Capítulo 21: It was only a game
It looked like a game of cops and robbers, only in this case the policeman was only one.
Although they tried to run with all their strength, the fatigue and fear made their legs tremble; those young men were doing their best, but the creature was faster.
- How far is it to get out of the mist?! - asked Glen.
- About half a kilometer. - Daniel replied.
- How many bombs do you have left?! - Glen exclaimed.
- Only three more. - replied Renato.
- Well ... get ready, I have a plan.
That grotesque being that was getting closer and closer showed signs of noticing something happening in front of him.
Only Aren who was carrying Liam and Daniel kept running; however, Glen and Renato stopped and confronted the monster.
- Do you think it will work?
- I don't know... we just need a distraction. - replied Glen who like Renato was scared and tired.
From his pants pocket, Glen pulled out an old-fashioned lighter that he tied to his jacket with Renato's tear gas bombs and threw it in the direction of the creature.
They immediately started running again.
The monster noticed that object approaching, but as if it did not give it importance, it dodged it effortlessly; however, when the bombs hit the ground, it triggered an explosion followed by a sudden fire that spread throughout the area trapping the monster.
While they were still running, Aren and Daniel heard the sound of a huge explosion which made them worry greatly.
- What the hell was that? - asked Liam.
- It couldn't be that..." said Aren.
However, they could hear another thunderous sound that did not belong to that explosion.
- Looks like... we will be saved after all. - said Liam as he looked at the sky.
Aren and Daniel wondered what he was talking about until they could hear the sound of propellers passing overhead in the direction of the camp.
The area was getting clearer and clearer and the terrain was becoming more visible, it would be only a short time before they would escape the fog. However, while they were both running, Aren noticed in the distance the silhouette of something small moving slowly towards them.
- What is it? - he wondered.
Daniel was the second to notice and, although he was a little afraid, he didn't stop running.
- It doesn't matter what it is... if it's something else, I'll finish it off. - Daniel said bravely but naively.
When Liam realized what they were talking about, being charged by Aren, he put his right hand on his left eye patch as if he was about to remove that thing.
"I have no choice!"
Before removing that patch, he heard Aren's sudden warning.
- Wait... is that...?
Daniel also realized, that silhouette was actually the body of a small child who was walking alone.
- A child?!
they all wondered.
Without stopping running, Daniel hurried even faster towards the infant.
- What are you doing here? Where are your parents?
- ... ... I don't know. - replied the boy innocently.
- You shouldn't be in a place like this! We have to leave quickly!
Before the boy could say anything else, Daniel carried him in his arms and, together with Aren, they kept running.
- But... but... - said the boy who looked uncomfortable.
- Just wait a little longer, we'll be out of here soon. - said Daniel who was looking out of the corner of his eye towards the back waiting for signs of Glen and Renato.
"Please... come soon."
Running for almost about 10 minutes, Aren and Daniel could see the end of the fog and, with it, the success of their escape.
However, they could hear the sound of heavy footsteps behind them; Liam turning to look could see the silhouette of a single person.
- Is that... ? - he muttered as he thought that only one of them had left, but, within seconds, he could see the silhouette of another person with the same height.
Liam smiled.
- What was that sound? - Daniel asked.
- ... There are ... two gentlemen running ... - said that little one.
- ¡¿?!
Daniel turned to look and could see two young men with sweaty but determined faces running towards them.
Daniel was happy to see them.
- Boys! It's you! - the young man exclaimed.
- No! ... We're your grandmother! - replied Renato sarcastically.
Liam and Aren held in their laughter as did Glen; however, Daniel remained mocking.
- You know ... now I don't think it would have been a bad idea, if you had been stuck. - Daniel commented sarcastically.
- What an ugly heart you have, Daniel. - Glen commented.
- So, what happened? - asked Liam.
- We'll tell you later... we have to see where to hide after we get out of this fog.
- That is no longer necessary. - said Aren.
- What?
- Yes ... they have already come to rescue us. - added Liam.
Both Renato and Glen were really happy to hear the news and, even more, when they heard the helicopters near them.
- Hey... what about that kid? - Glen asked.
- Ah... this is... - Daniel tried to explain.
As if he was about to cry, Renato spoke.
- No... not you, Daniel... I knew you had problems, but it was not for you to kidnap a child.
- You... will you shut up already! - said Daniel.
The rest were still holding in their laughter.
- O-hey... I want to go see my friend. - said the little boy suddenly.
They all thought they had misheard, but Daniel asked again.
- Friend? ... did you come with another boy? - said Daniel a little scared.
- No... it's someone I just saw.
No one could understand who he was talking about, they thought it was some imaginary friend and paid no attention to him.
A few more minutes passed and finally they all came out of the fog.
As they came out, they tried to rest a little; however, they noticed that the fog was expanding, but they still rested a little, as they were exhausted.
- J-Just ... a ... few ... more ... seconds and ... we go on. - said Glen who was exhaling heavily.
They did so, but their rest was interrupted by the sound of a heavy footstep; it was the same sound they had heard when they first encountered the creature.
This alarmed the group and they decided to keep running.
- Is it... still alive? Wasn't it affected by the explosion? - Glen asked.
- That thing ... seems to be tougher than we thought. - commented Renato.
- We must reach the helicopters at once... How long will it take us to get to the train? - asked Daniel.
- About ... ten minutes I think. - replied Liam.
The group kept running, but the sound of footsteps became more and more audible.
- Damn it, why does it seem like forever to get there! - Glen exclaimed.
- Stop yelling! ... concentrate your energies on running. - muttered Daniel.
Yes, minutes passed until the young men's eyes could see the panorama of the place that had become a camp next to a destroyed train.
The camp was desolate, but the sound of helicopters could be heard in the background along with the shouting of the people.
- Let's get our luggage. - suggested Daniel.
Everyone nodded and immediately went to the cabins where they had been in the beginning.
By this time, Renato was the only one who went to a different place, as he had not come in the same cabin as the other four.
Running to where his bags were, he could see the presence of an adult man with a little girl in his arms who seemed to be disoriented.
- What's going on?! What are you looking for?! - asked Renato as he approached the man who was far away from the others.
- M-My son! I can't find him! He disappeared out of nowhere! He's a little boy under 9 years old... Have you seen him?!
It was then that Renato remembered the child Daniel was carrying and warned him about it.
The man with the little girl thanked him and immediately ran to where the group of young people were.
When Renato continued on his way he could certainly see a group of six helicopters and how the officers were ordering the survivors to go up with their suitcases, according to what one of the officers said was that there were buses on the surface to transport those who were in good conditions, the rest would go as emergency in the helicopters.
- It seems that the plan was not entirely successful. - Renato said with a serious tone and a somewhat fearful look on his face very different from how he had appeared before.
While the group of young people were trying to take their luggage, they could hear the voice of a man shouting.
- Mauricio!
- Mauricio!
Only the boy tried to look out of the cabin window and then shouted.
- Papa!
- Dad! Here I am!
The man could see that in one of the windows of the cabins of the train was that child. He immediately ran to him to hug him and his daughter.
Aren and the rest could see that the man was the child's father and, although everyone had their concerns about how the child could have gotten lost far from the camp, the situation did not leave time for explanations.
The man who had been carrying a large suitcase in his left hand waited for the young men to finish getting ready to thank them.
- Your friend told me where you were... I don't know how to thank you, but... take this...
The man unbelievably took some goodies out of his suitcase. It seemed that the man had some groceries in his bag without anyone knowing about it.
Without hesitation, all the young people took the candy and ate it without asking any questions. Only one thought was in their minds.
"This man is ... a good guy."
- We'd better hurry ... it seems that almost everyone else has already boarded the helicopters. - the man commented.
They immediately got ready to leave, but before they did, Aren noticed something and so did Liam. The fog was appearing again from the end of the train.
Without waiting, they all retreated to the rescue site and, looking at them from the end of the train where the fog was expanding, there appeared a kind of limb full of cartilage and a bone that seemed to hold a decapitated head.
Upon arriving at the scene, the young men saw that there were only a few people left to board the last two helicopters.
An officer noticed the arrival of the last group and strongly ordered them to enter one of the vehicles.
Entering the transport they could see a couple of officers seated and Renato sitting in front of them.
- How fast! - they all said when they saw that he already had his luggage ready with him in the helicopter.
- I always do. - answered the young man.
With no one outside the helicopters, except for those who had died on the spot, the vehicles began to rise, reaching the surface little by little.
Fortunately, the space in that place allowed for a somewhat limited mobilization of the transports, enough to have descended to the bottom of the canyon.
Once inside, everyone in the group could feel the peace and calm of all the journey they had been through.
The two officers began to ask a couple of questions about the accident, but no one commented on the creature they had seen, as they thought they would be taken as crazy to tell about the creature.
- You know, guys ... that was crazy ... may it never happen again. - Glen said as he stretched.
- Yes ... I second the motion. - spoke Daniel.
- Well ... if you'll excuse me I'm going to go to sleep ... it feels like I've been up for days. - commented Renato.
While these three continued talking in a relaxed manner for a while longer, the boy they had found stood in front of the window between Aren and Liam, and watched as they reached the surface.
Being that child absorbed by that view, Aren noticed how this little boy began to wave through the window with a hand and a smile.
Liam noticed it too and saw, at the same time, how Aren was looking out the window as well.
As he approached too, a thought disturbed his being.
In the still visible bottom of the canyon, they could see how the ground was invaded by a thick fog, but that was not the most frightening thing, but in the middle of it was that creature watching them leave.
But upon noticing in more detail, that creature raised its arm and began to move it as a sign that it was saying goodbye to them.
"I-It can't be." thought Liam.
Then, the fog started to get thicker making that thing get lost from their sight in the middle of it.
- You see... that's my friend. - said that boy with all innocence.
This comment made Liam shudder; however, Aren seemed a little calmer.
Taking a breath and closing his eyes, Liam turned his gaze and said - I didn't see anything, it was all ... a hallucination.
Aren just looked at him as if he understood.
- Hey... How much are you looking out the window? - asked Glen.
As Daniel, Glen and Renato saw Liam and Aren's restlessness, they could sense something.
- Hey ... forget I asked that ... I don't want to know anything. - Glen rectified.
- Wise words, my friend ... wise words. - commented Renato.
Having reached the surface, they noticed that there were no buses and they were given a notice that this same vehicle would take them to Zaragoza where they would be treated according to their condition to that group.
Three days after the accident, the last two helicopters carrying the remaining survivors flew away towards the region of Zaragoza, leaving the canyon.
While in one of the cabins of the train, specifically where the temporary leader of the camp had been staying, a person entered the place.
Walking with great naturalness, he sat down on one of the chairs.
- Well ... do you know who they are? - a young woman's voice was heard.
From that trunk where the radio transmissions of the rescue team could be heard, a blond-haired man with dark circles under his eyes came out.
- Something like that... - answered the man in the blue coat.
- Marcus... I won't help you again if you don't tell me everything. - warned the woman.
- Okay ... where do I start ... I know ... you will be surprised to hear that I met a primordial. - answered the man named Marcus.
- Primordial? What is that? - asked the woman incredulously.
Before they could answer, both people heard the sound of a heavy footstep and as the fog began to appear around them.
- What is it... ?
Without letting her finish and covering her mouth, Marcus grabbed the woman trying to hide, as it seemed that the footsteps were getting louder around them.
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