Chapter 4 | An Old Man's Love

They were still being chased by the creature.

Eden turned to the back of the vehicle and tried to shoot at it.

His bullets had no effect.

— Step on it! Can’t you see we’re in deep trouble?! he shouted to Lamar.

Lamar, skidding to try to shake off the Calamity, replied:

— What do you think I’m doing?! I’m already at full speed!

— Hold on tight! said Lamar.

— That’s all we’ve been doing since earlier, Eden grumbled.

— Your encouragement isn’t really helping, Lamar added.

— If you’re not happy, you can get out and keep it company!

In front of the base, the Calamity hurled their vehicle into the air.

During their flight, Alya sliced the car in two.

Her sword fell into the sand along with the debris.

Still airborne, they crashed onto the roof.

Eden landed headfirst.

Alya, however, fell into Lamar’s arms, and he gently set her down on the ground.

They started scanning the area.

— See anything, Lamar? asked Eden.

— No… You?

— Same here.

They burst out laughing.

— At least we’re still alive.

The three of them climbed down and entered the building.

It was a large biological research base.

Inside, they came across nine people.

A man stepped forward:

— Hi. I’m David, a researcher for the Order of Doctors. This is my wife Sally, my daughter Sophie, and the little one here is…

The child hid behind his father upon spotting Alya.

Alya, in turn, hid behind Eden.

They eyed each other timidly.

— She’s a Calamity, David said.

— No, she’s my friend, Eden replied.

In sign language, David told his son:

— The man said she’s not a Calamity. Don’t be afraid and go say hello.

The boy cautiously approached Alya, who did the same.

They ended up face-to-face.

Alya knelt down and hid her face between her hands.

The boy gently moved them aside and signed:

— My dad told me not to be afraid of you, so you don’t be afraid of us either, okay?

Alya nodded.

— My name’s Tony. What’s yours?

— Alya, she signed back.

They smiled at each other.

— Oh, great, you’re making me want to puke, a man suddenly said.

— One more minute and I bet you’d both start bawling your eyes out.

— Instead of getting off your butts and blowing up these Calamities… he added as he walked into another room.

He was followed by a woman holding a barking dog.

— You’re so right, my wolf. Everyone here’s pathetic, she said.

David explained:

— Those two over there, not the friendliest—Rick and Katy. And the dog’s name is Kibbles.

— And the last two are Mr. Bones and Mrs. Bones.

They were small, elderly people.

Mr. Bones walked up to Eden and Lamar:

— How’s it going, boys? You’re some sturdy fellas, I can tell.

Mrs. Bones approached Alya and smacked her on the butt.

Alya, embarrassed, stepped back.

— Pretty young lady. Almost as pretty as our daughter… but she doesn’t have quite the same bounce to her backside, Mrs. Bones said.

— You could marry our daughter, suggested Mr. Bones.

— Excellent idea! Mrs. Bones chimed in.

They began dancing around them.

— She’s tall, strong, and kind, Mrs. Bones continued.

— And she’s a great cook, added Mr. Bones. She gets that from her mother.

— So? Is it a yes? Yes? Yes? they pressed.

— Sorry, not for me, Lamar replied.

— What? You don’t like tall women?

— No, it’s not that… But it wouldn’t be possible. My heart’s already taken.

— I can’t imagine Elena accepting a rival, Eden added.

— Oh, that’s fine. What about you, Eden? Mrs. Bones asked.

— My heart belongs to the battlefield… but who knows, maybe one day I’ll think about marriage.

— Too bad. But invite us when you get married. We’ll bring our daughter, said Mr. Bones.

— No problem, Eden and Lamar replied.

— You must be hungry. It’s almost dinner time. I’ll make you my famous royal dish, Mrs. Bones announced.

— Perfect, we’re starving, Eden and Lamar said.

Mr. and Mrs. Bones happily took Alya to the kitchen.

Eden and Lamar went to the control room where David and Sally were.

Sally was trying to contact someone:

— Hello? Hello? This is Sally, researcher for the Order of Doctors. Can you hear me?

The transmission crackled.

— We need help! Can you—

The signal cut out.

— Don’t worry, honey, David said. They won’t abandon us.

— You sure? Even after what we did?

— You’re worrying for nothing. You should rest.

Eden stepped in:

— Sorry to interrupt, but could we get some intel on the situation?

Surprised, David answered suspiciously:

— We were sent by the Order to conduct research. Not wanting to leave our family behind, we came together. When we tried to leave, the Calamities attacked… and now we’re stuck here.

— And your research is about what? Lamar asked.

— Top secret. You shouldn’t even be in this room, Sally replied.

Meanwhile, in the lounge, Katy was getting a tattoo.

Sophie, sitting next to her, asked:

— Could you do mine after yours?

— Not afraid your parents will throw a fit? Katy asked.

— No. They don’t care about me anyway. They only think about Tony. Sometimes I wonder if I was adopted…

— I get it. At your age, I would’ve run away to join my wolf Rick. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a nice mark of independence.

After finishing her own tattoo, Katy started on Sophie’s.

— My parents would kill me if they saw this…

— After this, they’ll see you differently, Katy replied.

Suddenly, Kibbles rushed in, chased by Tony who wanted to play.

— Kid, you’re a pain! Stop stressing this dog out or his price is gonna drop! Katy yelled.

Animals like him were valuable, especially when well cared for.

Tony stopped, looked at the dog, who barked at him.

He turned to his sister and signed:

— Sophie, I—

— Get lost, Tony! Sophie shouted. You’re always exhausting us! Tony this, Tony that! We always have to go at your pace. I’ve had enough, just go away!

Tony, unable to hear but understanding her tone, burst into tears and ran off.

Sophie, realizing what she’d just done, lowered her eyes.

— Good job, Sophie, you’re learning fast. You’ve always gotta show you’re the boss, Katy said.

— Right… I wasn’t too harsh, was I?

— Not even close, Katy replied.

— Okay, I get it…

After the tattoo, Rick grabbed Katy by the arm:

— Come with me.

— No, you’re hurting me, Katy said.

— Hurry up, unless you want me to do it right here.

Katy gave Sophie a smile:

— Your tattoo’s done. See you later.

— Okay, see you, Sophie said.

They went to their room, where the argument broke out.

— I don’t want to! Katy shouted.

— Without it, you’d be useless! Rick snapped.

The tension rose until Mr. Bones stepped in:

— Easy, easy! Rick, you shouldn’t force the girl into that. Calm down and hug it out.

Katy, frightened, hid behind him.

— I’d rather die than do that, Rick spat.

And Mr. Bones said:

— If you don’t do it tonight, you’ll sleep without dinner.

After a fierce struggle, Rick got hungry and had to give the hug.

— Now isn’t that sweet? said Mr. Bones.

And Mrs. Bones shouted:

— Dinner’s ready!

The power went out, plunging everyone into darkness.

Sally, who was in the other room, told Eden and Lamar:

— Wait, it’s only partial.

After a few moments, the power came back for everyone in the control room.

Eden asked:

— Is it normal for the power to go out

— So suddenly?

Sally replied:

— No, it’s because of how much we’ve been consuming.

And David added:

— When we arrived, we stocked the base for only four people. Now there are eleven of us, so our resources are running low.

Lamar asked:

— So there’s nothing we can do to fix this?

Sally answered:

— Our only hope is another base a few meters from here. There, we can find food and energy.

Eden asked exactly where, and David showed him a map.

Eden said:

— Tomorrow, we’ll head there to resupply. Always ready for an adrenaline rush, old buddy?

— You bet I am! replied Lamar.

Everyone then heard again:

— Dinner’s ready! called Mrs. Bones.

Eden and Lamar headed to the roof to get some air and sip on beers. Sitting there, beer in hand, they went to clink glasses, but Eden’s slipped, fell, and shattered. Lamar laughed at Eden for losing his beer, but just as he was about to drink his own, Eden snatched it away. However, the moment Eden tried to drink it, he realized his hands were empty. The beer was now in Mr. Bones’ hand, standing beside them with a plate in the other. He downed it all in one gulp and said:

— Kids, dinner’s ready.

Seeing their beer stolen, Eden and Lamar decided to console themselves with the food Mr. Bones brought. But at the first bite—too, too, too salty—they exchanged tight-faced glances.

— Is it good, boys? asked Mr. Bones.

Both nodded, saying:

— Yeah… while swallowing.

Mr. Bones added:

— Thanks, but don’t pretend. Ever since our daughter left, my dear wife has been putting too much salt in her dishes… but for me, it’s always been fine.

Eeden asked:

— Could you tell us more about your daughter?

Mr. Bones replied:

— If I told you every detail about my daughter, we’d never leave here. There’s too much to say and not enough time. So instead, I’ll tell you why we’re here.

— When she was young, my daughter was very beautiful, and every boy wanted to marry her. Every day, a new suitor would send gifts, hoping I’d give her hand. So, I set up a little test to see who was truly worthy: I made her pretend to be dead and observed their reactions. Upon seeing this, those who claimed to love her withdrew their proposals and took back their gifts. Even the ones we thought were sincere…

Sometimes, appearances are deceiving: if the heart is black, so will be the feelings.

— But against all odds, there was one man—he didn’t earn much compared to the others—who told me he loved her for what she did, for her kindness, not for her beauty or anything else. An unconditional love that even his own mother approved of.

— It was crazy to say such a thing, but I wanted to see even more if he was telling the truth. And when your heart is pure, your actions are too. Every day, he came by to give us a little of what he earned. He still believed our daughter was gone, and he wanted to take care of us. He gave half his savings to us, the other half to his mother. He kept nothing for himself, sometimes wearing the same clothes for days. Some thought he was a fool, but we knew. One day, having nothing to give, he came to apologize. That’s when we revealed our daughter was alive. He cried with joy. The other men, shocked, even congratulated him.

— He had been shy before, but now he’d become a true man. He and our daughter loved each other with an unbreakable bond. Since he was skilled with the sword, he found work. Before the wedding, he had one last mission to complete before leaving everything to live with her. One week before the ceremony, we were told he had been killed by the Calamities… Goes to show, beautiful things never last.

— After the news, our daughter lost her memory and forgot us, her parents. She ran away. My wife was deeply affected—that’s why the food is salty… One day, while searching for her, we found her at her new job. She didn’t remember us, but we never forgot her. Three times a month, we went to see her, just to reassure ourselves and protect her a little.

— On one of those visits, since she lived a bit far, we ran into Rick and Katy, who took us with them. They were going to see someone named Edward, Rick’s father or brother. Katy told us he was kind. Rick claimed to have many children and that Edward gave them most of his bonus. But while taking a shortcut, we got stuck… and here we are.

At that moment, Rick climbed onto the roof and shouted:

— What a crappy meal!—throwing his food into the sand.

Furious, Lamar grabbed him:

— There are people starving in this world, and all you can do is complain and throw away food you don’t even deserve!

— No, my boy Lamar, it’s fine, it’s nothing, Mr. Bones said with a smile.

Rick went to lock himself in the base.

Later, everyone went to bed. Sally noticed a tattoo on Sophie and exclaimed:

— What? We turn our backs for two seconds, and you go get a tattoo? And you attack your brother? Really, Sophie, you… you…

Sophie, trembling, replied:

— I… I… I’m just too much. I annoy you. I’m not your daughter. You only care about Tony. You don’t even look at me. I’m hurting, and you don’t see it. You always favor Tony…

Mr. Bones entered the room where David, Tony, Sophie, and Sally were:

— Sally, you should listen to Sophie more. Teenagers always need support. And you, Sophie, you need to understand your parents: they’re adults who work hard. It’s not always easy being a parent, especially with two children. Help them by looking after your brother sometimes.

— And you, David, speak up more. You’re the father here, not Sally. I understand Sophie—my daughter went through the same thing. Once we understood, we never let her go and gave her all the love we could.

With that, he wished them goodnight, and the whole family thanked him. He went back to his room. On the way, he heard Rick and Katy laughing in their room, and Eden and Lamar sleeping. Arriving in his room, he lay down gently so as not to wake his wife.

— Bones, are you okay? she asked.

— Yeah… but you’re not asleep?

— I know you didn’t eat.

— Is it that obvious?

— No, but I know you better than anyone.

— Phew… I was worried someone would notice and be concerned. Since there wasn’t enough food, I gave my share to the others.

— It’s a shame you didn’t eat, but at least everyone else could. Tomorrow, if they bring back something to cook, I’ll make you your favorite meal.

— Thank you, my dear, I’d love that, said Mr. Bones.

They fell asleep.

The next day, Eden, Lamar, Alya, Rick, David, and Sally were ready. They took two motorcycles and a vehicle to load supplies. Mr. and Mrs. Bones, Tony, and Sophie used anything noisy to cover their departure. Eden on one bike, Rick on the other, David, Sally, Alya, and Lamar in the vehicle.

On the way, they were chased—not by the underground Calamities, but by long-legged Calamities attracted to their heat. Eden and Rick split off from the vehicle to shake them.

Eden, closely pursued, tried to shoot, but the creature dodged every time. He improvised: spotting a slope, he charged up it, did a backflip with his bike, ended up above the creature, shot it, then landed and sped away.

Rick, also being chased, accelerated, turned back, charged toward the creature, jumped with his bike, threw a grenade, then rolled past its back. Explosion.

Arriving at the second base, larger and C-shaped, Eden noticed a lightning-shaped object at its center.

— It’s to capture lightning and power the base, David explained.

As they were gathering supplies, a call came through. Sally answered, thinking it was help. But it was Sophie:

— Hello, Mom, we can’t see Tony and Croquettes anymore, we’re looking but nothing…

Sally said:

— Keep looking, we’ll be right there.

Meanwhile, Tony was chasing Croquettes outside, laughing, unaware that an underground Calamity was approaching. Sophie and Mrs. Bones, on the roof, spotted the scene and screamed his name. Nothing.

Distracted, Tony didn’t understand their gestures. Sophie ran out to save him.

But it was too late: the Calamity lunged. Sophie screamed, Mrs. Bones too. Mr. Bones rushed out, pushed Tony away. The creature scratched Tony… and swallowed Mr. Bones whole before disappearing into the sand.

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