The Fog that Swallowed your World, part III.

Beth screams in horror. Massimo walks as fast as possible towards her. Massimo graves her arm as he pulls her. she is in shock. Massimo tries to walk away from that thing. Beth isn't of much help at the moment. the statue turns its face towards their direction. it starts to advance towards their direction with firm steps.

soon enough it seems like a battle for survival. two humans running away from some monstrosity that is viciously trying to hunt them down. it is so terrifying.

Beth reacts. she pulls one of her pistols out. she starts to shoot at the statue. the old gangster tells her to keep running. Beth keeps running as fast as possible. she aims at the statue but not a single bullet leaves more than a tiny scratch.

Massimo runs towards his son's corpse. he says his goodbye. he then takes the shotgun. Massimo reloads the shotgun. he then starts to shoot at the statue. the damage taken is small. Massimo keeps shooting and reloading until there are no bullets left. he throws the shotgun away and pulls out his tiny handgun. Massimo has all day.

for the longest time Massimo felt dead alive. life lose its magical touch once he reached certain age of decay and solitude. he feared for the days to come. and now he is in what may be his final battle and if he is to go down, he better go down with style. once a gangster always and forever a gangster. the creed he believed for all his youth. if there was something that Massimo feared more than anything, it was the idea of an anticlimactic death.

Massimo is way beyond the peak of his days. he starts to feel tired. his movements become slower and he loses some strength as he keeps shooting. he tries to keep some distances from that abomination that stands in front of him.

Beth returns to the picture holding a machete and an ax. she asks the older man which one he wants to take. she hopes for him to take the ax. and he in fact takes the ax. now the battle is about to turn more physical.

"Die wicked monster." screams Massimo in the glory of reliving his younger days.

Massimo pushes the creature back as he moves the ax as if it is an extension of his arm. every movement is precise as a wave. the wind around him moves away making way for his gentle and lethal attacks. Massimo puts a cigarette between his dry pale lips.

on the other side Beth is making a ridiculous spectacle as she is unable to even hold the machete properly and falls plenty of times. her hands start to bleed as she holds the machete with all her strength in every hit. Beth is losing her will to keep fighting.

the humane statue takes the blade of the machete. it breaks in its hands. two more arms come out of the statue's back. the statue keeps its eyes close as in a way to provoke them. with four arms it is able to fight at the same time against both of them. it kicks and punches both at the same time multiple times until both fall on their knees.

Massimo stands up once more. he is holding the broken machete and the ax. the flame of his soul burns youthful like a new flame. he feels more vigor now than ever. his younger days are way beyond his physical endurance. what is pushing him above his limits is no more than a desperate attempt to protect his pride as a gangster. 

Massimo runs towards the statue. he doesn't allow the statue to touch him. every attack from all four arms is stopped at every turn. with the broken machete he cuts off one arm. he pierces the shoulder of the statue. the machete becomes useless. with the ax alone he keeps moving forward as he pushes the statue to a corner.

on the middle of the battle Massimo suffers a heart attack. Massimo stops fighting. he falls on the ground with a weak body. accepting defeat, he gets ready to die. in a moment of anxiety and dread the old man keeps his eyes close. as the second keep marching coldly. Massimo opens his eyes to notice that the statue is gone. Massimo trembles feeling cold.

the old man fought with all expecting the dignifying death of a warrior. and as a cynical mockery off his own destiny, here his body weak and fragile about to be taken out by something as mundane as a simple heart attack.

Beth walks towards the dying old man. she grabs a bottle with pills from the ground. she brings the pills towards the old man. she feeds him the pills. she stays there with him. she is holding his head carefully trying to not hurt him.

"Why are you saving me?" asks the old gangster.

"Because you protected me. you chose to stay and fight for me. even when I call you my mortal enemy. you took the initiative of defending me." answered Beth feeling shy.

"You dumb child. you could let me die. and I am thankful for that." said Massimo with a rough facial expression keeping hidden a small smile.

"I feel like I am dying. grandpa do something, please." demands Beth as she falls on the ground unable to move a single muscle.

"You spoil child. treat me with respect. I swear if I wasn't so beaten up, I be spanking your rears right now until my hand bleeds." 

"Chill out grandpa. save your energy. we will need that energy to find the others."

"Taking the spoil out of the equation. you are a good kid. I am sure your old man would be proud of you. I had to cut him off. he crossed a line. if I had let him breath another day the funeral of many innocent civilians would have fallen under my shoulders. the death of your mother. that was an incident that has kept me awake plenty of nights."

"I am curious about something. did you not feel anything when your son died?"

"I feel guilt. but that is just the dilemma about those with my curse blood. is better for him to be dead than to live like a monster like me."

there is a moment of silence as they reflect about life.