The Storms

Chapter ten

Damien stormed out of the shop, growing increasingly anxious about the girls taking too long. As he walked, he spotted Brielle's purse on the floor and quickly picked it up. Aylee's bag and Damien's card were also scattered nearby.

"Alice!" he yelled, prompting Alice to rush out of the store.

"Do you have security cameras around the store?" Damien asked urgently.

"Yeah, why?" Alice inquired.

"I think the girls might have been kidnapped," he said, reaching for his phone to call Vincent.

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Brielle woke up in pain, her head pounding. As she looked around, she realized she was in some kind of basement, and Aylee was tied up in front of her.

"Aylee," she said, gently waking up her friend.

"Brielle, where are we?" Aylee asked. Before Brielle could answer, a man spoke up.

"You are going to your new home," he declared, descending the stairs. Brielle's attention shifted to him as he turned on the light. Maintaining an unusually calm tone, she asked, "What do you want?" This surprised Aylee, considering their precarious situation in a dimly lit basement with creepy men around them.

"Brielle Storm and Aylee Rosemen," the man identified them.

"Who are you?" Brielle inquired.

"You don't need to know my name. We are holding you until the master comes." At this, Brielle felt her chest tighten. She knew who the master was — the one who had trained her, who had trained Blake, who had manipulated her into committing acts of violence for his benefit. "Okay," Brielle conceded, her demeanor shifting. Breaking free from her restraints, she grabbed a chair and struck the man, knocking him out.

"Okay, what the..." Aylee exclaimed. Brielle didn't waste time; she quickly untied her.

"I'll explain after we get out of here. For now, find a sharp object and hide. I'll come back for you," Brielle instructed, going to inspect the man's body for any weapons. She found a knife and a gun. Before leaving, she decided to incapacitate the man further by placing the knife against his neck.

"You just killed him," Aylee said, fear evident in her voice.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Brielle reassured, starting to ascend the stairs.

"What, Bri? What are you?" Aylee asked, causing Brielle to pause.

"Let's just say I was trained from a young age to be a killer. Go hide," Brielle said before heading upstairs.

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"I don't care what you have to do; just find them!" Damien yelled into his phone. Despite being the don of the second most powerful mafia, he found himself without answers. Two girls were missing, and the uncertainty gnawed at him.

"Dad," Johnathan said, entering Damien's office.

"Yes, son," Damien replied, making a conscious effort to calm his voice. He was angry, but his kids didn't deserve that tone. "Blake is losing it. He saw the video and started packing a bag. When we tried to stop him, he said he would kill us," reported Johnathan, leaving the room with Damien on his tail.

They arrived where Blake was, coincidentally in Brielle's room. The rest of the siblings, excluding Blake, sat on the couch. Blake emerged from Brielle's closet with some clothes, swiftly packing them into a duffle bag. "Blake," Damien called, but Blake didn't respond, merely zipping up the bag. He grabbed another duffle bag and began packing some of Brielle's books, a collection she had started. Blake then moved on to Gideon's belongings.

"Blake, stop," Victor implored.

"No, I have to find her and get us away," Blake asserted. Damien exchanged a look with Vincent, silently conveying the need to intervene. They approached Blake, each taking one arm. Blake reacted swiftly, breaking free and delivering punches to both Vincent and Damien.

"How the hell can you fight like that, man?" Jackson questioned as he attempted to get closer, only to receive a punch in the stomach.

"I won't let you put us through that again," Blake declared.

"What again? Blake, you are not in danger," Damien insisted, holding his nose.

"No, you're trying to play mind tricks again. I have killed before, and I will kill you if you hurt Brielle," Blake threatened, ready to launch another attack.

"Blake," Johnathan called, gently taking his arm, resulting in Blake twisting away. Johnathan doubled over in pain.

"I can't do it again. I can't," Blake cried out. The rest of the Storms stared at him, witnessing a surge of emotions they had never seen from Blake.

"Why aren't you coming at me? You never stopped me from hurting you before," Blake cried out. "Come on, sir, you've hurt me my entire life. You let your friends do as they pleased with my sister. So come at me," Blake challenged, putting his hands on his head. Suddenly, Blake seemed to snap out of his frenzy, looking around at his family.

Damien and Vincent held their noses, Victor clutched his stomach, Jackson comforted Johnathan, and Oliver and Oscar looked frightened.

"Oh my god. What have I done?" Blake looked at his dad, who returned the gaze. Blake fell to his knees, and Damien rushed over to him.

"It's okay, Blake," Damien said, attempting to calm him down.

"No, I hurt you, Dad. I am so sorry," Blake cried out. Damien pulled him into his chest, and Blake continued to express his remorse.

"I have to tell you guys something," Blake finally said.

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"So you have killed people," Aylee asked.

"Yes," Brielle responded, calmly packing some food into a bag.

"And you've experienced enough trauma for like 20 people. Is that why you're emotionless?" Aylee inquired.

"Yeah, now go get everything out of that first aid kit," Brielle instructed, pointing to the sizable first aid kit hanging up. She had eliminated every person inside the cabin where they woke up, finding a phone. Aylee and she were about a two-hour hike away from a road and then a three-hour walk from Brielle's street.

After scavenging the cabin for supplies and both sleeping in a bedroom, they packed up the found items and set out. As they made their way out of the house, Brielle had her gun at the ready, and Aylee mirrored her actions. Brielle had taught Aylee the basics of using a gun. They entered the woods, starting their hike.

Two hours passed quickly, and Brielle suggested they stop for a rest. They sat down, ate, and took a drink of water before resuming their journey.

"This doesn't change anything," Aylee stated.

"Our friendship?" Brielle questioned.

"Yes. You are my first friend, Brielle. You are the first person to stick up for me. Heck, you just saved my life. This also makes me respect you more," Aylee expressed.

"Why?" Brielle asked.

"Bri, you may not show many emotions, but you are the strongest and kindest person I know. Never let anyone say you are a victim. You are a survivor," Aylee affirmed. Brielle smiled at her and hugged her, causing them to stop for a moment. They then resumed their journey.