ALTERNO

Chapter 2

His chains scraped the ground, he is getting closer, his face shows nothing, he's just looking at me. What are you going to do?! Stay there!!

I can barely say the words. My legs aren't responding well, it's sharp and piercing. The wood of the floor is rough and a little cold, it cracks.

Noo!!

H: Hey, wake up already, how long are you going to stay there, hey… He says with his hoarse voice.

I thought, I feel an agonizing pain running down my spine!

Why can't I die? My bones crack. I feel as though my limbs are being torn apart, thousands of knives stabbed into my vertebrae! Ouch!!

The tall figure gets closer. What a mess!

Your guts and brains are everywhere!!

How disgusting!!

Help me please!! The young man shouts.

From here at this height, any sane person would have jumped, how crazy. He frowns while observing the viewpoint. The surroundings are a bit dark, they are on the ground floor of a factory, with many cracks, right in front of the rusted gates.

H: I have good news and bad news, kid. The good news, I'm fine.

And the bad news? Asks the young man.

H: I think they're going to eat you...

At such a cold and disdainful response of compassion, his face reflects fearful confusion and surprise.

Wait!! Are they going to eat me?

H: Not if I get you out of here. He bends his knees, grabs his feet, I force my forearms, feeling how my thighs tighten, dragging the young vagrant.

Don't call me that, I'm not a vagrant!

H: I know it's a bit late for this, partner. Do you have a name? Wow, you're heavy!

I… I don't know.

My head hurts, I think I exist, I don't know, I can't breathe, what are those stains? My eyes burn, I thought.

I don't understand. Why? If he said we can't die, then why the need to help me? Am I dying?

H: What a shame… In that case, since we don't know our names, we should have one, maybe an alias, sounds better, you know, to identify ourselves.

Why the hell do we need an alias…

H: Actually, in this place, maybe our lives depend on it!

H, a cold and firm touch is felt against my back, I open the gate. Damn, what a horrible sound! It's torturous and agonizing, as if thousands of people were screaming in torment. I feel how his hands open my tissue, my cold blood drains.

Hey! Crisen… Do you love nothingness? In such a spacious place, but it isn't, enough to be embraced without wishing to be consumed...

Only silence from the young man.

In an endless path, where the more he moves forward, his steps echo, accompanied by the scraping of his companion, there's no light. Is he moving forward?

What lurks may be behind them, perhaps in the corners, waiting for the right moment, or maybe there's nothing right now, maybe they're not in danger for now. But they must not stop.

I extend my hand to the switch, it's solid. Great, I love closed spaces!

I feel how my head gets heavier, a loud impact is heard outside the place where I'm located, I sense drops hitting the ground. Ugh, how annoying! I feel something under my feet. I can't see anything, what could it be? It feels thick and warm.

Crisen: Where am I? What's happening?

My head hurts, for a moment I thought it was just a nightmare, I put my hand on my forehead.

H: Finally, you woke up, everything's real, more real than anything…

Get up already!

You should be feeling better now. As I told you, you can't die here. Of course, you can feel pain, and I think it's the closest thing to dying, because of us.

Pain helps us understand that we're alive. You should be feeling better now. Your wounds should have healed.

Crisen: What?! My wounds are gone, my limbs don't hurt anymore. I look at my trembling hands, I can't believe it, incredible...

Do I believe it? I thought this guy was playing with my suffering. What should I do now?

H: Hey, kid, help me open this gate! I don't want to stay in this hallway.

Crisen: Yes!

Both of us apply force to open the giant, rusted door. Pull, buddy!

While Crisen helps open the gate, he hears a clamor from the other side, accompanied by an energetic melody, whose origin is unclear. It's not the squeak of the rusted gate or some kind of hallucination.

Crisen: This is puzzling. A moment ago it was night. Could it be... time? It's inexplicable. Did we manage to get out? There are so many people... it's all over!

He frowns, unable to believe it. It's strange. He never thought he'd see this again, the theme park surrounded by so many people, and they all look like Crisen. It's all over, H thought, scratching his head. It's strange to see it from my perspective.

They both walk in that direction, at the same pace as their companion, not stopping to look around...

H: Hey, kid! We just need to observe, be meticulous, and above all, cautious. Don't touch anything here. Got it? Okay?

They continue walking, and it feels like he's forgotten that he has legs. He doesn't know what to think about what his companion said. He feels the sweat dripping down his forehead. His eyes hurt from looking in all directions. It's supposed to be normal now, he thought.

Crisen: Yeah, he responds, with a trembling voice.

Every step feels chilling. Maybe he's walking toward his own death, even though he can't die... right?

The stores are just a few meters away, surrounded by people. The atmosphere is cheerful and colorful.

What would be best? Stay with this guy or walk away? I need to be cautious of him too. But if that were the case, he would have left me there, vulnerable, right?

H: Look, Crisen! Cotton candy! His eyes shine. My mouth is watering. How delicious.

Crisen: Hey, wait! He grabs his head with both hands, his eyes wide open.

H: Calm down, chew...

Crisen: Look... weren't we supposed to be careful? He says with a frown.

He approaches Crisen confidently, placing his hand on his back as they walk. His heavy hand doesn't leave him.

Why don't you explore for yourself? Nothing bad will happen. You're too defensive. Go have fun; you don't see this every day.

Crisen: What's going on? We couldn't even breathe before. Now we can, but H says it so confidently. He's transmitting his trust to me. Maybe it's all over, Crisen thought. After so much tension, I'd like to have fun, but it's dangerous. I'd be vulnerable... but I want to have fun!

H: Nothing will happen. I've been here a while. Let's go!

They are in the middle of the crowd. As they walk, Crisen loses sight of H. He can't see him anywhere. Excuse me! Excuse me!

Still, he feels calmer. Everything seems normal. He can't stop looking at the shops and rides. He walks to the rhythm of the crowd.

Meanwhile, H isolates himself for a moment.

H: Do you think it was the best option? Because I don't think so. I think it was...

Ah! My forearms! The soft tissue opens. Ouch! It runs down my veins with a burning sensation.

Crisen, for the first time, can appreciate the calm. At this moment, he's alone but surrounded by people. His ears are drawn, and his eyes follow a direction. He sees a girl holding a wooden mallet, hitting a device to measure strength. Her eyes shine with excitement, surrounded by people amazed that she broke a record.

Crisen: Is she looking at me? I don't think so. She just gave me a smile. It's hard to believe, but I smile back... a little nervously, I decide to wave my hand to greet her. I perceive a delicious smell, like sweet peanuts mixed with lemonade. So good! My mouth waters.

Crisen: Give me one, please!

The man answers with a warm smile. Sure, young man.

Crisen: No, no, I just feel the rough fabric of my pockets. Oh no! I don't have any money.

Man: Don't worry. Everything here is free, he says with a big smile. Take it!

Crisen: What?! Really?! Thanks so much!

Crisen: Sir, is it true? Everything's free?

He looks at me with a penetrating gaze, but doesn't convey any emotion. It's as if he's empty inside. He walks away with his cart, looks at me for a moment, and disappears into the crowd. I can see the steam rising from his cart in the distance.

Crisen: I want to know what's happening. Why is this happening? Still, my hands are trembling. Maybe this is how I'll get out. Maybe this is the hope I need to get the answers I'm looking for. I need to do this. I want to do this... Let's go!

Now that I think about it, should I tell H about this? Even though I don't fully trust him, if I stay with him, I won't be as vulnerable. He has more experience, and he helped me when I was at my most vulnerable.

"Next chapter, on Thursday." good bye