After finally leaving the forest, Althea and the young man walked down a few more streets, keeping their eyes peeled.
The silence of the city was eerie... too empty, too dangerous.
But soon, the inevitable happened. As they rounded a corner, they stopped dead in their tracks.
A horde of infected was slowly advancing down the avenue, covering the entire road. There were too many of them. There was no way to cross without being seen.
The young man gritted his teeth, assessing the situation quickly. He could not risk Althea or himself
—Follow me —he said quietly.
He led her carefully towards a small abandoned shop, whose broken doors were barely standing. It was the only thing nearby that could give them some shelter.
Once inside, they crouched behind some fallen shelves.
—We'll wait here for a few minutes... —the young man explained calmly— Until those infected get a little farther away and we can cross over.
Althea nodded in understanding. She knew there was no other option.
—Is there a safe place? —she asked hopefully.
—Yes —he replied— It's not far, just a few streets away. It's a shelter… but to get there we have to cross that avenue… and for now it's impossible.
She sighed tiredly and sat down on the ground, hugging Mian tightly, who was still weak in her arms.
The young man looked at her for a moment... and then, as if remembering something, he took out a small wrapped candy from one of his pockets.
—Take it —he said, offering it to her— It's not much… but it helps a little.
Althea received it in surprise... it had been so long since she had seen a simple candy.
A shy smile appeared on her face. This, though small, brought a bit of warmth back to her in the midst of all the chaos.
As he unwrapped the candy package, curiosity got the better of him.
—And you… what were you doing over there? —she asked, looking at him.
The young man settled himself better, leaning his back against the broken wall.
—I went out to look for food —he answered— But the main avenue was blocked... so I decided to go around through the forest. I climbed a tree to make sure there were no infected nearby…
He paused briefly, remembering what he saw.
—From there in the distance I saw a man with a shotgun… —he continued— He looked disoriented… scared… he was walking aimlessly. I was going to get down to approach him, maybe help him or see what was wrong… but then I heard voices coming from another direction.
Althea was listening attentively, her eyes wide open.
—It seems that the gentleman heard them too... —continued the young man— And in his desperation... he fired into the air, frightened. That shot was like a call for all the infected nearby... they began to arrive in droves.
The young man sighed.
—That's when I saw you… —he said looking at her— You were alone... and one of those things was lurking in front of you. I didn't hesitate. I got down from the tree as fast as I could and pulled you to safety.
Althea looked at him silently, a thought was troubling her.
—That man... —she asked quietly —Was he still a human?
The young man nodded slightly.
—Yes… at least he seemed to be —he replied.
A pang of guilt shot through Althea.
—Do you think he'll be all right? —she asked almost in a whisper, hugging Max even tighter.
The young man noticed the concern in her eyes... and smiled softly. He knew she felt guilty for not wanting them to look for anyone else.
He crouched down in front of her and, with a brotherly gesture, gently ruffled her hair.
—Calm down... I had a gun —he said sincerely — That at least gives you a chance to defend yourself.
Those words gave Althea some peace… although the fear was still there.
The young man sat up and carefully peeked through a gap in the wall.
He watched carefully… and after a few minutes, he turned to her.
—The infected are gone —he announced— This is our chance... we have to keep moving forward.
Althea nodded with determination.
—Yes…
He got up, holding Mian carefully, and followed the young man.
They both left the makeshift shelter and, with extreme stealth, continued their way through the deserted streets.
While Althea and the young man advanced carefully towards the shelter, far away, deep in the forest... the chaos was still unleashed.
The shooting had not stopped completely. The echo of the bullets still echoed through the trees, attracting more and more infected.
—Damn it! —growled the man in the suit as he shot one of the monsters at point blank range— Who the hell keeps shooting like an idiot? At this rate we're going to die here!
He only had two minions left at his side. The other one… was already one of those things or food for the infected.
Without thinking too much, he used one of his wounded men as bait, pushing him against the monsters to buy time.
—Run! —he ordered the only subordinate who was still alive, without the slightest trace of guilt for the other.
The two took advantage of the chaos and ran at full speed through the trees, trying to get away from the infested area.
In the midst of that flight, they ran head-on into the man with the shotgun.
It was the same man the young man had seen from the tree minutes before.
Seeing them, the man was relieved. He thought they were survivors like himself.... maybe they could even help him.
—Oh, thank heavens! —he exclaimed with a nervous smile— I thought I was alone! What a joy to see people!
He approached slowly, almost with a brotherly gesture... naïve.
But the man in the suit looked at him coldly.
—Tell me something… —he asked bluntly— Were you the asshole who was shooting nonstop in this damned forest?
The man with the shotgun hesitated.
—I-I… yes… I'm sorry… I was scared, I heard noises everywhere… I didn't know what to do… — he looked down in embarrassment.
When he looked up again… it was too late.
The man in the suit grabbed him violently by the collar.
— I'm sorry? —he repeated hatefully— Because of you I almost died, you bastard!
The poor man could hardly breathe.
—P-Please… I'll make it up to you… I have some food in my backpack… we can share it if you want… —he pleaded with what little strength he had left.
Pero el del traje soltó una risa sarcástica.
—Do you think I care about that?
Without further ado, he threw him to the ground and began to beat him brutally.
Punches, kicks, insults… there was no mercy whatsoever.
When the man no longer moved, the man in the suit bent down, picked up the shotgun... and with cold determination, violently plunged it into his head, ending his life in an instant.
—This is the best way to make up for your mistakes — he muttered with contempt.
His subordinate watched silently, already accustomed to his cruelty.
—Let's go —he ordered, wiping his hands— Before those things catch up with us.
They left the forest as fast as they could.
A couple of streets ahead, luck smiled on them: they found a car in good condition. It just needed a little repair.
The subordinate moved some wires under the dashboard, and after a while the engine roared to life.
—Well done —said the man in the suit as he climbed in— We'll go back to base for now.
It was then that his subordinate, digging in his pocket, pulled out a small crumpled piece of paper.
—Chief... I found this on the floor, just as we were leaving that guy's office… — he said, extending it to him— I don't know if it's any use to you.
The man in the suit took it and inspected it.
His face, for the first time in a long time… turned into a huge smile of satisfaction.
And then… a laugh.
—Jajaja… No way... —he said in amusement.
—What's up, boss? —asked his subordinate.
—We hit the jackpot —he replied, still laughing.
His subordinate looked at him in confusion.
—The jackpot? What do you mean?
The man in the suit looked at them with an expression that could only be described as pure greed.
—That idiot Felix did it… we finally have the key to have the best life… the damn jewel exists… and it's closer than we thought.
His subordinate opened his eyes in surprise.
—Really? Where is it?
The man in the suit tucked the paper in his jacket and replied in a somber tone.
—That little girl has it… or rather… her "puppy".
There was a brief silence.
The subordinate asked, confused.
—The puppy? But was that dog just wearing an old collar…?
The one in the suit smiled sideways… mischievously.
—Exactly… that collar…
His look became even darker.
—The gem of the necklace… that's what we've been looking for all this damn time.
—Then… we'll go after them again.
The one in the suit nodded.
—Yes. Tomorrow morning we'll go out and look for them and we'll find them. And I assure you…—his gaze turned cold and murderous— They will deliver that gem to me… even if it means breaking that dog's damn neck.
The subordinate remained silent and accelerated. Losing the car on the road, heading to the base.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Althea and Mian, without knowing it… had just become the target of the worst kind of people.