In the palace, First Lady Maribel rested in her bed, tended by her two daughters. Italia and Mabel offered her water to keep her from dehydrating, while Luke stood at the door, motionless as a statue, watching every detail of the scene.
Elsewhere in the palace, the guardians remained on alert, occupying strategic positions.
Néstor and Iván, the youngest guardian, observed from the terrace.
"Do you think it was a good decision to stay here?" Iván asked seriously. "Surely there’s no one left in the evacuation zone."
Néstor sighed. "To be honest, after the hell I saw, I’m not sure the emergency protocol worked. Maybe… the train never even left."
Iván’s face paled. "Was it really that bad?"
"I never thought it could come to this. There were too many… I’d never seen such a number of hostiles," Néstor replied.
Suddenly, they noticed movement in the garden.
A lone hostile crept through the shadows. Iván raised his weapon, ready to fire, but Néstor stopped him.
He pointed in another direction: several pairs of golden eyes gleamed in the dark.
"I get it… the noise would attract the others. Then we’d have a serious problem," Iván murmured.
"Exactly. Remember: know your surroundings before you act," Néstor instructed.
Iván shifted position. "I know… and always aim for the head."
"Correct," Néstor affirmed. "Their regeneration makes shooting the body useless."
Their conversation was interrupted by Tobias, another guardian.
"Iván, stay here and cover this area. Néstor, come with me, we need to talk."
"Understood, Tobias," Iván replied.
Tobias and Néstor walked through the halls until they reached a window overlooking the carriages.
"Luke said tomorrow we should take advantage of the sunlight to head to the evacuation zone," Tobias explained. "Magnus brought the carriages. The horses don’t attract the hostiles, so we’ll use them again."
Néstor analyzed the situation. "The problem isn’t the horses… it’s what they’re carrying."
Tobias opened a trunk, revealing the arsenal they had gathered. "That’s why we’ll take this."
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Néstor let out a long sigh. "Then we need to feed the horses, so tomorrow they’ll run with the strength of a locomotive."
Tobias lowered his gaze, fiddling with his engagement ring. "I just hope our families managed to get out…"
"They must be safe, my friend. You’ll see," Néstor replied, though deep down he knew he was lying to himself.
Both returned to the room where Luke watched over the president’s family. The First Lady, weakened, began to bleed from her nose.
"Here, Mother, wipe yourself," Italia said, handing her a handkerchief.
Maribel smiled tenderly, though her eyes reflected pain.
"Thank you, my dear. I don’t want you to worry about me, my loves. Your father and I were always so proud of you. You’re already grown women; you still have your whole lives ahead… and we’ll always be watching over you."
Her daughters embraced her tightly, while Luke and the guardians watched in silence, aware that the night was only beginning.
***
The pounding on the basement door stopped.
A roar echoed, followed by a scream of agony. Everyone inside the basement held their breath, waiting for the hostile to leave.
Minutes passed.
Ander’s group prepared to rest a little through the night, hoping that by dawn the hostiles would have retreated from the area so they could go out and seek help.
"Josh, can I ask you something?" Ander said, his voice weary.
"Of course, buddy, what is it?" Josh replied, leaning toward him.
Ander looked him in the eyes. "I want you to find our families. I’m afraid I won’t wake up…"
Josh shook his head. "Come on, Ander. We’ll both find our families. We’ve always been together. You can’t leave me now."
Ander let out a nervous laugh. "Remember when you turned six? We celebrated by trying to climb that giant tree."
"How could I forget?" Josh said, showing his elbow. "That day I got this scar when I fell."
"I think I’ll beat you with the scar from my bite," Ander joked.
Both burst out laughing, forgetting for a moment the nightmare surrounding them. It was a brief breath of relief between friends, interrupted when seriousness returned to their faces.
"What are you two talking about?" Alicia asked in a motherly tone. "Josh, let Ander rest."
"Yes, ma’am, whatever you say," Josh replied sarcastically.
The basement fell silent.
Though everyone rested, the watch on the door never ceased. Ander lay down on some sacks; it wasn’t comfortable, but it was enough.
With all the fear in the world, he closed his eyes and let sleep take him. Not knowing if he would ever open them again.
***
At dawn, the sound of distant gunfire woke Ander.
"Yes, I heard it too!" exclaimed Fermín, the butcher.
"Would it be a good idea to go out?" asked Martin, the father.
"Maybe it’s rescue groups… this is our chance, they’re coming for us," said the middle-aged man.
The basement filled with murmurs.
Everyone began preparing to leave in an orderly fashion.
"Ander, how do you feel?" Alicia asked, surprised.
"Just a headache… but it doesn’t matter. We have to go," Ander replied.
"Quick, wake up!" Felicia shouted. "It’s time to get up and get out of here."
Everyone stood, except the elderly woman, who remained lying on the floor.
Felicia approached to wake her, but got no response. "She’s not breathing!" she cried in terror.
Carlo bent down to check. With a grim gesture, he confirmed her death. Inspecting her, he discovered a small bite on her forearm.
"She’d been bitten…" he said sorrowfully.
The group was stunned.
Josh looked at Ander with worry, fearing his friend’s fate would be the same as the poor old woman’s.
"There’s nothing we can do for her now," the middle-aged man interrupted. "We have to get out, now!" he shouted, opening the door.
***
In the palace, Luke opened the door to the chamber, his face stricken.
The guardians looked at him expectantly.
"The First Lady has just passed away… she succumbed to the infection. Prepare yourselves, it’s time to leave the palace."
