Sylvia's pov:
'Bad Habits' blasted on the highest volume, through my headphones, as I made my way home from work. My muscles and stomach protested with every step I took, a constant reminder of the exhausting day I had at work. The club was packed, as was the bar.
I would have escaped the stress of serving drinks and listening to drunk people prat about their lives, but I had decided to work double shifts today, to boost my pay, my muscles suffered for my verdict, but I didn't mind, the pay would suffice.
I bop my head up and down, as I got engrossed in the music. My brunette hair, pulled back in a low ponytail, and my 5'7 frame, clad in light grey shirt with matching joggers. The dimly lit alleyway mimicked a scene straight out of a horror movie, although the chills didn't bother me, I was used to this route, a shortcut to my home I have taken several times.
Turning a familiar corner, my steps instinctively halt as I came face to face with a murder scene.
Two men, dressed in all black suit, stood tall over the bleeding body of a middle-aged man. Gun still pointed at the lifeless body, the first man's eye snapped towards me.
"Per l'amor del cielo!" the man said, before pointing the gun at me.
My eyes widened. I have imagined my death to happen in a thousand ways, and not once, did I ever picture this. I never imagined my body, laying lifeless in some dark alley. Oh my God! Oh my God! I'm about to die! Were the thoughts that danced around my head as I stood frozen, staring at the end point of a silencer, attached to gun.
I couldn't move, even though I willed my body to, it was as if some higher powers have had me rooted to the spot.
"Lower your fucking gun, we cannot have another dead body on us tonight!"
The second man gritted out, as he placed his hand over the first man's pointed gun, lowering it.
"Il don ci avrebbe preso per questa trascuratezza, signore!" The first man replied. His voice held a tint of submissiveness to it.
They spoke in a language I couldn't understand, but the first man's response was like ice cold water to the face, it snapped me back to reality.
Instinctively my fight or flight hormone kicked in, it didn't take any second for me to make a decision as I settled on flight, and took off like a crazy woman.
Maybe it was a stupid decision to run, maybe it wasn't, I had no time to wait to find out, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me.
"Pazza stronza! Avresti dovuto lasciarmi uccidere!"
The first man's words alerted me of the two hefty men on their heels behind me.
"Shut up! And get her!"
The winds carried the words of the second man to my ears, making me run faster. I tried to slow them down by pushing, and tripping a lot of things behind me until I was met with a fence, a very high one.
My heart beat rapidly in my chest as tears stung my eyes. This was it, I am going to die without saying goodbye to my mom and little brother, so many things I would have loved to say to them.
I turned around, facing the two men who looked pissed beyond words. I had poked the hornet's nest, that much was evident in their slow predatory strides towards me.
"P… please, I swear I didn't see anything, please ju.. just let me go, p..please." I begged with tears streaming down my face.
My pleas fell on deaf ears, they didn't even flinch, the countenance on their face was one of boredom, like they were used to this.
I shook my head left and right, as if that would stop them from killing me tonight, my pleas became louder and frantic as they both stood in front of me, their angry gaze fully focused on my fearful one.
The moon casted better and brighter here than the alleyway. I have zero idea of this place, I just ran to wherever my legs were able to carry me. With the help of the moon, I could see their faces clearly now, and I swear if I wasn't in a life-or-death situation, I would be flooding the ground with my drool, but I've no time for that, in fact, that was the last thing on my mind.
I had no idea what instinct moved me to attempt to run again, but I was immediately grabbed by the first man. His grip was rough and strong, and it hurt like hell.
I struggled against his hard clasp. If I was going to die, I wouldn't go down without a fight, I decided as I head butted the plank of wood behind me.
"Cagna!" he growled, his grip faltered a little bit, but that was all I needed, as I forcefully freed myself from him, and took off again.
I didn't get far this time, the second man, who had an aura of authority about him, caught me with ease, his eyes exuded shock, but he quickly recovered. Although he had a sturdy grip too, it wasn't rough.
All my attempts at an escape failed, so I tried to do the next best thing anyone would do, scream. Recognition settled on the first man's face like he knew what I was about to do, and in a flash, he was in front me, with his gun closer now, it was so close I could feel it's cold barrel on my cheek.
"Urlare, cazzo ti osate!" he gritted out.
I didn't understand a single word he said, but I knew it would be in my best interest to stay silent right now. The second man stared at me, and I didn't miss the amusement and curiosity that danced in his eyes.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you" he taunted, his voice was surprisingly cool, very cool, and his accent, so thick I almost didn't catch his words.
"P…please" I begged again.
He seemed like the reasonable one, and probably the boss.
"Capo, finisciamo con lei, il don-"
"Capirebbe… si spera" the second man, cut the first man off.
But whatever the first man said, seemed to have snapped the second man back to reality, as his eyes immediately became void of any amusement it once radiated, becoming cold and angry once again.
The shiver in their voice, and body when il don was mentioned didn't go unnoticed by me, alerting me of a very much higher and brutal power than them.
Fresh tears streamed down my face when my reality sunk in. If my fate would be determined by someone more brutal than them, then they may as well just end it now, I don't want to face whoever was strong enough to make these two fully grown men shiver this much by just a reference to him.
As if things couldn't go any worse, my phone loudly rang out in my back pocket! No doubt, a call from my mom or my brother. Why is this happening to me? I almost screamed out.
"Get the phone out" The second man barked at the first man, who responsively, snatched my phone from my pocket, and put it in my face.
"You're going to answer the call, and tell whoever is calling that you're crashing at a friend's place, or else I would kill you right now, track them down and kill them too!" the second man growled out.
He slowly brought out his gun and rested it directly on the side of my head, his hands still gripped me in place, with my hands locked behind my back that was turned against him, and a gun to my head, I gulped and nodded.
The two men both nodded at each other, before the call was answered, and just as expected, my brother's voice boomed from the other end of the line.
"Syl where are you? Mom is drilling me with questions here, I can't deal!"
Tears streamed down my face again, this time with full force, I sniffed, before catching myself and steadying my breathing. I couldn't bear it, if I put them in danger too. I gulped before saying.
"Jay.. jay I'm good. Tell mom I'm good, I just... I'm crashing at Any's for the night, okay?"
I tried my best to sound convincing. There was a little pause, before Jay spoke up again. "Syl, are you okay?" his worried voice rang out. Fuck you jay for being so fucking attentive! Why can't you just take my fucking word for it! I screamed at him in my head.
"I'm fine, trust me, I'm just very tired right now"
I added more character to it, to sound like my normal self.
"O.. okay" the call disconnects.
He was anything but convinced, I know my brother, and that worried me more than my own life right now.
"Good" the second man praised.
I had stop fighting them, there was no point.
"Metterla a dormire."
The second man said to the first man, his words sounded more like an order.
"Sonno?" the first man replied, his face held anger, I might be wrong, but I think a little part of it was directed at his boss too.
"Yes! fucking do as you're ordered!" the second man growled.
The first man immediately hung his head low, snarling before raising the bottom of his gun. His snarl was the last thing I saw, before everything went black.