Chapter 22: Figuras

Figuras

Crack crack.

Aluminum wrappers could be heard opening in the small room that was part of the gas station they were at.

A simple living room followed by an office.

Earlene fervently snooped around the place. She'd found a vending machine that was quite stocked, which wasn't surprising considering the prices on the tags.

"What are you doing? What happened here?"

Chase had arrived, and dodging shards of glass scattered on the floor, asked the question with a hint of distraction behind his friend's back.

"No... It wasn't me. It was like this when I arrived."

They were referring to the vending machine; the glass was from its broken window. Clearly someone had broken it when they had the chance, and it was indisputable that Earlene wasn't that person.

"Did you see anyone else?"

"No one."

"...Tsk, I'm starting to need a bathroom. Pass me that one."

Chase stammered, sitting down in a nearby chair. Earlene handed him the bag of chips she had and asked.

"Will we stay at this gas station long?"

"Apparently they're checking something on the engine. I don't know, I'm not a mechanic. Although I doubt we'll be staying more than a few minutes."

"Oh, well."

It was a living room; they had to wait, after all.

"...Isn't there a refrigerator in this shitty place? I hate the weather in the 'center'; you never know if you're hot or cold." He looked around.

"Or both, heh," Earlene added, before suddenly stepping back. "Ew!"

An insect had landed on one of the wrappers. A May beetle. Small creatures that emerge from the ground in rainy weather. After all, they were close to the 'core'; they were becoming more and more present.

"He's small and chubby, reminds me of someone I know," Chase commented, ruffling her blond hair.

"Would you stop bothering me?"

"Why are you getting offended? I didn't name names. Heh, it seems like you haven't seen me really offending."

"... (And I wouldn't want to.)"

Chase mocked his friend as he dodged the glass on the floor again, this time heading for the only door in the building, the office. He hoped he'd find at least a cooler there. If there weren't any desserts, a liquor hidden by the on-site manager would do the trick.

However, he had to stop as he was about to turn the handle for the same reason.

He needed a breather, a respite, really. He took off his baseball cap and shook his gaze from side to side, massaging his eyes and blinking a few times.

He was starting to get tired. In fact, he hadn't slept well.

Without wasting any more time, he turned the door handle and opened it. It was a small office room like any other; morning light streaming in through the lattices, with a second-hand fan, a piece of furniture, and on top of it, files scattered here and there.

There wasn't a refrigerator or ice chest, as Chase had expected, but he found something else.

To one side of the furniture, a figure was hunched on the floor. A person whose face couldn't be recognized because of his long hair.

He knew who it was. As he approached, he crushed some papers in the process, and the noise he made was what woke the person up.

"G-Gsk! Who... is it?!" the person immediately backed away.

"H-Hey, hey, it's me."

Outside, Earlene continued rummaging through the food packages inside the vending machine while her battle with the insects took place.

"Oh, this just bathes them..." she complained, spraying the mosquitoes in the air with a cheap insecticide.

"Looks like you're getting good at looting food stalls."

Hearing Chase return behind, she put the insecticide aside and picked up a package of chips. Apparently, most of them were past their expiration date.

"Chase, I think what we ate was expired… Um, who's the homeless guy? Sorry, I mean..."

When Earlene turned to speak to him, the boy was accompanied by someone else.

His hair was still obscuring his face; his gaze was focused on his cell phone.

"Your name was Br…"

"Brawell, I'm Brawell. Bram..."

The foreigner who had been accompanying them throughout their journey through Matria until they lost track of him at the mansion.

To be honest, he wasn't a particularly notable person in the group, and interaction with him was always minimal. If it weren't for the impulse to help a lost person, his whereabouts would have remained unknown forever.

He didn't say a word, but his intention was clear. Chase didn't care about what happened to the foreigners, and he made that very clear on their way out of the Acracia Mountains. However, this also implied that he wouldn't mind being followed.

The trio then left the small office and headed back to the car.

"(Do we have any room left in the car?)" Earlene thought. Saying it would be rude, so she kept the thought to herself.

They saw the new girl, Edher, subtly hugging Paul outside the car, the boy who couldn't stop sobbing. She murmured words of encouragement in his ear, and the others surrounded them, heads down and brooding. Earlene joined them.

Only Vines shook his head in denial and turned back to the car. Chase and Brawell headed toward him first.

"Is this shit going to work?"

"Chase, look at me. Who do you think you're talking to? Out of practice, and I did it," he exalted. "And you were the guy we lost at the shelter, right? So he's coming with us, uh?"

Brawell chose to remain silent.

"Yeah, it's him. Don't ask me how he made it this far, but here he is." Chase said.

"Whatever. This car already works perfectly. Anytime you want…"

"So what are we waiting for?"

"Man, I don't want to get involved."

With a nod of his chin, Vines gestured toward the melancholic group.

"I've already done a lot. Too much for one day. Take care of them... Damn, the hunger...”

“...”

Chase scratched his head in annoyance and addressed the rest of the group.

"Guys!" he exclaimed casually, though strangely he soon lowered his tone and pointed to the horizon. "It's time to go. Let's find some breakfast. Come on, everyone. Maybe they'll even find some medicine for her so we don't have to travel to La Quilla North."

He pointed toward the entrance in the distance, the gateway to the city.

Releasing the boy, Edher glared at him, followed by Sopa, while the others noticed some confusion but ignored it without reply, getting back into the car.

Vines again took the wheel and drove the few remaining kilometers to get the car to the site, although he parked before the entrance.

"Shall we leave the car here?"

"Yeah, park it behind that rubble," Chase said. "It'll be safer than in the city itself. Damn capital...”

"I don't think anything's wrong with it. We're still a long way from the core, but meh, why not?"

Leaving the big black car parked behind a seemingly demolished house, they got out to continue on foot. The stragglers were Cadie, Paul, Brawell, Jevo, and Vines.

"Someone should watch the car, right? I'll volunteer." Vines leaned back in his seat to lie down comfortably.

"Again? What are you going to eat? Dirt?" Chase declared sarcastically. "No one's going to hand you food on a silver platter, you lazy piece of crap."

"I'm a man of intellect, Chase. I see a food stand over there. Why go to the table when I'm in the kitchen?”

"It's a..."

The place Vines was pointing to was on the way to the grand entrance; a simple, humble food stand tended by a silent, hooded man. Above him was what looked like a drawing of a taco by the worst designer ever.

"Are you having tacos for breakfast? You know there are no bathrooms nearby, right? And do you have money?"

"I have a strong stomach, and yes, I'm left with some. You guys should be going ahead and begging in there. Shu shu."

"...It seems she does not have a strong stomach." The boy looked away. "Someone lift her up, or she'll drown."

The maid in white, Cadie Saggiatore, grimaced and winced repeatedly while holding her stomach with what little strength she had. Jevo listened to Chase and carefully lifted the girl, resting her on the seat.

"You should... She should get some fresh air..."

"Yes, yes... That makes two of us. No. That makes all of us, Jevo."

They walked past the unknown hooded man and then headed for the entrance.

Far from the car, a stretch of golden grass stretched out in front of them for miles. A horizon where nothing could be seen but the plants, even with squinting eyes. Beneath a conglomeration of grayish clouds that brought both melancholy and gentle, damp breezes to the air, they walked through rotten lands affected by the weather. The smell became unpleasant at times, even more so when they turned in front of the grand entrance.

The latter was magnificent, not for its beauty, but precisely for its size. Two enormous, separate buildings rose to heights of over 200 meters and expanded enough to protect a portion of the city like the walls of a castle. The rest was made up of smaller buildings and elevations.

Through the mist, the view was impressive, even for Chase, who was the only one who could truly be labeled as a ‘city boy', and that same imposing sight stopped them for a moment to acknowledge it.

"No, it's not as pretty as it looks. I made the same expression the first time."

Rousset didn't seem too impressed. As mentioned, she had visited the place before. We could say she was the guide and expert in this new city.

Figuras. That was its name. The city south of the core of Matria.

As they took a few steps inside, they realized Rousset's statement.

The rooms, shops, buildings, streets, and more were covered in a thick blanket of plants, mosses, and mushrooms, increasing in size as the group traveled inside. At one point, the heat and humidity were such that they were covered in sweat without realizing it.

"I don't know how anyone could live in this shitty weather," Chase used his baseball cap as a fan. "Seriously... Acracia is a joke compared to this."

"No one lives in Acracia... I'm sorry to warn you it's going to get worse," Rousset commented to the group. "Although I haven't gone any further than the amusement park. Speaking of which..."

History repeated itself. The long road beneath their feet showed no signs of life.

"A massive waste of money... I remember hearing about it on the news. Anyway, I don't see anyone here either."

"There's a lady over there," Earlene pointed out on the side of the road.

"Where?"

"Over there, among the tin houses. She was at the window."

“...”

No matter how hard Chase strained his eyes, he couldn't make out the shapes.

She had no glasses; his friend had always had above-average vision and hearing.

“I really don't know how you do it...”

They then approached this location. Up close, they could determine that it was a clothing and shoe store. Its poor condition only betrayed the fact that it was a secondhand shop.

Sopa, Edher, and Earlene waited outside, discussing what they would do next.

Putting one foot on the dirty upholstery, Chase placed his hand on the handle, accompanied by Rousset. This time, there was no need to force their way in or jump over a wall; the door was open. Some candlesticks above it rattled as they moved, warning of new visitors, probably the first in a long time. That's what the dusty clothing store they arrived at said.

“Um... Good morning! Is anyone...?

Rousset asked from the glass counter.

The clothing for sale was mostly women's: coats, trench coats, and raincoats. Trying as he might, Chase couldn't find anything he could take for himself.

"It's empty."

"Wait a minute..."

She took a coin from her jeans pocket and used it to tap the glass counter. Chase didn't miss the opportunity to see her attractive figure inside the tight denim jeans she wore.

"A petticoat wouldn't be out of place in this weather," he murmured, reaching out. Noticing this, he returned his hand to his own pocket, away from his companion's pocket.

"Do you want to wear a skirt?"

"Tsk, what am I thinking now?"

Rousset was about to turn to him until another unfamiliar voice sounded in front of her.

"Hot at dawn, cold at dusk, and rain at night... My dear, how can you still sleep when we have customers?"

An older woman was parting the artistic blinds on the other side of the counter. Taking her time, she walked patiently, dragging her sandals along the floor while Chase and Rousset looked on. She had approached the dark corner of the store, where a pile of newspaper and clothing lay, or so someone seeing it would describe it.

The woman placed her hand and pushed aside several magazines, revealing the wrinkled, sleepy face of a man around her age.

"Ugh ah..."

Rousset wondered how the man could sleep in such clothes. Unlike the others present, her light-colored, midriff-baring T-shirt made her the most appropriately dressed woman for the occasion.

"How... How can we help you?" the old woman asked.

"Hello, excuse me," Rousset replied somewhat hastily. "Do you know... of a place where I can buy medicine?"

"I hope you have money because I'm broke," Chase added an unnecessary comment.

The woman placed a hand around her own ear and craned her neck to hear her voice better, and thus a complicated and lengthy conversation ensued.

The men just yawned and waited for their respective companions to say goodbye and finish, so he could continue sleeping.

The wait was worth it, or so Chase assumed. After 20 minutes of mostly casual conversation, they gained some information about the city they wouldn't have been able to obtain on their own. This knowledge calmed Chase's irritability, which was at its peak due to lack of sleep.

Thanking the couple for their kindness, Rousset and Chase headed for the door while the woman returned to the back of the store and her husband, open-mouthed, lay back in his comfortable chair to sleep.

"Seriously... At this rate, I'll fall asleep before I even get to a bed."

“Yes, I want to sleep too...”

After opening the door, the first thing they found was Earlene sitting alone on the sidewalk. There was no sign of Sopa or Edher anywhere. The fog wasn't thick enough to hide anyone.

Earlene saw their confused expressions and resolved their questions before they could ask them.

“They... They said they'd ask around on their own. Look for a restaurant and a pharmacy... I'd rather stay here.”

“You could have gotten in.”

“I would have gotten tired of waiting too,” Chase chimed in.

Rousset then proceeded to compile what they'd been told at the store.

“Well... Mrs. 'Anayeli' told us there are food stands near the amusement park. They also have a clinic about a mile from us, but where did the others go, Earlene?”

“I saw them turn that corner and go in.”

She pointed to a distant spot as easily as she would point to a lamppost in a dark street.

“(I can't see...)”

“I wonder how they will know when we'll leave,” Chase said. “Are they fortune tellers?”

“If we don't want the same thing to happen to the boy... Uhm…” Rousset placed a finger on her temple, trying to remember. “'Bramell'? ... Please, someone tell them.”

“You heard it, Earlene.”

“...Okay.”

"But where are you going? I haven't even told you what we're going to do."

Earlene had already stood up, brushed off her skirt, and started walking, unsure of how they would proceed next. Chase stopped her.

"Ah."

"How long could it take...? Considering this city hasn't gone to hell like the others..."

"Hmm, didn't they tell you anything about that? Remembering everything..." Earlene asked.

"That elderly couple could barely walk. The only thing that changed for them was the drop in customers... We'll have to ask someone else. See you in eight hours in the car."

"Eight hours!?" Rousset exclaimed.

"I want to sleep!"

Maybe Chase was forgetting the reason they came to this city, Figuras, as a stopover on their route.

"And no, I'm not an idiot. I didn't forget her; the one waiting in the car… Anyway, we have to go back to take her to the clinic." He paused for a moment and rubbed his eyes. "Huff... Maybe I'll take a nap while they check her out... That's for sure, rather."

"I'm hungry..." Earlene stammered in a low tone.

"Heh, Then, now, always, forever and ever..."

Despite the boy's considerable lack of motivation, the challenge of carrying Cadie to the clinic was necessary if he didn't want this visit to be a substantial waste of time, and he was definitely opposed to the idea of ​​using the car for that purpose. Experience had made it clear to them not to lose sight of their only means of transportation, not even to risk losing it. With a large, unfamiliar city surrounding them, changing their minds was unthinkable.

"I hope you'll settle for ice cream."

"Do they have it? Where did you---?"

"The old woman," Rousset answered quickly.

A new city, a new journey. Never before had they traveled to so many places in their nation. Each one more different than the last. Unsure of what the next one would be.

At this point, they would have been lucky if it had been an innocent school trip.

They never imagined that what was happening in this city was unmatched by any other.

To be continued…