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 and ears...He can't believe it. He opens the window... it's not just a scream, it's a few.

A figure turns at the corner and runs down the street in the direction of the fire. About ten infected roars hungry after him. The poor man continues his deadly run and in a matter of seconds, he is passing under Iñaki's window.

The trance in which Iñaki is plunged is interrupted and he closes the window immediately.

The scene can only have a single outcome and he does not want to witness it. The living room darkens immediately after closing the curtains and, when turning on the lights, Valentina's body reappears. Her eyes stared into the void and her blood shines reflecting the artificial light.

Iñaki's legs falter and he collapses next to the corpse once more. The cotton on his clothing begins to absorb the blood on the ground. A chill assaults Iñaki's nerves and leaves him trembling on the ground.

In the street, the fire found the gasoline tank of the patrol and the explosion throws the vehicle into the air. The lower windows of the building where the car had been embedded exploded spreading glass particles on the sidewalk. The flames spread, the windowless dwellings invite the fire inside, and the entire block begins to burn.

As the black smoke ascends and darkens the sky, Iñaki remains kneeling on Valentina's body; with his gaze fixed on her face and his mind absent.

A few hours later...

Iñaki's fingers slide over the beer bottle. The cold numbs his hand. Iñaki closes the refrigerator door and collapses beside it. He uncaps the seventh beer with his teeth and brings it to his mouth.

Suddenly, Iñaki hears a sound, a whisper. The rhythmic sound causes a smile to form on Iñaki's face and slowly opens his eyes. It looks like a drum emulating the sound of a siren.

With a light mind and heavy body Iñaki stands up and seeks the origin of such pleasant music. The objects around him try to confuse him, but they don't succeed. The door opens its way between the rest of the stimuli. She's the one who plays the harp so sweetly.

Iñaki feels something icy in his hands. Iñaki approaches his face to the object and encounters a bottle of beer. "How did this get into my hands?" he wonders as he laughs.

Iñaki continues walking towards the door as the beating of the drums intensifies. He walks with conviction until he feels that his feet have stumbled upon something. He looks down and, when his mind begins to process what he sees, the sound coming from the door intensifies even more. "Valentina." He thinks. He lifts one foot, then the other, and keeps walking.

Iñaki stands in front of the door. "Valentina," he repeats once more; she is the siren behind the door who wants to come in and hug him with all her might. He reaches out and turns the doorknob.

The door swings inward and the siren's song is replaced by a growl...then he understands. Iñaki tries to pull himself together when the infected grabs him by the arm and takes it to the jaw. Iñaki strains his bicep and recovers his hand. The face of the infected seems to be the very definition of the devil. He reaches out and tries to grab Iñaki at all costs.

In that instant, Iñaki feels the cold crystal in his right hand. He squeezes it hard and hits the infected with a bottle to the head. The zombie groans at the same time as small pieces of glass are scattered across the ground. The undead tries to grab Iñaki one more time.

The remains of the bottle were transformed into a cold weapon. The movement of the glass cuts the air and goes into the right eye of the infected. His deranged expression paralyzes and then collapses on Iñaki. With disgust, Iñaki pushes the body and feels the contents of his stomach rise up his throat and ends up bathing the floor.