His Corruption

Chapter 41

~Elena POV~

My phone trembled in my hand as I navigated my way through darkness. It was frosty outside, even more in this forgotten part of the world.

I tried not to trip on the dirt and ice, but it was hard considering I saw nothing but a circle of the ground from the flash light. I feared someone would jump out and grab me, but I had my gun. It should be fine, right?

Wrong. I had a gut feeling I was going to die here, where nobody would find my body. The thought paralysed me by the time I reached a tall, dystopian gate, and I forced myself through the courtyard. Once I stepped into the building, a stench slapped me hard.

I was gonna throw up. It smelled so bad, like wet rusty metal and...crap. I had to cover my nose with my sleeve to not be sick on my way through the entrance. God I hated this. Mario better still be here.

Glass crunched beneath my boots as I made my way through a hallway, and I was so on edge that when I thought I heard a voice, I slipped over my own feet and went flying to the ground.

Something stabbed my cheek. A groan left my mouth at the sharp glass and I slowly pulled myself up, plucked the shard from my skin and started moving again.

A few more turns and a sign after, I reached the cells. This place must have shut down decades ago because the cells had bars. Chewing on my lip, I prayed Cristian and Mario weren't in one of them. There were so many and I didn't have time to stop by and look through each cell with my light, I had to get to them fast.

Voices started echoing down the hallway again, and my lungs constricted. This time it sounded real - someone was here.

I crept so carefully over the floors towards the tiny bit of light at the end of the hallway, daring not to make a sound. My hand tightened on my gun and I turned my flashlight off, tucking my phone into my pocket.

"He's not dead, yet." The unknown voice snarled. I peered through the bars into a brightly lit cell but the fluorescent lights burned my eyes. Once I adjusted, I couldn't believe what I saw.

Cristian was bleeding so much, I could barely recognise him. His shirt was off, his arms tied above him with chains hanging from the ceiling. I couldn't tell if he was conscious, his head was hung low.

A suited man stood at the other side of the room with his back towards me, speaking to someone else.

I moved closer to the bars and realised Mario was here too, but on the ground. The suited man kicked Mario and he grunted in pain, holding his nose. At first I had no idea who the man was, until I saw the crowbar in his hand and my stomach twisted.

His father.

My hand slid over my mouth. I didn't know what I expected since Cristian told me about it, but it wasn't this. What father would do this to his own son?

The man crouched in front of Mario and grabbed his hair with an aggressiveness that made Mario wince. "Didn't I warn you not to get involved in me and my son's matters?" He sneered.

Mario didn't reply and the man dropped his head on the floor, before straightening and moving towards Cristian.

I gulped. A bead of sweat trickled behind my neck despite the room being as cold as a freezer, and a clammy chill came over me.