Chapter 27: The Strange Event
Richard got out of the vehicle.The rain soaked all his clothes; his boots sank into the water of the puddle that had formed under his feet. The rain smelled, as always, of iron. An aroma similar to blood, a smell that over time had become familiar to him, almost as ordinary as the mist that covered the base.
Should he trust his instincts, which screamed that he was in danger? Of course, he should. He had been asking himself that same question ever since he entered the base. But now there was another one drilling into his head: why wasn't he listening to them? Why wasn't he obeying that voice that pushed him to walk away?
He pressed the rifle tightly against his chest, feeling the damp wood and the cold metal clinging to the soaked fabric. He wasn't a man of superstitions, nor of groundless paranoia, but since he had begun this new life, everything seemed to fit into a dream from which he couldn't tell if it was a nightmare or a fantasy.
"Could I be under the control of a hypnotic-type talent?" he asked himself, examining each idea as if it were an electric circuit. He checked the flow in his brain and everything was normal. However, that uncomfortable feeling didn't leave him. It had clung to him ever since he went to Emma's house to bring them with him, like a small annoying voice.
John approached silently, trying to catch him off guard. But in that moment Richard had his senses sharpened to the maximum.
"What are you thinking, soldier?" he said, standing by his side and following the horizon Richard was watching.
The place was an old abandoned site: armored doors covered in a layer of rust that dripped under the rain, tense barbed wire that creaked in the wind, and corroded structures that spoke of better days.
John nodded, because he too had noticed that thread of danger that lingered in the air.
"Noah! I think it's best if we take some explosives, because this place gives me a bad vibe!"
He walked to the back of the vehicle. There was Noah, organizing the space to be able to quickly load all the supplies they would take. Although he was being too optimistic if he thought they would get an entire trailer full of supplies.
Richard remained silent, and his gaze fell on Damián. The young man was equipping grenades as if they weren't dangerous at all. If not for the safety pins, they could almost be mistaken for a bag of apples.
"Don't you fear that all of that could blow up on your back?" Richard asked, stepping closer to reduce the distance and avoid being the target of stares for standing idly in the middle of everything.
Damián looked at him for a few seconds, thinking about what to say, until he finally nodded as if he were making a tacit agreement between his mouth and his thoughts.
"What are you talking about? That's the most exciting part. This way I keep all my instincts sharp, knowing that any mistake could trigger one. Actually… now that I think about it, I should put a few more grenades."
The smile burned across his face, both frantic and bright. Richard had long stopped trying to understand the strange young man known as Damián. He was an enigma to humanity, what went through his mind was beyond comprehension. He almost seemed like someone searching for a way to end his own life. But no awakened ever sought death. Because to go from an ordinary human to an awakened already required a mental strength far greater than average.
"Keep doing what you're doing…" Richard said, and walked away, feeling Damián's gaze drilling into his back. For an instant, his blue eyes seemed to lose their brightness before returning to his activity.
"Are you ready yet? John finally convinced me to bring the explosives; that guy really doesn't know how to give up when he demands something to be done."
Noah approached, carrying two boxes in both hands. His pace was slow, showing that the boxes were heavy. It was obvious he wanted Richard to help him, just to dump all the load on him and then disappear to do who knows what.
"Who said I was interested in Amelia? Did I flirt with her without realizing it? That shouldn't be possible… right?"
Richard was stunned at the commander's words. He hadn't tried anything with Noah's daughter. Since when was courtesy mistaken for flirting?
He wanted a new ending in this life, but he wasn't going to throw everything away for a girl he barely knew. He preferred to cling to the person he already knew and understood all his life rather than throwing himself into something new and uncertain.
"Richard! Help me with this!"
Noah placed both boxes at the ends of the door. The automatic lock had no power; according to the plans he had obtained, the backup generator was inside, near the basement to be exact.
"But… won't the explosion attract attention from several kilometers away?"
The question hung in the rain, heavy and sharp like the air surrounding them. Everyone looked at him in silence, and Richard could read in their eyes the same thing he was thinking: that old man was losing his mind. He said so many things and contradicted himself so often that at times it seemed like he didn't even remember half of what came out of his mouth.
"Come on, old man, go in with your talent and find the generator."
The entire place was filled with darkness, like Noah's own house. What danger could there possibly be inside the facility? Either way, he could escape unharmed if he ran into trouble.
"Do you really want to send me in without support?" he asked, raising his voice so they could hear him over the rain.
John snorted, annoyed. "It's not that we're sending you to die, commander. You're the best suited to move silently; besides, you know the place better than any of us."
Damián stepped forward, grinning from ear to ear.
"If you want, I can go in with you. But I want authorization to blow everything up if things get ugly…"
Richard looked at the old man's face, almost mocking his misfortune.
"Huh?"
Reality cracked, as if glass shattered before his eyes, only to immediately mend itself. It was a brief flash, impossible to hold in his memory. Richard forced himself to think it was simple fatigue… yes, that had to be it. And yet, deep down in his mind, something made him forget everything he had just witnessed.
Possibly it was so he could preserve his sanity? Or maybe there was another reason. But that moment faded into oblivion, as if it had never occurred, without anyone but Richard noticing the change, that sensation that everything had stopped in time for a short and disturbing instant.
"Are you seriously going to commit insubordination, you bastards?!"
The commander grumbled, letting out a sigh of resignation. Then, without hesitation, his figure dissolved into darkness. His body sank into the shadows as if diving into a black, endless pool. The darkness embraced him, swallowing every trace of his form until there was no sign of his presence left.
The last ripple of his shadow faded against the wet ground… and then nothing.
"Do you think he'll be okay?"
Richard saw John be the first to falter. His tough exterior softened when he realized the commander had gone in to turn on the generator without hesitation, accepting the mission.
"He'll be fine. In the worst case, one of us will take his place if something happens to him."
Elías commented with a relaxed tone.
His voice slid with a disturbing calmness, almost as if he were talking about the weather and not about a man's life. It was in those little details that his true nature revealed itself. He hadn't become one of the most feared assassins in history just because of his powerful talent, but because his mind was forged to treat death with the same indifference others treated the mundane.
* * * *
Barely thirty minutes had passed, but for Damian it felt like an eternity. He was the first to lose patience.
"I'm bored!"
He stood up, about to throw an explosive marble toward the bunker's armored door. It probably would not make a dent in the structure, but no one allowed him to do anything else when John grabbed him by the back of his clothes to stop him from causing trouble.
The difference in height made it impossible for Damian to break free. The boy kept kicking in the air like a child caught in the middle of a prank.
"Finally, I arrived…"
Noah's voice emerged from the shadows. His silhouette materialized in the middle of the group, rain sliding down his darkened uniform. At first glance, he seemed unharmed, although fresh bloodstains could be seen on his clothes.
He lowered his gaze when he noticed how everyone was watching him in silence.
"This blood isn't mine, in case you're wondering. I ran into some creatures in there. Let's just say I had to entertain myself while you all were having your little tea party out here."
He pointed carelessly at the stains on his uniform and then shrugged.
"Anyway… now whatever's inside is all yours."
With slow steps, he walked toward the vehicle, leaving the exploration in the hands of the others. He had done his part and, at least according to him, had already done too much for one day.Richard followed him with his eyes for a few seconds, frowning. Something didn't add up.
"How is it possible that he had red blood… if the infected always bleed black?"
No one answered. John, Elias, and Damian had already entered the facility at the exact moment the metallic creak of the door echoed, opening the main entrance.
The first thing that hit them was the smell. A penetrating stench of rust, although it did not come from the corroded structure.