Chapter 5: Lankester's Homoplasy

In the frigid night, a lost soul in a worn citronella-yellow tracksuit gathered all the sticks he saw at his feet, as fast as his trembling body could carry him. He was alert to any sound the hill might make, a place of moans and dancing lightning, where he had been lucky enough to open his eyes, thanks to a reptilian-skinned kidnapper.

— Oh my God, Katri was right —, Ángela Belmonte scolded herself as she formed a circle of stones and arranged the branches needed to start a fire. The odious survival lessons from her stepfather, Colonel Montoya, were now a blessing. "I'm a trusting person!" she shrieked, fighting the merciless cold and the cramps left over from the electric shock of the restraint bracelet they'd kidnapped her with.

As they struggled to their feet, the faint light from their campfire illuminated their makeshift camp. There, an unconscious prisoner lay on a bed of leaves, tied with ropes made from the scraps of rags that had once been his uniform and lab coat.

— Oh holy Virgin of the Head... — Angela prayed while watching the perimeter, hoping to find some sign that would indicate her.. where the hell she was? — Please, help me follow the thread of my destiny, without fear of the future... — She recited, afraid that the devil in front of her was going to rise up and hurt her.

Her solitary prayer was abruptly interrupted when a violent spasm shook her prisoner. The sound of two restless rattles prompted her to run to the tools she had made. Determinedly, she lifted the most lethal one: a large branch with two sharp stones.

— I'm ready! — She muttered, aiming for the scaly boy's head. Her hands were sweating and her lips were tightly pressed together, like an executioner waiting for the moment. She watched the possessed reptile's eyelids, trembling incessantly, while the combative bells on his wrists suggested a fierce battle within.

— Mom! — The boy stood up suddenly, still focused on reaching his nightmare. — What the? — He stammered, smoke in his face, realizing he was no longer in the Shelter, nor in his laboratory, but in the middle of nowhere, next to a freshly made fire.

— You, stay still! — She shouted at him immediately when he tried to get up.

With the fearful command in the air, two swift stalactites hurtled toward his face. And, faster than a whip, he reacted, crawling along the ground to avoid the club.

— What's going on! — He urinated a little during the attack, finding a rudimentary weapon just inches from his left cheek. When he recognized her, yelling: — Are you 'Angie'? Angela Belmonte! — His heart stopped, in disbelief at his angelic aggressor, his crush, ready to smash his face in.

— Not one step further, traitor. How do I know you're not that monster? — The young lady summoned all her courage, thinking only of her kidnapper's viperous, mechanical laughter, as she raised her axe again.

— No. Please wait... —, he begged, unsure if he was still dreaming or having a nightmare. When he noticed his hands tied behind his back, he exclaimed, — What? Let me go, let me go! — He panicked, writhing, unable to take his eyes off the sharp mass that was about to burst him.

— No. First you have to prove it —, Angie demanded, her gaze scanning her black bracelet, afraid that another electric shock was about to strike and render her unconscious. — Where's Nasr? Why did you take us out of the shelter?... Where did you throw us, you traitor?

— Throw you? Me?... Tha thing hurt me too, you know! — She shook her head, showing him the bruises on her neck. — Do you think I did this to myself? Leave me alone!... Please —, he begged, struggling with his ropes, on the verge of tears. — Oh, C'mon, I just wanted to meet you!

The little snake's pathetic attempts to untie her knots left her with a heavy conscience. She wanted to crush a heartless monster, but instead, she turned into the bully she never wanted to meet. That guy she imagined the crow was going to introduce her to several months ago.

— Well, now... — Regretting, she threw down her axe. Maybe she had overdone it, just a little.

— Seriously, were you going to break that? — Jim pointed out, with the small pear he had for a nose, since he didn't have hands. When he dragged himself into a caterpillar-like sitting position, while she rummaged through one of the bags in her sweatshirt. — What, what are you looking for now? — Jim was scared when he saw another sharp rock sticking out of Angie's pineapple-colored sweatshirt. — Are... are you going to kill me?! — He shuddered as he felt her knife behind him. — No, please! — Yelled, almost fainting.

— You're so dramatic —. Jim's restraints fell away, thanks to Angie's stone knife. — And now you're doing those ugly tests? You don't have the psycho attitude your boss has.

— So, you believe me? — He wiped his cheeks when he was free.

— Well, duh, silly. You're not that monster —, the young lady returned to her seat in front of the fire. — Besides, I've already dragged you for almost a mile. A blessed mile! At least, I should give you a chance. Just, please, don't even think about betraying me. — Her sharp stone knife threatened him. — Even if you're Nazz's friend, I don't trust you. The girls told me about your tricks.

— Miss, I assure you those are just rumors —, he dusted off what remained of his clothes with dignity, adjusting his bent glasses. — I would never...