Submerged

XIII. Decadence and its colors.

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   The solitude of that city was impressive. In terms of destruction and nature, it was the same as the others, but there were no survivors anywhere. The three travelers claimed to have seen a party in the distance, but they only found a few corpses.

   They were almost at the sea, they could already see it in the distance. They were on their way to leave the buildings behind and enter an area of vacation homes. Among charming homes of different colors, they walked through deserted streets, hearing the waves breaking not far away. They turned the corner and were stunned by the obstacle that separated them from the ocean.

   A disjointed wheat plantation had gotten completely out of control, spreading across the free land, into the gardens, and the unpaved streets. Between the sea and them were kilometers of wheat ready for harvest, taller than they were.

   It was strange to see two different ecosystems coexisting in perfect harmony.

   They could see the horizon on one side and the sun peeking for a few seconds on the other, bathing the wheat in gold and shadows before hiding to give way to the night. Without wasting time, they ventured into that wall of wheat and began to walk, making sure to go in a straight line. It was difficult to tell how much was left; it was already dark, and the ground was muddy, making their steps even slower.

   They carefully advanced without separating for a second. A pang in her stomach stopped Antonia; her companions turned around and watched her. Nadine gently took her by the shoulder, asking if she was okay. Rosadella watched them, distractedly scanning the landscape.

   Her blood ran cold, and she had to muster inhuman strength not to scream.

   "Nadine..." she began to say, barely moving her lips.

   "Relax, you're probably just tired," Nadine was telling Antonia, trying to avoid bringing up the issue of the false pregnancy.

   "Nadine!" Rosadella whispered loudly.

   "What? Give us a second."

   "We don't have a second, let's get out of here."

   With an exasperated look, Nadine glanced at her, then followed her gaze. There she saw a man among the weeds, watching them, laughing silently. He was not a drowned one, which was even worse.

   Nadine pulled Antonia's arm, announcing their escape with a terrified scream, Rosadella by her side. At that moment, Lost Ones who had gone unnoticed started to run and laugh alongside them. They shouted challenges to each other: who could land the first blow, who could stain their weapon with the most blood, or which of the three would scream the most.

   Desperate, they waved their arms in the air to push away the weeds and sobbed, begging for their lives, they had never felt so much fear. Their legs moved on their own, despite the weight of their bags they advanced with great agility. They couldn't see anything, and the ground was increasingly unstable. The imminent violence and brutality pursuing them felt like a race with death itself.

   Someone hit Nadine's back hard, but she didn't stop for anything.

   Rosadella heard the safety of a gun click, she knew they couldn't just run away or they would be finished sooner or later.

   They had to fight.

   As she ran, she began to search her pockets for the revolver. She had to take them down, she thought, she had to buy time for Nadine to escape. It was the only weapon they had been able to carry, as there weren't many, and Nadine's sawed-off shotgun was already obsolete due to lack of ammunition.