the one with dead eyes

It had been a long time since I had gone to relax in the park, a place that is often deserted at this time of day. It was exactly 10 a.m., the sun was slowly rising, and I was dripping with sweat.

Many people don't like to sweat.

Correction: perspire.

Sitting here, I can see a girl who looks terrible staggering a few meters away from me. Is she drunk? If so, what a disappointment. A young woman staggering like that is not very encouraging, and I say this as one myself. Lest you think I'm saying this to be sanctimonious, I have tried alcohol, I really have. Or rather, I have tried to make myself like it. I didn't manage to do it. One always wants to fit in, but this time I didn't succeed. Anyway, alcohol isn't necessary to do so. I still see it as something strange, I guess because I'm still in high school. Yes, it's not right to drink alcohol when I feel so young.

Anyway, this girl, in a pitiful physical condition, managed to sit down on one of the park benches. She was making strange gestures with her hands, rubbing them together as if she were cold. I could also see how she would fall asleep for a few seconds and then wake up scared. Her clothes were completely wrinkled, and her hair was like a bird's nest, all messy.

“Poor girl,” I managed to say aloud.

As the day seemed to be going nowhere, I approached her out of curiosity. I noticed that she was trembling slightly. What could have happened to her? Probably a family argument, a fight with her boyfriend, bullying at school. So many things could have happened, but this seems serious. I mean, staggering and shaking like that isn't normal, is it? Anyway, I didn't notice the smell of alcohol or any illegal substances. How would I know what those smell like? I have no idea, but I do smell dirty feet. Maybe that's it. A friend told me that. So we have the fact that smell can indicate whether someone is doing drugs or just has poor hygiene; come to think of it, the two go hand in hand.

“Are you okay?”

She slowly looked up, and I could see that she had huge bags under her eyes and her lips looked dry.

“Leave me alone.”

Her broken voice made me want to know more about what was happening to her, not because I wanted to help her, but simply because the dull, sunny day made me want to do anything to avoid being cooped up in my house.

I sat down next to her, a few inches away. How could I get her attention? She seemed lost in her own world. Every minute or so, she would scratch her leg with one hand and her head with the other, switching between them at certain intervals. How could I start this conversation? There are many ways, like asking her the time, but she might not have a watch.

Take a look.

No, there's nothing in either arm.

Maybe starting with something about the weather would be okay...

“The park is really deserted.”

“I told you not to talk to me.”

“I'm not talking to you.”

After all, talking to strangers is like flipping a coin. Anyway, what could I do with this girl?

“I understand...”

Have you heard about those silences that you can feel? I think “tension” is just a very simplified way of describing it, because silences are very varied, not all of them are harsh. This one in particular was like a cluster of feelings, not mine, but hers. For some time now, I've acquired the ability to perceive human energy. It's not something I always take into account; most of the time I let it pass, but if I concentrate, I can feel it.

“Could you help me?” she whispered gently.

“It depends on what you have.”

“I really shouldn't be asking you for help, but I have no reason not to tell anyone.”

“I could help if you tell me what's wrong.”

“Help, I need help.”

“I'm listening.”

“Help, I need help.”

I was perplexed. Her voice was now monotonous, like that of a robot. Suspiciously, I lifted the bangs covering her eyes and saw what I feared: eyes with no reaction to my gestures, not even to the pinches I gave her on the face.

“Ellen, it's Azra. I wanted to ask you a favor. The thing is...”

The line on the other end of the phone went dead. I wasn't surprised; after all, what happened a few weeks ago still has her angry. And what could I have done? Besides, throwing that kind of tantrum over something so silly is very immature.

Ellen, wherever you are, I really want to see you again.

Anyway, that won't happen.

I let out a slight sigh.

I'll have to take care of it myself.

I wanted to hold her hand, but she was no longer beside me. Where could she be? In her condition, she could attack anyone who isn't careful. Those things come out even on the brightest day.

“Ah!”

I fell to the ground, confused, and turned around.

“Kid, who do you think you're talking to?”

A woman, it was the same one from before, but her appearance had changed; green eyes, silver hair, and a more mischievous voice. It was definitely her, she had the same face shape, besides... Who else could it be if not someone related to these parasites?

“See you later!”

Running and swinging between the lampposts, she disappeared into the city. Damn gray landscape, only a few places remain original here.

And I was looking to rest this month, well, I had complained that I was bored; now without Ellen, how am I going to do this? I'd better find her tonight. These creatures are body parasites, beings that absorb the energy of the individual until they lose their sense of life, which is why they must “recharge” every so often so that neither of them dies. There are two options: wait until tomorrow, or follow her and take her at the first opportunity.

There are still hours to go before nightfall, when I assume she will be tired.

I have to go find her.

And then I saw, when the sky was orange and the birds were singing on their way home, a shy girl fainting in the middle of a hallway. The noise was so loud that it scared away the cats hiding in the trash.

I carried her in my arms to a place that, unfortunately, was about to be demolished. The authorities said that the earthquake had left it in ruins; that wasn't true, there was no earthquake, we did it all ourselves.

“Ah... Where am I?”

She was trying to free herself from the ropes; I had tied her to a chair.

I glanced at Ellen's book on my desk. I'm glad she's not so inconsiderate after all.

“Don't worry, I'm just looking for what I have to do.”

“I don't remember anything.”

Suddenly, she let out a loud scream, so loud that it could probably be heard in the next town.

I covered her mouth.

“I'll help you, let me help you.”

She nodded.

“I'm scared,” she continued, her head down, “I've been scared for a while.”

“Scared of what?”

“From what I can see, I don't want it; my mother said it's a gift and I should take care of it, but really I just want it to go away.”

As I glanced at my book, I realized that her face was very familiar to me.

“Are you the transfer student?”

I hadn't realized it was Samanta. She had joined our school a few weeks ago, but she didn't talk to anyone, didn't eat with anyone, and hadn't even been to class in recent days. No one noticed. Could it be said that she was that insignificant? No, she wasn't, but her attitude, overwhelmed by what she calls a gift, leaves much to be desired. She is unstable. Sometimes I heard rumors, “she's a witch,” “she's cursed,” things like that, which someone like me might have believed, after all, I am aware of the existence of such things. Samanta would sometimes leave class last, and I'm sure I heard sobbing when one day I wanted to go back to pick up some pencils I had forgotten. Poor girl, I wonder how long she must have suffered with this. I remember that sometimes they called her “freak”; people my age are very cruel. The big difference with adults is that they can act like good people just for the sake of living in peace, but for us to reach that level of interaction, we need a little more, to overcome dark, recurring thoughts that numb the soul. That's when we reflect. For now, all we can do is endure.

“Urgh, what's this? Salt?”

I threw hundreds of pounds of salt around her, but it seemed to have no effect.

“Do you feel any different?”

“I feel stupid.”

I emptied the entire jar of salt on her. Okay, the second step was...

“Fire...” I whispered softly.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing, I'll be right back, I'm going to get something.”

I went to one of the storage rooms in the next room and found a lighter among the dirty drawers.

“It won't hurt, I promise.”

It's gone, it was nowhere to be found.

“Samanta!”

I ran through the corridors looking for her. Night was falling, which was when the parasites became most active.

“How dare you try to burn a queen?”

In front of me, who appeared to be Sam, stood a huge woman holding a stake in one of her hands.

“Who? You, insolent commoner.”

A chair flew in my direction, and I didn't have time to dodge it.

“Ah!”

The floor felt too comfortable to want to get up.

“Your kind is nothing more than a reflection of how inferior those who are different from us are.”

I jumped up several feet away from her.

A buzzing sound shook my body.

On the left side of my torso, a silver stake pierced the wall I was leaning against.

I ran down the stairs, finding myself at a disadvantage; I couldn't confront her directly.

“I found you.”

A gust of wind pushed me to the ground.

It hurts a lot.

“Honey, why are you acting this way?”

I couldn't move, my body ached; my neck was surrounded by her hands, which were squeezing tightly.

“What's wrong with you?”

As if it were all a game, she simply laughed in my face.

A loud noise echoed throughout the building.

I found myself under the wreckage of scaffolding that I had destroyed when I crashed into it.

Without hesitation, I struggled to my feet. I wanted to see her face.

“Ah... you're very resilient, Azra.”

“Are you?”

“Well, my son, I am strong enough to kill you. Isn't it human nature to accept surrender?”

“I would say quite the opposite.”

Before she could react, I activated the lighter I had placed tangled in her hair, from a distance, as anyone with this ability would.

“What do you think you're doing!”

Embraced by the flames and banished by the sea salt that bathed her. She gave her last cries begging for mercy, the ritual had begun. The parasite was coming out.

“Oh, wait!”

Pay attention.

“It's you, the sick man who stopped the conquest,” he laughed. “How could I have forgotten?”

“That's right.”

“The day you descend into hell, I'll be waiting for you.”

A fog covered her, followed by a loud thud.

Samanta was lying on the ground, unconscious.

I carried her to the roof, where we both rested; this had been too exhausting.

Surprisingly, her skin was intact; only the skin of the one who possessed her had been affected.

We were at the edge of the building, and I laid her head on my legs as she slowly woke up.

“Thank you.”

I told her everything that had happened, a brief summary of who I am, what I did, why, and how. After all, I was convinced that when she was possessed, she didn't remember anything. She seemed calm, which made me a little uneasy. I understand why I feel this way because I've been involved in this for months. But her? She seemed to have taken it as the truth, neither asking for clarification nor doubting me.

“Sometimes I think it's best not to ask anything.”

“Why do you say that?” I replied, intrigued.

“It's peaceful to live in ignorance; I never wanted to know about these things, and now that I'm free, I never want to hear about them again.”

“Isn't it rude to ignore something that's right in front of you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I'm someone you might consider one of those things.”

“Are you a monster?”

“No, at least I haven't become one yet.”

The sun was setting, darkening the orange sky; the light of the faint rays smiled on our faces.

With the sunset, hunger touched our stomachs.

“I'll just order a coffee.”

I took her to a small, quiet place, located in a corner of the city where cars tend to pass by.

Sometimes I wonder how it stays in business. It has customers, but they are few and far between. I've never seen a rush hour here.

Anyway, I've always been glad that it remains so quiet. If it went out of business, I would take out a loan to help the owner. These cakes and ice creams are not something to be missed.

“What are you doing here?”

Across from our table, a woman with black hair and sharp glasses approached Samanta.

“Mom, I was about to come back.”

“You told me you would be studying with Hanna, but here you are.”

She gave me a withering look, as powerful as the blow I received from the parasite.

“See you later, Azra.”

I felt embarrassed. I didn't need to use my ability; even a blind person could see that your mother had appeared so suddenly. I guess I won't be welcome at her house. It's a shame, because Sam looked so pretty.