Trapped By Mafia Possesion

Milan, Italy.

Campo Marzio Motel.

Maura reread the name of the building on the piece of paper she was holding, then looked up to read the name on the building sign. A rough sigh escaped that instant. The building in front of her now seemed to have three levels, not too big but wide, minimal lighting, and dirty parts on the walls. There were only lights from about five rooms lit up on the second level and the first level. The rest looked like there was no life.

"Is there life here?" Maura asked herself.

With a heavy heart that made her sigh for the umpteenth time, Maura took another step. But having just reached the third step, the vibrate on her cell phone as well as the notification sound stopped her again. Maura flinched slightly before grabbing the phone from her pants pocket.

Client A:

Room 167, 1st floor.

Maura furrowed her brows. After raising her head, Maura noticed the building in front of her. The first floor was almost completely dark and there were no lights on. Isn't there no-oh, wait, there's the room!

Maura smiled wryly when she saw the only light on on the first floor. It must be room 167. She was just about to take another step, but the corner of one eye felt a silhouette flashing from the right side. When she turned her head, unfortunately Maura only saw a scene of darkness and silence. The only illumination was from the reflected light of the street lamp.

It just so happened that this motel was on the edge of the district road.

In the darkness, there were leafy trees with thick grass as high as an adult's knee. There was no one there. But Maura felt someone peeking out from behind a tree trunk, or perhaps among the bushes. Maura squinted to clear her vision. There was no one, but the grass near a tree was moving very slowly. Movement that seemed to indicate someone was walking among it.

At first Maura wanted to dodge. Strangely, only the grass on that part of the tree moved, the rest did not. Even when Maura tried to check the wind, the wind was not big enough to shake the tall grass.

Maura suddenly had a bad feeling. The thick silence blew a cold breeze down her neck. Maura's goosebumps bristled. The more she looked at the darkness of the tree-lined area, the more Maura was overshadowed by the figure of someone watching her.

For a few seconds looking at the darkness, Maura finally shook her head to drive away bad thoughts.

One step, two steps, three steps...

Maura again caught the movement of a person's silhouette through the tail of her eyes. The same direction as before. The movement of turning her head was not fast enough so Maura still only saw the darkness of the land. But at that very moment, her ears caught a sound like the scraping of shoes against grass. It was the sound of someone falling.

Her instincts began to sound the alarm. Her heart pumped rapidly as her breath caught. An ominous swish flowed with a sense of unease. The sound lasted for about five seconds, then silence returned. Furthermore, Maura's ears only heard the echoing sound of crows chirping that had been circulating since she arrived here. Maura's curiosity peaked.

She slowly moved forward while tilting her head. Her gaze remained fixed on the bushes. The closer she got, the more she felt a swish creeping into the crevices of her chest. The only sound was her own breathing.

Maura turned on her phone's flashlight and shined it towards the suspected bushes. Unfortunately, the sound of a message notification accompanied by five vibrations of the cell phone jolted Maura. Suddenly she glanced at her pants pocket, then snorted in disgust. No need to ask, this must be a notification from the client.

"It's so noisy. Just disturbing people," Maura muttered. She had to put her curiosity on hold and assume that the silhouette of a person was just a bad feeling.

Maura entered the motel building. The motel hallway greeted Maura's eyes with dim lighting. Maura wondered, could the Client really not afford to rent an expensive hotel? Or at least a better hotel than this even though it was not expensive. Maura felt like protesting, but her position as a servant of a hired lover prevented her.

After all, she was getting paid for this, and this client said he would pay a pretty high price. Who wouldn't?

Maura walked down the quiet hallway. Her footsteps echoed. She approached the reception desk. The reception desk of this motel had no attendant. Maura furrowed her brow and checked left and right, then checked her cell phone again.

Client A:

Just go in. No need to go to the front desk.

There were honestly three other messages, but Maura didn't heed the Client's call. How impatient!

Maura continued down the hallway. It was dim, soundless, and devoid of anyone's presence. Maura suspected that this motel had actually gone bankrupt and was being forced into operation. Maura judged from the appearance of the outer walls of the building, which had a wide spread slum stain. Unkempt bushes, shady trees, iron gates with wires twisting irregularly.

Who was the crazy person who wanted to stay at this motel?

"Rooms 164, 165, 166..." Maura muttered as she scanned the room numbers. Maura's steps stopped right in front of a door with a rectangular wooden sign that read 'Room 167'. "Room 167. Finally!"

In the next second, the smile on Maura's face faded. She bit her lower lip looking nervously at the door before her. What would the client who requested a meeting with her look like now?

Maura slowly opened the door. Lights emerged from inside the room as the door opened wider and wider. Maura craned her neck to the side, peeking out slightly. When the door was half open and Maura stepped inside, a man stood with his back to her. He was looking out the window. I don't know what he saw, but he completely ignored Maura's arrival.

Maura watched the man for a moment. He was tall and well-built, wearing only a white shirt under a suit with the sleeves folded. His hair was covered by a light brown hoop hat. Maura faintly saw smoke creeping to the side, indicating that the man was smoking. Maura exhaled roughly.

"Excuse me? You told me to come here," Maura said as a conversation starter.

The man didn't answer right away. It took a few seconds, then chuckled. "Yes, I ordered you."

The man's chuckle was deep. Mysterious. Maura remembered the sound of the villain's laughter in the thriller movies she watched. From the sound of his voice, Maura guessed that this man was thirty to forty.

"So, why did you ignore me?" she asked calmly.

"What should I do? Do you want to start right away?"

Maura's whole body stiffened. The man's word 'start' sounded very ambiguous. Maura took a deep breath, then let it out softly.

"It's not like that..." Maura's throat was suddenly choked with nervousness. For some reason the image of what this man would do to her flashed through her mind. Maura closed her eyes. "I mean, you were the one who couldn't wait to send me a bunch of messages. But after I came, you didn't say hello at all."

Wait, why did her words sound like she was impatient to 'give herself up'?

For a few seconds there was only silence. Maura played with her nails with her eyes still closed and shook her head repeatedly. It was always like this whenever Maura was dealing with new clients. Plus, the quiet atmosphere of this motel made her wonder what if something happened and she couldn't escape anywhere.

What a scary thought.

"Is it important?" The man's voice sounded very low. The man slowly turned around, but his head was still bowed. "Do you want to start the game now?"

Maura moved back sluggishly as the man before her raised his head while lowering the hat that covered his face. A grin curled up. His dim black eyes looked at Maura with a sharp gaze.

"Too bad, I wanted to wait a little longer."

Maura's heart was racing fast in time with her breathing. Maura's whole body stiffened. As if locked, Maura could not move her limbs. Her timid gaze looked straight at the mysterious man.

"Oh, there you are." The man shook his head looking at something behind Maura.

Maura's head spontaneously moved to turn around, then choked up at the sight of another figure in an all-black suit wearing a round hat. Half of his face was covered, but Maura caught a wide curved smile revealing his teeth.

"Welcome to hell, Maura."

Maura just turned her gaze forward. Her body gasped as she saw the mysterious man standing in front of her. Maura's breath caught as her entire face was now on display.

"You..." Maura's sentence hung.

"Yes, it's me. Long time no see, huh?"

"Asshole."

The sentence escaped Maura's lips after the blindfold was removed. In front of her, a stern-faced man displayed an expression of satisfaction. His sinister laughter came out looking at Maura who was limply bound all over. Echoing in the narrow room, there were many crust stains on the walls, but the lights were too brightly lit.

"Ah, you've grown so big and beautiful, Maura," said a man in front of Maura. His hand moved towards Maura's neck and gave it a gentle stroke. "How come I didn't know about your existence all this time?"

Maura gritted her teeth, then tried to move her hands that were tied behind her body. Maura's brown eyes flashed at the strange man in front of her. "Do you know where I am?"

The man in front of Maura raised both eyebrows, then laughed wryly. "From where? Hey, don't forget my warning a few years ago. I told you not to try to run because I can still find you."

"That's long past, asshole! I have nothing to do with your problems!" Maura shouted in furious protest.

"Of course you do!" The man's tone was no less elevated, making Maura show the sharpness of her eyes even more. The man gripped Maura's jaw hard and looked up. "You think you can live in peace? Even if your father has a seventh descendant, I'll find and finish them off!"

Maura closed her eyes, enduring the pain from the pressure of this man's sharp nails on the skin of her cheeks. The man deliberately lowered the fingers with the pressure of his sharp nails, creating pain on the skin of Maura's cheeks. As Maura hissed in pain, the man grinned.

"You shouldn't be Oscar's descendant. That fool has absolutely no ingenuity, easy to trap," the man whispered in Maura's ear, provoking a pair of Maura's eyes to open.

"S-sial... argh! Don't you feel guilty?"

"For what I did? Unfortunately... your father deserved to die," the man replied, tilting his head with a satisfied look.

Maura really did not understand why this man was targeting her. She wanted to protest more, but the pressure of the nails on the skin of her cheeks held Maura's lips. No words could come out freely, all she felt was the pain of the scratches. Even the pain after hearing the words of the man in front of her.

"B-not... my father who... pan... bag... died..." With difficulty Maura uttered her sentence. "B-but... you..."

The man was enraged. He slammed Maura's cheek to the side. Maura's breath caught, not immediately lifting her face. For a few seconds Maura closed her eyes to catch her own breath. She couldn't let herself get emotional. The rapid pumping of her heart made her chest squeeze tightly.

"You're still acting," said the man in front of Maura. His tone was emphatic and cynical.

It seemed like Maura couldn't help but get angry. After lifting her face, Maura spat in the face of the man in front of her without including any hint of emotion on her face.

"Get off me, you bastard," Maura hissed with firmness. There was no fear.

The man in front of Maura wore an artificially surprised expression. "Wow, it turns out that you also grew up to be a rude person. Just like your father."

Maura's chest heated up at the mention of father. Her mouth snarled as her face slowly advanced until they were already close to each other, now only an inch apart.

"You made my father like that," Maura replied.

The man raised both eyebrows, intrigued by Maura's reaction. "Are you blaming me?" he asked. "It's your own father's fault for breaking the agreement."

Maura's breath caught. The man's words snapped her memory back a few years. Maura clenched her fists and jerked her own shoulders. The rope was too strong.

"What do you want?" asked Maura without further ado.

"Hmm... what do I want?" The man furrowed his brow. Then a mocking smile curved. "I want you," he said with a chuckle.

Maura laughed wryly. "What for? I don't have anything for you to wear."

"Your body," the man said. "You're the only one left from your father's family. It's a shame your brother has to go to prison."

"There is no need to bring up my brother," Maura insisted. "You were the cause of my family's destruction."

"Is that so? But I don't feel that I'm the cause at all."

"What can you realize about yourself?" Maura asked with a sardonic smile. "I will not allow someone like you to touch my body."

The grin on the man's face gradually faded. A streak of annoyance formed from the sharp curve of the eyebrows. A look of offense crossed his face.

"Hey, you're a nobody but dare to challenge me?"

Just as the man raised his hand to deliver a slap, a loud crashing sound echoed. Maura and the man in front of her turned their attention towards the door, then widened their eyes when they saw a truck speeding through the door into the room.

Maura's face was even more dumbfounded as the wide wooden door of this room was shattered instantly.

"Damn. Who's that freak?" The man in front of Maura turned around and squinted when the truck's headlights were turned on.

Maura's eyes narrowed under the spotlight. The truck had only stopped a few meters in front of the old man in front of Maura. The sound of the horn sounding repeatedly was deafening, making Maura hiss because she couldn't close her ears. It only lasted for five seconds.

With the car's headlights still shining in the eyes, the sound of gunshots rang out three times. Unbeknownst to the man, several people descended from the back of the car. The movement was so fast that Maura did not realize that someone was standing behind her.

"Need me to let go?"

Maura gasped as her head turned to the source of the voice. She squinted to see a man wearing glasses and an all-black suit.

"HEY, WHO ARE YOU?"

Maura was confused when the noisy sound of fighting was immediately heard. But from the side, someone who had just arrived who knows who asked again, "Hey, don't want me to let go?"

Maura's gaze turned away. "Who are you?" she asked a man who looked at her straight on behind sunglasses. "I don't want to carelessly follow someone strange like you."

"This place will be destroyed soon. Do you want to stay here and be reduced to rubble?" the man asked.

Maura furrowed her brows. Before she could answer, gunshots suddenly rang out. Maura's breath caught as she saw the sight of several of the old man's bodyguards lying on the ground after being shot. The strangers who had just gotten off the truck had fired brutally.

"Aish. You took so long to answer!"

Maura looked to the side, startled because the Man-who-knows-who had suddenly done God knows what to the rope in her hand. Maura hissed and glared in panic.

Maura looked to the side, startled because the Man-who-knows-who had suddenly done God knows what to the rope in her hand. Maura hissed and glared in panic.

"Hey, what do you want?" Maura asked.

The man behind Maura did not answer. With a wary look, Maura watched the scene in front of her. From a few meters away, the old man who was holding Maura earlier was already running in the direction Maura was. His jaw was covered in blood. Maura instantly panicked.

"He's looking this way!" Maura urged the man behind her.

As if he understood who she meant, the man behind her chuckled. As the man stepped closer, the ropes binding Maura's body and hands were untied.

The man behind Maura straightened up and pointed a gun at the approaching man. Maura closed her eyes as a gunshot rang out from the gun next to her face. The bullet hit the man's leg until the sound of a man's groan could be heard. The man's body fell forward in seconds.

"Get out of here, you can go through all that chaos?" The man behind Maura asked in a voice implying a glimpse of worry.

Maura looked at the scene in front of her. People lying helplessly, blood pooling, fights that crushed each other. The atmosphere that sparked Maura's memory until she didn't realize her body almost staggered backwards. But the man behind her caught her wrist and hissed.

"You come with me!"

Maura gasped when the man behind her suddenly pulled away to run. Just as she opened her mouth to protest, a gunshot jerked her away. Maura let out a shriek, distracting the old man who had gotten up limply. Meanwhile, the man on the side led Maura along the back road, away from the chaotic scene.

Maura gasped when the man behind her suddenly pulled away to run. Just as Maura opened her mouth to protest, a gunshot jerked her away. Maura let out a scream, distracting the old man who was already limping to his feet. Meanwhile, the man on the side led Maura along the back road, away from the chaotic scene.

"Hey, why did you save me?" Maura exclaimed amidst the escape of herself and this man-who-knows-who. Her breathing began to catch between exhaustion and fear.

The man didn't move, still holding Maura's wrist as if he didn't want to let go. Only when he was far enough away from the chaotic atmosphere did the man stop inviting Maura to run. He turned around, looking at Maura with a sharpness in his eyes.

"I only got rid of the witness. Not saving you."

As soon as the man turned around and was about to pull Maura's hand again, Maura pulled her hand to hold the man's steps. When they turned around, their gazes clashed for a few moments. Maura could only see a pair of eyes because the man's face was covered with a black cloth.

"What's your name?"

Then there was silence. The sound of Maura's breathing filled the silence.

"It's not important."

"It is important," Maura said immediately. "I didn't know that if we ever met again, I could recognize you and return the favor."

The man sounded chuckled, sarcastically. "It is certain that you will not want to know me after knowing me, Maura."

Maura's body stiffened. He knew her name?!

(4 months later)

"LASAGNA BOLOGNISE, TABLE NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR!" The loud exclamation came from behind the counter.

The atmosphere of this restaurant in one of the small districts was bustling. Usually, there was a surge of customers on holidays. Three waitresses were pacing back and forth, including Maura. She was overwhelmed by the number of customers, which became more and more abundant as the day went on. Repeatedly, some customers called out to her to place an early order or to add more. Maura's harsh sigh came out for the umpteenth time.

The buzz of conversation and laughter from certain tables filled the air. The sound of small children crying was inevitable. Maura had just finished recording an additional order from a customer, then walked quickly to the cashier's window.

"More orders," Maura said as she handed a piece of paper to one of her coworkers.

"Oh my. Shouldn't Mr. Carlo have added more employees here?" Audric, Maura's male coworker, frowned at the bustle in front of him. The man's face looked both annoyed and resigned.

Maura chuckled, then tapped her index finger on a piece of paper. "Do your job first, don't complain too much. This customer is a bit fierce."

Audric turned to look at Maura, showing curiosity. Maura quietly glanced around, then beckoned Audric to one of the tables. The customer from earlier had gotten angry at Maura for being impatient to add to the order.

"Ah... understandable," Audric replied, nodding his head.

Maura's index finger was pointed at Audric while wiggling gently. Her eyes narrowed with a lopsided smile. As if signaling Audric not to talk about anything.

Audric chuckled. Maura now stepped towards the door of the restaurant. Outside the building, there was a line of customers waiting in line. Maura really couldn't understand those who gave up their time and energy to queue at this restaurant.

"Please enter the front three rows. There are three tables-" Before Maura could finish her sentence, the people in the front three rows immediately ran into the restaurant. Maura's body staggered back a bit to give way to them.

After they had entered, Maura was left looking at them in disbelief. It felt like Maura wanted to be annoyed, but the customers before her were staring innocently. As a result, Maura smiled and nodded her head while giving a waiting signal. The customer exhaled as he rolled his eyes in disgust.

Wait, that should be Maura!

Turning to the restaurant, Maura was about to step inside. But the sound of a motorcycle roaring to a halt distracted her. Maura furrowed her brows when she saw someone in an orange jacket get off the motorcycle while taking something from a sizable plastic bag.

"In the name of Maura Gia Florenza?" the man asked while reading the description on the package in his hand.

Maura was taken aback. "I... yes?"

The man handed Maura a slightly wide box-shaped package. It was not large. "For you," he said.

"Wait, from whom?" asked Maura. She was a little hesitant because she didn't have anyone close to her. She even lived alone.

"No sender's name," the man replied.

Maura accepted the package hesitantly. She nodded briefly as a sign of thanks, then the man left. For a few moments Maura watched the man leave before examining the package in her hand. Curiosity was instantly sparked, prompting her to immediately run over.

But instead of continuing her work, Maura approached Audric and dragged her partner by the hand.

"Hey, hey! What are you doing? I want to work!" Audric babbled as she was dragged by Maura towards a deeper room for employees.

Maura hissed. "Shhh. Shut up! Just for a second."

Audric's eyes fell on the package in Maura's hand. "What is that thing? Someone sent you a package?" she asked, not getting an answer from Maura. Then Audric came up with her own conclusion. "Well... gee, or don't tell me you have a girlfriend now?!"

Maura squinted sharply at Audric, making the man instantly purse his lips. Clearly the wrong question. Maura didn't even believe in the concept of love.

"Here, someone gave me a package." Maura showed the package, placing it in the middle of herself and Audric. "But there's no sender's name. That's weird. I even live alone and there's no way I'd expect a distant relative to send me something."

Audric watched as Maura deftly cut open the package. Her face looked impatient and curious.

"But it could be. Who knows, a distant relative might miss you?" asked Audric.

Maura stopped cutting and looked up at Audric. "My father is an only child, while my mother's siblings are scattered and don't even contact each other."

"Could it be your mother?"

Maura's body stiffened. But Maura made herself look calm. "Ah, no way. What would she send me something for?"

Maura and Audric no longer said anything. They focused on the package box that had been opened. Maura tore off the outer wrapper of the package with all her might, then opened the lid of the box which turned out to be smaller than she expected.

Inside the box were four printed photographs, a rectangular brown mailing envelope, and a sound recording device. Maura furrowed her brow.

"I thought it was food," Audric said originally.

Maura took four prints, while Audric took a voice recorder. The four prints showed a view of the hills, an abandoned place, a wooden door, and a room that felt familiar to Maura.

For a few seconds Maura watched the four prints. The only thing Maura recognized was the photo of the room with aluminum walls. The crusts of stains on the walls of the room reminded Maura of the incident four months ago. The room in this photo was exactly the same as the room where she was kept.

Maura suddenly felt nauseous remembering the bodyguards who were shot by a group of who-knows-who. But Maura's mind was more focused on the person who saved her. At that time Maura was told to leave, and as a result Maura no longer knew what happened in that place because she ran away, alone. To this day, Maura doesn't even know who that someone is.

As for the other two photos, the photo of the hill and the photo of the wide wooden door at the front of the place, Maura could barely recognize. At that time Maura ran away at night so the surroundings were dark. Even if it was true that the two places in this photo when put together with the other two photos were Maura's place of confinement, then...

"The sender is him," Maura said almost softly. She gazed uncertainly at the photo in her hand.

Audric turned his head. "Her? Who is she?"

Maura didn't answer. She quickly opened the rectangular envelope, taking out the piece of paper inside. For many seconds Maura's eyes were focused on the sentences written on the paper. The corners of her lips could not help but curl into a very thin smile. The sentence on the paper read:

You must be questioning something. Come, let's meet. Cecilia Hotel.

Maura's whole body flinched stiffly. She stared at the letter for a few moments, then turned to Audric who had apparently been watching for a few seconds. With curious lines on her forehead, Maura looked at Audric seriously.

"Can you help me find information about the murder four months ago?"