The Red Rose

Chapter VIII

After nothing remained but ashes of the creatures, we prepared to return to Taltal and begin planning for what would be our most difficult mission: capturing the Alicanto.

As I watched the sunset, I pondered on how to find the creature. Juanpi was going over his notes and tablet, trying to connect to the network. Sebastian continued driving in his jeep and seemed a bit tired.

Upon returning to the town, Sebastian parked in front of the house and went off to take a nap.

"Come here, Miguel, I think I have some information, but it seems like this is going to be more difficult than I thought," Juanpi reflected as he looked at his tablet.

After flipping through several pages of the PDF file and the desert map, he asked me, "Do you have any plan or idea of how to capture or interact with the creature?"

I thought for a moment, realizing how little I knew.

"Uff, I really have no idea. I just know that I can sense when a creature is nearby. I suppose we'll have to triangulate the position and go from there?" I suggested.

Juanpi chuckled and said, "The Atacama Desert is vast. I have historical records of possible sightings, in quotation marks, but pinpointing the exact location is difficult. Even with your abilities, I'm not sure it's a good idea to roam the desert with the jeep. Remember, if the Alicanto knows we're following it, it could lead us who knows where, and if we don't have the means or resources, getting lost in the desert could be a disaster."

I still didn't fully grasp the situation, but it seemed Juanpi was going to continue talking, so I didn't interrupt, and as I suspected, he continued.

"Look, what we can do is accompany you to one of the places where you could start searching, but from there, I don't think we can follow you. From that point on, you'll be on your own. Seba and I will do everything we can to prepare you well and try to stay in touch as best we can, but given the nature of the Alicanto, anything could happen," he said as he looked at me with complete honesty.

I smiled. Somehow, I sensed that this journey was going to be a personal quest and would test all my skills. While the Chupacabras eluded me, even with my keen senses, the magical nature of the Alicanto, as Juanpi explained to me, could evade my senses.

After several discussions between Juanpi and his wife, speaking a mix of English and German, he finally managed to convince her that it would be a short and nothing-out-of-the-ordinary trip. She didn't seem very happy about it. Juanpi's wife, a beautiful Austrian woman slightly taller than him, with curly brown hair and blue eyes, seemed to be a very kind and dedicated person to him and their children. However, she gave the impression of feeling somewhat out of place within Juanpi's extensive family circle. Although she seemed shy, I could sense that beneath that appearance was someone with great moral strength and a very strong character, someone who seemed to fit perfectly with Juanpi's personality.

As we finished packing, we began the journey. Sebastian was very quiet, and Juanpi took notes on the Peuchen, the Chupacabras, and the Beast of Gevaudan.

"Tell me about the sizes and proportions of the creatures you faced, Miguel," he requested.

"Um, well," I thought. "The Peuchen seemed to be about the length of a bus and maybe had a thickness roughly like that of a pine trunk. Weighing it up, I think it was as long and wide as an Araucaria tree, but the tail was thinner, and it gave tremendous lashes, able to split rocks as if they were nothing," I said.

Juanpi thought for a moment and said, "Like the Titanoboa..."

"What?" I asked.

Juanpi showed me a photo of the snake in question, and it was very similar.

"The wingspan of the feathered wings was about three meters each, I think, although I'm very bad with dimensions. I just remember that its wings were feathered. It had two fangs as long as those of a saber-toothed tiger, and its scales were very tough, tougher than those of any animal I've faced. I could never get past its skin," I added.

"Excellent! Now tell me about the Beast of Gevaudan," he requested.

"Well, I'm sure the Beast was larger than a bear, it looked like a wolf, or rather a kind of hyena. It had long claws, but they weren't retractable, and its mouth was strong, its bite was stronger than that of the Peuchen. Hmm... it had dense fur, and although bullets and my axe could pierce it somewhat, they barely scratched it, as it regenerated very quickly."

Juanpi showed me a photo of another prehistoric animal called the "Megatherium."

"Yes, the size and shape are very similar, but the skull and shape seemed more like a dog," I affirmed.

"Well, well..." Juanpi delighted as he adjusted his notes. "Now let 's talk about the Chupacabras," he began.

"Two meters tall, humanoid, bald and pale, alien-like face with pointed teeth. Long claws and arms, weak against fire," Sebastian replied seriously.

"Flexible body, like rubber, and it spits toxic poison from its mouth," I added.

There was an awkward silence among the three of us until Sebastian finally broke the silence, saying:

"I never imagined it. I thought all of this was Juanpi's nonsense. I mean, he has a wild imagination and a memory that's scary, but I had no idea about the kind of things that exist beneath this apparent reality. The scariest part of it all is, how deep does the rabbit hole go?"

We remained silent again, then finally Juanpi broke the silence:

"How deep, Seba! Have you been smoking weed before getting into the car?"

Sebastian with an ironic laugh says:

"Haha, very funny. You better start gathering the money you owe me for breaking the bottle of pisco I had in the car!"

We laughed together and continued our journey.

As I looked out the window and admired the desolate yet beautiful panorama of the desert, I thought about my adventure in the past and all the experiences it brought me back to the present. Although there were many traumas in between, I somehow felt nostalgic for the memories of the Victorian era. Its simplicity mixed with ostentation, that somewhat gloomy atmosphere mixed with a romanticism that caused me some confusion. The elegant tables, the decorations, and the beautiful dresses Laura and Carmilla wore when we used to stroll through the courtyards and gardens back then. And above all, the simplicity of everyday life, compared to the overstimulated pace of life we ​​have in the present.

The car stops in the middle of the desert, on the road. Sebastian parks the car to the side, and Juanpi, looking closely at the GPS coordinates, exclaims:

"We've reached zone X!"

The three of us get out and grab the backpack and some items. There was only one backpack, with a canteen and other basic mining tools, like a shovel and pickaxe.

"Here, Miguel, take this. There's a tent, supplies, water, and various tools you might need for your journey. We also have several radios and devices to locate you if you're in trouble. Frankly, I don't know if all these gadgets will be useful on the journey you're about to embark on, but it's always better to have something extra than to lack something," Juanpi finally said with a smile.

"We'll be here on the road for a while. We'll take a look around a couple of inns nearby and try to keep in touch. Just leave any message if you're in trouble; this will be our reunion point," Sebastian finished saying.

We shook hands and hugged, I took one of those hooded caps that Juanpi had been using during our encounters with the Chupacabras, and I ventured into the desert, looking at the horizon as the sun set behind me.