UNHOLY DESIRE

MATTEO POV

DAY TWELVE

As I walked through the forest, the sound of cicadas surrounded me. It was barely morning. Vittorio and I had set out again.

Even though our search had been futile previously, I believed it would be better today.

It was my suggestion to leave as early as this because when the sun had risen, I doubted we would be able to catch any of them.

“These things are fucking too loud,” Vittorio groaned, placing his hands over his ears.

“Yeah,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. I didn’t care if it was too loud or not. It was nature, and there was nothing we could do about it.

It wasn’t as though insects understood human language that when we yelled, they’d be able to listen to us.

Their sounds might even get worse.

“This is really dumb,” Vittorio muttered.

“What is dumb?” I asked him, frowning as he halted.

“The walkie-talkies that are barely working, and us walking this way each day without any tangible information gotten. I mean, why waste our fucking time when it’s very much evident we won’t be leaving here anytime soon. When Giovanni and Ricardo see fit, they can organize a search for us. Other than that, we are barely wasting our time.”

“I won’t wait until Giovanni comes to the rescue to do what’s necessary. I need to get my wife out of this fucking Island. I have a daughter waiting for me.

“Are you married, De Luca?” I asked, using his last name.

“No, why the last name, Ferrari?” He asked, raising a brow.

“Do you have a child?” I asked him again, and he shook his head in negation.

“Then, that settles it. You don’t know how I feel one bit. If you had both, then you wouldn’t wait for the bosses to take action before you do.” I muttered, moving forward.

“Even if this looks futile already? I mean, I don’t think we are ever going to meet these people or find a way out. It’s useless to keep walking. I suggest sitting and planning.”

“Sit and plan then, Vittorio. I’ll do what’s best for myself and my family,” I grunted.

I continued walking, and I heard him walking behind me, grumbling.

It was his choice to follow. It wasn’t like I had forced him. He could have declined earlier before we got deep into the forest.

But then, he had said nothing, and now that it seemed we were almost halfway, he wanted us to return. Fucking idiot.

It took only about thirty more minutes to get to the opening of the forest.

The opening didn’t lead us to another village as I had imagined. Instead, several huts were built around them. They looked deserted, yet at the same time, they didn’t.

The smoke coming from the bonfire at the center could only mean, they were indoors asleep, or they had only recently left.

Turning to Vittorio as he nudged me, “What do you think we should do?” he asked me.

“Use stealth to get to the hut. Avoid alerting anyone. The last thing we want is for the whole gang to be on just the two of us. We will definitely be at a disadvantage.” I let out, and he nodded.

Judging by the number of huts present, I could predict three people in a room due to the size. Then, multiplied by ten, that means we would have thirty enemies.

And they could be carrying more weapons than we were. I only had a penknife and my shotgun-hooker with me, while Vittorio had a pistol-M9.

Both of us could combat with our hands, but of what use would it be if all thirty of them had loaded guns while we depended on our fists to help us do the work?

We’d be dead in no time.

“That’s exactly what I’d suggest. However, I don’t think taking the frontage would be best,” he said.

We were thinking alike. I wouldn’t suggest going through the front, too.

Vittorio continued, “We should take another route, let’s split. I’ll take the left side, and you can take the right-hand side.”

“Great,” I said. “Any help, holler my name.”

“I don’t want to imagine myself being in a position I’d want to call you out,” Vittorio said.

“Be careful,” I mumbled as he started walking away.

“Back at you, Ferrari. You have a wife waiting on you; I don’t want to carry your corpse to her.” Vittorio winked at me.

“As if,” I grunted. There was no way I’d be defeated easily. Not to boast, but I had been in a far more horrible situation, and I had come out of each victorious. This wasn’t any exception.

We weren’t here to fight exactly. We wanted information, and I hoped we would be getting one.

Vittorio and I burst out into the opening at the same time, and he opened the door to the hut in front of him slowly, his hand on the gun on the back of his jeans pocket.

“Don’t,” I hissed, shaking my head.

“Why not?” he asked.

“Someone could be waiting indoors for you and would definitely catch you off-guard,” I replied.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Vittorio frowned briefly, then he nodded and shook his head at the same time, “Nah, I am good.”

Vitorrio rushed inside the hut before I could stop him. “Fucking impulsive idiota!”

I counted to three, waiting for him to come out as well as a gunshot. And as he didn’t, I moved towards the hut, training my gun forward. I kicked the door opened stayed at the entrance briefly. It was dark.

How had Vittorio seen anything? And where the fuck was he? Was he being held hostage? Definitely not.

If he had been, his capturer should have come out with him as bait.

“De Luca?” I called, stepping in cautiously.

But I received no response from him. When I was fully inside, I stiffened as I sensed a presence behind me.

A gun to my head and the cool voice of Vittorio, “You are dead,” He said.

He moved closer to me, and I could feel his breath on my neck. “You shouldn’t come into the enemy territory without being prepared.”

“I could say the same for you,” I muttered, nudging him from behind with my elbow and turning abruptly, knocking the gun out of his hand before training mine on him.

“Rule number one, do not come closer to your captive; you can be the one dead at the end.” I let out.