Submerged

VIII. Sorrows in July.

"Back when we were still changin' for the better
Wanting was enough. For me, it was enough
To live for the hope of it all..."

august - Taylor Swift

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Málaga, Spain. Late May 2035.

   It was a cool morning, a couple of adults rested in the comfort of their beach vacation home. They had arrived two days ago on a flight that was too long for such a short distance; airports were chaos, and the planes made completely unnecessary layovers. They would definitely file a complaint against the airline when they returned.

   Completely exhausted, they spent the first day in the house without getting out of bed or changing out of their pajamas. The next day, they ventured out briefly, dedicated to unpacking their suitcases, then slipped out the back door to the beach, which was completely empty despite the tourists beginning to arrive. In the evening, they prepared everything for the next morning; they would go to the mall to buy a gift for their daughter and give it to her upon their return from the trip. The last time they spoke with her, a strong argument dominated the conversation.

   With the characteristic slowness of people in vacation mode, they got up, prepared to go out, had breakfast, and then headed to the car. There was no light in the house, which they attributed to the storm that had obscured the sun for almost a week. It wasn't raining constantly, but the humidity could be felt at every moment. During the day, the heat was stronger than expected for that time of year, and at night, it cooled noticeably. It was something normal on the coast, they said.

   On the road, both were yawning and rubbing their eyes. They had breakfasted on fruits since they couldn't make coffee due to the lack of electricity. They struggled to wake up without caffeine.

   "Dolores, can you tune in the radio, please?" Julio said sweetly. "I need something to wake me up."

   The woman began to scan through the stations, but none were working.

   "Try the local one. It must be the weather," he suggested.

   "I hope they have good news about the weather. I don't want to spend my vacation without being able to see the sun. Antonia must be enjoying the fact that our long-awaited break is being ruined, just like she said," Dolores chuckled.

   Julio burst into laughter, which helped him wake up a little more. With curiosity, he began to observe the road. His distracted wife continued to lean over the radio. Fear began to build up inside the man; slowly, he understood that since they had left the airport, they hadn't crossed paths with anyone. He had been driving for almost forty-five minutes on a completely empty and desolate road. At this time of year, there was usually traffic every hour.

   The warnings from his daughter began to echo in his head. Gripped by panic, he slammed on the brakes with both feet, causing the car to skid. Dolores screamed in surprise as she held on tightly. The car finally came to a stop in the middle of the road. Julio got out of the car, leaving the door open. The man spun around in confusion, not understanding.

   "What the hell are you doing, Julio?!" reproached the woman as she looked in all directions, her expression changing from anger to confusion and then terror.

   The feeling of emptiness that the road caused inside their hearts was devastating. The more the man observed, the more nervous he became: trails of blood and cars stamped on the trees dominated the sides of the road.

   "Call Antonia, now!"

   The woman was already doing this task when the car shook, her husband screamed and blood splattered on the glass.

   Julio was fighting with his last strength with a violent being, they had suddenly emerged from the bushes. Dolores screamed, as she was torn from her seat by a bloody and violent hand.

   On the floor of the now ownerless car, the cellphone displayed the lack of coverage.

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⊱    End of Part One: Memories of Another Life.   ⊰

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Hi! I wanted to take this opportunity to apologize for my absence... if I'm honest, translating my books into English is more difficult than expected! Therefore, these weeks I did not have the time or energy to prepare the chapter. I hope now to be back normally <3

I hope you are enjoying the story, we are already halfway through :)