Chapter 80 Trapped for good now
Serena's POV
First of all, it was larger than I had expected, but that was not what got to me first.
It was the decoration, the whole setting inside. It certainly didn't look like what should be a safehouse.
The interior was large, well spaced and simply decorated.
“This is quite a safe room,” mom exclaimed. “Beats my crib back in Peru,” she added.
“Dante's not the kind to take things lightly,” Valentina exclaimed with a proud smile.
And she wasn't joking one bit. It had everything to be a comfortable family house and really gave my dad's home a run for its money.
“So this is where I'll be staying,” mom muttered as she strolled inside. She kicked the couch and rubbed the lamp. “Gonna get a bit lonely here,” she added.
“I wish I could come stay with you,” I said with a smile.
“No, you can't,” Nico cut in. “They would do anything to find you and risking a safe house at this point isn't the best choice,” he added.
I rolled my eyes at him, but he was right anyway.
“Nico is right, you can't remain here with me. It's risky,” mom concurred.
“Yeah,” Valentina chimed in.
I laughed, shaking my head. “Fine,” I said, raising both my hands in the air.
“Yeah, I'll be good alone. Been alone for some years now anyway,” mom commented and something about the way she added the last part dampened my mood.
I pulled Valentina aside to talk to her.
“Is there no one we can put here to stay with her?” I asked in a hushed tone.
Valentina looked back and kept a thinking face.
Then she signaled Nico to come over. He reluctantly made his way over.
“What happened?” He asked and Valentina signaled to him to relax.
“I need a favour please,” she began and he nodded.
“If it's something I can do, go on,” he replied.
“It is. I need someone to be placed to keep Mrs Marceti company,” she said aloud.
“That is unfortunately impossible. Dante won't sign up for that,” he countered.
“Dante doesn't need to know,” Valentina said forcefully.
“Either way, Dante would find out and he won't take it easy on either of us,” he shot back.
“Come on, Nico. Pity the woman, how's she gonna stay here all alone?” Valentina continued.
“I'm sorry, Val. I just can't do it, everything's already pretty messed up, can't make it worse,” he replied with both hands raised in the air.
Valentina shook her head and turned back to me, offering me a sad smile.
I nodded and turned back to mom who was sitting on the couch with her legs raised on the chair's leg rest.
“I can manage,” she said with a small smile when our eyes met.
I instantly knew she was aware and I couldn't help but smile at that. Not out of joy, but how sweet the moment was.
“We'll need to go soon,” Nico said from behind me.
I shot him a glare but noticed how fast the sun was going down.
“Go, my child. I'll be rooting for you all the way,” mom muttered from the chair.
I rushed at her and threw my arms around her in a hug.
“Ohh,” she exclaimed as she hugged me back.
“I love you mom,” I whispered into her ear.
“I love you too, my daughter,” she replied into mine.
When we pulled back, she held my hands and held my gaze.
“Go after them, be strong, and make those motherfuckers pay for everything,” she said firmly.
I nodded and stepped away, going back to where Nico and Valentina were standing.
“Goodbye, Mrs Marceti,” Valentina called back.
“Take care of my daughter,” mom replied.
“I will,” Valentina said, taking my hand in hers.
“Someone will come around with food in the morning, afternoon and evening as well as home service and your personal nurse,” Nico explained in mom's direction.
Mom simply nodded and Nico nodded back.
“Take care, Mrs Marceti,” he said as he turned and left.
Valentina and I joined Nico in the trunk of the ambulance and he reversed us out of there.
My eyes caught sight of mom who had made her way to the entrance and was waving at us.
The sight broke my heart and I didn't know when tears broke through till they were flowing freely.
I didn't want to leave her, not again.
A soft hand wrapped around my shoulder and pulled me closer to herself.
“Everything will be alright,” Valentina whispered into my ear as she ran a hand through my hair and back.
Normally, I wouldn't take those words to heart. But right there in her hands, they felt like the only truth around.
Dante's POV
I stumbled back and nearly crashed to the ground with the children in hand as the stump landed a few feet from me.
I looked around quickly at the quickest escape route as the flames grew hotter and nearer.
Another large bundle of fire fell to my left and the little girl broke into tears.
I shifted back and spotted a little path behind to run through.
But just as I stepped forward, a hand held onto my leg.
I looked down to notice a burnt body holding me back.
“You’ll burn with us,” he croaked out.
I tried shaking him off but not long afterwards, another body walked through the fire.
He was completely burnt too and barely moving.
“You must burn with us,” he croaked out too.
I maneuvered my hand to shoot the one holding to my leg, setting my leg free but just as I turned again, another stepped out of the flames.
Then it was like they were signaled, a few others made their way over to where I stood even as the flames kept burning.
I tried shaking them off but it was no use, they surrounded me and with the children in hand, it was impossible to put up any form of offense.
But I had to try.
So I shot at whatever angle my hands could lift to.
But they seemed not to feel it as they kept closing in on me.
They walked or crawled through the fire like it was nothing, probably cause of how badly burnt up their bodies were and they couldn't feel a thing.
I was out of options and soon to be out of room.
The children cried louder and fire soon began consuming parts of my clothes.
This was looking like the end, I had little to no option left.