Goodbye Luck

A closer pop echoed from the hallway, making me jump. I closed the door, leaving a small gap.

There was a dead silence, the scene of the empty hospital could very well be used for a horror movie.

There were other bursts.

Pow.

Pow.

Pow.

My legs trembled, I was in a tremendous conflict between looking and closing the door. Then I saw Will walking briskly, but apparently well, and my emotions instantly began to take control.

I opened the door wide to tell him that we were fine, but it was too late because I had not seen Luck, who was right behind him. He was carrying a nurse by the arm, and she was crying and fumbling with her feet.

He was wearing clothes that I am sure were once elegant, but they were crumpled and bloodstained; his face was also dirty and his hair was disheveled, his eyes had dark circles under his eyes and his pupils were dilated. He looked out of it. Drugged.

Luck pointed the gun at Will, who was distracted and ready to shoot, but I gave a warning shout. Will turned, but was hit in the thigh and abdomen. I screamed even more. The sight of the dripping blood made me want to vomit.

- Run, Nicole! - Will screamed, falling to the ground and holding his stomach.

I turned to run, but Luck's warning stopped me.

- If you run, I'll shoot.

- Leave her alone you maniac, I'll kill you! - Will shouted at

him.

Luck laughed with debauchery, he crouched down to Will and stuck his finger into the bullet wound in his leg.

- Ahhhhhhhhhr! - Will's cry of pain cut through the entire hospital floor, making me shudder and cry out loud.

The nurse, who was now standing next to him, was sobbing loudly too.

Luck kept sticking his finger in the wound, as if he were rummaging through a jar of berry jam. Will was crying loudly, blood was pouring from his wounds.

- So this is the kind of man my brother hires for his team? - Luck said, looking at Will. - I thought, from what they said, they were iron men, but look, they bleed like ordinary men, every one I have killed. - He raised his pistol and rested it on his chest.

- No, please! - I shouted. - Leave him alone! What is your problem?

- What's wrong with me? - he said, getting up slowly. - What the fuck is my problem? - He walked toward me, but stopped halfway. - You are my fucking problem, my pain in the ass! - He gestured with his gun, making me more nervous. - You came to town, playing innocent, bringing my son. One moment I'm fine, the next, I fucked up because of you! I have the whole police force on my tail! I will lose my freedom and my life because of you! Because you decided to just bring the copy of my dead son and rub it in my face.

- I never wanted that," I said slowly, afraid that he would get angry and hurt someone else. - Listen to me. I never wanted this. You don't have to kill me, you don't have to kill anyone else. Please, just let us go.

- I didn't come to kill you, dear," he said, squinting his eyes. - I came to see Nicholas.

- W-what? No... you can't, he's recovering... For God's sake, he's just a child.

He smiled with indignation.

- What kind of fucking monster do you think I am? I didn't come to kill or harm the boy, I came to see him - You came to see him?

- Yes, but those bastards tried to stop me, so I killed them.

He started counting on his fingers how many people there were, making me shudder and cry even more.

- Please, you don't have to kill anyone else.

- This killing can stop, just take me to him. I need to see the

the boy.

- No! Damn it, Nicole, don't even think about it! - Will exclaimed in an

attempt to scream.

Luck pointed the gun at his head, ready to shoot.

- No, please, just promise me you won't hurt him.

-Nicole! I would never hurt my son, it was an accident. I thought the boy was dead! I have to fix this. I-I promise," he said harshly, scratching at his hair with the gun.

It could all go very wrong, but he promised me, and something insane in me told me that his words were sincere. I walked with him to Nicholas's room, my hands trembling, and I mentally prayed. I knew that most likely a SWAT team along with Colle and Lucian's team would be storming the hospital soon. I just wanted everything to turn out well.

I stopped in front of Nicholas' bed, he came around me and looked at my son. His hand ran down his face, making me feel a pain in my stomach and revulsion. Suddenly, it was as if he had been given a shock. Luck took steps backward, bumping into the chaperone's armchair. He pulled his gun from its holster, where he had slipped it into place.

The nurse, whom he had brought with him, began to cry loudly again.

- Luck, put that gun down," I said in a shaky voice.

- I'm sorry," he said. - I can't... I almost killed him... I can't, I just wanted him to be my boy. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. - He took a folded envelope from his pocket and handed it to me... - I'm sorry... I'm sorry...

Then he turned and left. Me and the nurse crying out loud. MY GOD! That man is out of his mind. As soon as he walked away and we heard a loud bang.

- I'm going to kill you!

I recognized Ethan's voice and ran to meet him in the hallway. He slammed Luck's head into the soda machine. With the blow they fell to the floor, and his big body was on top of his brother. He landed blow after blow on his face. Luck managed to block his punches and they spun around; soon, he was on top of Colle, and I noticed that the gun was a little ways away. They continued to fight relentlessly, my screams seemed futile, all I could see was a sequence of punches, blows, and roars. Suddenly I saw the rest of the team coming in, with Lucian in the lead. I ran towards him.

- Please, Lucian! They are going to kill each other!

He walked up to them and tried to pull Luck off, who was still on top of Colle. He punched Lucian, who moved away.

Then Luck began to hang Ethan, who turned and managed to grab the gun, pointing it straight at Luck's temple. He struggled, now immobilized and underneath Colle, who had advanced on his brother again. Lucian gestured for the team not to interfere.

He leaned on Colle's shoulder

- That's enough, friend. Enough - Lucian said calmly.

Colle pushed Lucian's contact away and let out a roar, unlocking his gun.

Lucian stood up quickly and turned back to Colle. - Enough, Colle! That's enough! The son of a

son of a bitch has learned his lesson.

- Why shouldn't I kill him, Lucian? Why shouldn't I? He ruined my life! - he shouted.

I saw that Luck, even underneath him and with a gun to his head, his face swollen and bloody, managed to smile. Teeth red with blood.

- He and my father have ruined me! - Ethan shouted. - I tried to get it into my head that you were different, that only my father had sent me to that grave to die alone. You broke me, humiliated me, made me grovel for food, and now, after years, you do this to me? Not to them, not to my family. I had no one for myself. They have me!

He unlocked the gun.

- No!" I yelled, trying to get closer, but Lucian held me back.

Ethan turned and glared at me.

- Please, Ethan, you're not like him, not like them! You have me, you have Nicholas. Please...

Ethan thought for a second that seemed like forever. Then he got off his brother, one of his men tried to handcuff Luck, but Luck dodged, grabbed his gun, and pulled the trigger.

Pow!

*

I have been asking myself about the sensitivity of life, about how insignificant we are; one moment we are everything, and then we are nothing. I never thought of our story ending like this, never. Now it's all over. Not that I cared, but it's really a scene I know I won't soon forget.

- You can see him now," said the nurse.

I walked into the room and Ethan was sitting on the gurney with some bruises on his face and about five stitches near his hair.

I looked at him, who still wouldn't face me.

- I have lost control, and there is nothing I am going to do or say to change that. - He looked down. - I screwed up, I hurt, and I couldn't protect you. I promised you years ago and I couldn't keep my promise.

- Yeah, Ethan, you screwed up, you hurt me, you left me alone! - I cried out in tears. - You're a selfish jerk! I wish I could hit you! Because I'm so pissed off. I almost lost you! I understand that you were broken, but why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me the whole truth?

- Shame, Nicole, I was ashamed of my life, of my family!

What did you want me to say, Nicole? That my own father had me killed? That my brother knew and was an accomplice? Fuck, if you only knew how it killed me inside! Years! I went running after every single person who was with me in captivity and I killed them all! How do you see me now, huh? The same good man? I am this, Nicole! How much pain can a human body endure? - Ethan looked at me and his jaw quivered as he looked out the window. - I had been in captivity for three months and I thought they wanted money, but as the days went by I realized that my captor took satisfaction in what he was doing, the humiliation, the beatings, the fears... One time, I managed to keep a small thick plastic. And for forty days I softened it under the bed, so that whoever was my tormentor would not see the marks. One day, when I realized that security was weaker, I pierced the jugular of the man who was carrying that guts porridge for me. I took the key and ran away. I was much thinner, hungrier, stinking. Lost, I found myself in a large factory complex on the other side of the country. I hit a few more men before I finally managed to get out, except for what I saw in the surveillance room. My hand was still dripping with blood from the guards and that's when I found the room; several televisions were showing the place, but one in particular caught my eye. My father was on the other side. He was running away like a cowardly rat. He saw everything that happened. He was part of it.

I swallowed dry. There was no way to say anything, I couldn't. I could have run.

- I could have run, there would have been time to catch up with him. But I didn't! I was weak, I was cowardly! Instead of going up to him and confronting him, I crouched in the corner and cried! I never thought my father would hate me that much. And now Luck does this to you! Because of me.

I held his face steady with my hands and said. - No, by God! It wasn't your fault, it wasn't. - I rested my forehead on his.

When tempers calmed down, he continued.

- I was too weak to walk, the men I killed had no cars, the only thing I could do was to send a distress text to Thomas, who contacted Lucian's team. A shot in the dark, I didn't know if they were really going to rescue me. Two hours later a rescue team arrived. And there I was. Where everyone else saw a survivor, I saw someone who had lost part of his heart. I went out on a bloody search two months later and killed everyone, but I was a coward, I never thought I would be good for anyone again. Until I met you. I could bear the thought of suffering, but not Nicholas, not you. You are everything to me. And now what? What am I to you?

- You mean everything to me! - she said, crying. - You should have told me the truth. I would have understood. I never would have forced you to come here.

- No, you didn't force me. I thought it was just my father. I found out, right after Nicholas had his accident, that Luck had always been involved. And I let him into our lives, into our house, touching our son. God! I feel like such an idiot. I am sorry that I got you involved in this filth, in this family tainted with hate and pain. You don't deserve any of this. I just hurt and disappointed you, I distanced myself, I lied out of shame, I felt weak and worthless. I will understand if you don't want anything more to do with me. But I assure you that I will fight for you, because there is nothing I want more than to be around you. You are everything to me.

My crying intensified and he hugged me. I started punching him in the chest as I cried.

- You will never lie to me again! You're not to blame if your family was like that. I thought you'd die.

He held me tight until my crying stopped.

- His head, Colle, had pieces everywhere. In his eyes, suddenly, there was no life left. And he was looking at me... and every moment I remember I'm afraid to dream about it, I keep thinking it could be you. If it wasn't for Lucian... I've been having nightmares about it... I...

- I am sorry that Luck committed suicide in front of you. If it comforts you, I too have nightmares from when I was taken and for every victim I once lost. It's hard, but it passes. And I'm here, baby. And I always will be, I'm sorry I hurt you, but now you know the whole truth. I'm not Prince Charming, nor do I promise to make your life a fairy tale. But it will be real! - He held my hands. - Full of flaws, but there will be love. I love you. I love Nicholas, and I swear I'll do everything I can to make you happy.

- I know, Colle, I know. Now I'm hurt and still scared. But

I assure you that it will pass, because most of all, I love you.