Chapter 1
The world is chaos, but in some places it does not seem that way. The mistakes of some people, somewhere else, set the stage for the longest night of a girl’s life.
A girl is returning home from work after working a few extra hours. She is happy because she will receive a little more money in her paycheck this month because of her effort.
It is late. The sun left the sky several hours ago.
The girl notices that there is no one in the streets at this hour. Although the street she takes home is not usually dangerous, the hour and the situation are unfamiliar to her, and she begins to feel a little uneasy.
There are no cars at this hour.
That is strange.
Even if it is only one every twenty minutes, a car usually passes by. But everything is completely deserted.
She tries to check her phone, but it has no battery left.
Her anxiety rises.
—I’m definitely never doing this again, she says to herself.
She is halfway home.
Near an intersection, where one road leads to the city center and the other leads toward a quieter residential area, there is a huge building under construction.
It still has no walls, although it seems not to need them to be frightening, considering how large and tall it is.
A fence surrounds the building. Normally, it keeps people from seeing into the lower part of the construction.
But not tonight.
Tonight, there is a huge hole in it.
It is a terrifying sight to see in person.
So she quickens her pace as she walks along the street in front of the building.
But she only manages to take one step before a person appears ahead of her.
—Hello. Do you need help? —the man asks.
He has a big smile on his face that almost looks like a grimace.
He is wearing a formal navy-blue suit and stands in the middle of the path as if he does not want anyone to pass.
—Thank you. I’m fine. I’m just going home —the girl replies.
She lowers her head and walks around him.
She takes a few steps.
Then she looks up.
There are more people standing in front of her.
They all have the same smile.
Her heart begins pounding.
—Please, just...
—We can help you —the man in the suit says again.
—What are you saying? —the man asks.
Human beings are capable of sensing when a situation is dangerous. Fear is not cowardice; it is something that helps them survive. They do not make foolish decisions.
—Yes —the girl answers.
Everyone guides the girl toward the huge hole and into the lower part of the building, although it could honestly be questioned whether these things really look like people at all.
It takes them a while to get there because the ground surrounding the construction is large.
The strange thing is that the people leading her keep smiling without moving a single muscle in their faces.
When they arrive, they enter through a large frame that is more like an opening.
Inside, there is fire burning in buckets.
They pass through several corridors made only of concrete blocks and cement.
Along the way, the girl sees an opening in the floor.
It looks as if someone has broken through the concrete and made a hole, but she can barely see what is down there.
Eventually, she reaches a room lit by electric lights.
There is a table in the center.
The room is painted.
—You can sit there —the man says.
The girl sits down.
A woman remains seated across from her.
She is the woman the girl saw earlier, the one who blocked her path before they came here.
She looks like a reporter, wearing a tight skirt and a formal shirt, smiling just like everyone else.
She seems to be around thirty-two years old.
—Hey —the girl says quietly—. What’s going on?
—Helping —the woman answers.
—Okay —the girl says.
—Can I go to the bathroom? —the girl asks.
The woman says nothing.
She seems not to understand.
The silence is overwhelming.
The girl tries to listen for something.
Anything.
But she hears nothing.
After a while, the man in the suit appears again.
—Hello. Is everything all right? —the man asks.
The girl looks at him and stands up.
—Thank you for accompanying her —the man tells the woman.
Then he leaves.
The man sits where the girl had been sitting.
He has brought a teapot and two glasses.
He begins pouring tea from supermarket tea bags.
But something is wrong.
He uses far too many tea bags, so many that the water is no longer transparent.
—Go ahead —the man says.
He drinks his glass in a single swallow, even though the tea is boiling hot.
The girl reluctantly takes a small sip.
—What’s going on? —the girl asks.
—Helping you. It’s dark and dangerous outside. It is better for you to stay here —the man replies.
—But...
—We are preparing a great surprise of hospitality for you, but it is not quite ready yet. You need to wait. Sleep for a while, and do not leave this room. I will wake you when everything is ready —the man says.
He leaves the things on the table and walks out.
There is nothing actually stopping the girl from leaving.
The only thing separating the room from the hallway is a glass door that is not even locked.
But the thought of leaving and being seen by someone frightens her.
They could hurt her.
Yet if she stays sitting there, they will surely hurt her anyway.
—Okay, okay, okay...
After a few minutes, the girl checks through the glass to see if anyone is there.
No one is in the hallway.
She steps outside.
She tries to go back the way they came, but there are people there.
There is still another way.
She can go up the stairs to the next floor, on the other side of the hallway.
It is empty.
So that is what she does.
Upstairs, there are no walls except for a few in one corner that almost form a room.
She enters.
There are a few things inside: small tools, a sleeping bag, uniforms, and some sheets of paper beside a few pencils.
Something is written on them, but she cannot understand it.
The symbols look like some kind of ancient writing, almost like the first forms of writing used by humans.
There is nothing else there.
So she has no choice but to return to the room.
After a while, the man appears again.
—Everything is ready. Come —the man says.
The girl follows him.
As they walk down the hallway, every pair of eyes follows her.
It becomes almost impossible to keep her reason.
She can barely move her legs.
Then, without warning, she is struck in the back of the head.
She falls unconscious.
When she wakes up, she sees that she is tied to a wooden board inside a hole.
It no longer looks like she is inside a room.
Everything around her is made of dirt, except for the board holding her up and the ropes tying her down.
The people surround her.
The man in the suit climbs onto a mound of dirt.
From above, he begins saying things that cannot be understood.
They sound almost like wind instruments, with all kinds of notes.
The people begin to deform.
The girl struggles against the ropes.
The people place a hand on her.
Then the hand cuts itself.
A thick, black liquid comes out and stains her skin.
After a moment, they remove their hands and begin speaking again.
They sound like an orchestra.
The most out-of-tune song imaginable.
The ropes suddenly tighten.
The board begins to rise.
But before it can reach ground level, a squad of people enters the cave.
They open fire.
The creatures deform completely and flee deeper into the cave.
The board falls back into the black liquid.
The girl is hurt by the impact.
A few soldiers untie her and climb up.
Then she runs with the squad.
It is still night.
There are more soldiers outside.
They are almost out when the things return.
Now they look like black spiders.
There is no identifiable organ on their bodies.
They attack the soldiers.
The entire squad is thrown back.
The girl crashes into a wall.
The soldiers quickly get back up and open fire.
From the ground, the girl sees one of them firing at her.
She grabs an explosive with her hand.
One of the creatures pierces through her.
The explosive is still active.
It detonates.
Fortunately, the soldier is far enough away that the explosion does not affect him, and being pressed against the wall helps protect her in some way.
The girl gets back up.
Through one of the nearest windows, she climbs outside.
The soldiers run back into the building.
She keeps walking.
After some distance, there are no more soldiers outside.
Fatigue is punishing her.
She can barely move.
Then another explosion occurs.
The force of it knocks the exhausted girl to the ground.
—No. I’m still not safe. If I stay here, I’ll die —the girl says.
She forces herself back up.
She moves a little faster.
Eventually, she reaches a small place where tools are stored.
She hides there.
Now she is far enough away.
She looks through a small window.
She can see the sunrise.
The building is still there in the distance, but the sound of gunfire has begun to fade.
It is not long before she hears drones approaching the building.
As soon as they enter, a powerful explosion tears through the structure.
The girl covers herself.
The explosion lasts for several seconds.
Then she hears the building collapse.
She remains hidden.
She cannot see anything.
Soon everything is covered in dust.
But because of the strong wind, the dust does not remain for long.
After staying hidden for a while, she looks through the window again.
There are only ruins.
Then a drone appears.
It circles the area, returning to the same place.
Before leaving, it says:
—No living targets. Mission accomplished.
The girl finally comes out.
After a while, the sun is fully visible.
She walks toward the street.
But along the way, she begins to cry.
—Why? —she says.
—What’s going on?
Her head remains lowered as she walks.
Then she sees a shadow.
She raises her head.
There is something that looks like a person standing in front of her.
But it is completely black.
She cannot distinguish anything about it.
Only its outline.
—You are an inhabitant of this planet. What happened? Were you the one who killed them? —the figure asks.
—...Hu...
—Don’t be afraid. I know it wasn’t you. It was the things that were flying, wasn’t it? —the figure says.
What could be the reason people react by helping their enemies? When situations become more difficult, they act more kindly.
—It wasn’t the drones... They are controlled by people... —the girl answers.
—I do not blame you for their deaths. I warned them this could happen. I didn’t know them. This was the first time I had ever seen them. They are a small group that does things their own way —the figure says.
—I am not going to say that we are not alike, because in some way we are all essentially the same. But not everyone makes the same decisions —the figure continues.
—I know something they want to ignore. That is why they died. My species adapts quickly, and we have already adapted to this place, although other species already exist here. The only one that seems to be a problem is yours —the figure says.
—But why? I do not know yet. However, I have something more important to do now. I need to return to my -----.
—I can be useful to you. I think you are good at these things. You will help me survive, and I will help you —the figure says.
—What... is your name? —the girl asks.
—It is... -------- —the figure answers.
It sounds like someone opening a soda can.
But the sound continues.
The girl stares at the figure.
—All right. I’ll help you —she says.
—Yes —the figure replies.
The human shape suddenly begins to deform.
It changes until it resembles a cat.
—Humans are difficult to imitate. This way, we can travel together —the creature says in its cat form, without moving its mouth.
—Okay —the girl replies.
