Aubrey Valentina

Bang.

Bang,

Bang.

Bang.

A happy moment ruined. From outside we could hear repeated fires and shouts in several languages.

"They found us, sisters," whispers Lorenzo.

Then reality hit. We were in the middle of a huge gunfight and there was no way out of here. We needed to leave and fast so I looked around and saw an air conditioning vent on the ceiling. I walked under it, stepped up onto a chair and took it off the hinges.

"Guys. Over here."

They get up and look at me confused. "How are we gonna get up there and out of here?" questions Marina.

"Get up and I'll give you a boost," I say before the door to the room busts open, making me fall off the table and onto the cold cement ground. Ouch.

Lorenzo stifles a laugh before realizing that Sergei and two other men were at the door. "Let's go you imbeciles. I need you all out of here, you're my best weapon," he says in his Russian accent.

"We aren't going anywhere with you," I say angrily.

His jaw ticks. "Listen here Valentina, now is not the time to misbehave. You really think they will take you in with open arms? Ha, very funny. Those two just want a way out. And your dad can't care about you that much if he couldn't find you for the past 16 years! Come with me Valentina, because no one will ever love you. Not even your family."

I shook my head. "No you're lying. Lies!" I screamed, more-so trying to convince myself.

"You really think they'd love someone like you. Someone so bruised and broken. Someone as weak as you who can't even speak their language. Someone so-"

"STOP! Stop it, please," I plead as I covered both of my ears, tears running down my face.

I was at my breaking point. Marina came beside me, trying to comfort me.

"Come with me, now," he orders.

Lorenzo then shouted at this awful excuse of a man. "She said no!" And he punched him in the face, making Sergei fall to the ground. His men try to attack Lorenzo but Sergei yells at them in Russian. They immediately pale and back off.

Then he kicked Lorenzo's leg, making him fall beside him. "Now now buddy, Don't get that way with me."

Sergei back handed Lorenzo with his gun. He fell backwards, instantly knocked out.

"Are you sure you all don't want to follow me? Cause I'll kill him, he's not that important to my plan," he states while fiddling with the gun in his hand.

"No no! Just take me. Leave Marina and Lorenzo and take me," I cry.

He smirks evilly. "Ahh that is a very tempting deal. Tell you what. If you shoot your sister then I'll take you away and they'll be set free. You father brought a lot of men with him and I fear he may win, but if I have you, I'm the real winner."

Shoot her? Wait. He wasn't being specific where so I'll just shoot her foot. Right?

"O-okay," I stutter.

Marina violently shakes her head pleading me to stop. I just realized that she probably thinks that I think this guy is serious about everyone hating me. I know they don't, I believe all that they've told me. I trust them.

I point the gun towards her, my hand shaking.

Then I pull the trigger to her foot.

She screams and it breaks my heart.

"You're a smart girl Valentina," Sergei says with amusement. 

"Can we please go now?" I plead, crying.

But before he answers I point the gun towards his guards and put the bullets between their eyes.

My face is dripping with tears but I stare at the man dead in his eyes.

"I'm gonna kill you!" I scream.

"No you aren't," he says pulling out a second gun. What the hell?

"Put the gun down and you can leave unharmed," he says emotionless, his gun pointing to me.

"I'll go! I will go with you."

I act as though I'm putting it on the ground but I quickly aim it back at him.

I pulled the trigger

and he screams.

But there was no bullet wound in his chest.

His scream turns into a sinister laugh. "You thought you could kill me so easily? Put the gun down Valentina."

I'm so scared so I do as told and he faces the gun at me.

I look at Marina trying to tie a piece of her dress to her foot to stop the bleeding.

"Let's go," he says once more. He stands behind me with the cold metal barrel against my neck.

"Fine," I say as he pushed me to the door.

I look back and see Marina holding our unconscious brother in her lap. She whispers in a small voice "ti amo"

I say the words back and follow Sergei out the door.

The last thing I remember was the pressure of being hit upside my head.