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2022-12-05 14:43:51
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The Age Of The Dead Chapter 21: 15 Bullets
Iñaki opens his eyes and everything turns white. He's in bed, Sofia at his side. Eduardo must have brought Rambo in the morning since he is now resting at the foot of the bed. Iñaki looks at him and Rambo raises his ears."Up!"Rambo jumps into bed and gives Iñaki a lick attack never seen before.Suddenly, Sofia opens her eyes and finds herself in the battle to the death between Iñaki and Rambo. Rambo notices the new opponent and attacks her ears as if they were made of honey. The girl looks at Iñaki, laughs, and exclaims "Dad!"During breakfast…."I heard you scream a name last night," says Mike, toast in hand, "Valentina?"Silence. Eduardo and María watch Iñaki curiously."She was my partner," Iñaki replies."I'm sorry," Maria says, placing her hand on Iñaki's.Eduardo studies Sofia with a look that seems to say "she lost his mother.""So today you're gonna go find more survivors? " Eduardo asks suddenly."That's right."Then keys are heard behind the door, they are inserted in the
The Age Of The Dead Chapter 1: First Contact
A man sits in one of the seats of a train, the murmurs of the passengers and the movement of the train are closing his eyes. He slept with his head leaning against the window until a certain smell woke him up. Puckering his nose, he looks and smells around. A woman, sitting in front of him, carries a handkerchief to her mouth while she coughs. The train continues to advance, "Next station, Belgrano C "announces the recording on the loudspeakers. The smell intensifies, looking to his left he can see a tramp fighting with his wife. As he watches them, his cell phone vibrates. It was a message from Valentina, his girlfriend. " Iña I'm coming home a little later, gonna stop by the greengrocery." While Iñaki was putting his phone away, he hears another cough. He turns his neck and discovers a man who, occupying the two seats, carries the collar of his shirt to his mouth. Drops of sweat fall down his forehead. "Next station, Nuñez." The doors open and Iñaki lazily leaves the train. Iña
The Age Of The Dead Chapter 2: Valentina
Once on the surface, Iñaki's heart relaxes. The sounds of traffic surround him and, with the image of Black sweatshirt still in his mind, he gets into the first taxi he sees. "It's hot for September, huh?"Comments the taxi driver looking at him in the rearview mirror. "It's usually colder these days." "Yes." "Have you heard the news?" He asks while looking for a radio station to listen to. "No," Iñaki replies, contemplating his hands. "Unemployment went up another three percent." Iñaki finds the taxi driver's eyes in the rearview mirror and says, "Three percent?" "That's what they said on national radio." Says the man after scratching his mustache. "What struck me was the number of patients who are being admitted to hospitals across the country. The journalist commented that they had had an increase of 30%. Some hospitals are overflowing. I hope it's not contagious." Iñaki's body rocks with the movement of the car and, as the driver continues to tell the news, he closes his ey
The Age Of The Dead Chapter 3: Reality Check
Iñaki and Valentina find themselves eating on the couch. Reports of human rabies cases continue to appear, as do reports of overflowing hospitals and security forces parading through the streets. In New York, they are no longer accepting patients in their hospitals, and in the Netherlands, they have already declared a curfew.Germany, like France and Canada, closed its borders, and, ironically, Italy mobilized much of its army to its border with Switzerland...more security forces to the north (border with Europe) than to the south (an area continually plagued by terrorism and African immigration).>"I'm scared," Valentina says as if she could read Iñaki's thoughts.Looking at her, Iñaki checks that the food on her plate is almost intact. He brushes a strand of hair from her forehead and is about to give her a few words of encouragement when someone knocks on the door.TOC. Iñaki looks at
The Age Of The Dead Chapter 4: The Day the World Went to Hell
Kneeling next to Valentina's body, Iñaki's gaze has not moved from her face nor his hands from her body. The tears, however, have already dried up.Time seems to have frozen until Iñaki hears the sound of a patrol siren. He can hear the roar of its engine and the wheels biting into the asphalt. Iñaki sharpens his ear and hears the screeching of the wheels sliding uncontrollably...glass breaking, metal twisting.A thunderous sound rumbles throughout the house and a cloud of smoke ascends to the sky behind the window.Iñaki walks over to the window and his eyes widen as he gazes at the hell below. A fire devours the entrance to the building across the street. Smoke covers the walls and windows. He can barely make out what used to be a police car.A burning body runs out of the interior of the vehicle. The smell of burning goes through the window and into Iñaki's nose. Another burning body comes out of the car. A desperate cry can be heard from the street corner. Iñaki looks with eyes an
The Age Of The Dead Chapter 5: The Age of Incommunication
The night has fallen. The hands of the clock rotate relentlessly as the silhouettes of the two corpses stalk Iñaki in the darkness of the living room. The alcohol that swam through his bloodstream has also left him.The entrance door continues open and so many hours pass in the same way. A sound or a thought- Iñaki is not sure- breaks his dream state. Never before had his limbs weighed so heavily on him, nor had he felt his mind so anesthetized. "Survival!" Iñaki does not know where the message comes from or if he should hear it.Why keep living in a world like this? To end up being another zombie? Are they even aware of being so? To continue to exist, to continue to breathe?The questions resonate in Iñaki's head when he feels something moving in his leg. His heart races as he reaches for his jeans; It's his cell phone. When he takes it out of his pocket he sees that the screen indicates Mama."Iñaki?" Asks his mother's voice."Yes.""You all right, son? What's going on in Buenos Air
The Age Of The Dead Chapter 6: Goodbye
The beating of his own heart resounds in Iñaki's eardrums. "Are there two, three...?" he wonders, inspecting the vine. Some hands then cross the vine and enter the inner garden. The individual explores the air with his hands. The creature came alone. Iñaki relaxes his shoulders and resumes the search.After opening the door, Iñaki finds the shovel next to the hose. He grabs it and walks to the tree at the far end of the garden. That's where he's gonna bury Valentina.Iñaki sticks the shovel to the ground and turns around to observe the reaction of "Curious Hands." A few meters behind Iñaki, the arms freeze for a few seconds before continuing to investigate the air.Iñaki throws the earth over his shoulder, digs again, and again the infected stops. Iñaki doesn't notice a bit of violence in the creature, just curiosity. "Would it be the same if he saw me with his own eyes?" Iñaki thinks as he sinks the shovel into the ground. "I guess not."At the tenth time, Iñaki can't help but let o
The Age Of The Dead Chapter 7: Silence
The shadows witness the disappearance of the last sound in the house. With the batteries from the wall clock on the table, Iñaki considers the task finished. The house is now a cemetery.The clock on his wrist says 20:35, but it could be 3: 00 in the morning. People marked the passage of time with their routines...nowadays they do it and it's always dinner time. The day begins and they are ready to tear the skin of the living. The day ends and they are still there; with their empty eyes, their jaws open..."No, they do not mark the time," Iñaki concludes. "They are the time."There, in the dark Iñaki listens as someone is torn apart by a horde of infected. It's the sound of every night. Some fool thinks that the darkness will play in his favor and not theirs. He ventures to dead Buenos Aires in search of anything and discovers that the infected do not distinguish between day and night.Enclosed in those four walls, Iñaki learns from the mistakes of others. There is nothing he can do fo
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- The Age Of The Dead
Chapter 21: 15 Bullets
Iñaki opens his eyes and everything turns white. He's in bed, Sofia at his side. Eduardo must have brought Rambo in the morning since he is now resting at the foot of the bed. Iñaki looks at him and Rambo raises his ears."Up!"Rambo jumps into bed and gives Iñaki a lick attack never seen before.Suddenly, Sofia opens her eyes and finds herself in the battle to the death between Iñaki and Rambo. Rambo notices the new opponent and attacks her ears as if they were made of honey. The girl looks at Iñaki, laughs, and exclaims "Dad!"During breakfast…."I heard you scream a name last night," says Mike, toast in hand, "Valentina?"Silence. Eduardo and María watch Iñaki curiously."She was my partner," Iñaki replies."I'm sorry," Maria says, placing her hand on Iñaki's.Eduardo studies Sofia with a look that seems to say "she lost his mother.""So today you're gonna go find more survivors? " Eduardo asks suddenly."That's right."Then keys are heard behind the door, they are inserted in the
- The Age Of The Dead
Chapter 20: Sweet Dreams
Iñaki puts first and turns in the direction of the infected. Second, the asphalt burns the tires. Third, Iñaki can already hear them. Fourth, they line up on the street with their arms outstretched. Fifth, dozens of bodies hit the hood and windshield of the car. Short, dry noises resound in Iñaki's ears. Iñaki stops and looks back."There, mission accomplished."He parks the car in front of the gate and looks at Mike."You got the map?""Yes.""Are you okay?""Yes," Mike replies as he looks at the bloody cracks in the glass. "Let's go back."Then Iñaki lets go of the wheel, turns off the engine, and relaxes his arms."Let's go back.""Let's go to Eduardo's apartment, I'm sure Sofia is there with Maria.""Ok."In Eduardo's apartment..."You all right? What were those noises? " asks Eduardo."What are they going to be?" Mike answers.Sofia is sitting next to Maria with her face smeared with puree. She looks at Iñaki and he thinks he sees joy in her eyes. Rambo runs to the girl and wipe
- The Age Of The Dead
Chapter 19: Adaptation
"What about Rambo? " asks Mike.Iñaki looks at the dog, who looks at him with his head on one side and his ears pricked."We leave him here. It's very dangerous, sorry, Rambo.""As you think is best, Iñaki.""Yeah, it's gonna be safer that way. Let's go."When Iñaki goes out to the interior park of the urbanization, it is already night and the rain has stopped falling."We have to cross the pool," Mike says, "ready?"His words make every hair on Iñaki's body stand on end."No."Mike smiles and walks over to a small trunk by the pool that he hadn't seen before. He opens it and pulls out a black inflatable boat. Iñaki's eyes light up like the moon."The important thing is not to leave it outside as a red carpet for "guests".""I don't think the infected know how to use it...""I wasn't thinking about them, come on."Both get on the inflatable transport. Mike pierces the water with the oars in the quietest way. He can barely hear the movement of the boat.After a few seconds, they reach
- The Age Of The Dead
Chapter 18: Victor
"Did you have a good night? " Mike asked."I don't remember having a better one in a long time. " Iñaki replied."If at any time you need to talk, I'm here.""How did you end up here?""By accident. When I was escaping by car from the center of Buenos Aires, I crashed. Inside the other car were Victor and Eduardo. Mine was useless, but not theirs. Eduardo asked me if I was okay, and I said yes. Victor, looking at my car, wondered where I was going, I told him anywhere away from there. Then he yelled for me to get into his car since the infected were already meters away.""I wouldn't call it an "accident" in this case.""I guess not," Mike replies, shaking his head. "Anyway, I got in the car and they brought me here. I'm alive thanks to the generosity of a couple of strangers. That's why I intend to keep looking for survivors. Without realizing it, Eduardo and Victor taught me how to save this world.""Generosity?""Yes, generosity and trust. We are going to survive, Iñaki, have no dou
- The Age Of The Dead
Chapter 17: Calm in the Oasis
"It's time for me to show you your new home, " Mike says, standing up."Let's go."Eduardo approaches Iñaki and shakes his hand. It's a warm greeting. Iñaki takes a few seconds to recognize that feeling again; human kindness."My apartment is next to Maria's, if you need anything you can find me there.""Thank you."Mike walks out the door and Iñaki follows him with Rambo at his heels and Sofia in his arms."We're on the fourth floor," says Mike going up the stairs, "Eduardo and Maria are on the third, Martina and Victor on the fifth. The rest of the floors are empty.""Why aren't you all together?""I asked the same thing when I arrived...Eduardo and Víctor are in their "real" homes. When they started bringing people, they were assigned apartments on every floor. At one point all the houses were occupied. Today only the apartments of those who came this far are.""I still find it strange.""Me too...talk to Victor.""He's in charge?"Mike stops in front of the 4th D and pulls a key o
- The Age Of The Dead
Chapter 16: Survival Story Part 2
"I don't know for sure who spread the infection through block 2 and block 3, but in a matter of days, everything went to hell. I remember the doors of the apartments being hit from the inside by their already dead occupants. We tried to act the same as with Clemente but it was impossible to lock them all up. The only reason people didn't leave the block was that they were afraid of what was waiting for them outside.""The last day was chilling. My husband was lying in bed, his face covered in sweat. His last words were "I'm hungry." I went to the kitchen of the apartment and prepared something for him. When I got back to the room, he was gone. I heard noises coming from our roommates' room and went to see what was happening.""I'm embarrassed to admit it, but can you believe I was jealous? The woman was on the bed and my husband was on top of her. All I felt inside was jealousy. At that moment the woman "shouted help me" which penetrated my bones. It was also when my husband turned hi
- The Age Of The Dead
Chapter 15: Survival Story Part 1
Three people seated in a semicircle, one standing and a candle on a table receive Iñaki. The man standing is the one in the black jacket he saw by the pool. Rambo smells around him. Sofia's eyes rest on one of the two women, she seems not to understand her image. "So you finally found survivors." "Yes," Mike replies, "and they won't be the last." "An optimist...What is your name?" he asks Iñaki. "Iñaki." "Well, Iñaki, what did you do, what skills do you have that can serve us here?" "Victor!" exclaims the older man sitting to the left of Iñaki "Come, sit here, have some water and dry yourself." When he sits down, his legs send a signal of pleasure to Iñaki's brain like he had never experienced before. He grabs the bottle and towels offered by the man, then wraps them around Sofia and offers her water. "Always so hospitable, Eduardo," Victor says, breaking the silence."My answer?" "I was about to finish my medical degree." "A doctor?" Victor asks and all hostility disappears
- The Age Of The Dead
Chapter 14: Welcome
Mike walks to a reinforced steel door and pulls a key out of his pocket. "No garage?" Iñaki asks as he tries to cover Sofia from the rain. "Now you'll see," he replies. Then he sees it. Behind the door stands a landscape of cars, scrap, furniture, and rubble that merge into a kind of barricade. On his left, a gray apartment block forms one of the "legs" of the urbanization "U", on his right the other one and in front of him is the building that forms the base. The path leading to the pool is clear in a straight line. It continues until it comes to the door of the central block. On the sides, the passage is blocked by the "barricade". The only way in is through the pool. While Iñaki soaks up in the rain, still shaking from the cold that reaches his bones, Mike looks at him with a semi-smile. "Time for a swim." The raindrops hit the barricade around the pool composing a macabre symphony. Sofia's body is a cold rock in Iñaki's arms. Roco does not detach from his heels. Even with t
- The Age Of The Dead
Chapter 13: Oasis
Iñaki opens his eyes without knowing how much time has passed. He looks around feeling the movement of the car on his body. Sofia is stiff again on his lap. Rambo, however, has half his head out the window; he enjoys the wind and barks at every infected he sees."Hello," says the man with a strong Yankee accent, "it's Mike. You alright?"Iñaki nods."Bitten?"Iñaki shakes his head."Let's go to my urbanization," he says, looking at the road and dodging a zombie, "we're safe there."Going at high speed and looking at the sun, Iñaki allows himself to forget his problems and imagine that nothing has happened. The sun's rays light the way and promise a better future. If only Mike kept driving to infinity there would be no problem.But after a long drive, the car stops in front of an urbanization and Iñaki finds himself again.The water droplets in the clouds become too heavy and fall heavily on Buenos Aires. The rain descends vertically as Iñaki closes the window. That scent of moist ea
