Inside the room, which was somewhat narrow and had a slight smell of old wood, the walls were covered with wallpaper worn by the years, and in one corner stood a tall wardrobe with creaky doors. Javier opened it with some effort; the hinges creaked, breaking the silence.
Inside, the clothes were crammed together and piled up in no particular order. Julia frowned and turned her head toward Javier.
—Did you really store it like this? —she said with a mixture of disbelief and annoyance.
Javier shrugged and looked away toward the ceiling, as if he already knew she would scold him.
—It's not that bad… —he replied quietly.
—Uh-huh… sure —Julia replied ironically—. Come on, find the key quickly before I have a heart attack looking at this mess.
They both began rummaging through wrinkled shirts, poorly hung jackets, and tangled scarves. In the midst of the disorder, a small object fell to the floor with a soft thud. Julia bent down and picked it up.
It was a photograph, worn and slightly bent at the corners. Her eyes widened as she recognized it.
—Oh… —she whispered.
In the picture, much younger, they were at a fair. Javier was carrying her in his arms, both smiling, dressed in cowboy outfits ridiculously oversized for their height. The lights in the background and the glow on their faces seemed to come from another time.
Javier looked at her over his shoulder.
—Wow... I didn't even remember that one.
—I did —Julia replied, smiling with a mixture of nostalgia and tenderness—. That day you bought me cotton candy so big it almost covered my face.
—And you made me go on the Ferris wheel… even though I'm afraid of heights.
—You only did it to impress me —Julia said, raising an eyebrow.
—It worked, didn't it? —Javier replied with a half-smile.
Julia let out a soft laugh, and for a few seconds they stared at the photograph as if the world around them had disappeared.
—Here it is —Javier announced suddenly, pulling the key out from under a pile of shirts. He held it up triumphantly, as if he had found a treasure.
Julia looked at him and smiled, almost as if she saw the young Javier from the photo superimposed on him.
—Despite the years… you haven't changed.
—Is that good or bad? —he asked, taking a step closer.
—I think… it's very good —she replied, looking him straight in the eyes.
Hubo un momento de silencio, solo roto por el crujir de la madera y el latido compartido en aquel espacio reducido. Javier dio un paso más y tomó la mano de Julia con suavidad.
—Come on, let's go downstairs... we still have to go to the storeroom to get Aslan's medicine — he said quietly.
She nodded. They left together, closing the door to the room with a soft click. The room was left empty, with the photograph forgotten on the floor.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the neighborhood, Stella wasted no time. She threw open the door and rushed out. Althea and Hael ran after her.
—Where's the bite? —Stella asked as they ran.
—On his little finger… his right one—Hael replied, panting from the effort.
They entered the house without stopping. Aslan, who had been sleeping, woke up to the noise. When he saw them, he smiled weakly.
—Oh, you're back…You too, Stella… Did you come to see how I'm doing?
—Hael? Which hand? —she asked without answering him.
—The right one.
Stella immediately approached him, took his hand firmly, and examined his pinky finger. Her expression changed instantly.
—What is this, Aslan?
—Oh, that… I did it yesterday. On my way back, I ran into a dog. You know I'm a little afraid of them… I tried to defend myself and it bit my little finger. But it's not that serious —he explained, visibly uncomfortable.
Stella frowned, looking at the wound more closely. There was redness, marks spreading across his hand and beginning to darken the skin.
—That wasn't an ordinary dog —she said in a low voice.
—What do you mean? — Aslan frowned.
—You've been infected, Aslan… — Stella murmured, her eyes glistening.
—No... it can't be... you're wrong. It must be something else —he stammered, his voice breaking.
—Look at yourself! —Stella exclaimed, raising her voice in pain —. Look at your hand! The marks… they're spreading. You're transforming!
—No, no! That's a lie! —Aslan shook his head desperately, bringing his other hand to his head —. This can't be happening to me! I can't turn into that!
Hael wanted to run to help his friend, but fear paralyzed him; his legs wouldn't respond. Arika, with Mian in her arms behind him, trembled, unable to speak.
Stella, trying to control the trembling of her own hands, held his face firmly.
—Calm down … —she whispered, trying to calm him—. We're here with you, we'll do everything we can to help you.
But suddenly, Aslan's voice changed. It wasn't his: it became deeper, colder, more distan.
—You're right… —he said with a twisted smile—. I won't be alone... you'll be by my side... even if it means dragging you down with me.
Aslan's eyes suddenly turned black, deep and empty like a well. Stella instinctively backed away with a gasp.
—Althea, Hael, don't come any closer! —she exclaimed in horror.
Aslan's body began to twist unnaturally. His breathing became rough and ragged, and incoherent murmurs escaped his lips. What was left of him… was fading away.
At that moment, Julia appeared behind them.
—What's going on here...? —preguntó, desconcertada.
—Hael… you didn't say you were going to the warehouse… —Stella protested, without taking her eyes off Aslan.
—That's right —Hael replied tensely.
—We came back because we forgot the key, but... what's wrong with Aslan? —said Grandma.
—That's not Aslan anymore, Grandma… —Stella warned, her voice breaking—. Stay away.
Aslan turned his head sharply toward Julia, his eyes bloodshot and sickly red.
—Grandma! Go, now! —gritó Stella, pero la abuela se quedó inmóvil, confundida.
Stella shouted, but Grandma stood still, confused.
The creature that was once Aslan roared and lunged at her. At the last second, Javier appeared, pulling his wife back. The monster's impact against him sent him stumbling.
Stella tried to distract him by throwing herself at Aslan, but she was brutally thrown against a piece of furniture. The blow left her breathless on the floor.
—Stella! —Althea and Hael rushed to her.
The creature turned back to the grandparents. And when it opened its mouth to bite Julia, Javier stepped in. The woman's scream tore through the air as she watched the fangs sink into her husband's arm.
—¡NOOO! ¡Javier! —she screamed in despair.
Julia ran to him to help, but Javier turned his head and shook it firmly, warning her not to come near. Through her tears, she grabbed a vase and smashed it with all her strength against the creature. The monster growled, letting out a brutal yank that tore Javier's flesh even more before pushing him away.
The man collapsed in pain, barely conscious. Julia held him with both hands and carefully laid him down on the ground.
—Javier… hang on, please… —she pleaded, crying, holding him by the shoulders.
—No… don't cry… don't waste your tears… —he stammered, wiping her face with the hand he could still move.
Julia took his hand tightly, as if she never wanted to let go
— Julia, you have to go… take them with you and get them away from here… I don't know how long I can hold on. —he whispered with difficulty.
—No… I can't leave you… I promised to stay by your side, even in the worst of times! — replied Julia, broken.
—I know, and I promise we'll see each other again… — said Javier, his voice growing weaker and weaker—. But you must go on living… they need you… please …
Julia nodded between sobs and laid him down gently. Before closing his eyes, Javier whispered what would be his last words:
— I… love… you…
Julia pressed her lips against his in a trembling kiss. And when she looked up, the monster, stunned by the previous blow, had already recovered and was advancing toward her again.
Suddenly, something hit the creature's head: a can.
The infected creature turned abruptly. Althea was standing in front of him, her hands trembling, Max clutched to her chest. Her eyes reflected fear, but she did not back down.
—Hey, monster! Come and get me! —she shouted, her voice breaking —. Come on, what are you waiting for?
The creature roared and lunged at her. But before it could reach her, Stella, staggering and bleeding, stepped in with a bloodcurdling scream, striking out with all her might. The creature swatted her away, sending her flying several meters. Althea barely managed to catch her before she hit the ground.
Meanwhile, Hael, trembling but determined, stepped forward.
—Aslan… —he said, his voice breaking—. Listen to me, this isn't you. You wouldn't do this... you're hurting us, all of us! Please, remember who you are!
Aslan looked at him with a distorted grimace. For a moment, something seemed to flicker in his expression, a shadow of doubt... but then he roared with fury, as if those words could no longer reach him. He lunged at Hael.
The boy, realizing he could no longer stop him with pleas, threw himself at him... only to be knocked down in a matter of seconds.
When the monster opened its mouth to bite him, Julia, desperate, threw herself at the creature, scratching with all her might.
—Get out of here, you bastard —she shouted furiously, ready to give it her all.
But the creature's strength was too much. It grabbed her by the neck and bit her. Julia, gasping for breath, held on with the last of her strength.
—Go… now … —she said, her voice a whisper.
—Grandma… —Althea sobbed, tears streaming down her face.
—Save yourselves… —whispered Julia, forcing a smile as tears clouded her eyes.
Althea wiped her tears with the sleeve of her jacket and, in a firm voice, looked at Hael:
—Hael, we have to go! —she pulled him away.
—No! We can't leave her! —he replied, struggling against her.
—There's nothing we can do for her —Althea shouted— Please! We don't have much time. Stella is in bad shape, and I... I won't last much longe.
Hael looked at his trembling hand, then at Max in her arms. His resistance broke. Without another word, he helped Althea carry Stella. Together, they held her, staggering out of the house. The door closed behind them, although they knew it wouldn't hold for long.
Inside, the infected man struggled with the grandmother, trying to pull her off him, but she clung on with unexpected strength. In a desperate move, she pulled out the hairpin holding her hair and stabbed him in one of his eyes. The monster roared in pain, staggering, and with a brutal shove he threw her against the wall.
She fell heavily, feeling her strength fade. The infected man, kneeling in pain, brought his hands to his face. The grandmother, breathing heavily, understood that she had succeeded: she had gained a few seconds, enough for Hael to escape.
A wave of memories flooded her mind. She saw again the day she met Hael and Elion... Hael was just a two-year-old boy, fragile and curious, hiding behind his older brother. A smile appeared on her wounded lips as she murmured:
—At least… I saved you, little Hael… I wish I could have done the same for my baby…
Then another memory emerged with harsh clarity: a car accident, the screech of brakes, the impact. She was motionless on the sidewalk, and on the road a car had come to a stop, a bloodied child lying on the asphalt. Then the image of that little boy in her arms, crying and trembling, a scene etched in her soul for so many years.
With the last of her strength, she whispered, barely audible:
—Live well. Hael…
A faint smile appeared on her face, and between gasps she added:
—It seems we will meet sooner than expected… my love…
The children, their hearts heavy, hurried toward the exit. That place was no longer safe: the air was thick with pain and loss, as if the walls themselves were mourning what had happened.
And just as they reached the entrance gate… a figure emerged in front of them.
—Elion! —Hael cried, his eyes wide open.
Elion, who had just returned from his expedition, looked at them with a pale face.
His gaze met Hael's, then Althea's... and finally Stella's, who was covered in blood and semi-conscious.
Seeing the state they were in, he didn't need to ask to know that something terrible had happened.