4

After his shift, we were left alone in the hall.

Enrique brought two large glasses of lemonade - timely, I was just thirsty, and Enrique did not allow me to do this for a long time.

Well, of course, I know that he brought a drink for a reason...

— Ugh, what a nightmare! Sometimes it seems to me that his taste is getting worse and worse...—Enrique coughed.

— Yes, it's a rare piece of trash...—I said.— And it gets worse ... —

This composition did not make me dizzy, but nausea rolled up for a while.

— Now let's go downstairs. The drug has certainly been absorbed into the blood...—

We went up the stairs to the basement under the store.

—We're going to turn on the sterilizing radiation now, so you'd better close your mouth. This radiation kills even the strongest teeth...—Enrique took a deep breath.

The radiation turned out to be physically unpleasant. It seemed as if a thousand needles were burning the body.

— Is it unpleasant?—Enrique asked.—But it's better than letting Mariusz break into the last safe place...—

— Does this radiation turn off the bugs?—I asked.

— This radiation destroys them. There is no other way... Mariusz once planted a bug in my headache pill. I've been through this radiation... And how it hurt... And the machine that looks for the stars is here.—Enrique waved his hand like a magician.

I went over to a small device that looked somewhat like an old-style monitor with a keyboard on top and on the sides.

— Maybe then you can explain how it turns on?—I asked.

— No! Not here. It is safe to turn it on only in space, there may be an explosion here on earth... One that will destroy the entire planet...—Enrique sighed.— And for work of that machine we need three cores of pure plutonium...—

— So it's dangerous to stand next to it?—I asked, immediately jumping aside.

— If you couldn't stand next to it, I wouldn't let you get to the machine. It's safe.—Enrique laughed.— You should have seen your face! You turned completely white...—

I snorted, then broke down and laughed.

— Well, you give it! You scared me so easily with his inoffensiveness...—I said.

— Inoffensiveness?—Enrique smiled. This time I noticed the fangs.— You don't know how far you are from the truth.,,—

"And I hope I won't find out..."—I told myself mentally.

— I have a jacket like this, but I have already turned into a living torch in it several times. It hurt. The clock in the plan will be safer. Try it on.— he took out a small box.— If the bracelet is small or large, I will fix it.—

I fastened the bracelet on the wrist and winced - the metal bracelet pinched the skin on my wrist.

Enrique opened the clasp and rubbed the red marks on my wrist.

— It hurts, doesn't it? Well, nothing, you just hooked the skin with the clasp. I'm going to enlarge the bracelet now...—

Tools rustled and, in order not to distract Enrique, I began to walk around and look at the contents of this strange bunker.

A lot of the devices I saw were not familiar to me. I only recognized the ones I saw at Mariusz's or Cornelius's when I was little.

There was a closed frame on the table. I opened the little doors.

— Enrique, who's in the photo here?—I asked, turning the picture towards him.

— Didn't they teach you not to touch other people's things? So be it, I will answer: there I am (well, it can be seen), my wife, children and my brother.— Enrique took the frame from me and put it in a drawer

the table.— I don't like it when someone touches my things...—

— Sorry, I'm too curious, I've had it since childhood...—I said.— And where is your family now?—

— In a safe place... As long as such a bastard is here, and in general, as long as Mariusz is alive, I cannot be calm...—Enrique gripped the forceps tightly in his hand.

— Did he take something important away from you too?— I took the forceps out of his hands.

Enrique stared at the blood on his hand in disbelief, as if he did not understand where it came from.

— You're like my older brother... Cornelius also freaks out at first, then thinks why is it him...—I stroked my locket.

— Can I take a look? You've been looking at photos of my family and, by the way, for a very long time!—Enrique held out his hand and waited for me to take off the locket.

— Did your father make it himself?—he asked, carefully opening the magnetic lock.

— Yes. There's also a tattoo of our mom on the back, dad carved it on a stone. This medallion is made of a star. Or from a meteorite... I don't remember! Dad found this stone on an abandoned asteroid, checked for safety, and then made five medallions...—- I fell silent, staring at Cornelius's face in the photo.

I wonder if Cornelius is alive now? And if he's alive, do I even recognize him?

I didn't understand how I started crying.

Apparently, the emotional barrier that had been standing for ten years had collapsed...

Enrique suddenly stood up and hugged me. His hands lightly wrapped around my neck, returning the locket to its place, then they stroked my back and shoulders. His warmth warms me, dries my tears.

— I'm sorry that I started to cry here. A ghost shouldn't cry...—I said, wiping my reddened eyes.

— Dariusz, when we're done with this, I'll help you find your brother, no matter what it takes...—Enrique said, stroking my back.

***

I know that we used to have a sister. Cornelius never talked about her, and neither did Dad. It's very strange to have a family member and not know anything about her at all.

Although, I hardly remember my mother...

adjusting my watch on my hand, I got out of the car. Every time it becomes harder to find the strength to enter there.

Mariusz's residence is a curse to me.

I entered through the front door and waved to the guard.

My usual smile, right now, probably looks like a terrible grimace.

Now you need to go through the screen... It could be worse than it looks...

remembering Enrique's words about the "living torch", I was shaking with fear.

When the radiation turned on, I grabbed my temples and screamed. It was as if a red-hot metal rod was being screwed into his head.

Mariusz immediately jumped out.

I ran away to the fire side.

My wrist is bleeding, my watch is sparkling.

Streams of blood are pouring down my wrist, but the pain that was in my head overwhelmed absolutely everything, even my consciousness.

Mariusz holds out his hand to me, but I jump aside.

It hurts so much...

***

... it's the pain that wakes me up.

The bandages on my arm are soaked in blood, handcuffs are on top of them, I was chained to the bed like a psycho.

Mariusz opened the door, entered the room and sat down next to him.

— Who gave you this watch?—he asked, throwing a burnt bracelet on the bedside table.

— No one gave me anything!—I say in a hoarse voice.—Either let me go or kill me.—

— You need to rest. A nurse will come soon and take care of you.—

— Are you going to feed me before you kill me?—I asked.

The door slammed.

I hit the back of my head against the headboard with all my might.

How could I get caught like that?

Tears poured down my cheeks.