Even if he wanted to, Damian couldn't. His legs no longer had life.
"What just happened?" he murmured, hypnotized. "That thing... Did it vaporize my brother? Elio?! Where are you?"
Damian didn't know why his brother disappeared before his eyes. Nothing was real; he wanted to convince himself that it didn't happen. It was some kind of prank, a recording for TV or FilmTube. Elio would soon return, laughing and saying, "Gotcha! You should've seen your face!"
However, the chaotic situation around him was too tangible for it to be a tasteless invention.
The chain used to vaporize Damian's brother obediently returned to the creature's belt. The weapon that, as a consequence, the boy began to fear was about to be used. An axe, somewhat grand and heavy, with a crescent-shaped, fiery blade. The wood supporting it was traced with sharp thorns. The creature's eyes met Dante's, and he could feel the temperature of his body dropping.
"Don't come," he thought, "don't come, please."
All he could do was wait. He understood that the creature was now walking towards him. All paths in that moment led to death.
"What a beautiful way to die. I always thought I'd be run over."
He thought of his older brother, almost not wanting to believe that Elio was actually dead. His eyes burned.
"Stop right there!"
Damian moved his head to hear a voice. The creature acted in the same way. Two police officers aimed their guns at the unknown being. Of course, there was no way to argue that he was the threat there. However, Damian felt a chilling agony run down his spine.
"Drop the object on the ground and put your hands on your head!" the first officer said.
The creature said nothing but obeyed the order. It crouched slowly, leaving its weapon on the ground. Damian was numb with pain, but he could see that it wasn't going to take another turn. There was nothing the police could do.
That's when the boy gathered strength:
"RUN! GET OUT OF HERE, HE'S—"
He didn't finish speaking.
Without deviation, the axe guided itself through the air towards the first officer. The boy shrugged, watching the man's head tilt backward. Blood spurted from the terrible cut, and the officer fell dead to the ground. Shots were fired from the second officer. The man, overcome by horror, didn't notice when the axe floated from behind, hitting him in the back.
Damian's teary-eyed gaze captured everything. He felt his stomach churn, and his mind spun. It seemed like he was about to faint.
Ruthless, the grotesque creature soon called the axe back to itself. It sniffed the fresh blood of the men on its weapon, savoring it in delight.
"Ah, the smell of this filthy land isn't as bad as I thought. It's a shame I have to stay for such a short time. I would love to savor more of this," it spoke to itself, laughing triumphantly. "Of course, I hate doing these things unnecessarily, but I must take the lives of all those who stand in my way. Do you think I'm wrong, huh?"
Damian swallowed the saliva stored in his mouth, daring to say:
"What did you do to my brother?" His voice faltered. "What are you?"
The creature grinned sadistically and leaped where it stood.
"Oh, what a delicious, delicious moment! Right in front of me, right in front of me, I have Elio's brother! Elio, the hero! Elio, the savior! The one who was supposed to save everyone won't be able to save his own brother," it laughed shamelessly, happiness pulsating in the veins of its face. "And even better, the little brother knows nothing. Do I deserve a gift like this?"
Damian dismissed everything he heard, going back to the beginning:
"What did you do to my brother?"
"You'll never know," it said, still pleased.
The wind played with Damian's hair; the cap that once protected him was gone at some point, as was his cellphone. In the bushes behind him, he could hear crickets singing. There was no more police to appear, no one passing by. It was a nightmare he never imagined having or experiencing. He was alone. He would miss out on the next episode of his series.
His friends. What would they say? If they knew what happened? Would they believe it?
The axe in the creature's hand still dripped blood like a gruesome decoration. The creature was too close this time; there was nowhere to go.
Should I start praying now? Is it too late for that?
"You're going to die!" declared the creature, raising the axe above the boy's head. "You're going to die without knowing anything!"
The boy, horrified by the moment, closed his eyes and prayed. When he felt nothing, he thought the pain had been so great that it had the opposite effect. He was wrong.
"What?!" It wasn't Damian who said that, but the creature.
As he raised his head, he understood the explicit surprise on the creature's deformed face. Someone had intervened between them. The axe didn't cut his head, and now he saw why. A gleaming spear with two sharp points took the full blow.
The boy slightly opened his mouth when he recognized who wielded the weapon to defend him.
"Who are yo—" The declared enemy tried to say something, but the owner of the spear didn't let him.
She thrust her weapon against the axe and kicked her newest adversary. The impact echoed in the air, causing a commotion in the environment. The creature was thrown away from the two. The girl then turned her body to Damian, still sitting on the grass. She held the spear firmly.
"Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling. The boy didn't answer. "Are you injured? Can you get up?"
"It's you... The waitress... I'm losing my mind..."
She furrowed her brow, observing his confusion. Damian still stared at her in astonishment. The girl was wearing the cafe uniform, her hair was tied behind her head, and the spear in her hand did not match her appearance.
"You don't seem very hurt," she said, analyzing him. "Where's your brother?"
His pupils shook.
"Elio... My brother, he..."
"He was killed?"
"No! We were attacked by that thing, and he trapped him in a shining chain that made my brother disappear! He can't be dead!"
The waitress pondered for a few seconds.
"That thing I just kicked is trying to kill you. And it seems like it won't give up until it's done."
"Why?! Why?! Why does he want to kill me, and what did he do to my brother?!"
She looked puzzled.
"You don't know?" Damian replied with a clear expression of not knowing. The waitress reconsidered what to say. "By the color of his eyes, I believe that guy is a hybrid. An ancient race called Halvina... But what the hell is he doing here?"
"A hybrid? What does that mean? Where did he come from? What's happening, and you... Why you..." he said, a little dizzy. The waitress's expression changed, her black eyes became mystical.
"He's nothing more than a killer. What was human in him is long gone. They're hard to kill."
The boy's lungs filled with air.
"Why is this happening?!"
They couldn't continue. Like a furious bull, the opponent ran back towards them in full flight. The girl prepared for the impact, but the shock was still significant. Axe against spear, the enraged creature made her go backward, growling like an animal.
"How dare you?! Who do you think you are to interfere with me? No one takes away my pleasure!"
She didn't respond. Taking advantage of his inconsistency, she made him topple forward, removing the weight of the axe from her. He quickly returned to try to attack her again, but the waitress was swift. She defended herself by dragging one of the sharp ends across his face. A cut was made, releasing a thick, greenish blood.
The opponent, disbelieving, ran his finger along his cheek. She stepped back into a defensive position.
"How about I talk a little now?" she said to him. "Who are you, and what do you want here?"
She's fast, agile. Knows exactly what to do, thought Damian, still surprised. Who is she?
"I don't understand, don't understand, don't understand!" the enemy raved insanely. The waitress narrowed her eyes at him. "There shouldn't be anyone else here, none of them should be here! No one should stop me. Did you follow me?!" he shouted.
"Don't you think you're giving yourself too much importance? Why would I follow a killer like you?" Damian heard her and wanted to ask her not to provoke him further. He feared even more at the moment. Could there be some agreement from that conversation?
"You're not one of them, are you? No, you can't be one of them. You're not wearing anything. BUT WHAT ARE YOU, HUH?! Why do you carry that weapon?" The being squeezed the axe tightly as he shouted.
"My weapon? It was a gift. Why? Never got one?" she taunted him again, moving the spear skillfully in the air.
"Damned. I'm going to... Cut you..." His eyes pulsed as if they were about to pop out. The sense of urgency grew.
"You need to get out of here!" She directed her words to a still paralyzed Damian. "Run and hide somewhere!"
He stood hesitantly.
"I'm going to kill... Cut off all your limbs... I'm going to..." The hybrid deliriously took his time.
"Now! You have to go now!" the girl shouted.
"But what about you?" he shouted in response.
The enemy's horizon cleared. The first raindrops began to fall. The boy hadn't moved a foot yet.
"I... I already know where I'm going first." The creature moved eagerly, searching for Damian.
The waitress, anticipating the opponent, joined the hybrid the moment he reached the boy. She pulled the boy by his jacket, preventing the enemy's precise blow. The boy stumbled, dazed, having no reactions for such a situation. The other two—the waitress and the hybrid—faced each other. Damian remained between them. The hideous creature constantly tried to hurt him, while the waitress defended him against the enemy's attacks.
The opponent continued until he grabbed the boy's torso, as if picking up a rabbit by the ears. Damian struggled against the touch, disrupting the creature's action. The waitress freed him, reaching with the sharp blade to the enemy's disgusting arm. She grabbed the boy towards her, moving away as much as she could.
Without any openings, the hybrid turned red. Anger surged in his yellow eyes.
"Enough!" The powerful shout wasn't just a mere cry of anger; it was a hidden blow. A thin crack in the ground opened, and the waitress was affected by a vile blast, thrown away close to the boy.
The two were thrown into a thicket, disappearing among the trees, leaving behind a trail of stirred soil.
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