As night began to fall, KathyIn and I sat with our backs against the huge stone, allowing ourselves a brief rest as we contemplated the night sky. The first stars were beginning to appear, small flashes of hope in a world that had become increasingly dark. It was strange how the tower made the sky seem so real.
We hadn't brought any materials to make a fire and it was too late to look for firewood. Without fuel to cook, our options were limited. I watched KathyIn as she looked curiously at what I was taking out of my backpack.
— Is this dried meat? Can I eat it?
I nodded as I extracted the strips of dried meat that I had carefully packed in my backpack, which we had received as a reward.
— You can eat it —I replied briefly, extending a piece to her.
After my terse response, KathyIn took the strip of dried meat I offered her. I watched as she pursed her lips, first examining it with suspicion before bringing it to her mouth. Her reaction was immediate and quite predictable for someone accustomed to more refined delicacies.
— Wow! It's so salty! —She exclaimed, frowning and sticking out her small tongue as if trying to get rid of the taste.
However, something seemed to change in her expression. A spark of curiosity shone in her eyes as she examined the piece of meat again.
— ...But perhaps there's something more mysterious about it? —She murmured, more to herself than to me.
With renewed interest, she put the jerky back in her mouth. I watched in silence as she chewed, studying the changes in her expression. It was fascinating to see how someone could transform their initial disgust into appreciation. It reminded me of how we ourselves had adapted to the adverse circumstances of our existence.
To my surprise, she soon seemed to like the peculiar salty taste so much that she took another enthusiastic bite and pointed toward my backpack.
— Can I have one more?
I hesitated for a moment. Those provisions were meticulously calculated to last a specific time. However, something in her expectant expression slightly broke my usual caution.
— ...Well.
KathyIn sat on the clothesline, beginning to enjoy the taste of the jerky while moving her feet to a cheerful rhythm. I watched with interest how her displeasure transformed into delight. At first she had frowned at the intense salty taste, but now she was humming with satisfaction, completely surrendered to that new sensory experience.
A strange sensation settled in my chest as I watched her. What was this feeling? It was as if something filled my heart, an unusual warmth that I wasn't accustomed to experiencing. Perhaps it was similar to that unique satisfaction that comes from feeding a small hungry cat: inexplicable but deeply gratifying.
— At first it was too salty —KathyIn commented between bites—, but I actually like it because it's very salty. It's stimulating.
I kept silent, not knowing how to respond to her emotion. My mind was trying to understand the psychology behind her sudden change of opinion.
— This salty sensation... I love it...
I thought I understood what was happening. KathyIn seemed to belong to the nobility and, as such, had surely been raised with high culinary standards. Her palate would be accustomed to exquisite delicacies, elaborate dishes with the freshest ingredients and refined techniques. However, there were flavors that escaped that world of high gastronomy, sensations that have no place in meticulously balanced diets.
The jerky represented something completely foreign to her experience: an intense flavor, without pretensions, that deliberately ignored considerations of health or subtlety.
It was the authentic taste of pure stimulation, bathed in spices, as if moderation were a forgotten concept. For someone who had lived her entire life with a healthy and refined diet, that crude and intense stimulus was as novel as it was tempting. It was like the whisper of a small culinary demon, inviting her to transgress all the etiquette rules that had been instilled in her.
— Can I take it all? —She asked with eyes bright with hope.
— No. —I responded firmly, feeling that I should maintain the rationality she seemed to have momentarily abandoned.
Her euphoria was understandable, but also exaggerated. These provisions had to last us at least two more days. We couldn't afford the luxury of yielding to momentary impulses.
Seeing her discouraged expression, I felt a pang of guilt that I quickly suppressed. This was the fundamental difference between us: for her, the jerky could be a mere whim, an exotic snack; for me, it represented the difference between survival and hunger.
As night advanced, KathyIn and I took turns to keep watch. In a village where one never knew when the undead might appear, sleeping simultaneously was equivalent to a death sentence. We spent the night sitting with our backs against the huge stone.
Despite the fatigue that weighed on us like a lead blanket, sleep eluded our tense bodies. The possibility that the undead would appear out of nowhere to finish us off was too terrifying, especially considering that the second wave of the third day had not yet begun. We had remained on high alert throughout the day, anticipating an attack that never came, which only managed to increase my anxiety with each passing hour.
During my watch shift, I found myself completely alone with my thoughts. The night sky unfolded above me like a cloak of black ink, spattered with faint stars and dominated by a crescent moon that, although sharp, did not provide enough light to penetrate the dense darkness that enveloped the village. Only my eyes, accustomed to scrutinizing the shadows, seemed capable of discerning shapes in that gloom.
I felt like a clock without a spring, my mind on the verge of collapse. Despite the unbearable cold that chilled to the bone, my eyes remained open, bloodshot, while my face maintained that somber expression that had become part of my identity.
The experience of falling asleep during my guard at the tower was something new to me. However, against all odds, it turned out to be surprisingly mundane. As soon as my eyelids slightly yielded to the weight of fatigue, my consciousness plunged into an ocean of darkness.
After what seemed like barely a second, a subtle noise violently yanked me from sleep. Stunned and disoriented, I blinked several times trying to focus my vision. A dim light flickered before my eyes, as if trying to penetrate the nebula of confusion that clouded my mind. Finally, my dark eyes managed to pierce the veil of darkness, allowing me to understand the disturbing reality we faced.
I froze, suddenly consumed by terror. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and bristled. Ten, twenty, thirty... I lost count due to panic and gritted my teeth. Ninety... no, a hundred.
I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm my panicked mind. There were no desperate situations. Every problem had a solution. I just had to think of one...
Dozens of bright eyes blinked in the darkness of the night. Yellow and red eyes, like glowing embers from hell itself, overflowing with silent malice and insatiable hunger. All looking in our direction.
We were completely surrounded.