Chapter 05: Alone with a beast

Chapter 05: Alone with a beast

The soft, muffled darkness came first. Daniela slowly opened her eyes and pushed away the mats that covered her. The eyes hurted at the first contact with the sunlight that erupted through the narrow windows on top. Getting used, she looked around. As soon as she saw Tanya's wide open eyes, she sprang to her feet. The air lacked.

“Tanya.” It was all she could say.

Her friend was down next to the cabinets, seated. The head hung over the shoulder; the neck had been completely ripped apart. A slop of blood around recalled a darkened, opaque shroud. Parts of her arm had also been grubbed, leaving several muscles showing. What animal had made such barbarity?

Daniela did not believe what she was seeing. With the scare she fumbled on the bags on which awakened and fell again. Before she started crying for experience such a real and horrible nightmare, she heard a sound coming from the hallway.

Fear kept her voice from escaping the dry throat. Automatically grabbed a backpack and hugged it, choking the heavy breathing. The members were paralyzed. A new noise made ​​her shiver. It looked like a grunt. Not an animal, but ... A person. Daniela did not let fear put her on a worse plight and took a deep breath. Cautiously she got up and went behind the cabinets. Instantly realized she was not alone in the room. There was also a heavy breathing, a low, dragged growl. Then, slow steps.

The girl stood still while trying to guess the route of the unknown visitor. The footsteps stopped; then the grunt increased, turning into an obscene growl. Daniela had to muster all her courage to not to run screaming. Through a gap between the junction of the cabinets she could see part of what was happening. Someone was facing the body of her friend. Like an animal encircling another. For a split second had the impression to see blood dripping from the mouth of the strange person, when his look moved from Tanya to her. He realized her movement. Deducting which way the intruder would advance, Daniela went to the opposite extreme, and was lucky to be the exit. Following the light at the end of the hall, she focused to not to trip over her own feet. The screams coming behind encouraged her to run faster. She was a prey hunted by the predator. She had to leave immediately and find the rest of the team.

Getting to the court, she saw a scene that would never leave her head. The floor, before mustard color, was dyed in red. On every corner there were bits of things that Daniela soon realized what they were, but could not believe it. Parts of bodies, both from outside and inside. Fingers, chunks of meat, viscera. It was a fucking dream. In the stands remained inert bodies, some in contortionists positions. Nothing compared to the numerous crowd last night, but they were still many. By the closest bodies she could see their torn throats, flies dominating the stanky air. What the hell happened?

Not forgetting about the pursuer in the locker room, Daniela confined her look to the chaos for a brief moment, enough to record the image, and continued the race after picking up a fallen iron bar. Passing over the fence in one leap, she crossed the court without caring about the human remains she trod on. Toward the middle of the way, she slipped over a sticky, dark trail, but steadied and continued. She climbed the steep staircase between the stands and saw herself where she had caught the beginning of the turmoil. Without a backward glance, she went down the even more narrow staircase leading to the lobby and reached the exit. Not a soul out there.

The street was deserted. Everything was chaos; the most various objects scattered. The popcorn cart in the doorway, surrounded by children a few hours ago, was overturned on a flowerbed in front of the gate. There was blood on the window where several small happy eyes watched the popcorn burst. The strawman was gone, but countless bodies were dropped in the street. Daniela could not imagine what might have happened. A terrorist attack, maybe. But at Sao Paulo countryside? It did not make sense. If some kind of war broke out in Brazil, it would begin in the capital city, anywhere else, like Rio de Janeiro, or in a state farther north. Not there.

She spotted the team bus parked, a sign that her partners had not left. So where were they? Remembered that had left the mobile in the locker room before the game. Even with that thing in there, she needed to go back. Could not venture into town; did not know it. Would be lost once she turned the first corner.

Daniela was so absorbed in the street riot that had come that did not notice in time the approaching. Turning at the same time she heard the growl, she was attacked. Luckily she had time to raise the bar and hold it against the man's neck that slammed her against the grid gate. He was tall and heavyset. The absence of a shirt left the dirty, sweaty fat for anyone to see. The hands gripped the girl's hair while the yellowish teeth chattered, hungry for a bite. While Daniela struggled to keep him away, he growled and screamed, saliva leaking from his mouth like foam. It was crazyness, but he was really trying to bite her?

Daniela was tough, but his strength was tougher. She could not stand much longer. She thought about screaming for help, but an idea that scared her, that she was trying not to think about it came up. No one was left.

With a kick to his knee and a push with the bar, she pulled away. As soon as he invested again, she hit his mouth with a sharp blow. Even if he felt pain, he did not demonstrate because the onslaught continued. Before she was caught again, she swerved and went stumbling up the stairs, back to the bleachers. The damn bastard was fat, but fast. God! Daniela barely turned away and the man was climbing, blaring. He was blinded by fury. There was no other explanation. He seemed possessed. Go call the exorcist.

Daniela realized that there was no time to find out what was happening, nor try to talk to, so she prepared and, before he could reach her, she spun around and knocked him with an aimed blow on his face. Rolling down the stairs, the stranger violently hit his head on the lobby's floor, and there he remained. Was moving with difficulty, perhaps because his weight. Daniela looked around and thought about running straight to the locker room, but he would corral her. There was no escape through there.

She had to face him at once.