The Roar of the Night

24

That night, while I was in the attic, I couldn't stop smiling. Ojitos, the little puppy who was now my companion, played excitedly while I stroked him behind his ears. He licked my hand from time to time, as if he could feel the excitement coursing through my body. Today was... amazing. I saved someone. I did it.

"You don't know how happy I am, Little Eyes," I told him, my voice full of energy.

The puppy looked at me with those little eyes that reminded me so much of myself before all this. I tossed him a piece of rope that Venom and I had made for him to play with, and he chased after it excitedly, tail wagging.

—Today was the first time people saw me, Little Eyes. The first time! —I said, remembering the scene on the street—. And they weren't scared of me! They told me I was a hero.

The memory filled me with such intense joy that I didn't know how to express it. Seeing people approach me, looking at me not with fear, but with gratitude, was something I never thought I would experience. While everyone was telling me how brave I was, I could feel something different. He was no longer the monster he imagined they saw, he was someone who did something good.

"After I stopped him, I just said hello and left," he told Ojitos. Alex gave me the jacket and we continued walking. I continued hiding, of course... but for a moment... —I stopped for a moment, remembering how I felt—. I didn't feel afraid. I felt... peace.

Little Eyes ran towards me, and I took him into my arms, feeling his warm body against mine. It was amazing how much it calmed me down.

Suddenly, a strange sound made me stop. I frowned, looking down at the ground. From downstairs, I heard a familiar voice. It was Lucy. My heart skipped a beat. I stood up and listened carefully.

"I saw something incredible today," she said, with an emotion that caught me immediately. I was at the ice cream shop with grandma, and I saw a rescue. A monster saved someone!I felt a knot in my stomach, but it wasn't the same pain as before. This time, I didn't feel bad about what Lucy had said. The word "monster" no longer had the same weight.

"From what you say, I don't think whoever did the rescue is a monster," Alex said from below, his tone calm and firm.

"No, it's not," Lucy replied. That monster was a hero. But there was something about him that seemed familiar...

My eyes widened a little more. Could be? Was I starting to see it? My heart raced. Lucy...was getting closer to the truth. He knew that the time to reveal everything was very close.

—Little eyes, did you hear it? —I said quietly to the puppy—. Maybe soon we won't have to hide up here anymore.

The puppy wagged his tail, as if he understood what I was saying, and climbed onto my lap to lick my face. I stroked her head and smiled at her.

"Good night, Little Eyes," I whispered, feeling a mix of excitement and hope.I knew that soon everything would change, and for the first time, I wasn't afraid. I was ready for whatever came.