“Yes, he was your best friend when you were young. You two were a pain in the ass when you were together.”
Dante chuckles and that’s makes me feel relived; he didn’t lose all his human side after all.
“When you disappeared, we became a family he and I, like we needed, you know. Mom and dad became two depressed individuals, Carter's parents were still the same idiots as always, so we had little choice, we had to join forces to move on.”
“Sarah said he's too cocky,” he whispers, so she doesn't hear.
I laugh for two reasons. One, nobody has a better hearing than Sarah’s and two, because that’s true about him.
“Well yes, it's true, but they have a beef right now. Long story short, Carter tried to keep Sarah in America, under my orders of course, and Sarah didn't take it very well. By the way, remind me that I have to kick his stupid ass when we get home.”
“Home?” he asks, testing the word on his lips.
“Yeah, where do you think we'll go when we get out of this filthy tunnel? Back to the States.”
His silence scares me. “Still got the Stockholm syndrome, bro?”
“No! No...well, I don't know what that is, but it doesn't sound good, I just can't imagine what it's like over there...”
Shit, is his brain that bad?
“Well, living there is really great. We have good food and huge couches. You will get your life back soon enough, you'll see.”
“But Bruno, where am I going to live? Work?”
“Don't worry about that now.”
“I'm good at cleaning, I can clean your—”
I stop abruptly, turn and push him against the rocky wall. I don't know what’s happening to me, to my body, but I'm so fucking pissed!
His face is pure panic.
“You will not lift a single finger, Dante, get it out of your head. You are nobody's slave, NO ONE'S.” I yell, watching Amira suspiciously.
In less than a second Sarah is next to me, “Hey, calm down!” she says while pushing me away from my brother.
I'm suddenly agitated and furious. They screwed him up!
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, it's just that it’s a little scary to think of another life than the one I know.”
His words jolt my body as if "The Rock" had shoved a fist into my jaw. The adrenaline goes down and now I feel like a fucking idiot. With tears in my eyes, I pull him towards me and hug him tightly, he slowly gives back the hug by resting his arms on my back. “Sorry brother, I can't hold back the hatred I feel for what these people did to you, I’m sorry.”
He says nothing; he just hugs me harder.
“Guys, I hate to interrupt this, but we need to keep moving.” Sarah claims.
We let go without really wanting to, and we go on our own way.
No one talks again.
“I think this is it.” Dante says after a few minutes.
“How do you know that?” I say looking up.
“Judging from the distance we've travelled; I think it's highly likely.”
I step forward and place my hands upon the rusty, spider-webbed ladder. The hatch is above my head; I climb up enough to put my ear there and just listen.
“Alright folks, you stay here and I’m—”
Sarah grabs my right foot and says, “Where do you think you're going without me?”
I look down and she has her arms crossed and an eyebrow high.
God, I love this woman.
