Chapter 4 - NIGHT AT THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE
Rain poured from the black night sky, lashing against the windshield of a stolen 1998 Nissan Sentra parked down the street from a secluded, high-walled estate on the outskirts of Cuernavaca.
The sign outside read Santa Maria Wellness Center, but behind its pristine white gates sat a black-market medical facility equipped for illegal organ harvesting.
Inside the building, eight-year-old Santiago lay on a cold stainless-steel gurney. He was wearing a thin white hospital gown. A thick IV line was stuck into his tiny arm.
Elena sat in a plush armchair in the corner, sipping champagne from a crystal glass while scrolling through luxury real estate listings on her phone.
"Mommy..." Santiago whimpered, his voice weak from the sedative they had injected into his IV. "My arm hurts... Where is Mateo? I want Mateo..."
Elena didn't even look up from her phone. "Shut up, Santiago. I told you, Mateo sold you to me for fifty thousand pesos. He doesn't want you. Now stop whining, or I'll tell the doctor to give you another shot."
Tears trickled down Santiago’s pale cheeks. "He wouldn't... Mateo promised..."
"Promises are for poor people," Elena spat, taking another sip of champagne.
Outside, the rain pounded harder.
THUD.
A heavy thud echoed from the back entrance of the compound.
The private security guard standing at the rear door stepped out into the dark alley, flashlight drawn. "Who's there?" he called out in Spanish.
Before he could raise his weapon, a heavy iron crowbar swung out from the shadows, striking the guard hard across the side of his tactical helmet. The guard crumpled to the muddy ground like a sack of stones.
Mateo stepped over the unconscious body. He was drenched in rain, his hands wrapped in heavy duct tape, carrying the crowbar and a stolen security keycard.
His eyes were fixed on the facility's heavy metal doors.
He swiped the keycard. The light flashed green. CLICK.
Mateo slipped inside like a ghost.
The interior smelled of bleach, rubbing alcohol, and fear. He moved silently down the long, sterile corridor, checking every room through the small glass viewports.
Room 101: Empty. Room 102: Medical supplies. Room 103...
Mateo stopped.
Through the glass, he saw Santiago lying frail on the gurney. And sitting in the corner, comfortably drinking champagne, was the woman who had birthed them—and betrayed them twice.
Mateo’s grip tightened on the iron crowbar until his knuckles turned white.
He didn't knock. He kicked the door lock with all the weight of his rage.
BANG!
The door burst inward, slamming against the wall.
Elena shrieked, dropping her champagne glass. It shattered on the tiled floor. "What the—?! Mateo?!"
"Get away from him," Mateo growled, his voice sounding like gravel grinding together.
Elena backed away, her face twisting into a mix of shock and disgust. "How did you find us?! Security! SECURITY!"
"They're asleep," Mateo said, taking slow, deliberate steps into the room. He didn't even look at her; his eyes were glued to his little brother.
"Big brother?!" Santiago’s sleepy eyes snapped open. The sedative seemed to lose its grip as pure joy flooded the boy's face. "MATEO! YOU CAME!"
"I promised you, little guy," Mateo whispered, his voice softening for a fraction of a second. "I promised I'd never let them keep us apart."
"You idiot!" Elena screamed, pulling a small silver pistol from her designer handbag and pointing it straight at Mateo’s chest. "You're ruining everything! Do you know how much money I'm getting for this?! Two million dollars! We can buy a villa in Spain! I was going to send you a hundred thousand dollars once it was done!"
Mateo stopped. He looked at the gun pointed at his heart, then at Elena's greed-twisted face.
"You sold your own son's body parts for a luxury villa?" Mateo asked, a horrifying, heartbroken smile touching his lips. "You really are a monster."
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"I gave you life!" Elena yelled, her finger tightening on the trigger. "And I can take it back! Step back, Mateo, or I swear to God I'll put a bullet through your head!"
"Shoot me then," Mateo said, stepping directly toward the barrel of the gun. "Shoot me! Because the only way you take him from me tonight... is over my dead body!"
