Chapter 06: The battery

Chapter 06: The battery

Holding the bar firmly, Daniela went down the steps quickly before he reacted and, without thinking twice, struck his head. The man did not try to defend the face of the beating; instead, he screamed and stretched his arms toward the girl, trying to grab her legs. She cried uncontrollably while smashing his skull. Tears came down along with the blows.

When she realized he was not moving anymore, she stopped. The heavy breathing filled the lobby. Nothing else was heard. The blood had stained her entire leg and shoes. Daniela did not bother; she just wanted to make sure the bloody lunatic would not get up anymore. Feeling her breath normalizing, Daniela looked and finally saw what she had done. The man's head no longer existed. In its place was a shapeless mass of flesh and bones. Tears died instantly. Then she went back to the locker room.

On the way, she tried to justify what had just done.

“He was beside himself. He wanted to kill me. Was crazy. Was a killer. He killed everyone here. I need to see if my friends are good or if he did hurt them.”

In the locker room, she walked to the cabinets and opened the drawer where had left her cell. Yes, it was there. Locking the exit door, leaned against it and dialed. She avoided looking at her dead friend ahead. She did not want to cry; could not go out of control. Needed to get out of that damn town, get some help.

“How that killer attacked so many people? It is a gang?”

The phone rang several times before losing the connection. She tried countless times, her hands shaking. Nobody answered at her house. The will to curse was tremendous, but did not want to risk being heard by another nut member of the gang. Daniela could no longer ratiocinate.

“Bandits don't try to bite, for Christ sakes!”

She dialed another number and waited, afflicted. Almost collapsed when heard the voice on the other side of the line.

“Hello?”

“Michele, you gotta help me.” The words came out like vomit, gushed.

“Dani?” The voice sounded urgent. “Where are you?”

“Jaboticabal. We came to play, but something horrible happened. A man —”

“Dani,” she interrupted. “Where are you? On the street or inside somewhere?”

“In the gym locker room. Why?”

“Stay right there... Don’t go... out. Keep locked... Don’t let anyone bit—”

The connection was bad. In addition to fails, the voice had a metallic tone, making it difficult to understand the few words that came out.

“Michele. Hello?”

“You heard me? Don't go anywhere.”

“What are you talking about, Mi? You must notify the police. Say that a gang took the city. Someone needs to get me.”

“Dani, it is not a... Don’t leave... Stay... Don’t let... Otherwise you turn into one of...

Daniela could not assimilate the words. The connection went dead.

“Michele? Michele!”

The battery was over.

She rummaged through the closet, but did not find the charger, and threw everything against the walls. Anger and fear blinded her.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!”

The cry came uncontrolled. Tears and sobs mingled amid the collapse.

Leaning her forehead against the cold metal, Daniela pulled her hair and repressed the crying. Even nervous as she was, did not want to attract another madman. She took a deep breath and raised her head. Wiping the tears and the nose, ran a hand through her hair and remembered that, before the game, she had gone with some friends to the ice cream shop at the corner down the block. When got back, had left her bag on the bus. The charger was in it. Fear braked her legs, preventing her from taking a step toward the street. But it was necessary. Could not stay in that bathroom the rest of her life. Would have to face whatever was happening. In a minute that seemed like a lifetime, she turned the knob. The crack of the door opening echoed through the corridor.

The path to the bus took longer than she thought possible. Before taking any steps, Daniela moved almost in slow motion. The man's body was still there. The moment she bent to pick up the iron bar back, her eyes met the mass that had turned his head. Daniela could not handle the sudden tremor. Slowly, she went on and left.

On the side of the vehicle, she ran her hand through a small aperture and fired a button, hearing almost immediately the door open. Came around and walked in. There was a trail of blood from the entrance to the middle of the hallway. With short steps, she went to where she had left her bag and quickly picked up the charger. Prepared to turn around, a strange sensation made ​​her stop. Turning in a rush, noticed that someone was watching through the crack of the bathroom door.

“Who's there?” she asked, her voice trembling.