It was a hot day, the kind when you'd rather be stretched out on some beach, half-naked, with a strong drink packed with ice to withstand the infernal breath of the wind battering this region of the country.
After grocery shopping at the supermarket, I returned to my small apartment. It barely had three rooms, if you counted the living room, dining room, and kitchen, but I loved it. It was everything I needed. At thirty, I still had no desire to formalize any relationship, and honestly, I didn't feel like anything was missing.
I made dinner with a little music and a glass of wine. I changed into comfortable clothes and finished cooking one of my favorite dishes: chicken sautéed in hibiscus sauce with fresh vegetables and spaghetti in cream sauce. I paired it with a good glass of clericot. A simple dinner, but delicious.
I didn't have time to taste it.
The instant I sat down at the table, I felt something inside me shut off. The noise around me began to fade away. The walls, so close just a moment before, seemed to stretch into infinity. The floor shifted beneath my feet, and I had to grab the edge of the table.
I closed my eyes.
When I opened them again, I saw a starry sky, beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
I was lying in a field of dry earth. In the distance, I could make out only dark masses, motionless silhouettes that might have been trees, buildings, or something much worse. I didn't understand where I was. I didn't know what had happened. I only felt fear and cold.
None of it was familiar.
I staggered to my feet and ran in search of shelter. I needed to hide from anything that might see me while I remained blind in that darkness. I found a fallen tree trunk and crawled behind it, hugging my knees.
Then I heard a thunderous boom.
A deep, harsh roar that was slowly drawing closer.
Something was stalking me.
I began to feel dizzy. Air stopped reaching my lungs, and my chest tightened as if someone were squeezing it from the inside. I thought about everything I had never done, the conversations I had put off, the places I had never visited, and the people I had never told how important they were to me.
Another roar thundered overhead.
The creature struck the trunk and sent it flying as if it weighed nothing.
In the darkness, I only managed to see a pair of enormous, bright green eyes. Beneath them, a gigantic mouth opened, full of crooked teeth.
Drenched in tears, I realized I was going to die in the worst way possible.
Then there was a blast.
Then another.
And another.
The night lit up with flashes of fire. Each shot tore a fragment from the beast, but the monster barely retreated. I couldn't tear my eyes away from those green eyes, even though my entire body was begging me to run.
—Move! Run! —a deep voice shouted.
I didn't know who was talking to me. I didn't know which way I was supposed to go, either.
But I obeyed.
I ran like I never thought I could. The beast writhed behind me as the gunshots continued to pound through the night. I didn't turn around. I couldn't afford to look back. I just ran, stumbling over the dry earth, scraping up my hands, and trying to stay on my feet.
—Faster! —the voice shouted again.
A burst of gunfire passed beside my head and kicked up dust in front of my eyes. I threw myself to the ground. The creature roared behind me, and the sound made my bones vibrate.
—Get up!
—I can't!
—If you stay there, you'll die!
Those words tore me away from the ground. I got to my feet and kept running. My legs were shaking, but fear was stronger than exhaustion. Something grazed my back. I felt a blast of hot air and heard the creature's claws sink into the earth a few inches from my heels.
Then I saw a light.
It was weak and yellowish, almost hidden among the trees. A lamp hung from a wooden structure surrounded by an improvised fence. Several human shadows could be seen behind it.
—To the fortress! —the man shouted—. Don't stop!
I didn't know what the fortress was, but I ran toward it.
The fence appeared right in front of me. Two people opened a gate while others aimed their weapons at the beast. I crossed the threshold and fell to my knees. A second later, several gunshots shook the air.
The creature stopped in front of the barrier.
Its green eyes locked onto me.
For a few seconds, it remained motionless, breathing with a wet, deep sound. Then it slowly backed away and disappeared into the darkness.
No one fired.
No one said a word.
I was still on the ground, trying to catch my breath, when the man approached and grabbed my arm to pull me up. Dried blood streaked his cheek, and the rifle still smoked in his hands.
—Are you hurt?
I shook my head.
—Who are you? —I asked—. What is this place?
The man looked toward the darkness, as if he expected the creature to return.
—They'll explain that to you inside.
—Inside what?
He turned his eyes back to me.
—The fortress.
That's when I realized I wasn't alone in that place.
—What's your name? —the man who had saved me from being devoured only minutes earlier asked.
I hesitated. I was still in shock and couldn't organize my thoughts.
—Abigail —I replied—. My name is Abigail.
The others looked at me the way someone might look at a helpless kitten. I felt exactly like that: a lost puppy, afraid of everything and startled by every sound.
A girl approached and spoke to me in a calm voice.
—Don't be afraid. Everyone here went through the same thing. Together, we'll get through this. We'll survive.
She was trying to encourage me, even though I felt like I was about to die of terror. Just minutes earlier, something had tried to swallow me alive. I had heard explosions, woken up far from home, and still didn't know whether any of it was real or if the glass of wine had played a cruel trick on me and I was still unconscious, sprawled across my kitchen floor.
I accepted the girl's embrace.
—Calm down, it's okay. My name is Sofía. We can get you a cup of coffee and some bread. It's a little hard, but it'll help.
She led me along with her arm around me to a half-collapsed structure that was still standing. We sat on some concrete blocks, and she poured me bitter coffee into a fairly thick glass.
—I'm sorry —she said—. We don't have any sugar. And I can't make the best cup of coffee in the world, either.
Despite everything, I held the glass between my hands. The warmth brought a little feeling back to my fingers.
Sofía began telling me about her life: how she had arrived in that place, how she had been rescued, and how she had tried to be useful ever since, doing everything she could not to die in the process.
I listened to her in silence, clinging to the coffee as if that bitter liquid could convince me I was still alive.
—How long have you been here? —I finally asked.
Sofía stopped smiling.
—Long enough to know this isn't a dream.
The glass trembled between my hands.
—Then... where are we?
Before she could answer, a deep sound rolled through the fortress. It wasn't a roar. It was a bell, deep and rusted, that silenced everyone in the compound.
Sofía lifted her gaze toward the wall.
She looked at me with a seriousness she hadn't shown until then.
In the distance, behind the fence, two shadows appeared beside the gate. One of them carried a torch. The other dragged something heavy across the ground.
I couldn't make out what it was.
But then I recognized the sound.
A slow drip.
And from the darkness, two green eyes began to shine again.
This time there were no growls or teeth. Only a pair of wide-open, lifeless eyes.
The beast was dead.
For a few seconds, no one moved. Then one of the men raised his rifle and approached cautiously. Another came out behind him carrying a lamp. The trembling light revealed the creature's body lying on the ground, covered in wounds and black blood.
They had done it.
I pressed a hand to my chest and let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. The relief was so intense it nearly made me cry. At last, I could breathe. At last, it was over.
Although maybe I was speaking too soon.
The moment they closed the fortress gate, a roar tore through the night.
Then another came.
And another.
Within seconds, the sounds began multiplying around the wall. Deep roars, sharp shrieks, and violent blows against the fence. Shadows moved on the other side of the barriers. Something scratched at the wood. Something heavier rammed the gates.
The ground trembled beneath my feet.
I looked at Sofía.
—How many are there?
She didn't answer right away. She took the glass from my hands and set it on the concrete block before grabbing my arm.
—We'll count them later. Right now, we need to take cover.
—Count them? What does that mean?
—It means they check who came back and who didn't.
Another roar made me shudder.
—But we're inside —I said—. We're safe, right?
Sofía looked at me with a seriousness that chilled my blood.
—As long as we're inside the fortress, we can't die.
I wanted to cling to those words. I wanted to believe that an improvised fence and a wooden gate could protect me from the creatures gathering in the darkness.
But then something struck the wall.
The entire structure creaked.
Sofía pulled me along and began leading me inside the building.
—Come on, Abigail.
—Where?
—Somewhere they can't find us.
—What if they get in?
Sofía stopped for barely an instant. Her hand tightened around my arm.
—Then don't make a sound.
The lights in the fortress began going out one by one.
All around us, everyone ran in silence. Some carried weapons. Others carried children. No one shouted. No one cried. Everyone seemed to know the rules except me.
When we crossed the threshold of the underground structure, I heard one last blow against the main door.
This time, something answered from inside the fortress.
A dry sound.
Like a blow delivered from the other side.
Sofía went pale.
—What was that? —I whispered.
She led me to a narrow room and closed the door.
—I don't know.
Outside, the roars continued.
But now there was something else.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
The footsteps moved from the center of the fortress toward the main door. Dust fell with every step. Everyone seemed calm, but afraid.
Sofía says—The guardian woke up.