily, he made his way to the door. He sighted his mother at the other side with her back facing him, so he quickly went the other way, praying that his legs would not fail him. He was going to get Kiana back, even if it's the last thing he does.

* * *

Enrico stepped down from the car in a strange neighbourhood. The houses seemed to have been abandoned for years. No living soul was spotted. He made his way to the trunk of the car, opened it and brought down a big black bag. He shut the trunk of the car and stood, whilst his eyes scanned the premises for any sight of the supposed kidnapper, but nothing could be seen. It seemed like minutes he had been waiting, before he suddenly received a blow at the back of his head and he fell to the ground unconscious.

The strange man glared down at him with hateful spite in his eyes.