Among the irregular waves of the Pacific Ocean, Diaz shook a glass bottle, hoping to find one last drop of beer. When he realized it was empty, his eyes began to flash, taking on an unstable hue, similar to that of a traffic light undergoing maintenance.
Suddenly, his left arm moved on its own, as if it no longer belonged to him. His fingers closed around his neck, squeezing tightly.
Diaz fought against himself, managing to free himself just in time, gasping for breath.
Regaining his senses, he got up from the sofa and began to stretch, trying to release the tension in his muscles.
"Mr. Tibia, wake up and put some music!" he shouted, turning around.
Slowly, the blanket on the sofa began to rise, taking on a curved shape. A hand made entirely of bones dangled from underneath it.
In the darkness hidden by the blanket, a purple light flashed insistently.
"Let me sleep in peace..."
"No," said Diaz, rubbing his eyes.
Slowly the upper part of the blanket began to take the shape of a head. The figures were starting to take shape, placing its feet on the floor.
It began to approach Diaz, and with each step its size seemed to increase, until it reached Diaz's forehead.
A good left hand lifted the cloth from its head and dropped it to the ground, revealing a skeletal face. His eye, his right eye, had started to emit an increasingly intense dark light.
"Otherwise?!"
they demanded the remais, in a voice that seemed to vibrate like a prolonged note.
The two stared at each other with a defiant grin, until their foreheads collided with a sharp blow.
The tension was broken by a rustling sound.
A slow, creeping sound began to make its way into their hearing range.
From the dark side of the room, a slithering beast with sharp, venomous jaws, cold narrow pupils, and a tongue that moved with a constant, almost musical, rhythm appeared.
"HAMLET!"
they shouted in unison, rushing towards her as if she were their own daughter.
"Is she hungry?"
" No, I don't think so... just yesterday this apartment was full of rats. Today there is no trace of them. "
The snake seemed nervous. Since she had arrived, she had done nothing than looking at the entrance door from afar.
Multiple quick footsteps were approaching the door.
Perhaps she should have warned them.
Heavy blows rained down on the apartment door, shaking the walls.
" OPEN THE DOOR, OR ELSE WE WILL KICK IT DOWN BY FORCE "
someone shouted from outside.
Mr. Tibia and Diaz slowly exchanged a tense glance, like two musicians who know they are about to embark on an improvised solo.
The door gave way under a barrage of kicks. The wood broke, the hinges flew off, and a gang of assailants burst into the apartment with their rifles already aimed, ready to fire at anything that moved.
Seeing no one, they decided to close what was left of the door and began to search the area.
One of them threw himself behind the sofa, while the others dispersed into the adjacent rooms.
The man behind the sofa got up immediately and headed for the kitchen. He was looking for supplies to pocket, anything that might be of value.
He opened the refrigerator.
Emptiness.
That was the last thing he saw before two sharp points pierced his shoulder, slowly lifting him toward the ceiling, without a sound betraying the action. His body remained suspended, like a note held too long.
It was evening and bandits returned to the main area, having found no supplies or survivors.
They had to return to base camp so they decided to cut and run.
But as soon as they lifted what was left of the door... they saw it.