The Dartagnan Brothers Hotel

Chapter 19

'Wait a minute!' exclaimed Jonas before Monalisa could push him out of the maze. 'Let's look at this again, shall we?'
'Look at fucking what, you moron? It's time to face the consequences of your actions like a man! Come on!' she exclaimed as she pulled Jonas back towards the exit of the maze.
'No!' he exclaimed. 'Please wait...'
'You've got one minute.' she said as she returned to point the gun to Jonas's face. 'I've already told you. You can go dead or alive, up to you.'
'What makes you think that Giovanni is going to give you Joana like that? Think about it, he can only see it as a betrayal. You infiltrated his sect to try to get your daughter out of there.'
'It doesn't matter anymore, I've spent months living with this man, I know exactly what he wants, and that's you.', she replied, throwing her shoulders up as if she had all the answers on the tip of her tongue.
-But why does he have Joana? What did she do wrong?' Jonas wanted to understand exactly what was going on over there.
'She had an abortion, you absolute idiot... How slow are you?'
'But it was me who did the abortion, she didn't know.'
'And with all that conclusion you still can't understand why I want to use you as a bargain?' Monalisa seemed appalled by Jonas's lack of logic.
'That won't work! I knew, or lived, or whatever it was, I still didn't quite understand what happened with my mind, but the deceased Getulio told me things that don't imply that Giovanni will have all that disposition to make an exchange.'
'Deceased?' asked Monalisa. 'Getulio is alive and well, as far as I know. I've never met the man, but Giovanni speaks about him all the time. What did he tell you?'
The facts continued to surprise Jonas, or at least they began to answer certain questions he still had. If Getulio was still alive, what he had experienced for all those hours had been real, which brought him some comfort, although he still couldn't explain how it all happened at the same time. 'One thing at a time...', he thought as he turned his attention back to Monalisa.
'Where is Getulio? He can help us.' was the first question that came to his mind.
'How the fuck am I supposed to know? I spent the whole time with you in that room, don't you remember?'
'Finally answers...', thought Jonas as his eyes shone towards Monalisa's.
'So that was real? But what about the time I spent with Getulio? When was that?' he asked trying to finally make sense of all that chaos.
'What are you talking about? We only induced you to some lucid dreams, and none of them involved Getulio.' she answered sincerely. 'I don't even know how you know Getulio exists...'
'Back to square one.', he rethought and decided to refocus on convincing Monalisa not to take him to Giovanni. As much as it made sense to leave that story as a hero who had saved his ex-girlfriend by handing over his own life to the psychopathic villain, he still held the idea that what mattered most at that moment was his own life. It was like that with Rodrigo and he was sure it would be the same with Joana. If he could save himself, he would.
'The time has come, come on.' she said as she lit another cigarette.
'Please, let's rethink this situation and find a better solution.'
'Enough Jonas! You were wrong, and now you are going to save my daughter with your life. I would think of it as a moment of redemption.' Monalisa seemed more out of her mind than ever.
Jonas needed to find a way to get Monalisa out of the way. He thought about running out into the maze, but despite the woman's drunken state, he knew she would be able to find him in no time as she knew that place much better than he did, and it wouldn't be long before he could find himself lost in one of its dead ends again.
'Stop trying to find a solution. If you met Getulio, then you know what Giovanni is capable of, you must understand that there is no shortcut to any of his nonsenses. Be a man once in your life and make up for your mistakes!' Monalisa took him by the arm and started to force their out of the maze.
'I can take responsibility to any and all mistakes I've made in the past, but I am not obliged to give my life to a bunch of lunatics who believe they are guardians of their own imaginary friend!' he exclaimed as he forced himself to stay where no one could see him.
'I suggest you use those same words when you meet Giovanni again.' she said with a sarcastic tone. 'It will make it much easier to convince him that way.'
Monalisa raised her pistol as she waived it through the air and repeated the phrase she had been saying to Jonas for the last half an hour: 'Dead or alive.'
It was already going through his mind that giving his life there, quickly, would be the easiest way to end all that suffering, but something inside him made him accept that his life should not end there and, besides everything, he would have the chance to see Joana once again.
The two started walking slowly towards the stairs. Jonas still admired the beauty of how that structure had been built in such a harmonic way and complained internally that beautiful things like that were wasted by mean and old-fashioned beings. He was about to start climbing the stairs, but Monalisa pulled him by the arm and brought him to the front of that stone wall that supported the main hall where the party was taking place. He was already thinking that the old woman had regretted what she was doing and that his destiny was about to change, however Monalisa started to feel the wall like she was looking for something.
'Another secret passage?' he asked wryly.
'I lost count of how many I've found.' she replied with a strained expression.
Jonas was sure that she was not a person that wanted to impose evil. He wished he could fix the mistakes of the past and convince her that the two could get out of there together and seek help to rescue Joana still alive from whatever rubble she was confined to; even if Getulio's speech made him believe that Giovanni had influence over the most powerful people in the city, there would still be someone who could help them.
'Are you sure you want to do this? We can get out of here and get help...'
'There's no help, Jonas. This place has a life of its own.' she replied as she blinked lightly. 'There's so much more to it that your feeble mind cannot even begin to understand it.'
All that anger that Monalisa seemed to have towards him seemed to have been calmed by the winning of the capture had she made. Jonas knew he could not step outside the line, as the old woman still had a gigantic rage towards him. All those induced and lucid dreams and everything he had witnessed when he was in the red room made him sure that she was not to be trifled with. 'She must have taken something to calm the nerves.', he thought as he waited for Monalisa to find the secret passage she was looking for.
'Sorry for the delay, but I'm a little over the top.' she said laughing as she staggered across the grass.
'No rush...' replied Jonas whilst waiting for a miracle to come in his direction.
She was not in the best condition, but she was still the one who held the gun.
She soon found what she was looking for and managed to open what appeared to be a false door built into the stone wall.
'Pull it.' she ordered, making a motion signal whilst swaying the fire arm through the air.
Jonas had no choice but to do what he was told. He started to pull the door with all of his might. The stones added an enormous weight to the passage that should lead to the hall where he had been before, where he had seen his friend Rodrigo being killed.
The door opened and he found a narrow stone staircase, which made sense, since the room he had been to was in the underground. They went down through the short space to meet the already known damp stone floor that Jonas traveled through in order to never return, but there he was, once again, about to face what fate had in store for him.
The room was in the same way that Jonas had left it, with the small difference that now all the men dressed in black, led by Giovanni Dartagnan, were kneeling around Rodrigo's body, which was still dripping blood on the floor. Jonas was able to distinguish Giovanni as soon as he saw him beside the priest, bearing that same red cane over his shoulder.
Monalisa entered the room very calmly and sparingly, she seemed to be dancing on the top of her own shoes so that she would not disturb anything that was considered to be sacred; Jonas soon realised that she wasn't one to believe in any of that fanatic nonsense, at least not in the same way as the members of the sect. She seemed to be only interested in recovering Joana from Giovanni's clutches and getting out of there without leaving any tracks to be pursued in the future.
'Are you sure you won't change your mind?' whispered Jonas, who was beginning to tremble with anxiety. 'I'm telling you this won't work...'
Monalisa just ignored Jonas's fear and kept going until she was as close as possible to the people who now began to notice her presence, interrupting the words of adoration from Giovanni and the priest.
'Where were you, Monalisa, and what can be so important that you missed the last offering?' asked the priest, unable to observe the presence of Jonas through the pitch black that covered the entire structure.
'Giovanni.' began Monalisa with an informality that did not seem to be welcomed by those who were present. 'I bring you your greatest wish, what no one else here was able to do.'
She already seemed to be delivering her intentions even before showing what she had brought; the harshness and dexterity with which Monalisa had been dealing with the situation, as well as the calm that she had been maintaining so that she would not give up who she was, seemed to be leaving room for a worry surrounded by anxiety and sadness. The old woman was showing herself to be vulnerable, which would not go well in a place like that; those people did not have an ounce of compassion when it came to maintaining order within the sect. Monalisa let her shadow give way to Jonas's face, which brought expressions of surprise and admiration throughout the room.
Jonas was trying to stay calm, but anxiety had completely taken over his ability to reason, he was inside the lion's den and surrounded by dozens of them. His only option was to hope that Giovanni would keep his mercy in the future, but that was uncertain and his fear-tormented mind seemed to know that panicking would be the only solution for him as a defense mechanism.
'Oh, now, who do we have here, ladies and gentlemen.' Giovanni got up from his knees with surprise and admiration. He pulled Monalisa by the hand, kissed her on the forehead, and patted her head as if he was poking at a spoiled child.
Jonas was impressed with the situation. The Monalisa he remembered, inside that little red room, was cunning and vehemently imposing her will, whereas that Monalisa, in front of him, looked like Giovanni's little pet, ready to fulfil whatever it was he could ask for. .
'Jonas, my dear! We were looking all over for you. You are a hard man to find.' he said sordidly whilst posing a smile in the corner of his mouth.
'You disgusting old man! What did you do to Rodrigo?' he asked, already knowing the answer.
'Well, I didn't want you to miss the show, and I swear we waited for as long as we could, but not to worry, you've arrived just in time for the next one.' said Giovanni, knowing he was hurting Jonas with every word he exhaled from his lungs.
'What kind of sordid mind have you to believe that crimes of this nature can be justified by fanciful and fanatical nonsense?' he asked as he had his eyes burning with anger.
'Crime? Did I hear you right? Is the same man who believes he lives by his own laws who is here to preach me about crimes?' he laughed and was instantly followed by everyone present.
'There's nothing I might have done that compares to what you just did to Rodrigo.' he said, looking at his friend's lifeless eyes as he still had his mouth wide open and filled by his own blood.
'Ah, but that's where you're mistaken, young man.' Giovanni started walking towards him whilst he spoke.
Monalisa was quiet as she listened to the end of Giovanni's speech. Jonas knew that she was waiting for Joana to enter the same corridor that Rodrigo had recently been brought in, and as soon as that happened she would be there to seek her salvation.
'And where was it that you found him, Monalisa?' Giovanni turned his back to Jonas and tried to look into the woman's eyes that seemed to be lost in its own little world.
'I found him in the maze, sir.' she was now showing the upmost respect towards the head of the sect.
'You know you will be very well rewarded for this.' he said as he motioned for her to join the other members.
Two people, completely covered by that black robe, approached Monalisa and covered her with the sect's uniform; they turned to kneel around Rodrigo's body whilst continuing to watch Giovanni's every movement.
'So, Mr. Jonas Albuquerque. I know you don't know how it all works here, so we'll make an offering to god for you to watch. So, when your turn comes up, you will have the chance to seek your own redemption. Does that sound fair to you?'
Jonas decided not to contest. Giovanni did not know that he had been there and had witnessed everything that happened to Rodrigo. Such a chance for redemption was nothing but something those lunatics found to clear their sordid conscience of what they had been doing. In the end, no one had a chance to escape that place, at least not alive.
'I've saved a special place for you, I am sure that this offer will catch your attention.' he said without looking at Jonas. 'Monalisa, why don't you sit with him and make sure that he won't interfere with the ceremony; and give me that weapon, you know very well this is a sacred place.' Giovanni finished another one of his little speeches as if it was an order.
He nodded to two of the men in black who got up and went over to Jonas. They put his hands on his backs and fastened them with a pair of old and rusty handcuffs, then they put his legs together and woven a thick piece of rope around his ankles, tightening it as much as they could to keep his legs still.
'Be quiet, don't say a word.' she whispered as she sat down next to him, away from the rest of the sect.
'You know that I have no incentive to help you, right?' replied Jonas emphasising the obvious.
'Just follow everything I do, there is a chance that you too can leave this place alive.' she said whilst giving him hope, but Jonas had a feeling that it would be the end of him if he did nothing to stop it.
'Well then, my friends. Please, help me welcome the next offering, and may this soul have the humbleness to ask for forgiveness.'
The master of ceremonies, Giovanni Dartagnan, raised his arms, praising at his favorite imaginary friend, whilst the priest, again, was starting to babble the same prayer that he had previously used for Rodrigo's entrance. Monalisa was tense and apprehensive, she knew exactly who would come through that door, and she also knew that she could not let her emotions take the best of her senses as she depended on her self-control and on the sensibility of Jonas, who was there to save his own life taking with him whomever might cross his way.
The huge iron doors opened again, and from behind it, four men, properly dressed, entered through it carrying an enormous iron boiler. They positioned themselves in front of the altar, where the priest was, and placed the object on a support that had already been installed; soon, other people came to their aid with a pile of thick wood and small sticks, placing them under the boiler. Jonas could already feel what was coming, but he avoided thinking that Giovanni was capable of such a thing, preferring to give hope a chance and not make assumptions before he could be sure of what was going to happen.
'So, ladies and gentlemen...' Giovanni positioned himself in front of the growing fire, addressing those who were present. 'Our next guest broke god's laws a few years ago, but she never had a chance to pay for her mistakes. Today, we will give her that chance!'
Mr. Dartagnan held the red cane high and, by activating some mechanism through a small button, made the object ascend a small flame launcher at its edge. Slowly, he lowered his staff and set fire to the pile of wood that had been meticulously placed under the boiler.
'Please join me so that we can welcome our next guest'. he said with elegance.
The image that followed Giovanni's speech terrified Jonas's eyes. The large iron doors, already open, gave way for two thugs to parade as if they were part of a martial band; they carried a huge wooden cross, apparently extremely heavy, that held Joana's naked body. His former girlfriend had all of her shame exposed, the only parts covered were her eyes, by a dirty old blindfold, and her mouth, gagged by a piece of cloth. Jonas felt that Monalisa was about to panic, but the old woman seemed numb from the drugs she had taken and managed to hold the air she was trying to scream out of her lungs. He had never had children, but he could imagine what she was feeling; moreover, he did not want to believe his own thoughts, but old feelings blossomed again through nostalgic memories that came disturbing him in a moment that could not be more inopportune.
'Your life is a priority.', he thought as he spoke to himself. He couldn't let the emotional override the rational at that moment; even if Monalisa had mentioned that he could also leave that place alive, he couldn't have that as a support, but rather he should look for an alternative so that he could get rid of those bonds and leave that place without being noticed, since Giovanni and all the other members of the sect were very focused on the scene that was taking place before their eyes.
'Joana Clemente!' exclaimed Giovanni whilst taking off her blindfold.  'Welcome to our humble congregation.'
She seemed to be trying to scream, but the gag in her mouth seemed to be preventing her from even breathing; her nose was completely congested from the crying she couldn't sob. Jonas remembered exactly every detail of her body, including the birth mark that was printed in her chest in the same place as his own, but seeing her like that made him want to explode in anger and jump towards Giovanni Dartagnan's neck, but he manage to stay completely still.
Giovanni continued to vomit mystical bullshit through his mouth, whilst the priest followed the rhythm of a broken record player as the same prayer sounded out loud from his lungs. Monalisa pressed her fingertips with such force that Jonas could see her skin giving way to small cuts; there was nothing he could do but wait.
Once again, he made a brief sign with the red staff, which led his helpers to undo the bonds that held Joana on the cross. One of them picked her up from the floor and started to caress her as if he was trying to comfort a young child and, very sparingly, deposited her inside the boiler now full of water. Giovanni removed the strap from her mouth and started to look it into her eyes whilst her crying drowned out any other noise that could be heard throughout that room.
'Please...' she started to plead, seeming to understand nothing of what was happening. 'Let me out of here!'
Joana continued to plead for clemency and, little by little, tried to grab the edges of the water boiler and pull herself out, but Giovanni used his red cane to push her back, providing entertainment for everyone present in the audience who expected her to drown herself from being so tired or boiling with the water that was already heating up.
'This beautiful girl, Joana, today will have the chance to save her soul before god, seeking his divine salvation.' Giovanni started the explanation whilst continuing to tire Joana's arms with his shoves. 'A few years ago, she committed a crime against god and all of his followers by killing a poor and helpless life she carried inside her body.'
'But that wasn't me!' she screamed in tears.
'You're off to a bad start, my dear. The first step in redemption is to accept your own mistake.' Giovanni continued whilst keeping his staff pointed at the boiler in case Joana tried to escape again. 'A crime is a crime, whether it's committed directly or indirectly by you. You may not have taken the main action that led to the murder of that child, but you bear the blame for having acquiesced with the main practitioner.' he stopped his speech and pointed the red staff at Jonas.
'Jonas?' she shouted confused as she was surprised by the presence of her old boyfriend. 'What's happening? Please help me!'
Jonas could feel Monalisa's anxiety exhale from her pores; she pulled the hood down so that her entire face was covered, leaving no chance for Joana to recognise her, whilst Jonas, immobile, found himself unable to do anything to help.
'There's nothing he can do, Joana. But make sure his turn will come and Jonas will also pay for what he did.' Giovanni spoke again, at the same time that he swayed along the damp stone floor, swinging the red staff up and down.
'Tell them Jonas! Say I am not to blame for anything!'
He wanted to speak. Something inside him made him realize that Joana did nothing to deserve what was happening to her. He was the sole soul to blame for all that, and all the feelings he had once had for her came afloat; he wanted to hold her in his arms, he wanted to save her and apologize for all the bad things he had done whilst they were together.
Giovanni turned his gaze back to the audience that was watching him. He took a huge container of gasoline from somewhere near the cauldron and started to feed the yet feeble fire that heated Joana's newest dwelling.
'Listen to me carefully and don't say a word.' Monalisa started to whisper without looking away from her daughter, having her mouth practically static. 'I put a letter in your pants pocket with instructions for you to follow if you can get out of here. This is very unlikely to happen, but I am increasingly certain that my words will not convince Giovanni. I also placed the object we retrieved from the statue in the maze and the device you saw me use before you were induced into that lucid dream. The instructions are clear and must be followed precisely; if I fail, please have the decency to do the right thing at least once in your life.'
Monalisa stood up and left towards Giovanni without being invited, still having her face completely covered by the black hood, which drew the attention of the other members of the sect; no one there seemed to have the courage to do something even remotely brave as that.
'Monalisa, my dear friend, is there something wrong?' Giovanni stopped the ceremony suddenly and started to focus his attention on the woman who had interrupted him.
'I'm curious, Giovanni.' she started to clear her throat and put a different intonation in her voice, walking calmly around the boiler. 'Actually, I am trying to understand why this poor young woman is being judged.'
A whispering noise came over the ceremonial hall. Giovanni showed an expression of surprise as he was not in the habit of being contradicted, especially in front of all his followers.
'I see no problem in discussing the matter, after all, this is a democratic institution.' he spoke knowing that he would always be supported by the majority of his own people. 'Would you care, however, to elaborate?'
'Let's see. Both I and several others here believe that a person who has been misled should not be judged to be primarily responsible. It would be unfair to anyone, especially for a woman.' she tried to emphasise that part. 'To pay for the mistakes made by a man who believes he has control over a body that is not his.'
Jonas had been surprised by Monalisa's argumentative ability, especially considering the state she was in, drunk and drugged; he could never imagine that she would have the courage and the audacity to face Giovanni like that. Mr. Dartagnan was, at least, curious to listen to the rest of her speech; he even put his staff on the floor, which he had not done since the beginning of the ceremony, and seemed to be thinking deeply about it, even inclined to accept her arguments. He started pacing back and forth, sometimes implying that he was about to start a speech; at times, he seemed to be experiencing a particular situation inside his own mind whilst he gave little laughs and shook his head. His gaze came and went to meet Monalisa's, even passing by Jonas, who was restless with his feet dangling with the little movement he still had left in his legs.
'You bring us an excellent point, Monalisa.' he finally spoke as he pointed the red staff at the woman who seemed to be relieved. 'You know that from the first moment we met, the day you came here looking for comfort for the mistakes you had made in your life; for the abuse of alcohol and other illegal substances, I've always thought that your redemption was possible.'
'And I appreciate everything you've done for me, Giovanni.' she interrupted his speech showing a feeling of relief.
'Who else here thinks the same way as Monalisa?' he suddenly turned to the audience that was static since the moment he started to speak. 'Hmm? Anybody?'
Some people even tried to open their mouths to support her speech, but before anyone could say anything, Giovanni took back control of the situation.
'Most of your speech captivated me, and I am sure that other people here think the same, mainly because the one inside that boiler is a woman. However, what would be the reason why she did not alert the authorities about the unlawfulness of Jonas's act?' he asked as he pointed the staff at him.
'Well, you know how oppressive society can be towards delicate matters like this, especially for a young women.' she kept trying to appeal for female support whilst Giovanni gave her penetrating looks as if he knew exactly what she was trying to do.
'Monalisa, please.' Giovanni seemed to have lost his temper. 'You've spent months with these people. Be courteous and tell them the truth!' he exclaimed, raising his voice as he approached her until he was close enough to remove her hood.
'Mom?' Joana exclaimed when she recognised Monalisa's face and started to climb the boiling cauldron edges as it left small burns on her hands and arms.
Giovanni used the staff again to push her back into the water that was already getting too hot for her to withstand.
'I confess that it took me a while to discover your true identity, Ms. Lais Amon.' said Giovanni very calmly.
'What's going on, mom?' asked Joana, who was clearly beginning to feel the effects of that cauldron heating up.
'Be calm, my love, and be quiet.' said Monalisa without taking her eyes off Giovanni.
'I don't need to tell you what's going to happen now, do I?' asked Giovanni as he focused his attention on the old woman.
Three men came to her and held her by the arms so that she had no chance of getting in the way of what would follow in that ceremony. Giovanni followed up with his sermon, adding a brief speech about loyalty and how traitors should be treated as Jonas remained completely still, waiting for his turn.
'Now, ladies and gentlemen, we will give this young woman a chance to confess her sins before god, seeking her divine absolution.'
'I confess, please forgive me!' Joana was keen to come out and exclaim her forgiveness, without letting Giovanni finish his speech.
Jonas felt a slight presence behind the bench where he was sitting. A hiss caught his attention, but his mind was sharp enough not to let other people notice the presence of whoever was there. Beneath the bench, two hands cut the rope that held his legs and, as soon as he was free, the same pair of hands came to free his cuffs from those shackles behind his waist.
'Keep calm and quiet, as soon as you hear the signal, run towards the exit that leads to the underground of the maze, where you had been with Getulio.' he could soon recognise Douglas's voice giving him instructions.
'What signal?' he asked before realising the man was already gone.
Even though he was hands free, Jonas sought to maintain appearances so that no one would have a chance to realise what was going to happen. He continued to observe the outcome of Joana's situation, each time more eager to get up and go towards her, however, Douglas's sudden appearance gave him a certain hope that he could leave that place still alive, making his eagerness to save his own life reign over his emotions once again.
'What are you doing here, doctor?' asked Giovanni as soon as Douglas spontaneously appeared through the front door.
'I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. Can you follow me?' he asked as he approached the cult leader.
'I'm a little busy right now.' said Giovanni sarcastically. 'Why don't you take a seat and I'll be with you soon.' his tone was carefree; he seemed to be ignoring Douglas, not thinking there was anything that could be more important at that time and place.
Douglas sat in one of the chairs next to the audience and kept his eyes fixed on the spectacle of horrors that spread in front of his eyes. Joana started to have difficulty breathing and every time she touched the edge of the boiler, her hands burned, leaving a peal of her skin behind, which made her fight again so she wouldn't drown in the boiling water. Monalisa wept and pleaded for Giovanni's clemency, even though she knew that the old man would never let her out alive, but all that she wanted was for her daughter to have a future far away from that place.
Jonas felt he should do something. 'Wait for the signal...', he thought over and over as Douglas's words repeated themselves inside his mind whilst he swung his legs anxiously. He was feeling sorry for Monalisa as he could see in her eyes a genuine feeling of concern.
'I apologize, Lais Amon, but I must continue the ceremony.' said Giovanni without thinking twice when he returned to speak to the public that observed Joana's future taking shape.
A loud noise was followed by smoke and screams. Jonas had a ringing in his ear and could not see more than two feet in front of him. People were screaming and running from side to side until the dust settled and his vision became clear again. Someone had blown up the large iron doors leading to the hall of ceremonies, disturbing the order of Giovanni Dartagnan's sect. The old man was furious and huffing curses everywhere as he ordered his henchmen to go after whoever had the audacity to disrupt his service.
'That's your cue, Jonas!' Douglas had to shout for him to come back to reality and stop watching the despair of others.
'I need to help them.' he said as he got up and started running towards Joana and Monalisa.
'There is no time!' shouted Douglas as he left towards the exit to the underground.
Jonas did not let Douglas dictate the orders and went out to meet Joana. He couldn't understand why he decided to make that move, maybe it was the euphoria projected by the tense situation he was experiencing, but his mind could only think of Joana and the fact that she was the woman of his life. All his faulty acts from the past started to haunt his mind at once, he wanted to fix everything he had done, he wanted to save Joana and he wanted to apologize to Lais Amon, and that was his chance.
As he was able get close to the cauldron where Joana was almost boiling,  Giovanni was there to prevent him from doing anything. The red stick came against his chest, pushing him to the ground and causing him to be exposed and vulnerable. Mr. Dartagnan quickly took the sword off its red sheath and pointed it at Jonas's chest.
'My plans for you were very different, boy; but apparently, your story ends here.'
Giovanni started to press the sharp blade of the sword towards Jonas's chest, when two bursts, separated by a short time, caught his attention and freed Jonas from his death.
His vision went into some kind of tunnel-vision, and the space-time of the events around him brought up an immensity of feelings as the two bursts became two fire bullets. Each of them hit a person's head. Joana and Monalisa had their eyes opened, but their bodies no longer signalled any presence of life.
'Jonas!' a shout echoed and any other noise was drowned out by his concentration being focused in a particular person.
Getulio Dartagnan was near the exit to the underground, sitting in a wheelchair, holding a long-range rifle that he had just fired. Jonas failed to spot Douglas, but it was more than clear that it was the doctor who was pushing that chair.
'Fast!' he shouted again, signalling for Jonas to come towards him.