Friday, April 23, 1937.

2030 Hours.

Renteria Bridge Checkpoint.

As soon as the beast plunged into the water, the sound intensified.

It was as if a thousand drums surrounded us on all sides while beating a war song. It was enough for us to huddle together for protection. It reverberated hard enough that I could not distinguish my heartbeat from the vibrations of the drum.

"What is that!?" Asked Torito besides me. Even as he yelled with all his might, it couldn't completely drown the sound.

Then, just as it came, it began to fade away, but not into nothing. It became a light tapping again--an afterthought, even. The memory of a drum. It was followed by a hard, metallic sound from under the bridge, like something breaking.

And so, silence again. Only the chirping of a single cricket reminded us that time was passing again.

Lula released a long-held breath as I felt her body relax against mine. Torito did the same. We were all holding our breaths, really.

"Was that really Tuerto?" asked Torito. "I mean, it had his uniform and all, but was he really?"

"I don't know," I answered. I didn't know anything, and the things I could say would have revealed too much to Lula.

It was her that finally broke from our huddle. She took two steps forward before dropping Camarada's rifle on the ground. She was shaking. Whatever energy that fueled her during the fight left her completely as she fell to the ground. It wasn't that she fainted, but she did seem very weak.

"Are you okay?" I said as I knelt in front of her.

She was shaking, or at least her body was. Her face looked serene and resolved as if nothing had happened.

"Yes, I'm okay. Just a little shaken, is all," she responded. Lula managed to stand up by using my shoulder for support. After a few seconds, the shaking had stopped.

I couldn't help but embrace her small frame, an action that she didn't lean into or pulled away from. She just stood there, unmoving. What little I could see from her face didn't betray anything she was feeling or thinking of. I remember I felt oddly scared of her at the moment, but I didn't pay more attention as Torito requested my attention.

He was flat on the bridge with his head peeking under it. "Sebas, pass me a torch or something."

"Why?" I asked. I still held to Lula. Young me thought it was a way to show her that I was protecting her or keeping her safe, but I must admit now that it was mostly to calm myself down. My heart was racing like mad. Once again, Lula was saving me.

Torito raised his hand while still peeking under the bridge. He closed and opened his hand in annoyance without answering my question.

Surprisingly, it was Lula who pushed me away while muttering at me to go. That was the last embrace I ever gave her.

I took a piece of lit firewood and gave it to Torito. He made a couple of practice swings before tossing it somewhere under the bridge.

"You might want to see this," said Torito.

Both me and Lula approached edge the same way Torito did. As soon as we did, we saw what he was talking about. There was a hole in the walk under the bridge, with a metal mesh discarded near where the fiery log had landed.

The flames flickered back and forth, but the darkness inside the hole remained unmoving. I could've sworn I saw something scuttle about inside, but maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me.

"Where do you think it leads?" I asked.

"I don't know," said Lula. "I suppose it's some kind of sewage?"

Torito stood up with a hum, adjusting his rifle over his shoulder. "We need to get inside and find Camarada."

"What? Are you crazy?" I said. "Didn't you see what it did to us? We need to find help first."

"I agree," said Lula.

"Thank you."

"We must go now," she said.

"What? No! And you're not going anywhere," I ordered. I even puffed my chest to get the point across, not like I had much chest, to begin with. But it didn't deter her.

"I'm going with you," she said. "I won't let you two go in alone. Besides, you need help since you're injured."

"He moves too swiftly for an in injured man, don't you think?" added Torito with a smile. In the heat of things, I forgot my lie.

"You're right!" said Lula. "How come?"

And so came the moment every lying man must face--the moment of truth. I had a choice to make: I could either tell the truth or lie some more. I chose the latter.

"It must've been a cramp, then," I said. Reader, don't be like me. There is no shame in feeling scared, but there is great danger in lying about it. Eventually, the outcome will be worse for you. Honesty is the way to go, even if it's not the easiest route.

"Sure," said Torito. "Still, Lula is our best sharpshooter. Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"Father taught me how to hunt before he died. A shot to the eye is a kill shot. Bullets are expensive and hard to come by, so we had to economize."

"Nobody is going anywhere!" I yelled. Both went quiet for a second. I took the time to preach some sense into them. "We are just three against a beast that didn't die after a shot to the eye. The wisest thing is to look for help and go as a group."

"I don't believe the beast is the patient type," said Torito. "If we don't move now, who knows what will happen?"

"Agreed," said Lula as she grabbed the rifle. "Time is of the essence."

Have you ever done something too stupid and asinine that you thought back on it and thought: "why did I do it?" Well, that was once of such moments. An "otherness" took a hold of me, using me as a puppet as I took a backseat to my own body.

I grabbed Lula by the arm, hard enough to leave a mark. "I order you to leave it alone, both of you!"

The silence that followed that was thick, almost palatable. Both Lula and Torito smiled at me, but it wasn't a happy smile. It was indignant, almost a defiant reflex against my outburst. Lula pushed me away with surprising strength, making me release her on the spot.

"Sebas," she said in a slow manner. "I am young, but I'm not a kid. I can keep myself safe, and even you, if you don't recall how I saved you. I will not run away or shy away from anything. I thought you saw me as an equal, not a thing to own and protect. Shame on you."

She didn't let me give a word in edgewise as she turned her back to me and walked towards Torito. Speaking of him, he shook his head in amusement with his ironic smile before turning his back to me, too.

"Torito, as your commanding officer, I order you to stop!" said the otherness inside me.

He did stop in his tracks, only to turn around to see me in the eyes. His jagged, yellow teeth almost glistened ad he licked his lips. "Sebas, you're only an Alférez because your uncle is high on the command chain. You didn't earn your position, and you sure as hell didn't earn my respect. Now, one of your own is in trouble, and your response is to let him to his own devices. Shame on you, useless piece of meat. We don't need your permission to go."

"You can go with us if you want," said Lula. "Or not. Your call."

I didn't say anything. The otherness was still inside me. It didn't make me budge from my spot as I maintained eye contact with them.

"Suit yourself," said Torito. And with that, they left me on the bridge. They climbed down from the shortest part of the bridge and disappeared somewhere below. I could see the firewood under the bridge being picked up, making the orange flow fade as they entered the hole.

I took a long breath, exhaling the otherness inside me. I was alone, all alone. I have lost my pride and my love. I had nothing left but my name and my life.

I had to go and get it back.

Like a dog with its tail between its legs, I decided to save face and catch up to them. Going the same route they came down from, I soon found myself on the open mouth of the cave. It wasn't a sewer as it had a flat, cobblestone floor. It was mildly and damp, likely because of the rising tides every year.

The floor slanted upwards as I went further into the cave. Just up ahead, a few dozen meters from me were Torito and Lula being lit by the fire.

"Hey, wait up!" I yelled. The words echoed in the tunnel. They stopped going forward as they looked back at me.

It only lasted for a second.

A gust of wind bellowed from deep inside the cave, blowing up the firewood in the process. The whole thing went pitch black.

Then, it sang.

"...te cauteriza, te cauteriza..."