The Perfect Sin

30

𝗟 𝗨 𝗟 𝗔

Gun fire and screams are the only things I hear.

The ringing in my ear is almost deafening, drowning out any other sounds around me. Everything is a blur, time feels like it's moving in slow motion.

It's only a few seconds but it feels a lot longer when I eventually manage to focus on my surroundings. It's as though one minute everything was in slow motion and the next, it was just suddenly sped up and now playing in real time. Like I was snapped back into reality.

"Lula!" A loud voice echos in my ear and I turn my head, my eyes flicking up to see Renzo crouched down beside me, worry consuming his face.

I glance down at my hands and it's only then that I realise I'd fallen to the floor. Pieces of glass lay shattered around me, smoke quickly filling the air.

"Lula, we need to move now." Renzo shouts as he grabs my arm, picking me up from the ground in one swift motion, as if I weighed nothing. "Come on."

Still in a daze, I look around the room to see utter chaos. Carnage. People running and screaming, various bodies on the floor. Blood. I feel like I'm going to throw up.

My feet won't move, my whole body appearing to just go into shock. Where is everyone? Elio? Oh my god. What is happening? Who is shooting?

Renzo's hand is wrapped tightly around my arm, pulling me with him as he makes his way through the dozens of people trying to escape. My eyes flick up to him as he raises his arm and presses against the earpiece in his ear.

"What the fuck is going on?!" He shouts, attempting to communicate with any of his men.

More gun shots echo through the air and I flinch, ducking with instinct, not able to make out which direction they're coming from.

Renzo looks around him, surveying the area before pulling me close against his side, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "Stay close and stay low, understand?"

I nod my head repeatedly, my whole body shaking uncontrollably. My throat feels like it's closing up and my breaths become harder to take. Oh god, is this what a panic attack feels like? Have I gone into shock?

Am I dying?

Elio appears, gun in hand as he runs towards us. His green eyes flick between Renzo and I before he gestures with his hand for us to follow him. Keeping his gun raised to protect Renzo, we make our way through the ballroom and towards one of the exits.

Somewhere along the way, my heel gets stuck and my foot twists to the side, causing me to let out a shriek in pain. Renzo's grip on me slips and I almost fall down to the ground again when suddenly something catches the corner of my eye.

A man with a gun, aimed right at us. At Renzo.

Everything happens too quickly. I can't even process it until it's already too late. It's as if time has slowed again, exactly how it felt like before.

Ignoring the immense pain in my ankle, I scream and throw myself forward, my hands shoving Renzo with all the strength I have left in me. The gun fires and the sound causes Renzo to look around.

"No!" I shout as I lunge at him, Renzo falling to the floor with the impact. I land on top of him, my face scrunching in pain as more bullets are released around us.

Renzo's eyes land on mine, both of us fighting to comprehend what just happened. His pupils have dilated to their maximum size, the brown in them almost completely obscured by jet black pupils.