Chapter 9

Silence returns as the cartridge shells fall on the marble floor producing a tingly sound. There's no one there.

"Who are you?!" Antonio yells as he gets back to his feet, "Show yourself! You fucking coward!"

There's no reply. Just silence. Dead silence with nothing but the white noise background of the rain to comfort the ear. Antonio points his torch in every direction, hoping to spot the person behind this. While he points around with his flashlight, he suddenly hears the crackling sound of a gun cock behind him. He immediately tries to turn around but hears a voice behind him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the voice says. Instinctively, he raises both his hands up, one of which holds the gun and the other, the flashlight. "Good boy," he says, "Now slowly out them down....... psst! I said slowly"

"I'm going slowly already" Antonio responds as he calmly places them on the floor.

"Good, now turn around and sit on the chair over there," he says, shooting in that direction...

"Pow!" The ear-splitting sound of the shot resonated through the house.

"Jesus Christ man! What the hell?" Antonio yells, startled by the sudden gunshot.

"Sit" he orders.

Quietly, Antonio walks over to the chair and sits down. Then, "Who are you?" He asks. "You think you can just come into my house and threaten me with a gun?"

"Well, I just did" a silhouette figure sitting on a couch with legs crossed and one hand relaxing on the headrest replies.

     "Besides, what's wrong? I like your house. There's nothing wrong about that, right?" he says, "It's beautiful" he adds.

"Oh you're so dead when I get my hands on you" he threatens.

There's some silence first and then the guy laughs. "You're hilarious, I swear" he laughs. "When you get your hands on me? Pfft!" He laughs scornfully. Antonio rages in anger as he contemplates dashing for his gun on the floor just beside the flashlight. Capitalizing on the moment of laughter, when you would expect the guy to be distracted, Antonio launches the gun with as much desperation as would be necessary to make such a gamble.

"Almost there! Almost there!" He thinks as he approaches the gun. Then suddenly..........

"Pow!!!"

"Arrghh!!!" Antonio falls on the floor as he feels a hellishly sharp pain in his right leg.

"Are you really that dumb?" The voice asks as his footsteps slowly approach the wriggling body of Antonio on the bloodstained floor. He bends over and picks up the gun. Staring at it for a while. "It's funny how you presume you have all the power in the world once you're with this phallus of an object," he says as he tosses the gun far away.

Antonio doesn't respond but clenching his teeth, writhes in pain.

"Okay, here's the deal. I'll leave you, if you can go pick up the gun over there" he says.

Antonia gritting his teeth, attempts to glare at whoever is doing this, but the room is so dark, it's almost futile.

"You're not responding? Oh, you can't move, can you?" He says, shaking his head in a mix of pity and disappointment, "Y'know? Someone once said that a person who cannot move is as good as dead" he says further.

"Why are you doing this?" Antonio finally speaks up in a growly voice as he tries to suppress his pain.

"Hmm, why am I doing this?" He asks in a contemplative mutter, "Probably because I despise the disgusting disguise of noblesse oblige that the rich use to control the poor the way they want and dump them on the floor when they don't need 'em anymore!" He yells at him.

Antonio's eyes immediately widen in surprise as he recognizes the voice. "It's you! The guy from that day" he says.

"I'm glad you remember me. That way I can let you feel the pain of dying by your ideals the way you wished me dead by them" the voice responds.

"But how? How are you still alive?" He asks.

"Oh me? I was just lucky" he says, "but I'm about to make sure you're not"

"Wait please, how much do you want? I'll pay you" Antonio tries to negotiate.

"Keep your rotten money to yourself" he replies as he hits his head with the hilt of the gun, knocking him out instantly.

Dragging the unconscious body across the floor, a flash of lightning makes a silhouette of them as he approaches the door, the thunder rumbling in the background.

"Clip! Clop! Clip! Clop!" The sound of footsteps approaches. It's Emily. She's walking towards her dad's office and doesn't look too happy.

Seeing her approaching, the secretary stands up.

"Good morning ma'am" she greets with a bow as Emily, not replying, walks past her and heads straight for the door. Knocking thrice, she barges into the office.

"What in the.....Oh, it's you" Dr Richard responds as he sees her walking in. "What's the matter, sugarplum?" He asks as she pulls out a seat in front of the desk and sits, crossing her legs and folding her hands sulkily.

"Come on baby, what's the matter?" He asks further.

"Where's Antonio?" She asks almost like an interrogation.

"I haven't seen him today" he says, "but he should be here anytime soon. He is supposed to meet me in the office today" he adds.

"Fine, I'll wait for him," she says.

"Is anything wrong? You guys fought again, didn't you?" He asks with a chuckle. Emily glares at him, dampening the chuckle rapidly. She takes out her phone from her purse and scrolling through it, hands it over to her dad.

"Read it," she says as she hands it over. Hesitantly, he takes it and adjusting his glasses, he sees a compromising photo of Antonio and a masked girl dressed as a stripper underneath the photo, Emily replies.

 Her text reads. Then under that, Antonio replies.

<Sorry. I accidentally sent that. But what's with the attitude? Do you believe I truly love you? I only approached you to get access to your dad.