Pedro had survived.
No, not miraculously.
Rather, he'd survived by having a contingency in place.
In the first scene of [Lost Haven], both Pedro and Tommy had been soaking wet while being scolded by the nuns and caretaker at the orphanage, something most people had overlooked.
But in the grand scheme of things, it came in clutch for Pedro whom had worn a bulletproof vest, hence preventing Vic's assault on him from sending him into the river's, cold watery depths.
A sewage outflow.
Situated a few meters away from the orphanage's riverside.
It was where Pedro had recuperated from his wounds for a few days.
Granted the other bullets were cushioned by the vest— but still painfully disorienting nonetheless, the last bullet he'd taken to his shoulder, almost had him blackout as he'd plopped lifelessly into the river.
But with sheer will and grit, he had managed to swim his way to the outflow, a place he'd stored a few essentials in case he'd ever needed to vanish again.
Having performed rudimentary first aid on himself, a white bandage tightly securing his wounded arm, Pedro's gaze lingered on the secret safe lodged in the wall… or more specifically, the old wooden toy carefully stored in it.
It was Tommy's.
One he'd crafted for him for his 10th birthday.
Staring at it for far longer than necessary, a montage of old memories flashed past.
The day he'd crafted the wooden toy itself.
The day they'd made a kite together.
The day Tommy taught him to ride a bike.
The day they'd gotten into a street fight and gotten scolded at the orphanage…
…it had been the same day they'd found this old, abandoned sewage outflow whilst running from their assailants at the time.
As that very memory phased by, a single tear dropped from Pedro's eyes, a quiet sob following.
And before he knew it, he'd slid down slowly to his knees, his hand pressed against the wall as he began grieving.
Something he'd realized at that very moment that he hadn't done since his brother died.
A day later, the young man arrived at the orphanage.
It had been demolished.
Staring at it emotionlessly, the very thing he'd worked hard to preserve, Pedro realized one more thing.
He wasn't really trying to preserve the orphanage.
Rather, it was the memories he'd had with his brother at the orphanage he wanted to keep.
And so, with his last solid link to his brother gone, Pedro crashed out.
Victor Morello.
He was fucking dead meat.
Pulling all of his resources together and colluding with many who similarly had bad blood with the Mafia Syndicate, he launched a full-on assault at the Morello Family's mansion in Lost Haven, the same place Victor resided.
And upon reaching the manor where Victor was after a bloody shoot-out, he'd met the Mafioso causally working at his table and signing documents, unruffled by the cacophony outside.
"I'll admit, I underestimated you." Victor voice remained stolid, his pen signing off another document.
"I don't know how you survived but I must say, its impressive."
The he leaned back into his chair to stare at his assailant who had him at gunpoint, his gaze indifferent in the face of impending death as he asked, fingers interlocked on his laps;
"What motivates you, Pedro Martinez?"
"Why go so far, just to—"
"You killed my brother." Pedro coldly cut him off, a burning fury in his eyes as he gripped the pistol tighter.
"Ah. I see." Victor tapped a finger on the desk, a slight smirk curling on his lips.
"Well, for what it's worth, you attacked a bank under our protection so his death was well deserved." he egged Pedro on with his signature sadistic smile.
In return, the infuriated young man, pulled back on the hammer of the revolver, his glare murderous.
"But, I must say…" the Mafioso leaned forwards, impassive to the possibility of a bullet blowing out his brains as he rested his interlocked hands on the desk.
"… me and you, we're not so different, afterall."
Pedro's jaw tightened, his fingers ready to pull on the trigger and end Vic's life right there.
However, something intrinsic, compelled him to listen.
"No matter how evil, I'd do anything for family, and so would you." the Mafioso continued, a sudden shift to his atmosphere becoming dead-serious.
"That's why…" Vic trailed, holding Pedro's murderous glare with his staid, frigid and indifferent gaze.
"I'll be taking you to hell with me!" he declared, his hands swift as he pulled out a sawed-off shotgun from underneath the desk!
Two gunshots crackled through the air, echoing across the manor!
Pedro stumbled backwards, crashing into a priceless vase all whilst groaning in immense pain.
As for Victor…
His head was slumped backwards on the chair, a burrowed hole through his skull.
The most feared man in all of [Lost Haven]…
He was dead.
Staring at the dead man before him, Pedro slowly stabilized himself, walked forwards a bit, and stood ramrod straight despite the pain he was in.
Staring at the dead Mafioso with cold-blooded eyes, he emptied the rest of the magazine into his dead body, each bullet ripping through both flesh and foam.
His revenge achieved, his intent for murder satiated, Pedro's hands dropped sideways as he slowly made his way out of the mansion.
Pushing open the doors that led outside, the formerly lush garden stained with blood and littered with dead bodies, Pedro slowly walked down the long staircase.
As he did, a flowing piano melody, prominent and layered with a strong emotional weight, immediately set a melancholic and introspective tone.
🍂 🎹 🎼 🍂
I walked alone, through a field of reeds,
The autumn leaves, they fell so slowly…
A whispered breeze, a memory,
I miss the place we used to be…
🍂 🎹 🎼 🍂
Pedro staggered, his revolver slipping from his hands.
The accompanying soundtrack on the other hand, created a sense of yearning and loss, accentuating the scene and adding more depth and emotional touch to it.
🍂 🎹 🎼 🍂
That old stone bridge, still stands so tall,
But time has worn away at it all…
The echoes fade, the shadows play,
Like ghosts of words we couldn't say…
🍂 🎹 🎼 🍂
Pedro fell, sitting on the staircase.
And then, slowly, he leaned backwards, resting on the staircase with a lifeless expression.
In sync, the song swelled to a crescendo as the camera zoomed out, gentle drums and bass joining in to give a sense of finality as the credits rolled.
In an instant, the auditorium, stood up to their feet, a standing ovation filling up every corner of the cinema as sad tear-filled eyes, emotional gazes, melancholic smiles and bittersweet expressions accompanied both the movie's ending and rest of the song!
🍂 🎹 ♪ 🎹 🎼 🥁 🎤 🍂
The year's gone by, like rivers wide,
But I still feel you right by my side,
So tell me now, do you remember too?
That dream I once shared with you…
🍂 🎹 ♪ 🎹 🎼 🥁 🎤 🍂
So if you have a minute, why don't we talk,
About that place that we once knew,
Where the sky was an endless blue…
And the world just slipped away,
In the quiet light of day,
I'll come right back,
Back to the place we once knew…
🍂 🎹 ♪ 🎹 🎼 🥁 🎤 🍂
Ooh—ooh—ooh…
Aah—aah—aah…
Even though we're far apart,
Time won't steal, what's in my heart…
🍂 🎹 ♪ 🎹 🎼 🥁 🍂
…
…
…
In the wake of one of the best originals Hollywood had seen in a very, very, very long while, so many people, ranging from critics to cinema goers to casuals to rabid, dedicated fans— all had one singular thing to say.
WeDoABitOfTrolling: Oscar-worthy #LostHaven. I'M NOT PLAYING WITH YOU, YOU DAMN ACADEMY BASTARDS! GIVE KYLE HIS FLOWERS!!!
Princess Peach: Oscar-worthy #LostHaven. YOU LITTLE SHITS AT THE ACADEMY BETTER NOT FUCK AROUND AND FIND OUT!
Peter_Writes_Fantasy: Oscar-worthy #LostHaven. HANDS DOWN THE BEST MOVIE I'VE WATCHED IN YEARS AND I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING.
WaifuWithARocketLauncher: Oscar-worthy #LostHaven. I'VE BEEN SAVING A SPECIAL ROCKET LAUNCHER FOR SPECIAL CASES LIKE THIS. Y'ALL BETTER NOT TEMPT ME!
ShrekLovesFiona: Oscar-worthy #LostHaven. AT THIS RATE, THE OSCAR'S GONNA HAVE A CULT COMING AFTER THEM IF THEY SO MUCH AS FUCK THIS UP!
Critic Eye: From cinematography, to directing, to the soundtrack, the score, and most especially, the acting, [Lost Haven]'s showing just why Hollywood needs to make more originals with great story-telling! $60 million in its opening week with a budget of $20 million… definitely an Oscar-worthy movie!