Confronting Reality (4)

An exclamation of surprise escaped my lips along with a convulsive sigh.

The dust of the road swayed before me like a free bird spreading its fragile wings. In those brief moments, as if in reality, I saw my flight over the sharp rock of a harsh and fickle fate.

"Ethan, is that you?" the familiar voice of the neighbor sounded again from the driver's seat, bringing me back to reality. The car moved a little forward, and the midday sun illuminated the face of a 30-year-old man.

[Mr...]

I felt the absurdity of this situation with my skin. Just a minute ago I was ready to protect myself from the unknown, but now I feel like a lost puppy. With a disappointed grunt from such a metaphor, I lowered my hands and nodded decisively.

He opened the front passenger door a crack, and I took it as an invitation.

The neighbor got out of the car and nodded in the direction of the piece of iron:

"Make yourself comfortable for now, and I will remove unnecessary noise."

"OK" I barely recognized my voice.

Squeaky and unpleasant. It seemed that this word was uttered by a robot, not a human.

Watching the dexterous movements of a neighbor, I headed for a black foreign car with a screaming sign. Halfway there, I quickened my pace and stumbled over a rock shortly before my destination. A fragment fell out of the sleeve onto the asphalt, but I stood motionless, slightly trembling all over.

Once the pain pierced even to tears. Through the thick clothes, I could feel the bandage moistening from bleeding.

Having reached the cozy salon with grief in half, I took the backpack off my shoulders and put it on my knees.

[And what's next?]

On a normal day, I could call him Mr. Mark and exchange a few phrases with a smile. We were not close, rather, we were good acquaintances. Now I didn't know how to start a conversation.

The sounds of the cans hitting each other echoed in the soul with a faint ringing.

I was looking at one point, counting up to 10 in my mind. My heart was pounding wildly against my ribs, tearing the internal conflict apart. My palms were sweating, my knuckles were white as I gripped the handle of the bat. The disgusting feeling of confusion was interrupted by a sharp squeak of automation.

Looking in the rearview mirror, I realized that the equipment was finished. Mr. Mark opened the trunk, and the cabin swayed from the weight of the folded cargo.

The neighbor opened the door when I counted to 7 once again. Turning my head in his direction, I saw him silently starting the engine and handing me mineral water.

I unscrewed the lid easily and drank almost half of the salty liquid, wetting my throat. Bubbles tickled my throat, but I clearly understood that I needed to start a conversation as soon as possible.

"Thanks."

Mr. Mark didn't answer me, just nodded curtly.

"I." trying to find the right words and trying not to get confused in own thoughts, i began to speak.

"I would like to visit my parents' work, I'm sure they can still be there. If i could..."

An invisible hand broke away from the long sentence and tightened the noose around my neck, pushing the rest of the words deep into the throat of indecision.

In my subconscious I was still struggling. I imagined myself as a live fish suddenly caught under the scorching rays on a sandy beach. But in reality, I was huddled in the seat, drowning in my own unshed tears.Out of the corner of my eye, I could see long fingers tapping casually on the steering wheel.

The oppressive silence broke at the next words of the neighbor:

"I've been there before. There is nothing else in the center except the scorched and devastated territory. Survivors..."

As if savoring an unfamiliar word, he continued:

"Do not entertain soapy hopes, the shock wave destroyed the southern part of the city, and the rest are in the traces of sharp claws. The night creatures dragged away the remains of people long before sunrise."

I didn't want to believe these ruthless words, keeping my head down all the time.

[The shock wave probably didn't hit the building. Of course, although it is located on the south side. But judging by the location of the explosion, he is still at a safe distance.]

"Have you seen them up close?" the neighbor's question plunged me into painful memories in one jerk, hidden deep in my mind.

Protruding bones with greenish skin appeared before my eyes, recalling the painful wheezing of my sister.

"Yes." I answered with pale lips.

All the color drained from face, and a thin needle pricked in the side.

[I heard, saw and... hid.]

"I didn't know there was a sister in the house. That morning she asked her parents to spend the night with a friend, I tried to call my parents... It was already late... When... When I..." Choking on excuses, I let out my first sobs.

"She was alive. Still breathing. A few meters away from me. And I."

[I couldn't save her.]

[I didn't have time. Screamed like a fool. I should have approached noiselessly. I needed to arm myself with a shard and rush into the attack a little quieter.]

I finished the sentence already in my thoughts.

Mr. Mark tactfully kept silent and lightly patted my trembling shoulders.

"...Them... can..."

He was talking about something, but I no longer perceived any extraneous sounds, going deeper and deeper into myself. Between yesterday and today, a wall of thorns grew, which pierced me every second, pulling me out of reality with a sticky whisper.

[If i hadn't knocked on my parents' bedroom door, but went straight to my sister, would we have been able to escape together?]

[Then if i wasn't scared, would I be able to knock out the monster with my bat?]

[Or should i have rushed to the monsters and died last night?]

The neighbor, sensing the atmosphere, fell silent, and it took me some time to recover.

Raising my head, i saw a familiar road.

"Are we going to the supermarket?"

The neighbor drove to the main street:

"No, we're going to where your family should be. In the morning I turned on the radio and heard a nationwide broadcast on the frequency MFs 9xx, 12. All regions are divided into 37 shelters and are located in different parts of our country. While the right one for us is three days away from here."

"But not everyone has cars. My parents wouldn't have gotten this far without us. What if they're still in the center?" I couldn't leave my hometown in such a hurry. Unable to extinguish the fire of doubt, I clenched my fingers. Turning his head, I met the gaze of cold blue eyes, in which understanding was read with a hint of irritation.

The neighbor shrugged his shoulders and exhaled long.

Just about to ask to stop, I looked at the destroyed road and saw huge holes in the asphalt. When we were almost level, I could see the smooth walls of the tunnels and the shiny slime spreading over the dark ground. I froze for a minute, not knowing whether to believe my eyes.

[What is it?]