22

"How many years do I have to work here for?" He asked his superior for probably the hundredth time this morning.His name is Pedro Henrique – the one with the surname 'Henrique' on his birth certificate – and his job at the hospital was a lot more challenging than any other job he's had in his life.The doctors told him that it could take up to three months to fully heal his wound, but he wasn't too worried about it at all. In fact, he was counting down the days, and when they told him that his first month back at work will start tomorrow, he couldn't hold back a smile.The nurses told him that he needed a strict diet and exercise regime to recover from being wounded by a large animal – which is what happened after the creature bit him during the chase he had going with some other animals around town, although none of them actually managed to bite him and even though he was almost bitten himself – that he should get restful sleep every night, and if he needed something else, he shouldn't touch anything. He didn't want to give his superiors any reason to think he was lazy (or irresponsible), so he tried his best to obey their orders."And your name again?" The nurse at his desk asked as she looked at his records."Zerk", he said politely as he smiled at her and she nodded slowly."Ah...yes", she murmured and went back to her paperwork, "Good luck on your new job."He didn't respond, but he knew the nurse meant good luck for his promotion. After all, most people wouldn't expect someone with an orphaned name to get a position like his, but that didn't make it hurt less.He took his things before leaving the room, and made sure to put on his coat properly before he left the building. He thought to himself that he'll take a walk to clear his head, and when he arrived near the park he remembered a book that's been sitting on his bedside table for two weeks now.It was a simple book about mythology, and when he first opened it up, he didn't understand how anyone could believe in all these creatures existing. It was written by an old man who was a scientist, but when he saw him reading this book and realized that the man believed in everything, he thought he'd read it to know more about the beings that were living in the books he owned – and maybe to see if he's right and not crazy. When he finished the second book, he wondered if he should buy another one.But then the doctor mentioned that they only had ten copies of the last edition, and he decided against it because he doesn't have the money to buy another one. And besides, what if he's not right? Maybe the stories weren't real in the first place, so maybe they're just fictional characters in those books he found.But there's a part of him which believes that they are real, and he knows exactly why he thinks that.Because in all the books he bought, all the characters in the books he read are based on real people, and in most cases he found out that they were alive.When he walked away from the park, he kept thinking the same thing. So he continued to think it. And the more he did it, the more convinced he became.He got the phone number of the person he needs to contact from his supervisor, who told him that he could send the book to him anytime he wanted.So he started sending books to the author, and soon enough they met each other in person, and after spending hours talking to this person, Pedro Henrique came to understand that it really does exist. The book does happen to be a real story, and not just the way he imagined it to be. He still remembers perfectly the words of that strange stranger, but now when he reads a book, he doesn't feel the same kind of awe that he felt when he first read about the creatures described. Instead, he feels excited instead of terrified. He doesn't believe in them anymore, he knows now that they don't exist and he wonders what the next book he'll buy will be about.The day he finally sent all his books to his friend who lives in Los Angeles, he felt so proud and happy that his life has turned into something he thought it couldn't, because no matter what happens in his life, he'll always find something interesting to learn in between. He feels excited when his friends say they can't wait to read the books he's bought. He's glad to share his happiness with them – they always tell him to live for the present – so he spends the evening telling his friends about what happened today, and they ask him questions about the strange man in the park. They laugh, saying that Pedro is really too silly for his own good, but he keeps telling them how much fun it was to go meet a stranger – who apparently was also the hero of a book he found in the library.When he went to bed, the only thoughts he could manage to sleep through that night were about the bookshop owner that lived in LA.He was very polite and nice, and seemed to genuinely care about Pedro's well being, and the fact that Pedro didn't remember much about his conversation with him made it a little harder for Pedro to fall asleep, but eventually he succumbed to sleep, and when he woke up in the middle of the night, he felt like he hadn't slept at all.He went outside, trying to ignore the cold and wind as he waited for his alarm clock to go off. He didn't understand why the city suddenly seems so quiet. There were still cars passing by, the lights of houses were still lit up, and there was the usual bustle of activity as people walked home and worked, and yet he somehow felt uneasy. He checked his pockets to find a pocket knife that he had stolen a few months ago, and tried to convince himself that everything would be fine.That morning he went to work earlier than usual and was working on fixing one of his machines, when he felt a hand grabbing his wrist. Without looking back at whoever it was, Pedro grabbed his knife from the counter and quickly stabbed at the intruder's leg. A yelp came from behind him, and Pedro froze. He looked over his shoulder and saw the owner holding his leg. His eyes were wide open and a small pool of blood was spreading underneath his leg, making Pedro feel slightly sick. Before he had time to react, the owner let go of his leg and rushed out of the shop, leaving a small trail of blood on the floor.Pedro was dumbfounded. How was this possible? His bodyguards came running after the owner, but by the time they caught him, Pedro already ran outside to get help.When he reached the front door, the owner was lying on the ground, surrounded by his guards, bleeding everywhere while several policemen surrounded him.Pedro looked at his boss helplessly, who gave him a sympathetic look and walked towards the crowd of men surrounding the victim. The police were busy questioning the employees of the store, so Pedro approached them calmly, telling them what had happened. One officer, who had introduced himself as Chief Ramirez, asked Pedro to accompany him to the office where the incident happened.Pedro nodded quietly and followed him.As they were driving towards the police station, Pedro's mind began to race. Was this really an accident? Was the owner okay? Did he kill himself? Pedro tried to keep calm, but he couldn't prevent himself from panicking, as he thought about the possibilities, and how bad it could be.He tried to focus on his breathing, but soon he realized that the car he was in was moving too fast for him to catch his breath or focus properly.The car stopped abruptly, and he was dragged out of it before he could even realize what had happened.Chief Ramirez led him inside and sat down with him in a chair in front of a desk with a computer on it."What is your name, sir?" he asked, his face expressionless.Pedro repeated it silently, not daring to break eye contact."Why did you run away from the scene?" Chief Ramirez asked him."I…." Pedro hesitated, wondering whether it would be wise to answer that he was scared. "I saw blood... I thought somebody killed the owner's son…"he finally replied, feeling guilty as soon as he saw the chief's frowning face.He didn't want to lie to him, but there was no harm in answering this question honestly, especially since they already knew that the owner's son was missing."Where did you see the blood?" the chief pressed him, looking even angrier. "In the alley behind our house…", Pedro explained meekly."Were you alone during that time?" Chief Ramirez inquired him."Yes", Pedro replied softly.A long moment passed until the chief said anything else, causing Pedro to wonder what's taking so long and if he should try to leave, he decided against it."Is there someone we need to call to come and pick you up?" Chief Ramirez asked him again."No, I.. I don't have any friends close by to come and pick me up", he answered."Well, we will do the best to search the area for your friend".This answer satisfied him, though, and the chief stood up, and asked him to follow him. They stepped outside the room and Pedro noticed that the street was empty except for a couple of dogs sleeping peacefully at a tree.He looked around him, and spotted a tall black fence with two large gates, and then he remembered that they had taken him here before.Before he could say anything to Chief Ramirez, who was waiting by the entrance of the gate he was standing next to, he was interrupted.

"You are going to be under arrest for murder", a voice said.Pedro slowly turned around and faced a young policeman with short dark hair and bright green eyes.