COLLIDE

SHREYA ZACCARIA MONTEZ POV ….. The cold nipped at my skin, and my teeth chattered due to the gruelling cold, I couldn't see a thing because of the blindfold. My other senses were alert, my ears picked up the rhythmic drop of water leaking from the roof into buckets. "1" "2" "3" "4" "5" I counted the drops of water, dropping slowly into the bucket. I listened carefully trying to pick up familiar voices behind the metal door, I was overly familiar with the dungeon where I was locked in. This place was my playground, this particular torture room was my favourite of all. The sound of my victim's screams bounced off the metal door. and the echoes of their screams were songs in my ears. In this room, I preyed on them, I preyed on their every being. The room that I loved, was now my punishment. "56" "57" "58" "59" "60" I continued counting, quietly plotting my escape. I had willingly stayed in this hellhole, accepting the punishment for my sins, I maintained my composure throughout my period in isolation but now I was bored and the period I stayed here, made me unremorseful of my actions, Fact was I felt accomplished with what I had fone. "92" "93" "94" "95" "96" "97" "98" "99" I heard the creak of the heavy metal door opening, I took a long whiff of the air, filtering the pungent smell of blood from the cologne that permeated the air. "100" I bit my lips Sadistically as it finally clicked who owned the smell. "Hello Father" The blindfold was yanked from my eyes and finally was able to see after days. Before I could process anything, A hard and harsh slap landed on my face, the intensity of the slap made my head whip to the side. I balled my fists tightly, making the ropes around my wrists also tighten. I glared at my father, He matched the icy stare, I gave him, but he seemed almost like a glacier storm. He was angry and I was also angry. "you are a disgrace Shreya " He spat at me while looking at me in contempt and disdain I cowered in shame, my father and I never had a bond, he was the Don of the Italian mafia and I was trained to take over since I was conceived. My life I had lived to please my father so seeing him disappointed in me once again scared me. I watched as he skillfully removed his Cartier wristwatch and unbuttoned his suit jacket, I knew my punishment was coming and depending on how I acted at this moment would determine the levity of it. I shrunk under my father's glare and watched as he pulled a gun out of his waistcoat and pointed it at my forehead. I was overly sure he wouldn't kill me, I was the only heir to the mafia, and my existence ensured that the throne stayed in my family. "Uccideresti tua figlia?" I asked with my lips tipped into a smug grin. Meaning "you would kill your daughter?' I panicked when he loaded the gun, still pointed at my head, he c****d the gun and that was when my heart soared in fear "Uccideresti la Famiglia" means "you would kill family" I screamed at him, trying to tell sense in him, I was terrified that he'd kill me. I hoped desperately that he wouldn't kill me "You killed your uncle, that is why you are here" I flinched at my father's harsh baritone, the reason I was in this dungeon was I had killed my uncle, breaking one of our sacred rules. "LA Familia es Sagrada" "Family is sacred" We revered family, but after a few moments of losing control, I killed my uncle in cold blood, putting a bullet in his skull because I felt threatened by him, I had one of my episodes during the meeting, so I killed him "so tell me figilia, why shouldn't I kill you?" Tears leaked from my eyes which aggravated my father, he hated it when I showed emotions and utterly despised it. He moved the gun from my forehead and I relaxed but as soon as I relaxed, he shot one of my trusted men Orion dead. "His blood, for your head" Tears continued to pour from my eyes, I looked at the blood-red pouring from Orion's body helplessly. I was supposed to die but I was an heir so he was killed for my own mistake. My father locked me up with Orion's dead body in my cradle as a warning sign for my defiance. This warning I will never forget….. The next day I was pulled by hair by my father's underboss into his office. I saw the elders of the mafia and the heads of each family in the mafia staring at me, pleased with how I looked. My luscious hair tangled above my head I know I looked starved and they loved my dishevelled appearance and bloodshot eyes judging from the wicked approval on their faces. But amidst their sinister satisfaction, one figure stood out from the crowd. A man with cold, calculating eyes and a twisted smile. It was Carmine Romano, a rival mafia boss who had been plotting against my father for years. His presence sent chills down my spine, like a predator lurking in the shadows. I could sense his malevolence, his hunger for power. At that moment, I knew that my father's punishment was not the end of my torment. As the room fell into an eerie silence, Carmine Romano's voice cut through the tension like a knife. "Don Montez, your daughter's defiance has disgraced your family. Perhaps it's time for a new order," he sneered, his eyes fixed on me. My father's brows furrowed, a mix of anger and defiance flashing in his eyes. "Carmine, you dare speak of orders? Your time will come," he spat, his voice filled with venom. But deep down, I feared that Carmine's words held an unsettling truth. The room erupted into a heated argument, chaos enveloping us all as rivalries and loyalties clashed. At that moment, I realized that my fate was no longer solely in my father's hands. Amidst the chaos, I scanned the room, searching for any means of escape. But the doors were heavily guarded, and the walls seemed to close in around me. Fear gripped my heart as I realized that I was trapped, caught in a dangerous power struggle in which I had unwittingly become a pawn. As the shouting and threats escalated, I felt my hope dwindling. Amid these powerful men, their impassioned fury consuming them, I knew that my only chance of survival lay in my strength and cunning. With a newfound resolve, I steeled myself for the turbulent storm that awaited me. I vowed to find a way to outmaneuver both my father and Carmine, to survive in a world tainted by darkness. Little did I know, that the twisted web of betrayal and ambition would lead me down a path I could never have imagined. I clung to the flickering flame of hope, knowing that it was my only guide in the treacherous labyrinth of the mafia. And so, as the room continued to erupt in chaos, I braced myself for the storm that was about to come, ready to fight for my life and carve my path in a ruthless world filled with vengeance, power, and the ever-present threat of death.