Souls in Purge (English Version)

Day 2: Damian

We were called to the dining table where we had breakfast with fresh fruits and bread with jam. I ignored what was happening while I ate, but moments after starting, the angels arrived to make an important announcement, dressed differently than on the first day.

- Well... we already have the results from the first night - affirmed Ariel, who this time was dressed in red.

- What are you talking about? - asked a tanned man dressed in pale yellow.

- Can't you just shut up, Ariel!? - Zara replied - Anyway... it's time to let you know, the simple fact of arriving at the camp is a test, deciding to stay here without trying to escape is a test, even simple things like that are tests! And yet, there's always someone who can't pass them.

- Is that why the man who accompanied me disappeared last night? - questioned the woman with cracks in her face, her head uncovered this time, making the cracks more visible.

- Actually, yes - responded Argenio. - It's happened before.

- The night before, three of the twelve present disappeared - continued Zara - It's presumed they tried to flee as a group, at least this time they weren't alone...

- What Zara means is that it's practically impossible to survive out there - intervened Zadkiel - There are no fruit plants, no peaceful animals, no fresh water, if it were up to us there wouldn't even be fish in the sea, but Cephas loves to fish - he added, pointing to Saint Peter.

- In my defense, it's a fun hobby - Saint Peter replied.

- Anyway, that doesn't matter now, because no one survives a night out there with the wolves - Ariel interjected again before Zara could respond.

- Well, getting back to the topic, these are the campers who disappeared last night: Francisco Costa, 32 years old from Spain, Aria Lakewood, 21 years old from Canada, and finally Sahel Abdalla, 40 years old from Sudan.

- Do you have our names and personal data recorded? - asked a blonde woman.

- Do we have permission to tell them about this? - Argenio questioned.

- Yes, we have it, although I thought they wouldn't mind since they're just passing through. Anyway, it's better to do it all at once - Zara spoke - I'll say it quickly so as not to take up your time.

She quickly listed the name of each person present, there were people of all ages and places. Among the names that caught my attention was that of the woman with cracks in her face, Carmen, who was from Spain. Ezekiel, the teenager I had met, was 14 years old and came from Mexico, and I was also struck by an elderly man of 76 and an Argentine woman who seemed not to want to be noticed. According to what Zara said, I was only 30 years old and came from Colombia.

- Those are all, not counting those who fled - commented Saint Peter.

- Excuse me, about what you said earlier... - the Argentine woman intervened - Those who left, can they not... survive? And how does all this work? Why do we need to eat if we're supposedly dead?

- It's a rule that changed a long time ago - Ariel commented - Souls in purgatory must be fed and cared for. If they die again for not following the rules, their judgment will be brought forward without giving them a second chance at redemption.

- It's a rule created to ensure that people like you do what you're told - Argenio mentioned.

- Wait - interrupted Ezekiel - She said something about a judgment. What does that mean?

Argenio paused to look at Zara before responding to Ariel, but Zara shook her head.

- Perhaps you're also wondering what she meant when she mentioned redemption - Argenio answered - Well, that's why you're here, in the process of deciding whether you go to heaven or hell, those who have done something wrong in life have a second chance to be forgiven for their sins.

- That's not what...! - Ezekiel interjected.

- Okay, that's all! - Zara interrupted - Now that we've given the announcement you needed to hear, you can continue with the breakfast.

I was so distracted that I had forgotten about the food. Before continuing, Ezekiel approached me and spoke to me again - Doesn't all this seem strange to you?

- I know, but there's nothing we can do - I told him - Didn't you hear that you can't escape? Besides, they give us plenty of food and a place to sleep here.

- I don't know how you can be so comfortable while three of the people like us must be dying out there.

- Don't make me feel guilty - I responded - Although I agree with you, those angels are very suspicious.

I was about to continue eating, but moments before bringing a piece of fruit to my mouth, I felt something in my throat. I started coughing uncontrollably until I stopped.

- Is everything okay? - asked the woman with the cracks in her face.

- Yes, it's passed - I told her.

- By the way, I heard what you said about the angels - she commented - Maybe you shouldn't talk bad about them, they seem to be concerned about us.

- They abandoned three of us in the desert - Ezekiel intervened.

- They were the ones who decided to leave the camp, it's not anyone's fault.

- I can't say you're wrong - I admitted to the woman, although Ezekiel didn't seem so agree - Anyway, we have everything we need here.

- That's true. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Carmen.

- I know, they said it earlier.

- Sorry, I didn't pay attention when they said the names. And you are...?

- Damian, nice to meet you.

After getting to know her, I continued eating, although she kept looking at me with a unsettling gaze in her blue eyes, as if something was troubling her deep down.

Breakfast was delicious. I spent the day wandering around the camp, and that night I suffered from insomnia again. My mind couldn't stop wandering, and I started coughing up blood. This time it was easier to control, though I got scared when I saw the blood coming out of my mouth. Maybe it was wrong, but I decided to spy on the camp again to see if could find out anything.

I went out and noticed the lights on in the hut next to mine. I could hear Carmen's voice humming, so I peeked in the window and saw her looking in the mirror. She pushed her black hair aside and I could see the large wound on her neck. I don't know how I hadn't noticed the huge bloodstain near her shoulder.

She stopped humming and put her hand in the cut, with some effort managing to extract a piece of glass stuck inside the wound, letting out a slight scream when she finally got the fragment out. After that, she covered the wound with her hair as if nothing had happened. There was nothing more I wanted to see, so I just went back to my hut, hoping at least I could trust her.