METAMORPHOSIS
"You don't have to say it. I already know!" Mandy sneered at John's reflection in the mirror. Using her hand, she felt her way around the reflective maze but couldn't figure out which path she originally came from. Multiple paths were around her, some even hidden behind the walls.
"Where did you make the turn?" John asked, sounding much calmer than Mandy did.
"I don't know. The last round of guys got me all turned around. Now I don't know where you are. Much less where I am…." Mandy muttered the last part while using her hands to guide herself. She knew her face was burning with embarrassment, but there was no point in hiding it since John had a view of her from all sides. She knew he had to be close since they could still see each other, but for the life of her, Mandy hadn't the slightest idea where he was. "Fuck it! Whoever gets to the exit first will just have to keep going. The other will catch up."
John's frown was deep and stretched far across his bruised face. He obviously didn't want to be separated but didn't see the point in arguing. For all they know, Santino could already be out of the maze and heading to the Continental.
"Fine, but…take care of yourself."
"Yes, dear," Mandy said and turned a corner, immediately losing sight of John. She listened momentarily as his footsteps got further away before pushing on. "This is so stupid…" she groaned while taking small steps forward, running into another mirror, and having to alter course. "For the love of…get me out of here!"
Mandy held her hands out to the side and glided her finger across the mirror, slowly but surely finding a path. She kept her eyes on the reflections but saw nothing aside from her own appearance. Still, she knew Ares had to be somewhere. Keeping that in mind, Mandy steadied her pace and watched the mirrors closely.
The maze eventually led to a long corridor with mirrors on either side. Seemingly an exit. Mandy turned down the hall and jogged slowly as the doors slid open one by one. As the last door opened, Ares appeared on the other side, brandishing a knife that she immediately tried to stab Mandy with.
If Ares had one thing on her side, it was speed. Mandy hardly had a second to react as she dodged knife blows one after another, coming inches shy of being cut. She swung her arms up and blocked the blade before quickly grabbing Ares's arm and twisting it around, flipping her onto her back. Mandy stomped rapidly on her hand until Ares lost the knife, kicking it away.
It was clear Mandy had more training against people with speed, so Ares no longer had the upper hand as she struggled to regain her senses. She tried to get back to her feet but felt Mandy ram her knee straight into her ribs, knocking the air from her lungs and zapping her strength.
Still not letting up, Ares yelled angrily and swept her legs over Mandy's, taking the woman's feet out from beneath her. In the moment of reprieve, Ares searched for the knife and felt her fingers curl up over something cold and sharp. Grasping the knife tightly, she clambered over Mandy's body and held the knife over her head.
Before she could bring the knife down, the doors beside them slid open, and Ares felt strong hands grab her shoulders, yanking her off. Her whole body was slammed against the wall, and she looked up just in time to see John swing her knife down. Ares lifted her hand to block it, but the knife pierced straight through her palm and right into her chest.
Mandy got up slowly and watched Ares's body slide down the wall, gasping angrily as she glared at them both. John yanked the knife from her chest and tossed it aside. He searched through her jacket pockets and pulled out her gun and two full magazines. He tossed one of them back to Mandy and stood up, loading his new weapon.
John didn't even spare a single glance more at Ares and walked away from her. Mandy stayed behind a little longer and watched Ares move her hands, signing something to her. 'Be seeing you,' she motioned between movements.
Mandy sighed. "Ares…I don't know what you're trying to say," she groaned, flipping her hand out in a weak salute. "Be seeing you…." With that, she turned around and followed John.
Ares faced forward and shook her head, chuckling to herself as the doors slid close.
Covered in fragments of shattered glass and dripping blood, Santino strutted with purpose through the front doors of the Continental Hotel. Determined to mask signs of frightful fear on his face, he wore a stern expression with dilated and unwavering eyes. Yet, all these attempts seemed useless when he walked with a prominent limp and glanced over his shoulder every other second. The fear was ravenous, tangling around his every move like thick vines. He couldn't hide it. No matter how much he tried.
"Good evening." Santino took a breath as he came up to the front desk. "Is the manager in?" he asked in a sharp whisper, glancing over his shoulder for the fifth time since he entered the building.
"The manager…is always in," the concierge said crisply. "He's inside the bar with Mrs. Ancelet."
Santino grimaced at the name before turning and heading toward the bar.
When Santino entered the bar, he spotted Winston and Marie-Laura sitting on the two couches beside the fireplace. Winston's eyes were focused on a newspaper in his lap. At the same time, Marie-Laura had a couple of modeling papers on the table, looking at each with great interest.
"Winston," Santino called out and hurried down the steps.
Winston looked up from his paper, blinking with mild surprise at Santino's state. Marie, on the other hand, had a look of amusement across her face. She wasn't shocked and expected him to look as disheveled as he was.
"Your evening has been colorful it seems," Winston said smoothly. "Seeking safe harbor, I presume."
Santino huffed at the remark and strolled over to them. "I want their membership revoked. Now," he ordered; his face pushed up in a scowl that completely destroyed his handsome features.
"In the eyes of this institution, Mr. Wick and Ms. Rose have breached no legalities."
"Then you know I have the right to demand-"
"Nothing. You demand nothing of me," Winston firmly said, removing his glasses. "This kingdom is mine and mine alone."
Santino didn't say anything for a moment. His face cringed up, and he looked between Winston and Marie. He wouldn't even dare ask that woman for help, because he already knew she would deny it. Probably even laugh in his face. "Right. Then enjoy your kingdom…while you still can."
"And you… it's privileges," Santino responded, putting his glasses back on. "Sir."
Santino snarled at him before turning on his heels and walking away.
Marie-Laura watched him for a moment before scoffing. She began to stand up and gather her paper, putting them back in her small leather case.
"Are you not going to stay and join me for dinner, Mrs. Ancelet?" Winston spoke, standing up to help her.
Marie chuckled and shook her head. "No, no. If I learn anything about a storm…it's to get out of the way," she said with a weary smirk. "You can pretend that John and Mandy are not going to finish what they started…but we all know that's not the case." Her lovely smirk soon became severe, which was alarming. Even her light voice darkened. "It's true, you know? John and Mandy are the personifications of determination and madness. Two deadly combos that work strangely well together. Right now, though…that's not who they are. They have changed. Transformed, metamorphosed into something else entirely." Her jade eyes twinkled with a strong resolve, dangerously resembling a predator. "In which they are, respectfully…revenge and insanity."
Winston's kind and gentlemanly exterior soon gave way to mild alarm. He had known Marie-Laura for quite some time now and never had she given him reason to be worried until now. This wasn't a threat on her part. It was a warning. Foreshadowing what is to come in a short while.
"So…a storm?" Winston repeated almost robotically.
Marie-Laura nodded while tucking her leather case under her arm. "Yes, and if I were you…." she began before suddenly pausing. "Actually…I'm not sure what you should do. It is your kingdom after all. And it's time I got back to my own," she finished while holding out her hand. "Take care of yourself, Winston."
"And you, Mrs. Ancelet," Winston said while shaking his head. He stepped back and watched Marie turn around, leaving him with an anxious feeling in his chest, repeating her words to him like a broken record.
"It is your kingdom after all."
Not an hour later, the concierge looked over his desk and saw John Wick and Mandy Rose limping towards him. They looked even worse than Santino did and were far more disheveled. Mandy's eyes were wide and deranged, her knuckles bloodied, and she had cuts and bruises all over her face. John looked no better either and was probably more hurt. He limped worse than Mandy and had splotches of thick blood on his white shirt.
Mandy placed her bloodied hands against the desk and used it as a support. She took in a deep breath and looked at the concierge. "Is…is Santino D'Antonio here?" she asked, oddly calm.
"He's waiting for you in the lounge, ma'am," the concierge responded politely.
John simply made a disgusted face before turning and heading down the hall. Mandy lingered for a bit longer to catch her breath. Once she was settled, she looked back to the concierge and nodded her head in appreciation. Turning around, she limped down the hall after John.
Once they had reached the lounge, Mandy looked over the railing and spotted Santino sitting at a table. He had a plate of freshly made food in front of him and a glass of wine that he took his time to enjoy. Santino didn't even look scared anymore as Mandy and John descended the steps toward him. He calmly picked up his fork, stabbed a piece of meat, and slid it across the sauce on the plate.
Winston looked over at them as they walked past, but neither of the two made eye contact with him. Their entire focus was on Santino alone, and it was like no one else in the room mattered or existed at that moment.
Santino smirked as he lifted the fork to his mouth. "Duck fat. It makes all the difference."
Mandy had never looked so confused until that moment. She gave John a perplexed look before suddenly laying her weapon down on the table. Santino tensed up when she circled around right up to him, trying his best to hide his fear. Oddly enough, she wasn't even looking at him. Instead, she picked up his fork and plate and used her fingers to take a piece and eat it. She had no manners, and her chewing was loud and obnoxious, but it was apparent that Mandy was doing it on purpose.
Santino grimaced. "You're…a very spiteful woman, you know that."
"Yeah…along with a laundry list of problems." Before anyone could react to her next move, Mandy took the fork and plunged it right into Santino's hands.
"Mandy!" Winston raised his voice, but his cries went unnoticed. He didn't exist in John and Mandy's eyes right now. There was nothing he could do.
Santino gave a guttural shout as Mandy put the plate down and stepped back beside John, picking her weapon from off the table. There was no change in her expression at all as Santino looked between her and the fork still in his hand. He grabbed it tightly, yanked it out, and tossed it at John and Mandy's feet.
"Johnathan…listen to me," Winston dared to speak again. He took a step towards them with his arm outstretched. "Mandy, please stand down."
Santino roughly spoke up through sharp gasps, clenching a hold of his hand. "Johnathan…you really need to learn how to train your bitc-"
Two loud gunshots caused the room to fall into silence. Winston stared on with wide eyes as he watched Santino's body slumped in his chair with two bullet holes through his head—one right between the eyes and the other in the middle of his forehead. No more noises came from the room, aside from the rustling of clothes as John and Mandy lowered their smoking weapons, their free hands intertwined tightly.
Winston took a defeated breath. "What have you done?"
With their hands still clenching one another, John and Mandy set their weapons down on the table.
"Finished it," John spoke. He tightened his grip on Mandy's hand and gestured for her to follow. Together, they walked out of the room, saying nothing more.