Original Epilogue
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The loud sound of water dripping into a puddle woke me. The shackles around my wrists and feet clanked together as I tried to remove them unsuccessfully. Taking a deep breath, I shut my eyes and say a prayer. Let me survive another day.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
A door opening and shutting woke me up. Desperate for some kind of human interaction, I wait to see who appears before me. It was dim in here. Footsteps get closer but no one appears.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
With no window, who knows if it’s day or night. I don’t even know how long I’ve been in here.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
There was no glimpse of hope at the sound of footsteps. Convinced I was just hallucinating I remained seated. When two men enter the room with flashlights, I barely flinch.
“Is he alive?”
“Go check.”
I can see the person approaching but it wasn’t until they placed their hand on my neck to check my breathing did it dawn on me that this was real.
“He’s alive.”
I realize it’s Alfie kneeled in front of me and when we make eye contact, I knew this would finally be over. Plenty of times have I been on the other side of the situation and I wondered if the lives of the people I’ve taken looked to me with hope or defeat.
Alfie remains on his knee as the man stands beside him. Off the bat I didn’t recognize the man although he looked familiar. Was it Luca or was it MC? It was too dim to make out any distinct features, yet then again, my fogged brain couldn’t function properly from the dehydration.
“I won’t be able to carry his body out of here,” Alfie says looking up to him.
“Then just let him rot here,” the man replies.