WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIAS Chapter Three

WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIAS

Chapter Three

The meadow looked like a green carpet splashed with colors... the colorful flowers popped along its entire length. Birds and butterflies flew across the sky, making the sky more beautiful. Bees landed on flowers in search of their nectar. There were many spread out there... yes, the place exuded a peace that did not match the dark frown of the knight who followed attentively to the ground, looking for something. At one point he dismounted and began to survey the land around him. Clearly, he was looking for something...or someone. After a while he seemed to have found something, for he remounted his horse, black as the moonless night, and set off at a brisk trot towards the south...

The rider continued in this march for half an hour or so. He stopped his horse near the riverbank, dismounted again, and continued to check the ground as he had done before. Suddenly his face lit up... he had found something. He began to walk very carefully, always trying to leave the signs intact... soon he was entering the woods. He would lead his horse by the bridle, in case he needed to ride again. But he was pretty sure the end of the story was coming... slowly, slowly, he continued to search the ground for the signs... until he arrived at his destination. In the middle of the forest, in a poorly maintained place, there was a house completely in ruins... the bush practically closed the door, but the signs of someone passing... or something... there were very clear. With redoubled care, he started walking toward the building. He followed the signs he found in the passage and ended up finding a path that led to the interior of the hut. The unpleasant, nauseating smell that came from the enclosure forced the knight to cover his face with his handkerchief, in an attempt to breathe better... but there really was no improvement, as the smell of rotten meat was strong. The place was gloomy... not a shred of light invaded the environment. Gradually his vision got used to the dim light and he began to notice the variations of the place. In one of the corners, a shapeless mass, which he could not identify at first, caught his attention. When he realized that it was what he was looking for, he had no doubts... he pulled out the machete he had on his waist and went straight for his target. The creature noticed it, but could not react, as it was taken by the torpor of a restless sleep... the knight struck several blows at the creature, severing its head. Strangely, not a drop of blood spilled from the inflicted cuts. When the creature finally stopped moving, all the man did was watch the place closely, to make sure there weren't others like the one he had destroyed. There was not. He calmly left the place, smoking a cigarette, to drive away the bad smell that had permeated him... he needed to take an urgent shower... and he would have to burn his clothes, because they would never lose that smell of death. Outside the place, he realized that the entire surroundings were made up of dry vegetation... a small spark was enough for everything to catch fire... and he needed to burn the creature, to make sure it didn't come back to life... it was what did. He took care that the fire did not spread, but concentrated only on that ruined building. The hot sun helped the fire to devour all the wood and whatever was inside. Soon, seeing only ashes left in the place, he walked to where his mount was and tried to return to the village. His mission was almost complete...

- So you found the thing's nest...

- Yes sir. What I can guarantee for sure is that that creature will no longer harass the surrounding residents...

- But who guarantees us that there aren't others like it out there?

- I'll stay a little longer, to confirm. But I'm pretty sure there's no other like it within a radius of about ten kilometers...

- And what makes you so sure, like that?

-If there were more, the number of victims of the thing will be much higher, believe me...

- So you think...

- I don't think... these creatures usually act alone...

- I don't understand...

- It's simple... they establish their hunting territory... and don't allow competition, since then the number of victims would drop quickly...

- I understand... there would be more deaths...

- Yes... that's one of the characteristics of this beast... it's always hungry. To avoid competition, it does not allow new beings of its lineage to remain in its territory... if it is necessary to destroy them, to maintain its dominance, it will certainly do so...

- But what are these creatures anyway?

- I'll be honest with you... I have no idea... I'd say they're vampires... but I can't say...

- And why not?

- Because, a vampire, well... he has a certain bearing...

- And...?

- Well, these creatures that walk around here seem to be decomposing... in fact, I can't understand how the victims don't notice their approach...

The two were silent for a few minutes, just watching the horizon. The sun was setting, heralding yet another approaching night. In a few hours they would know if there were still any beasts to hunt or if the place was really clean. In any case, Juvêncio would have to remain in the village for at least another fortnight, always in the expectation that something might happen... only after that time could he say with certainty that no danger was lurking in the region. Juvêncio and the village chief decided it was time to get something to eat. After all, neither of them had eaten anything all day. Juvencio had been on the trail of the creature since the night before and, not to say that he hadn't had anything in his stomach in all that time, he had taken a canteen full of coffee, which was the only thing he carried in his saddle. Even the blanket of dried meat he used to carry on his wanderings, for an emergency like this, he hadn't taken. Reason... the smell of cured meat could attract the attention of his game, and he didn't want, in any way, to lose the element of surprise... as for the deputy, he spent all day running after the occurrences that did not cease in his small town. And so the two went to Dona Filomena's pension, the best place to eat in the whole region... even because it was the only one. beer. After all, after a hard day's work, they had to relax a little... but just a little, really... the law can't afford to let its guard down, can it? And, while savoring the dish that was in front of them, they exchanged ideas about amenities, catching up...