He woke up outdoors. The smell of campfires reached him. Dozens of them rose throughout the small clearing; all the trees had been cut down in a wide circular perimeter. A tall watchtower stood near the center. Dozens of tents were scattered around: a somewhat improvised camp. Vanrra was tied by the hands to a stake; they had left him only with his clothes and had gagged him.
A crowd of men moved about the camp; they were in a great hurry. They carried large bags and boxes. They all wore leather clothes and caps; they were hunters. They carried rifles and shotguns. One of them approached him. His age showed; he was robust and had a large beard; he wore a fur cap. —Looks like you've woken up. —He removed the gag. —Can I ask who you are?
He said quickly, —My name is Vanrra, I come from the northeast, from Gamini.
—What are you doing so far from home? Were you attacked too?
He shuddered. —Did that monster make it all the way here?
—We located it to the north.
—Why did you attack me?
—Precaution. Everyone here is very nervous; they don't trust anyone. Lucky for you, you're from around here. —He crouched down to untie him. —You can rest a bit; we're safe here. I doubt that thing can get through the big trees.
—Of course it can! We have to hide in the woods; out here we're exposed.
—You think so? We already faced that thing in open ground; it's impossible to fight on that terrain.
He had a glimmer of hope. —You faced it? How?
—Gunpowder. We set a trap for it when it tried to enter the woods; we blew up a barrel of gunpowder in its face. We blew off one of its two big horns. It screamed, like a thousand demons; I still can't believe a beast like that exists.
—Horns? What are you talking about? That giant didn't have horns.
—What are you saying?
—I'm very sure the giant that attacked my village didn't have horns. What was the giant you encountered?
He approached him threateningly. —I don't have time for you anymore; stop bothering me and go take care of your friend.
—Friend?
He pointed to a tent. —The weirdo who came with you attacked several of our men. We had to put her in a cage; she hadn't stopped screaming and cursing. She doesn't seem to be from these lands.
—Where are my things?
—In the main store, ask for them.
—Thank you. —Vanrra walked among the cut logs; barricades and sandbags were distributed across the clearing. The hunters aimed their bolt weapons directly at the forest, alert to any movement. He headed to the cabin located right in the center. It was surrounded by piles of boxes and even more tents. "Horns? Is there more than one giant? That's what the doc meant when he said this wasn't over yet."
A loud roar came from the forest, accompanied by shotgun blasts. The tops of the tall trees swayed as if in a great storm. Flocks of birds flew out of the woods. All the men immediately moved toward the source of the noise, waiting with their rifles for any movement. Vanrra watched from a distance.
The ground rumbled. Suddenly, one of the hunters in the tower fired; everyone else followed. A rain of lead lashed the forest; they fired for just under a minute. The roars of that thing gradually faded. When it was over, everyone remained on alert for several agonizing minutes.
Next to Vanrra were the camp's women and men with sniper rifles. One of them approached and handed him binoculars. —Kid, help us if you can spot anything. —The forest seemed empty; the large trunks and leaves made it difficult to see inside. He looked up at the treetops; he saw how some of them moved slightly, in a pattern. —Do you think it's the monster? —It's just the wind. —They think it might have moved to another part of the perimeter; I doubt it's still on the same side. —Maybe you're right.
Vanrra looked in another direction; he was petrified when he saw that demon. Among the darkness of the giant trees, he saw two small eyes like torches of blue fire. That thing was as tall as the trees; tall like an oak, it watched them silently.
It was a thin humanoid with a narrow abdomen. Its long arms reached down to its knees. Its hands were disproportionately large; it seemed to wear large bracelets made of a very strange stone. Its whole body was covered with that material, from its waist to its shoulders, chest, legs, and knees. Like a walking wall. Rusty stone. Its skin was dark; it had a kind of fur.
All the men were petrified with fear; those beacons of light instilled an instinctive panic. One of the men fired; immediately, the beast emerged from the trees. Its legs were like heavy rocks. Its face was completely smooth except for a wheel-shaped mouth; it had a large stone horn on the left side of its head.
The hunters fired all their weapons; the beast didn't react in the slightest. With its large hands, it ripped a couple of trees from the ground and stripped them completely. It broke them in half and took a throwing stance. It swung its heavy right arm and hurled the pieces of wood at the tower. The logs shattered it like shrapnel; the tower collapsed immediately. The debris fell onto the barrels of gunpowder, spilling it everywhere.
The monster let out a high-pitched shriek; everyone covered their ears; it stomped the ground with its enormous feet; they were like solid blocks of stone. Stumps shot out in all directions, mutilating and tearing apart dozens of men. The beast approached one of them; its steps made the earth tremble, its arms swayed. It tore the man from the ground and brought him to its mouth. The man screamed in desperation, unable to move because of his broken leg. The beast devoured him while the rest watched in shock. There was a rain of blood, a blasphemous festival that stained the earth.
A large group of men snapped out of their trance and tried to run toward the forest; the demon shrieked again; everyone fell to the ground. The demon hurled another batch of stumps at them, mutilating them all. Many did nothing but scream and cry, unable to move because of the monster's inexplicable aura. There were no words to explain the terror the beast created, a deep feeling that made them act in ways they couldn't even understand. The beast began to chase people to devour them. Whenever someone tried to leave the clearing, the monster stomped the ground again, launching more stumps to mutilate those fleeing.
Vanrra remained frozen, just like everyone around him, who wept before their inevitable fate. They seemed like sheep before a butcher, docile in the face of death. —What is that thing?! —The monster came closer and closer. Vanrra could picture himself devoured by that demon, dead like the rest of his friends; all he could think about was fear.
A shrill voice snapped him out of his trance; it came from near the tower's wreckage. —Help! Someone! —A woman cried desperately. That moment of clarity allowed Vanrra to move and run toward the forest.
The beast noticed; before it could let out its shriek, a group of men shot it in the eyes. The monster turned toward them. An injured hunter was near a barrel of gunpowder, which caught the monster's attention. The demon grabbed him along with the barrel and brought them to its mouth; the fuse lit too soon. The barrel exploded in its hand; the beast screamed like thousands of demons at once—voices of men, women, and children in unison, all at the same time. Amid the agony and pain, there were also laughs and taunts. Vanrra dropped to the ground.
The explosion had knocked the stone blocks off its wrists; the flesh inside was a pale color, like milky fluid. The rest of its skin started turning that color; the wound began to expel that liquid, splashing everything around. As soon as it came into contact with the light, the liquid started to change color, like a rainbow in water.
The beast moved erratically, dragging everything in its path. The hunters still standing got up; some began moving more barrels of gunpowder. —Careful! —The beast kicked one of the groups; the barrel exploded, barely cracking the massive stone block of its foot.
Vanrra got up; in front of him was the forest. Before entering, he heard that voice in his head again. —Help! Mitra! Where are you? —Vanrra couldn't run away; not again, he felt a great anchor in his chest. —Again? Why am I so stupid? —Vanrra went toward the voice. He ran through the chaos. He could see how the colossus had turned almost completely white; it looked like a great whitish beacon. It had left a great trail of that liquid throughout the camp. Its shrieks grew ever more incomprehensible, as if thousands of children were crying at once. It devoured the few remaining men one by one.
Vanrra reached the tents, next to the rubble; screams could be heard from beneath them. With a sharpened stick, he managed to cut the fabric. The girl was hyperventilating. She was surprised to see him arrive. —Vanrra! You have to get me out of here! —The steel cage had a big padlock. —What's happening?!
—Shut up! —Vanrra found a shovel nearby; with it, he struck the lock with all his might; he barely scratched it.
—Hurry up! Don't you have any strength?! —Vanrra hit it again and again; he tried in different positions. The girl was left open-mouthed when she saw the monster, which had fallen to the ground; its light had become so intense it was almost blinding. Vanrra turned to look at it; the monster noticed and began to drag itself toward them, like a hungry lion.
Vanrra looked away from that harmful light; he managed to see the reflection of a rifle barrel. He took a couple of bullets from the ground, loaded them, and shot at the padlock. The girl threw herself at him.
—We have to go! —The woman was in shock, completely terrified. Vanrra grabbed her hand to run away. The colossus lunged at the rubble; they barely managed to get out unharmed. They ran as fast as they could.
Before the beast could get up, the gunpowder among the rubble exploded. That milky liquid covered almost the entire clearing. The monster let out a final roar; they didn't look back. The beast's cries turned into thousands of moans and high-pitched laughs.
They both entered the forest and ran for several minutes. They climbed down a couple of rocks until they crossed a small stream. They were exhausted. They found a perfect place to rest, right beside the little river; they hurried to drink. They lay down on the ground; the surroundings seemed calm.
After quenching her thirst, the girl looked at Vanrra intently; she was about to cry. She threw herself to hug him; she was still in deep panic, trembling with fear. The eyes and the moans of that abomination were still burned into her memory. They were both still very exhausted. After catching her breath, the girl let go of him instinctively, somewhat embarrassed. —Why did you come back for me?
Panting from exhaustion. —I don't know.
—Thank you. —She looked at the surrounding nature, with the soothing sound of the stream. —Sofia… my name is Sofia.
—Sofia, how are you?
—…
He washed his face. —Do you know what that thing was? It looked… like nothing I've ever seen. I hope it's dead. That thing, that monster... eat... —He vomited, remembering the scene, the blood trickling down the rock, and the screams of the poor wretches
Sofia also felt nauseous remembering the beast. —What will we do now?
He was still exhausted. —Now what?
—Do you know where to go? Did you take anything from the camp?!
—I only have this. —He took a couple of bullets out of his pockets. Sofia disassembled the bullets with a stone, and with their gunpowder they made a fire for a campfire.
They heard the crash of thunder; in broad daylight, the forest rumbled. It seemed to come from far away. They heard the roar of that beast one last time; its very existence was a mockery of nature. After that, the forest calmed down. They waited until dusk. She asked him, —Do you think there are more monsters like that in the forest?
—I don't know; I know nothing. I lied to you; I've never set foot in this forest. I hope there aren't more things like that. —They both sat by the fire, alone in the darkness.
—Do you also feel this is somehow familiar?
—A little, but I feel like someone is missing.
—I have that feeling too. —Vanrra handed her some berries. —Do you want some? So you're not so hungry. —Sofia took them very carefully, examining them in amazement, as if it were the first time she'd seen a diamond.
—Will they hurt me?
—Of course not, they're delicious. —Sofia ate them. She liked them, but not as much as she had imagined. —They're not dangerous unless they're blue; those are poisonous. The good thing is I gave you red ones.
—You gave me blue ones.
—Liar, they were red; I saw them in the firelight… —Sofia put her hands to her throat and tried to spit them out. She ran to the stream and desperately rinsed her mouth. Vanrra couldn't stop laughing.
—Why are you laughing?! I'm going to die!
—Of course not, it was a joke. You look really ridiculous.
—It's not funny!
—You're the funny one: your face, your voice.
—You think my face is funny?!
—No, it's just that… you seem kind of friendly to me. Without your weapon, you're just a normal girl.
—Damn cattle, don't make fun of me!
—When will you stop being so rude? People stay away from you if you insult them all the time; you're lucky we're in a forest and I literally can't run away.
—…
—Am I bothering you?
—….
—Didn't you like the joke?
—…
—Sofia…
She answered immediately: —Don't talk to me.
—Did the joke bother you? I'm sorry, I just wanted to see… how gullible you were.
—It's my fault for trusting savages like you. You're all liars.
—Then why have you trusted me?
—I don't know, maybe I'm a fool. A damn idiot. —She shed a few tears.
—I don't think so; I've met a lot of really stupid people. You're not like them; you just trust me a lot.
—Someone like you knows absolutely nothing.
—You and I are the same, at the mercy of monsters. Neither of us has the slightest idea what's going on.
They both stared at the fire, facing each other. She said to him, —Vanrra, why are you in this forest? You say you've never been here before.
—What am I doing here? Isn't it obvious? I'm running away from a monster.
—The horned beast?
—No, a much worse one. Another giant, a very different one. A titan.
She looked at him intently with her big eyes. —A titan? What was that titan like?
—That bastard, how could I forget him. He… he… he destroyed my village. He killed everyone I cared about. —He clenched his fists tightly. —He destroyed everything in my life, left me alive to bear this damn pain. Why am I still alive? I should be dead.
—I should be dead too. I should have been crushed by the monster. You saved me; that's why I'm alive. Thanks to whom are you still alive?
That scene came to his mind, when he was face-to-face with the titan. Was it going to crush me? What happened right after? How did I survive? Why didn't it kill me? —I'm not sure. —Some footsteps caught both their attention; they got up at once. From the darkness came a familiar silhouette. —Doc! You're okay!
He was carrying a backpack and holding another large bag in one hand. Dressed in a white shirt, pants, and a khaki vest. He wore big boots, a belt, and a bandolier. He dropped the large bag at his feet. —I see you have company.
He went to hug him. —Doc! You have no idea what I saw. I got to a camp in the middle of the forest. It was attacked by a huge monster, a giant with horns. It killed everyone there, devoured them… it ate people. —Hiram stepped away from him and walked toward Sofia; he questioned her with his gaze. She seemed embarrassed. —She's Sofia, Doc. I found her in the forest; she was also running away from the monster... She doesn't talk much.
He crouched in front of her. —Sofia? —She nodded. —I'm Hiram, Hiram Abiff. You don't belong to this land?
She was surprised by the question. —No.
Hiram reached out his hand for a greeting; Sofia responded shyly. Hiram gave her a firm handshake. Sofia was left frozen, not knowing how to respond. —You…?
—What's wrong, Doc? What did you do to her?
He let go of her. —Nothing's wrong; let her rest; she's very pale. She just wants to calm down. Don't bother her. —He sat by the campfire. He took a canteen out of his backpack and handed it to Vanrra; he drank half of it.
—What is this? It doesn't feel like water.
—It's not just water; it'll help you recover. —Vanrra offered the drink to Sofia. Hiram was slightly annoyed. —It's for you; it's too strong for a woman. Finish it.
—But she…
Sofia said. —No thanks.
Vanrra approached Hiram. He asked in a low voice, —Do you know where she might be from?
—From a strange place. I don't know of anywhere on Earth where they wear clothes like that.
—Do you know everyone in the world?
—I can make an idea.
—Doc, what's in those backpacks?
—Useful things, better clothes. Change out of those rags when you can.
Vanrra started to feel a bit sleepy. —What did you see on your way, Doc? Did you run into one of those giants?
—No, I only heard those things roar. If I was shaken, I can't imagine what you must have felt.
—The monster killed more than thirty hunters; it devoured them; that thing wasn't an animal. Its eyes were blue, like torches. Aside from the fact that it was a monster, there was something very strange about it, something that shouldn't even be able to exist. Its blood was white; it changed color constantly. Its roar: it's impossible for an animal to roar like that; it sounded like the voices of thousands of people, children.
—Maybe fear made you imagine some things.
—No! I know what I experienced; Sofia lived it too. That thing appeared right after yesterday's titan. Could they be related?
—I'd like to know.
Vanrra yawned. —What do you think, Sofia? What's your theory?
—I… —She looked at Hiram. —I have no idea what it is. I don't know anything. I wish I knew… what's happening, where I am. What did I get myself into? —She looked up at the sky. —I just want to go home.
Hiram replied. —We both want to; no one wants to be here, but unfortunately we're trapped with those monsters.
—What do you think that monster is, Doc?
—The one with the horn?
—The titan.
Hiram looked at the fire. —What do I think it is? I don't think it's a monster; it's something different. I'm not sure both are related. Anyway, we have very little information. Maybe they're something we ourselves have called into being.
Vanrra fell asleep in the middle of the speech. His eyes closed peacefully. He was terribly exhausted. Hiram covered him with a blanket. Before falling into a deep sleep, he heard that squirrel voice. Some unintelligible words.