The room is a very spacious suite, with luxurious furnishings.
Suddenly, I hear a toilet flushing in the bathroom: between the seven-foot-tall brute with the gun chasing me and whoever else might be in the bathroom, there's a good chance that whoever else is better! When the door opens, I'm stunned: not only is she better, but she's also a beautiful woman, about five feet nine inches tall, wearing a miniskirt that hints at long, slender legs, with straight black hair grazing her behind, a tight shirt that suggests a nice bust, green eyes, and full lips. She vaguely reminds me of that actress from the movie with the trucks that turn into robots… Transformers, I think it's called. A truly beautiful girl, but with a bit of a bitchy expression.
I've had many women, though not quite like her. I'm often described as a handsome guy; I'm lean, and the activities I do have given me a dry physique with well-defined muscles. I wear my hair long, which people like, and an earring that gives me a bit of a pirate look. I've had quite a few women—I'm not shy, but I'm not a womanizer either. I'd like to find love, but where do I find someone who accepts my line of work? Who accepts a guy who goes for a run after breakfast? And who accepts living with Claudio? I wonder what happened to Claudio in all this.
Anyway, this girl comes out of the bathroom and starts screaming. Admittedly, finding a pirate in your room for no reason can be destabilizing, but I tell her I'm hiding from the brute with the gun and that she mustn't let me be discovered. Only then does she calm down. She's also hiding from the same person, and she reveals that it's not just one, but at least four of them, all armed, roaming the floor.
She's been looking for a way out for a while now. She's encountered other people along this hallway, and they're all running, but every time she's tried to get help, everyone has somehow looked out for themselves, trying to sacrifice her to save themselves. That's something that, for me, is impossible. I did it that one time with the boar, but I don't intend to do the same thing with a person. I reassure her by saying I have the same desire she does, and that we'll help each other get out. At that point, she relaxes a bit and tells me her name. A name totally inadequate for her beauty. I don't know what her parents were thinking or what they were passionate about, or if she happened to have a grandmother with that name, but this girl, a stunning model in a miniskirt with a captivating manner, was named Ugolina. I didn't even think it was a name, but that's what she was called. Nicknaming her "Lina" wouldn't be ideal, and "Ugo," conversely, would be like finding an unexpected surprise. For now, we'll call her Ugolina; then, if we ever get married and have kids, we'll figure out a suitable nickname.
Ugolina and I—I'm still laughing about the name—work out a plan: she's already tried exploring some rooms but never found an exit, so my proposal is to stay in the corridor and reach the end of it. There has to be an exit somewhere. She agrees. In reality, there are no better plans. We're on a corridor with many rooms… one of the doors has to say "exit," right?
Slowly, we prepare to leave the suite door, aware of the danger we're about to face, though in my case, I still don't know exactly where I am or why I'm here. We step out, and there are no brutes in sight, nor other doors suddenly opening. So, cautiously, we start walking down the seemingly endless corridor. We look around, but there are no apparent threats.
Oops, I spoke too soon. Suddenly, another man emerges from a door near where we had just passed. The first thing I check is if he has a gun, and unfortunately, he does. He's not as tall as the first one, but he still exceeds my six feet. He has a villainous face and a ponytail starting from the middle of his head—you know those guys of a certain age who try to grow a long mane despite being balding. It's ridiculous. He reminds me of the wounded boar's tail, but he has a gun and pulls it out. We're forced to run, but fortunately, given his advanced age, he's not fast enough to catch us. We're losing him…
Ugolina motions for me to follow her, pointing to a door that seems open; I notice she has a certain familiarity with this place, as if she's been here for a long time. We go in, and as if she'd been here several times before, she leads me into a much barer room compared to the suite. A room with a bathroom and little else. There doesn't seem to be anyone, but it's very messy, as if someone had thrown things around. The strange thing is that, just like when I entered the suite, no one is knocking on the door or trying to get in. It's as if, once we're inside a room, these armed bad guys forget about us. I take the opportunity to go to the bathroom, and there I find a man crouched, crying, half-naked, with disheveled hair and a devastated expression on his face. He reminds me of a mix between Gollum and a punk singer. I ask his name and what he's doing there, but the only answer he can give me is, "It was my brother, it was my brother." It crosses my mind that he might have done something terrible to his brother, but then he doesn't say another word. Ugolina tells me to leave him alone, that there's no time for psychoanalysis sessions. We need to get out of this cursed corridor alive.
We summon our courage and, once again, poke our heads out to see if anyone is there: everything seems quiet, we can resume our run. From what Ugolina says, there are four guys, and so far, I've only seen two. It doesn't bode well. The corridor seems endless, without interruptions, all the same, all anonymous, as if it were designed to confuse. Even though I'd like to, I have no descriptions of anything particular to give you. No paintings, a coffee machine, or an abandoned chair… no, it's all the same, just an endless row of doors.
I'd like to stop with Ugolina in one of the rooms: despite the situation, the girl attracts me, and in any decent story, a sex scene always fits in… but, just as I start having those thoughts, a guy comes out of another door. This is the third one. About the same height as the second, but he hasn't struck me as much as the first. He has a crew cut and a somewhat Terminator villain face, sunglasses, and an elegant suit. He's armed, of course. Another man we have to escape from.
He points the gun at us and opens fire. Fortunately, Ugolina spots a half-open door and dives into it. I follow her and we lock it. I hear insistent banging: this time, they saw where we hid. For the moment, we seem safe, but the shots continue, relentless, until, suddenly, they stop. Ugolina and I exchange an uncertain look: have they gone, or are they just trying to lure us out?
The room we're in is anonymous, almost forgotten. No signs of life, no suspicious individual hiding in the bathroom. Perhaps no one has lived here for a long time.
I turn to Ugolina and she looks strange, as if she knows this room, as if she's been here before. I hesitate for a moment, then I ask her if she knows this place or if it's her first time entering.
She gives me an annoyed look: "Mind your own business!"
Of course, we've only known each other for a few hours, and right from the start, she hasn't impressed me with her friendliness, but there's something about her that attracts me terribly, and this is the second time she's saved me by choosing the right room. I'm starting to trust her, and I hope she does the same and lets her guard down a bit, even though I don't understand how she ended up here or for how long. I decide to take courage and ask her: "Ugolina, how long have you been in this hotel? What is this place? And why do you seem to know strange things like this room? And one more thing… how did you see the four men and still survive?"
She looks at me.
I have a feeling a tear is about to fall, but she somehow holds it back. I look at her face: she is beautiful, and she is completely winning my heart in a short time. For her, I could even throw myself into the fire—which, by the way, I'd find upstairs—if she just asked.
But I need to know more. I want to understand who she is, what's going on.
She's about to speak, then changes her mind. She moves closer and kisses me…
A real kiss, on the mouth.
Women, damn them, have this power to take away all your thoughts with a kiss. Men go crazy, and she seems to know it because, after that kiss, she doesn't answer any more questions. I remain spellbound while she tells me, "Come on, let's go."
And here all my courage emerges—a courage I didn't think I had. Maybe it's the situation, maybe it's this beautiful girl with the terrible name, but I feel like I have to be the one, and I offer to try sticking my head out the door.
I'm very afraid, almost more afraid than when I shot at the bush.
I peek out. No one.
Where could they have gone? They surely saw us go in there, so why did they leave us alone? Who knows, but there's no time for questions now; it's better to get out and keep walking.
We decide to move. The tension is high because we know they could pop out at any moment, but things are looking up: at the end of the corridor, I see a door with writing on it. Of course, it could say "electrical closet" or "bathroom," but I'm hopeful it might say "exit."
We start running. There's still a little way to go, but maybe we can make it out.
And it is at that moment that things get complicated.
Two doors open in front of us simultaneously.
Out of the first one comes the seven-foot brute. Terrifying gaze, broad shoulders, ready to kill.
Out of the second door… surprise. Another practically identical brute emerges, same height, same smirk plastered on his face.
Oh my God. They're twins.
I mean, how do you hire two such horrible twins in the same place? It means you're really looking for that type of person.
The two pull out their guns, and now it really seems over.
Instinctively, I hug Ugolina.