The forgotten place. Part three.

"Wait!" Arlo exclaimed and wanted to open the door, but there was nothing he could do. Standing beside that ominous building, which towered over him as if the building itself were trying to tell him that his life was now in its hands, Arlo looked at the paper. "What does it all mean?"

Hearing strange sounds resembling wailing and howling, he looked around nervously. There was no one around. Only a few slopes that led down. And at the bottom you could see dried grass and trees that looked like skeleton fingers.

And beyond that, a faint light flickered, and that light stretched all the way to the foot of the mountain. And that mountain was sinking into night, but even so, Arlo could see the strange glow around that mountain. He lifted his head higher to see the top, but through the black mist he could see nothing.

As he began to descend the slope quickly, he nearly fell several times. The ground was slippery under his feet. It looked as if it had recently rained. But it rarely rained in this place, and when Arlo remembered that, he looked closer and noticed that among this dried dark yellow grass you could see real blood. Like a thin river, this blood ran downhill, beginning where the camp building itself stood.

"What is it?" Arlo asked the question. But he had no time to stand and think, so he ran forward.

Feeling his old boots sticking to the ground, which was constantly soaked with something viscous and muddy, he finally found himself in the town. At this time of day, as it grew darker than usual around him, he did not like to wander these streets. For often, in these streets with old houses and a semblance of coziness, one would encounter all sorts of people.

Women and men who wander from side to side like caged animals, and children who sing strange songs with overtones of death. And most frightening of all are the dogs, who look not at all like ordinary dogs, but more like people who have kneeled down and put on a sheep's skin. So much of the dog's face has taken on the appearance of a man, but it's probably all in the eyes. Arlo had always noticed that dogs' eyes looked more like human.

As he passed one of the dogs, which had very long legs and a ram-like face, Arlo felt so afraid that he was ready to hide behind one of those houses, but he knew he had to keep walking.

The farther he walked, the more he felt the presence of someone behind him. Afraid to turn around, he walked even faster. But as he sped up his stride, he did so that he began to get short of breath and a pain in his heart.

"Where are you going? Stop," someone said quietly, and at that moment from around the corner of one of the houses he thought he spotted a goat. Long horns, red eyes, black fur. But it was just an older woman in a black dress and she had red earrings made of stones and colored with, what? Blood? Thinking about it, Arlo rushed to run.

Finally, he reached his house. Almost panting, he took a handkerchief out of his pocket and took a deep breath. Feeling very dizzy and his heart racing, he nevertheless straightened his back and quickly entered the house.

"Grandpa!"

Seeing Zale in front of him, who immediately threw himself at him with a hug, Arlo was so frightened that he cried involuntarily.

"Am I too late?"

"I'm so sorry."

"Is he dead?"

"Yes."

"No. Not now. Grandpa, no."

Falling to his knees in front of the bed where his grandfather lay and seemed to be just sleeping, Arlo still didn't believe him. He touched his cheek and feeling the cold, he dropped his head on the pillow.

"When I came in, he was sitting there drinking tea. We drank three cups of tea together and then he said he wanted to sleep. I put him to bed and started waiting for you. I told him about the earthquake. But I didn't tell him that you stayed there. I didn't tell him you came with me at all. I wanted to tell him, but when I saw him I thought it was for the best. I was afraid you were dead too. I looked for you and so at the end I decided to come to your house."

"He died in his sleep? He didn't suffer?"

"No. He just fell asleep."

"If it hadn't been for you, Zale, I would have had time to say goodbye to him."

"I'm sorry."

"Why did you make me come with you?"

"I didn't know."

"Grandfather, I'm sorry. I should have been there for you."

As he approached him, Zale put a hand on his shoulder, but Arlo pushed him away. But as if not paying attention, Zale sat down beside him and hugged his childhood friend tightly. Retaining that tenderness that had been between them as children, Zale thought of nothing but his best friend, who was crying quietly.

"He lived a long life."

Wiping away his tears, Arlo stood up and through his dizziness, he walked to the door. The wind outside whistled, trying to open the door. And as soon as he stepped back, that wind still managed to open the door, even breaking the lock. Putting out the fire in the room and plunging them into darkness, it was as if the wind only wanted to see them. For then the wind died down, leaving behind chaos in this little house.

"I have to do this right," Arlo whispered, picking up the shovel. As he began to dig right in the house, he didn't even notice that he couldn't see anything. He just dug, and the loose earth beneath his feet quickly formed a shallow hole.

"Wait, what are you doing? Arlo!"

"My grandfather loved this house. He hated the whole world. But he loved this particular place. He's going to stay here."

"Are you crazy? Where will you live? No, that way, he won't find solace."

Saying nothing, Arlo continued to dig until he felt a severe pain in his heart that made him fall to the ground.

"I don't want to lose you. Sit down and don't move," Zale said, snatching the shovel from his hands. Hearing Zale breathing hard and fast and feeling the ground beneath his feet turn into a deep hole, Arlo continued to cry. He cried softly, though he thought he would scream and die from his own screaming. But in fact, with each passing second, he realized that his grandfather had lived a long life, and he clung to that thought with all his strength not to blame himself.

When the hole was deep enough, they carefully placed Way there. When the fire was lit in the house again, Arlo looked at his grandfather one last time. His face, with its noble features that could be called aristocratic, was so serene, as if he were already in the better world everyone dreams of.

"Goodbye," Arlo whispered, choosing not to cry, but instead to smile. "Goodbye, Grandpa," he said again, and in that moment all the memories from his childhood ran past his eyes. All those tales, the games, the evening walks, trying to improve this house, trying to see the beauty in that fog that always hung over the town, all that laughter that often came from this house, it all flashed past him and disappeared. Like a light they decided to turn off, those memories turned into millions of little butterflies and just flew away into nowhere.

When Way was buried and when they both said goodbye to him, they sat down at the door.

"I understand that he's your grandfather, but don't you think it's wrong to live where your grandfather is buried," Zale said gently, trying to understand his friend, who was suddenly very calm.

"I won't live here. I've been accepted into preparatory camp," Arlo said, holding out a paper to him.

"What?"

"It's all the fault of the earthquake. Rocks fell on me and that's why the physical exam didn't work out. I don't understand it myself, but it worked out so that I ended up enrolled among the strongest. Bannard, you could say he saved me, and since no one found out I was sick, he made sure I became part of the whole team himself."

"Bannard? He saved you?"

"Why are you so surprised? Do you know him?"

"There are rumors about him. He is very strong and very dangerous of all men. He's cunning and he can kill anyone. He doesn't care. It can't be that he saved you."

"I woke up in his room. He told me himself that he got me out from under the rocks."

"He would never do that. Don't you know the first rule of that place? Never help anyone. You help someone and you get destroyed right away. Bannard, he would never break any of the rules."

"Yeah, but I talked to him. I don't think you're right."

"He must have taken the opportunity to do something to you. After all, what other explanation could there be for Bannard himself saving a man and also putting him on his bed."

"So you mean he did something to me," Arlo began, but fell silent, thinking of his grandfather beside them.

"I'm sorry. But there's no other explanation for it. I've heard that Bannard likes handsome guys."

"What?"

"Arlo, you shouldn't trust anyone. Especially in the camp. Everyone there is trying to survive and make a better world. And you look like you're in love with him."

Swinging his arm, Arlo managed to punch his friend in the face so that Zale fell.

"Are you really jealous that a weak and worthless guy like me will be among the strongest and have a chance to reach a better world? I can't believe what you're thinking."

"Jealous? Do you even hear yourself?"

"Yes, I'm weak and worthless! And I have no idea what or how, but see this paper? Yes, I'm going to be part of this camp and I want to try to do something."

"But sooner or later everyone will find out. Arlo, you can't even run. Do you even know that you have to climb a mountain and you have to fight there. There's a lot of danger up there. Arlo."

"I don't care. I just want to be normal for one day."

"I shouldn't have taken you with me. It's my fault."

"Yeah, it's your fault. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to Grandpa. You were here instead of me!"

"What am I supposed to do? Dig a hole and lie down in it?"

"Do what-you-want," Arlo said and fell to the ground. To where his grandfather lay.

"I promised your grandfather today that I would always be with you. You can hate me forever, but I will be with you. Good. You decided to take such a risky step. Okay, but I'll be there for you. And we'll walk together," Zale said, clutching both papers in his hand, which were a sort of invitation to take part in trying to change everything.

"Tomorrow morning at 6 a.m., we need to be there."

"I have to say goodbye to my mother and sister. And I need to pack."

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning."

"Arlo, I'm sorry."

Without saying anything, Arlo continued to lie on the ground, experiencing the pain of loss and the pain that was turning into anticipation.

"Grandfather, I will try to change and live like a normal person. Or maybe I can get to the top. Who knows. You always believed in me, after all," Arlo whispered and he had four more hours before morning to be weak and feel at home one last time.