Chapter 3: My guilt

*Hours later, my niece woke me up.*

Kouji: —Open your eyes— ... *I didn't dream anything, it was as if everything had gone dark and suddenly Nina's face was there.*

Nina: Uncle... Uncle!! Uncleeee!! I'm thirsty, uncle! *I was just hoping it was all a dream, but it wasn't. Everything had happened, so I just stared at the ceiling, wishing I could sleep more.*

Nina: Uncle! Uncle! —Almost crying— Please, I'm thirsty. *I looked at her, saw the sadness on her face, and for that reason, I couldn't feel any sadder. Her face was so beautiful to my eyes that I decided to set aside my sadness just to see a smile on her.*

Kouji: —Dejected— Here, take it slowly. *Even in a mentally deplorable condition, I had to take care of my little niece. I couldn't just shirk my responsibilities. Probably, my family left her with me until I woke up, and being alone with her, I thought the situation was serious.*

Nina: Are you okay, uncle? *She was still too young to understand what was going on. For her age, she most likely believed that everything would be back to normal the next day. I wished, at that moment, to be like her. I wanted to be sure that tomorrow everything would be back to normal, so at least I would remove all this emotional fatigue from my head.*

Kouji: Where is your mom? Where is mommy Sonia? And Linnethe? *My mother didn't like being called grandma, so "mommy Sonia" was how Nina referred to my mom.*

Nina: I don't know —Shaking her head— *Most likely, while she was asleep, they asked her to stay with me.*

Kouji: It's getting dark. "Damn, how long did I sleep?" Quickly, drink your water, Nina, we'll go find mom.

*It was already night, maybe I had been asleep for about 8 hours or more. The stress might have taken a toll on me.*

Kouji: There's a lot of noise. "What's going on?" *Sounds of hammers and metal noises penetrated my head. As I wondered what was happening, I saw a friend from my childhood pass by, we were almost the same age.*

Kouji: Komi, Komi! What's going on?

Komi: —Worried— Kouji... Darlo and Demian didn't come back from looking for your dad. The boss told us all to reinforce parts of the wall and put several men on guard. *At that moment, I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that Demian hadn't returned. Demian wasn't just the boss's son, he was an expert in weapons and the best soldier in the village. Before I left with my mother, I saw him leave with five of his men. These were the best in the village. Among them was Darlo, Komi's brother, who was the only family she had. For a moment, I left the burden to Demian, thinking he would return with some news, good or bad, planning to finally take on the emotional responsibility of hearing it.*

Kouji: It can't be... Not even one?

Komi: —Sadly— No. Demian said if he didn't return, we should reinforce the walls. I'm bringing this lime from home to see if I can help. *I was surprised she was carrying the little lime that Darlo had probably been gathering to cover their house.*

Nina: Uncle...

Kouji: —Looks at Nina— I know, Nina, Komi... Where's my family?

Komi: I'm not sure, I last saw them with the boss, and they were... *Started.*

Stranger: AHHHHH! *Upon hearing it, I knew.*

Kouji: Nina, come here —I looked at her— Don't let go. *My heart started beating so hard, but this time I wouldn't sit idly by. I took Nina to my chest, and she hugged me around the neck*

Stranger: AHHHHHH!

Komi: What's happening? —Scared— *She looked terrified, probably because Darlo wasn't with her anymore; he was her source of security.*

Kouji: Komi, we have to go see what's happening. *Even though I knew what was happening in my head, I desperately hoped it wasn't true. I moved cautiously with Komi towards the source of the screams, which wasn't far away. As we walked, the screams grew louder, several of them... one after another.*

Komi: There are several people near the main gate. *Each person there began to scream.*

*We turned into a small street toward the main gate, where several people were looking up... up above the gate, which was about 4 meters high. I stopped for a moment, not wanting to see, so Komi went ahead.*

Komi: —Eyes wide— AHHH! *I knew it, but now it made more sense why everyone was screaming. It wasn't a scream of pain or suffering, it was just... fear, horror, terror... again, in its purest form.*

Pao: Sunsama... If you're there, please, please save us. *A person next to him began to pray. Meanwhile, the other people remained stunned, and a few said something before falling silent. I remained silent, my body growing cold, and I started sweating. I reflected instantly and told myself, "no," this time I knew I could move because I had already seen it, I had already experienced this fear. Initially, the fear of losing my father had made me hesitate. However, this time I wouldn't stay petrified.*

Thing: —Smiling— He, he, he Helloooo, how are you all? *Its ugly face and thin neck were visible over the gate.*

Creature: —Looks at everyone—

Brúdeo: Everyone! To your arms! —Looks at the creature— How did we not see it coming? *The Boss, he was there. The Boss wasn't just an ordinary man, he was "the Boss of the village" and the father of the warrior Demian. He wasn't just an excellent strategist and fighter; he was also the best man to lead the people. He was one of the few who didn't flinch or scream at the sight of the creature.*

Brúdeo: Fire! *I was surprised how, amidst all the confusion and panic, he remained steadfast. Even after seeing that thing, his heart didn't falter. After my father, he was the second person I admired the most.*

Brúdeo: Impossible... *The arrows, reinforced with steel, couldn't even penetrate the creature's thick skin.*

Thing: Hee hee hee... That won't work. *What was that? Who in their right mind would create such a ghastly being, and why?*

Brúdeo: "Why is it staying there?" "Why isn't it attacking?" *The Boss began to ponder about the creature, he had to understand it, he had to know what the creature wanted to confront it.*

Jonas: Boss! We can surround it and attack from several flanks.

Brúdeo: No, the arrows only bounce off or break, they're useless... Set fire to the arrows and aim for the mouth, wipe that smile off its face. *They shot, at least 15 of them.*

Thing: hee hee hee... Your effor... *A fire-lit arrow had pierced it.*

Thing: sssss... —Steam coming out of its sockets— How unpleasant, the audience. *This being... As unreal as it appeared, it had a strange behavior. It just mocked and mocked, laughed and laughed, it was simply irritating.*

Brúdeo: Stop! "This creature... is huge, it could easily slide through the gate and attack, it's like... like it doesn't want to come in" Get away from the door!

Ánticu: Boss, the monster could get in, it would be better if we create a barricade or push it.

Brúdeo: Steel doesn't harm it, and fire is just a mockery of it, it's not a good idea Ánticu, gather several men and close any entrance to the village you find! Jonas, Freudo, wake up everyone who's unconscious or in a trance and take them to the center of the village! *All those who had seen that thing were in shock or just couldn't stop looking at it.*

Thing: Boss, Boss, Boss... hee hee hee, don't you miss someone?

Kouji: Komi, Komi, wake up! *I stood in front of Komi to shield her from the sight of the creature, while putting Nina's head on my chest so that my niece wouldn't see it.*

Komi: Ah... Ahh?

Kouji: Let's go! Stop looking at it.

Komi: —Starts crying— What... what... what is it? —Grabs her head— What is that? What is that? What is that? *Komi started saying it over and over and over again. I understood her, she was just like me when I entered the village after seeing it.*

Nina: Uncllle... —Cries— I'm scared.

Kouji: Calm down, sweetheart, calm down, you're with me, we'll go see mom soon. Is that okay? Don't worry, okay?

Kouji: Komi —Takes her hand— Come, calm down. I won't leave you alone.

*The only thing that occurred to me at that moment was to take Komi to her older brother, Darlo. However, he had left with Demian "Damn it!" I thought. Komi didn't have anyone else, as her parents had lost their lives when she was Nina's age.*

Thing: bll... *That sound, it seemed familiar to me... It was the sound the creature had made when it ran away, leaving my father and my uncle behind. My instinct told me, "go, run" "go, Kouji".*

Kouji: Quickly, let's get out of here.