He slowly opened his eyes; the light nearly blinded him. He closed his eyes again. —Vanrra? Are you back already? Vanrra! —He opened his eyes. —How are you? —Hiram was sitting next to a half-extinguished campfire. Around them were several backpacks filled with supplies. They were among the trees, not very deep into the forest. —Can you hear me? Can you see me?
Vanrra was lying on a sleeping bag. —Where are we?… Doc, why aren't we at your house? —His pupils adjusted to the light. Finally, he remembered; he sat up suddenly. —What time is it?! The wedding! Doc! We're going to be late! We have to get back to the village quickly!
He opened a can of food. His gaze was distant, visibly tired. His hands were trembling slightly, covered with large black gloves. —The wedding? We can't go anymore.
He put his hands on his head. —Is it already too late?! How long did I sleep? Mahia and Esau are going to want to kill me. The patriarch will kick me out of his house; I'll have to sleep in one of the stables again.
—No, Vanrra, there's no point in going back now.
—Why are you so discouraged? Arriving a little late isn't so bad. Today is a special day; my friends are getting married. I don't want disappoint them.
—They're no longer with us. They're dead. Esau, Mahia, everyone from the village. We are the only survivors. —Vanrra froze; it was hard for him to stay upright. Hiram stared at him, watching his every move. —You can sit; you don't have to stand there. —Vanrra obeyed like a puppet. His eyes were lost in the small sparks of the campfire. There was a long, uncomfortable silence between them.
He said quietly. —So it wasn't a nightmare.
—Sadly. —Hiram seemed to feel the same way; he looked at his food with disgust. —I know how you feel, what's in your head. Above all, you must stay calm and steady. Don't let it control you. You're not alone; as long as you're with me, you'll be safe. It's not your fault…
He was still in shock. —That monster… Did you see it?
—…
—The white giant. The splendor... Did you see it?
—Yes.
—What was that thing?
—I have no idea.
—That splendor… Was it a titan?
—Is that what you call them down here?
The horror was visible in his eyes; was shaking. —It breathed fire; it crushed people like they were worms. It destroyed houses as if they were made of paper. It tore Esau apart without even touching him; it made him burst like a tomato.
—Calm down and breathe; don't… don't get angry.
He had a deep rage building inside him; his fear hadn't yet faded. —That monster… It destroyed the square, crushed everyone. It killed Esau. It wanted to grab me; it was going to crush me like an ant. It… Mahia…
—Don't think about that; you gain nothing by crying.
—I gain nothing! Are you stupid?! Everyone is dead, and you tell me to calm down!
—What else can you do? I know how you feel right now.
—You didn't lose anything! I didn't see you in the village! You must have stayed hidden in your mountain, watching that monster kill everyone. Why aren't you in the village right now, looking for survivors? How you know everyone is dead?
—It's a very dangerous place; going back is an unnecessary risk. We won't put ourselves in danger just on a whim.
—A whim?! Are you a psychopath?! You saw a monster destroy the village, kill people… Is that your best answer? Why didn't you save anyone else?
—It's all I could do. You think I have nothing to lose? Everything I've done is to get back to my home; it's all I want. —His hands were trembling; his whole body was shaking too. He tries dissemble. —What's done is done. I can't change the past. I don't control what happens in this world; I'm just a pawn. —He looked into the forest, as if searching for something among the trees. Vanrra was still in shock. Hiram stood up and put out the campfire with his boot. He walked over to Vanrra and handed him his can of food. —Here, eat; it will calm you down.
He looked at the can in amazement; he was starving. He ate until he finished it. Hiram moved away a bit and looked down. He sighed with pain and sadness, muttering incomprehensible words. Vanrra said to him, —I want go to the village. I have to…
He didn't let him continue. —No, you don't have go.
—I need to see if there are any remains, give them a proper burial.
—We won't go back there; there's nothing left. We should get out of here right now, before it gets worse.
—Worse? Is it not over yet?
Hiram approached the boy. —Those "Titans" are all over this region; they're destroying everything in their path.
—How do you know?
—This wasn't the only village attacked; all night long, those roars could be heard. I saw other columns of smoke. I suppose they were from the other villages.
—You know why those things attack us? Why did they destroy the village? What are they? —Hiram got lost in thought. —Why they kill Mahia, Esau, the patriarch… they crushed them as if they were nothing. What did we do?
—I'd like know too. Just keep going; don't torment yourself. There's nothing we can do to change what happened. Don't carry a guilt that isn't yours. —A great roar echoed through the valley, shaking the treetops. The roar of an infernal beast, the metallic screech of a predator. —You hear that? We have get out of here now if we don't want end up like your friends.
—Get out of here to where?
Hiram quickly packed up all the equipment. He handed him a compass. —It doesn't matter now; you need to take this backpack and head southwest, through the forest, without stopping. —He put the backpack in his arms. Vanrra was still in shock.
—I have to…? Aren't you coming with me?
—You have go ahead. I need go back to my house. I'll collect a few things of great value. They'll be useful to us later. I promise I'll catch up with you. Just go through the forest; don't stop for anything in the world. Don't look back.
Nerves ran down his back; it was getting harder and harder to breathe. —Doc. What's happening? Today was supposed to be a normal day; I should be with them right now, with the whole village. But now… What will become of me? Why am I alive?
—You'll forget about it, like you always do. Don't think about it; focus on crossing the forest. When you reach the other side, we'll talk about it. To be sad, you have stay alive first. Do you promise me? —Vanrra nodded. Hiram went in the opposite direction.