Now Dami sits in a cage with her family. There's little room in the cramped enclosure for the four, but they make do. They have been made to sit in the dark with little to no source of lighting. Even their feet have been shackled together like animals.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. " Dami's father manages, his voice laced with anguish. He sends his arms around Dami and Verona to provide some form of warmth, to create the illusion that things will be alright. But Dami knows, just by sitting in that cage, that things will never be alright.

"Who are those people, dad?" Verona asks. "Why are they doing this?"

Their father doesn't answer. He squeezes both their hands in the darkness, while their mother silently weeps besides them. Dami can hear her sniffle. She can hear her trying to suppress the sobs. And yet, their mother tells them she's fine.

The family of four are finally granted some form of lighting. The rectangular enclosure around the cage comes loose, and the world outside comes to view. They're in a yard of some kind, possibly in the Verdonni estate. Located behind the mansion, the grassy field stretches on for miles to come. There are oak trees in the mix, along with shrubs and wildflowers to better the scenery.

The sunrays infiltrate Dami's eyes to the point of blinding them, although temporarily. Her hair tousles under the chilling wind, conjuring goosebumps down her skin. There are butterflies and the sound of crickets chirping despite the fact that the frigid season of autumn is upon them. But it was never as cold that year. Verona had once pointed this out to Dami.

"Global warming. It means we're all going to die because humans are selfish." Was Dami's response. And there's truth in that statement. It is within human nature to act in the interest of oneself. Malice, greed, enmity. There's a certain evil that resides in every being, some more potent than others. It seems to be the case with Bruno and the rest of the Verdonni family.

"You can't get this kind of view anywhere else." Comes a voice behind the caged family. Bruno and his entourage make their way over. He has with him Rand and a couple other men Dami has never once seen before. But with the way they look at her, they must be as bad as Bruno and Rand themselves. They eye her family like they're a sight native to zoos.

"I told you we should have separated them. Now they're all embracing like a swarm of insects." States the underboss with a hand over his mouth, as though he would puke from the sight any second now.

"Paolo . . ." Says her father. He grabs hold of the bars, desperate. "Please, let my family go. Your issues are with me and me alone. Leave my family out of this."

Seven pulls the cigar away from his mouth and laughs. He squats down to his level, puffs a smoke, and blows it in his face. "Animals don't beg for mercy, Marcello."

This insult, however, isn't nearly as degrading as the one Poalo serves shortly after. "I want the bitch to myself."

"Are you ever not in heat?" Six asks.

To which Paolo smiles and says, "She would look better carved open, no?"

Their father clutches the bars until his knuckles turn white. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

"Look what you did. You made it mad." Five says to Paolo. The rest of the men all laugh.

"Enough with the chatter now." Bruno steps up to the cage. "Let's get down to business."

Dami doesn't yet know what the business consists of, until a couple of men walk up with two mutts on a leash. The pit bulls bark and thrash around in their confines, ready for a chance to unleash the energy currently pent up. Their eyes are engulfed in malice with bare fangs coated in saliva so thick, it comes off as an adjunct to their gums. It takes a great deal of strength just to keep them under control. Dami sinks back against the cage, overcome with so much fear, it nearly suffocates her windpipe.

"You are right in the fact that our issues are with you and you alone." Bruno continues. "And so we're going to have you pay the price."

One of the guards unlocks the cage while the other rips their father out. "Tell you what, Marcello. You put on a good show for us," Bruno gives a little shrug. "And maybe we'll let your family go."

"Give me your word.

"I could feed them to the dogs and have you watch instead. How about that?" Bruno tells him. Dami can see her father go stiff. "It's simple, really. All you have to do is run, make it past that oak tree, and you win." Bruno gestures towards the field of greenery. Then with his eyes on the pit bulls, he adds, "Just don't let them catch you."

Dami swallows down hard at the sight of the mutts. Their growls grow more vicious, and all it does is terrify not only her but her sister. Her mother. It's an excruciating death if her father is caught.

"Marcello!" Dami's mother cries. She violently tugs on the bars, trying her best to pry the cage open. But steel bars will remain steel bars. "Please don't do this! Please, I'm begging you!"

He doesn't turn to his wife, but instead keeps his eyes on Bruno and the rest of the Verdonni family. He must not have the strength to face her. "I'll do it. I just need these shackles off my ankles."

The men find this statement funny, which confuses Dami. That is, until Seven lets them all in on the joke. "Who said anything about undoing the shackles?"

Pure wickedness. That's what stands in front of Dami.

"You've failed to realize something very simple." Six chimes in. "This is all simply for entertainment."

From the depths of Dami's gut is the urge to scream. To tear that cage down. To do something. But her strength has failed her. So instead, she watches helplessly as her father turns to face the rest of her family. He clutches her mother's hand around the steel bars, firmly. "Please forgive me for putting you and our daughters in danger." Then he pauses, building some strength for himself. "I . . . I couldn't even keep you all safe."

Her mother returns his strength with tears. "Marcello. Don't leave. Please don't leave us."

His brave front begins chipping away. "Please stay with them as long as you can."

Still in tears, Verona sends her hand through the cage and begins pleading. "Please, don't go. Please, dad."

Dami, on the other hand, can't seem to find the words. She tries to do so. She fights. But her mind is shutting down.

"Marcello." Bruno calls.

But he doesn't turn to him. He turns to his wife. "Cover their eyes. Please." Then he leaves for where Bruno and the mutts are, the shackles still dragging around his ankles.

"Good luck." Rand tells him.

"We'll even give you a head start." Five announces, earning a round of laughter from the rest of the men. A head start won't fulfill a thing. Not with his shackled feet.

Verona, unable to witness any more, buries her head against her mother's chest. Meanwhile, Dami sits there wide-eyed just staring until her mother sends a hand over her eyes, because whatever is about to happen won't be a fond memory to keep. But because her mother is caught up in her own grief, she doesn't notice how loose her hands have gotten around Dami's eyes.

So Dami can still see the scene before her through the cracks of her mother's fingers. She can see her father step up to the starting line. She can see him run down the field even with his legs still shackled. She can see him trip over and hit the ground. She can hear the Verdonni family laugh.

And yet with that accident, her father continues on. He shoots to his feet and heads down the field for the oak tree. Why did it seem miles away when it was nothing short of a couple yards? At this point, the mutts haven't yet been released. But once they are, Dami's own horror begins stockpiling.

The dogs tear their way through the wind in pursuit of her father, eager to sink their fangs into his skin. And it takes them no effort to catch up. They pounce upon him and begin tearing him apart, biting their way into his skin. They leave him no room to fight back. They tear and rip and wrench his body apart, blood splattering and decorating the grass beneath him. An excruciating death, this one. The pitbulls maul him down to shreds.

Dami can still see it all. Her father's disfigured body as it lays lifeless on the ground. She can still hear the Verdonni family laugh. The glee in their tone, how hearty and joyous they sound. She can hear them congratulate the dogs. Rewarding them for their hard work.

Once again, Bruno walks up to the cage all smiles. "Let's move on to the next affair now, shall we?"

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