EL AMOR NO PUEDE MEDIRSE EN PASO FIRME

UN DÍA SOY UN DIO' Y AL OTRO PUEDO PARTIRME

Okay.

What is this thing?

I shake my head several times to see if it disappears, if it's the result of the delusions I have from time to time.

But it doesn't.

It's still there.

And it is walking towards me.

  ''No!'' I shout, frightened, ''Don't come closer!''

It doesn't seem to understand me, because he keeps walking.

Or it just doesn't want to listen to me.

I take a few steps back, not wanting this thing to touch me, but I trip over a rock and fall backwards.

  ''AGH!''  my back hurts  ''Fuck!''

When I look back at it, I'm already too close.

  ''Hey! Don't...! Don't come closer...''

  ''Uh... ''  it says.

The creature reaches my side. 

At first I tense up, maybe too much, but, by the way it moves, in its eyes full of curiosity and calm, I get the vibe that it doesn't want to hurt me.

He stands right next to the Bandito, looks at him carefully.

His big, dark eyes fix on the wound that is slowly bleeding from his side. He seems to understand what he is seeing...

...as if he knows what to do.

  ''Can you help him...? '' I ask him, still not sure it understands me.

The creature turns its small head towards me and looks at me for a long time.

I don't know what to say.

I don't know what to do.

I don't know if it's planning to hit me or something...

Maybe I should hit this thing and run away...

No, it raises a hand towards me, as if pointing at something.

  ''What? What's wrong...?''

I touch my forehead.

Oh, right.

I didn't remember that I had a wound on my head.

And that it's still bleeding.

  ''It's nothing, okay? '' I say to it even though I'm already starting to feel dizzy. ''Focus on him, can you help him?''

A few seconds pass, and this thing doesn't answer me.

Until it points to a place.

The... entrance to a cave?

I can barely see anything, but... YES! A CAVE!

  "NED" it says, in a high-pitched voice.

  "What? NED?"

 ''NED'' it repeats, insisting on pointing to the cave.

'  'Do you want me to go there?'' I still don't know what I'm doing.

It nods.

  ''If I go there, will you help him?''

It nods again.

I look at the Bandito. All the color left in his skin is gone. He breathes unevenly. His suffering expression gives me a bellyache.

We don't have much time.

  ''Okay...''

I'm rethinking my entire existence.

I just saw a dwarf creature with horns.

I just escaped from that fucking city.

I have a dying man next to me.

This is too much for a 16-year-old girl.

'  'Can you help me carry him? He's unconscious...''

It doesn't answer me and walks towards the cave.

  ''Don't worry...'' I say, sarcastic ''I'll carry him...''

I get up. My legs hurt. My back too.

I place my hands under his shoulders, and sigh.

  "Come on... you can do it..."

I gather my strength and start to drag him.

This isn't good for his body, but I really don't have the strength to lift him.

The creature stops from time to time to see if I'm still there. My legs almost give out from the effort, but I finally see it.

A dark cave. It looks deep.

  "NED..."  it points inside.

I nod, and we keep moving forward.

It moves faster, as if it knows that time is limited.

The ground beneath my feet is wet, I'm about to fall several times. For a moment I fear that the cave is too deep.

But then I see a flash, a warm light flickering in the distance.

Fire?

I keep walking, until I reach the end of the cave.

This is surreal.

Lots of creatures just like the one who helped me are sitting around the campfire.

They are holding sticks with pieces of meat stuck in them.

They look like they are having dinner.

Don't ask me why, but there's something about them.

A...welcoming vibe.

  "Hi..."  I say, almost in a whisper.

They all look at me when they hear me. But they're not impressed.

It's like they're waiting for us.

The creature that helped me gestures to me with its paw. It wants me to leave it as close to the fire as possible.

I barely manage to do so. My body is at its limit, exhausted, but somehow I manage to lay it down on the rock, as close to the warm light as possible.

The creatures come closer.

They are small, but they move with precision, as if they know exactly what to do.

One of them takes out of a small bag what look like herbs, while another takes some strips of cloth that seemed to be made of some braided plant. Everything seems taken from nature itself, as if these beings know more about it than any of us.

I watch, not daring to say a word.

One of them, the one with the largest horns, leans over the Bandito's wound.

With gentle movements, it applies a mixture of the herbs to the bleeding side. The smell is strong, a mix of soil and fresh leaves, but what surprises me most is that the bleeding is starting to stop.

  "What? How...?"  I ask, but no one answers.

They work in silence, concentrated.

Another of them rips the braided cloth and carefully places it around the Bandito's body, tightening it with a firm but delicate knot.

The Bandito is still unconscious, but his breathing seems to stabilize. I can see his chest rising and falling more regularly.

  "It's... it's working"  I whisper, more to myself than to them.

I can't believe it, but it's happening.

These little beings... they're healing him.

One of them looks at me and nods its little head.

I don't know why, but I feel immense relief at seeing that gesture, as if everything is under control.

At least for now.

I drop down beside the fire, exhausted. The flames flicker, casting dancing shadows on the walls of the cave.

It's a small place, but warm. And for the first time since it all began... I feel like we might have a chance.

They continue to work in silence, applying more herbs and making sure the bandage is tight.

One of them even brings water in a small stone bowl and leaves it near the Bandito.

As if they are anticipating his awakening.

I look around, still trying to take in what is happening.

These beings... I don't know what the hell they are or what they want, but they are helping us.

And for now, that is enough.

Finally, one sits down in front of me, his big, dark eyes watching me curiously.

He doesn't say anything, but there is something in his gaze that reassures me.

  ''Thank you...''  I murmur.

I don't know if they fully understand me, but I feel the need to say it.

The little creature just stares at me, its expression calm, and though it doesn't respond, I know it's understood somehow.

Another one of them hands him a wet cloth, and the creature places it on my wound.

I groan. It doesn't hurt that much, but it's a reminder of what I've been through.

It  grabs another piece of cloth and makes me a makeshift bandage with some leaves that he wraps around my head.

The cold of the leaves startles me at first, but after a few seconds I notice the pain begin to subside, almost as if it has some immediate calming effect.

  "Thank you"  I say again.

It nods and shows me a stick with meat on it, but I shake my head.

I don't want to eat anything, to be honest.

It's strange to find so much compassion in such small creatures.

I have a hard time wrapping my head around what's happening, but I can't help but feel a kind of connection to these beings.

They've appeared when we needed them most, without asking for anything in return.

At last luck smiles upon me.

The creature walks away and goes back to his family to continue eating.

I approach the Bandito.

He rests, but his sleep does not seem to be peaceful.

His face is tense, jaw clenched, eyebrows furrowed, words he mutters.

The black stains on his hands seem to spread

He seems to be trapped in a nightmare.

Perhaps he is reliving everything we have lost.

I lie down next to him. The warmth of the cave, the sound of the fire and the sense of comfort make me finally fall into the hands of sleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wake up suddenly.

My heart is beating a mile a minute.

My hands are shaking.

The cave is silent.

Only the few remaining flames can be heard. Also the breathing of our companions, who are sleeping peacefully.

Fuck.

I had a nightmare.

The screams. The explosions. The bodies.

Clancy.

Everything was repeating itself over and over again.

I rub my face with my hands.

I look at him.

He's still sleeping. He seems to have regained some color.

He's also calmer.

I get up carefully, trying not to make noise, and decide to leave the cave.

I need air, I need to escape from my own mind, even if it's just for a few minutes.

Dawn is still far away, but a cool breeze caresses my face as I walk towards the river we had seen earlier, just below the cave.

When I arrive, the water runs calmly, reflecting the moon on its surface.

I kneel down by the river, my reflection distorted in the ripples of the water.

My face looks tired, aged by everything we've been through.

I put my hands in the water and rub them hard, trying to wash away the black marks that have marked my skin, the same ones that haunt us.

Me and him.

I rub, over and over, but it's useless.

I don't know why I keep trying.

The water can't take away what they've done to us.

I feel the frustration growing in my chest, and suddenly the tears start to flow, silent, hot.

No one is here to see me, so I let them out. I allow myself to cry, to vent once and for all.

Everything is falling apart.

Clancy is dead. The Bandito is seriously injured.

And I... I don't know how much more I can take.

My crying gets louder, but I try to hold it back, I don't want to alert anyone. I lean over the water, tears mixing with the river.

And then I hear it.

A laugh.

A familiar laugh, high-pitched and mocking.

I freeze. The sound echoes through the air, breaking the stillness of the night.

My head snaps up, my heart pounding in my ears. I scan the darkness around me, searching, but I can't see anything. The moon is the only thing dimly illuminating the landscape.

And then I see them.

Eyes.

Two bright, red eyes, watching me from across the river.

A chill runs down my spine. I know that laugh. I've heard it before.

My body freezes, water dripping from my hands as eyes lock onto mine.

Fear grips me, my feet seeming anchored to the ground, unable to move.

The laugh comes back, closer this time, as if the darkness itself is closing in on me.

"Who's there?"  I ask, my voice shaking, barely a whisper.

No one answers.

They are no longer there.