CHAPTER 2
What You Carry Inside
The walk back home in Puebla felt longer than usual, even though Leo knew every street by heart. The night seemed to close in around them, as if the shadows had decided to linger a little longer than they should. Neither of them spoke at first; the sound of their footsteps against the cobblestone was the only thing breaking the silence, and even that felt wrong… like something else was walking with them, just out of reach.
Nando glanced at Leo, frowning.
"You're going to explain what the hell that was, right? Because if you tell me you imagined it, I swear I'm leaving you here."
Leo let out a short laugh—more nervous than amused—as he pressed a hand against his chest.
"I wish that was it…"
The pressure was still there. It wasn't pain, but it wasn't normal either. It felt like something had taken up space inside him without permission.
Nando studied him more carefully.
"Does it hurt or what?"
Leo shook his head, though he hesitated for a second before doing so.
"No… it's weird. I can't explain it."
And that was the truth. He didn't know how to say that he didn't just feel it… he could hear it. It wasn't a clear voice or complete words, but it was there, brushing against his mind like an echo that didn't belong to him.
Leo suddenly stopped.
Nando raised an eyebrow.
"Now what?"
Leo narrowed his eyes, trying to pinpoint the source.
"Did you hear that?"
Nando answered immediately.
"No. And if you're about to start with weird stuff again, just warn me now."
Leo hesitated, then shook his head.
"Nothing… forget it."
But it wasn't nothing. He had heard it clearly. And the worst part was—it didn't come from outside.
It came from him.
They reached home shortly after. The door was slightly open, and the warm light from inside contrasted with the darkness of the street. The smell of fresh coffee greeted them, familiar and comforting. For a moment, Leo thought everything would go back to normal the second he crossed the threshold.
But the moment he stepped inside, he knew it wouldn't.
His grandmother was standing in the middle of the kitchen, completely still.
She wasn't cooking.
She wasn't busy.
She was waiting.
When she looked up, she showed no surprise.
"You're late," she said calmly.
Nando tried to respond, scratching the back of his neck.
"Yeah, it's just that—"
"Not you," she interrupted, without raising her voice or even looking at him. "Go wash your hands."
The tone was enough. Nando exchanged a glance with Leo, clearly uncomfortable, but obeyed without arguing.
Leo stayed where he was, feeling the air grow heavier.
His grandmother took a step closer.
"What did you do?"
It didn't sound like a question.
It sounded like she already knew the answer.
Leo swallowed.
"I didn't do anything… something attacked me, I just…"
He trailed off. Even he didn't understand what had happened.
His grandmother didn't respond. Instead, she closed the distance and placed a hand over his chest.
The contact was immediate.
Strange.
Cold.
Too deep.
Leo tensed, but couldn't pull away.
His grandmother closed her eyes.
The world seemed to fade.
Not the house.
Not the street.
Not Nando in the background.
Nothing.
Then he felt it.
Something moved inside him.
Not a vague sensation.
Something real.
Something чужое—foreign.
"…let me out…" a voice whispered from nowhere outside.
Leo's eyes snapped open.
"Grandma—!"
He tried to step back, but she held him firmly.
Her expression had changed.
No longer calm.
Tense.
Careful.
Controlled fear.
Suddenly, she pulled her hand away as if burned.
"No…" she murmured.
Leo stumbled back, now truly afraid.
"What is it?"
His grandmother stared at him—not at his eyes, but at something deeper.
"You didn't just see it," she said slowly.
A pause.
"You absorbed it."
The silence that followed was heavier than any scream.
Leo felt the pressure in his chest intensify.
"What does that mean…?"
His grandmother didn't answer immediately. She seemed to be thinking—or remembering something she didn't want to face again.
When she finally spoke, her voice was lower.
"It means something inside you… has just awakened."
From the back of the house, Nando returned, drying his hands.
"Okay, is someone going to tell me what's going on or what?"
But Leo wasn't listening anymore.
Because the thing inside him… whispered again.
And this time—
he understood it perfectly.