I thought that the exchange was over and Federico has been shot to death when I stopped hearing the gunshots. But it turns out that Federico is still alive because he had a backup of men hiding in strategic locations. They succeeded in outsmarting and forcing Derrick to drop his guns and surrender.
All the other security men that came together with Derrick have been mercilessly wasted, — some dead and some severely injured on the floor.
I could've ended up like them if the universe hasn't decided to be on my side today. The bullet that hit me did not directly hit me, it only grazed the flesh on my shoulder hard enough to cause me a lot of bleeding.
Although it hurts like hell, there's no time for me to cry. I should be thankful for being alive when so many people have lost their lives right in front of my eyes.
I don't know how everything happened to fast, but right now, all of us, the girls who are lucky to be alive are lying on the floor, obviously traumatized. My vision has become too blurry that I can't search through the faces to find if Areum and Yun Hee are still together with the other group. I can't see any of them.
But I can see Mrs Choi, at least not her face but her figure. The old woman is hugging the wall as if her life depends on that. It's easy to conclude that among all of us, she's the one who's most afraid of death.
"If you fail to cooperate, I know where to find your wife and kids,
Derrick. And when I do, you know what will come next." I hear Federico's voice speaking from the other room.
Rolling a little bit more closer to the door behind me, I stylishly press my ear on the doorframe in a way that Federico's men will not easily suspect me of trying to eavesdrop.
Federico and Derrick have been talking in there for more than ten minutes now and I'm sure that Federico is questioning Derrick to make him sell out any valuable information he has.
"Enough with the threat and just tell me what you want." I hear Derrick's reply to him.
"Give me the security card to floor 6. Waste my time and I will give orders for the hit to proceed."
Why does Federico want the security card to floor 6? I wonder as I continue to eavesdrop on what they're saying. My mind suddenly make a quick recall and I remember the rumor about the gold hidden in floor 6.
"If you're here for the gold, I won't be of help to you. I don't have the access to that floor." Now Derrick's voice is speaking. "Master Jin is the only one authorized to access that floor."
This has confirmed my suspicion that Federico is here to steal the Gold all in the name of looking for Kai. He's such a cunning bastard.
"Then get me the security card to floor 7. I will like to have a talk with Luca. I know he's still up there. By now, he should know why we're here."
I'm still focusing on listening to the conversation when I feel a sharp kick at the back of my head that sends me flying away from the doorframe.
"Hey, putta, get away from there. Right now! Go and join your friends over there." I scrunch my face and look at the guy who has kicked me, and is now yelling at me.
Idiot. He's calling me that horrible name he heard from Federico. Those Italian bastards have no respect for women.
"Hana ya, you're bleeding." Areum suddenly appears before me, holding a piece of cloth. "Here, let me tie your arm, you're bleeding so much." She goes down on her knees and start wrapping the cloth around my arm.
I'm surprised that the guy doesn't stop her from helping me. I thought her action will cause a negative reaction from him. But he turns his face away and start ordering the other men to clear the dead bodies scattered across the floor.
"The bullet is not in there, you're very lucky." Areum says as her hand gently pat my other arm. "I know it will hurt so much, but still, how are you feeling?"
I nod my head in reply. "I'm okay. It doesn't hurt as much as it looks like it will." I manage with another nod of assurance. Areum reminds me of Mira, that bubbly personality. They both have this one thing in common, — being courageous and helpful even in the face of death.
Everything we've been through so far should have been horrible enough to drive any normal girl insane. It amazes me to see that some of us are still holding out strong as though we already had it in us. Especially Areum.
And maybe me too. I'm sure a lot of the girls that end up in this place must've had a rough life. A past that must've hardened their minds.
Right. A past. Everyone has a past, except that mine is bizarre. It's in bits and pieces and I surely don't remember all of it.
I close my eyes as a weird sensation embraces my skin. It's very odd but I have this overwhelming feeling like something similar to this incident has happened before in my life. Like a repetition of a certain occurrence from my past.
It's just a deja vu feeling, I know, but how comes it feels so powerful and so real?
It scares me . . .
I feel like my memory is about to spark up to make me remember something. The blood on the floor. . . The pile of bodies. . . The smell of death. . . I must've experienced a thing like this in my past. And no, not the gun battle that happened during the exchange that got Master Jin shot.
I feel a wave of tension in my head that makes me want to throw up. Gory images flashes into my eyes and my head feels heavy as if it's suddenly being loaded with another person's memories.
Areum whispers something as she helps me up on my feet and we move closer to the other girls sitting at the other end of the lobby.
I'm trying to distract my mind away from what I feel when I notice Federico coming out of the room together with Derrick.
"Move all the girls in one room and lock them up." He gives an order to one of his men. "Except that one," he points towards my direction, smirking. "The consigliere has paid a hefty amount of money to have that putta safely delivered to him."
The consigliere? Are we filming a Vincenzo?