Several hours had passed since we escaped from the Hohchifos. The sun was already setting behind the trees, and darkness spread like a thick blanket over the forest. We stopped by a stream (another stream). I no longer had the strength to carry him. The pain in my belly was returning, and he was barely breathing.
We needed to rest. Maybe we could spend the night there, although I knew it wasn't the safest course of action. If the demons returned, we would have nowhere to hide.
And to make matters worse… I had run out of ammunition.
Everything was falling apart. We had no clear destination. No weapons. No help.
Just some dirty water, two battered bodies, and the memory of blood.
I could leave him there. Go on alone.
Abandon him, like he planned to do with me in the carriage.
But I didn't.
Maybe helping him would bring me peace.
Maybe… redemption.
While I was thinking, the man slowly opened his eyes. His voice was barely a whisper.
"What… happened?"
"Calm down. You're safe," I said him, trying to start a fire with wet branches.
"Where… are my companions?"
I was confused. I couldn't remember anything. The same thing happened to me after I fainted in that ghost town. And I still wonder if what happened with the horse was real.
"Where are they…?" he insisted.
"They died," I answered bluntly.
"No… I don't understand. Who are you? Where am I?"
The wound on his side looked worse. What had at first seemed under control was now spreading. The color of his skin was ashen.
What kind of poison did those blades carry?
Were they… cursed?
"What happened to them...? What happened to my companions?"
"What do you remember?"
He frowned. He found it hard to think.
"We were traveling North. I don't remember why. But... why do you say they died? Did you... kill them?"
I looked at him seriously.
"If it had been me, you wouldn't be talking now."
"What... do you want from me?"
"Nothing. Just for you to live."
"I don't understand... why does it hurt so much? Why can't I move?"
"You have a deep wound. Don't try to move, or you might make it worse. Tomorrow we'll find help."
"A shelter? I don't understand anything..."
"I'll explain."
I left the fire burning and sat down next to him.
"Have you heard of the Hohchifos?"
At the mention of that name, his pupils dilated. He began to tremble.
"Are they... here?"
"Not yet. But they attacked a few hours ago. They ambushed us and killed your comrades. You and I were the only survivors."
His lips trembled.
"What...?"
I remembered too. That battlefield where my comrades were screaming. Me running and hiding.
Until today, I was always the only one who survived.
But now, I wasn't alone.
"You're alive because of me," I told him. "I saved you. But don't worry, you don't owe me anything. When you recover, we'll each go our separate ways."
"I don't know what to say…"
"You don't have to say anything. Just rest. This forest isn't safe."
"Who are you?"
"Jonah. And you?"
"Jimmy…"
"Are you from Louisiana?"
"No. From New Mexico."
"What are you doing here?"
"When I was fifteen, my parents and I moved to a town in Louisiana. They offered us jobs farming cotton. But… something happened."
"What?"
"Men in demonic masks, similar to the Hohchifos, killed everyone. They devoured them…"
I fell silent.
Could it be the same town where Phil and that crazy girl lived? Was Jimmy a survivor too?
"How did you escape?"
"My parents and I ran away... but they caught up with us. They captured my parents, and only I managed to escape. I left them... I let them die."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I just wanted to live, but that decision still eats at me."
He covered his face with his hands. His voice was brittle.
And I understood. I lived with guilt, too. The guilt of having abandoned the war. But… I had managed to save someone. Maybe he, too, could find redemption.
"What did you do next?"
"I went to northern Louisiana. I ended up in another town. I worked with some farmers who used slave labor. I stayed with them… until today.
The same ones who died in the carriage.
Now it all made sense."
"I understand, Jimmy."
A rustling sound brought me out of my thoughts.
A noise in the bushes.
A rabbit? A fox? Or… them?
My body tensed. I reached for my revolver, but I remembered: it was empty.
"Damn…"
I pulled out the knife from my belt. It wasn't much, but it was all I had.
"Who's there?" I shouted.
Silence.
The crunching sound came again, closer.
I approached slowly, the knife in front of me.
The woods had grown darker, denser. The fire from the campfire barely illuminated my back.
Then I saw it. Or didn't see it.
A flash. A puff. A whisper. And then… the impact.
A dart lodged in my chest. I felt a sting, barely a whizz, but immediately my legs gave way. My arms shook, and the knife fell to the ground.
My eyes blurred. The world spun.
From the ground, I saw a figure approaching through the shadows. I couldn't see much.
Just a silhouette... and something shiny in its hand.
I fell to my knees, the air thickened, and my vision failed me.
Then... everything went black.