Flock of birds

The town hall of Rew Mountain was a colonial building that needed urgent renovation. The mayor was looking forward to getting re-elected after the economy had thrived on tourism.

It was a population of just over fifteen hundred inhabitants. Located practically halfway between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon, its main attraction was also the red sandstone formations. There was a bandstand in the central square. The sunset was incredible among the beautiful landscapes and charming houses.

It was a typical American town full of exposed brick houses, little churches, and trees that change colors during the fall. The fall season to enjoy the beautiful phenomenon of changing the colors of the leaves of the trees before the arrival of the winter calls the attention of tourists.

And the biggest attraction was also the closed forest of secular oaks which, on a whim of fate, still resisted the progress of progress. The local school had grown almost nothing in the year before the election campaigns. The birth rate in the region was too low and each year that passed gave the impression that fewer children played in the squares during the afternoon.

The respectable old Mr. Walker was a respected and widowed citizen who had the son of any father's dreams. In a year, Richard would probably be the new doctor at the local hospital, just asking for a few favors at the right time. Eight years of rigorous studies plus the experience of mandatory medical residency and a doctor would be part of the traditional and respected Walker family.

When rumors started running down the halls of the city hall that the most coveted bachelor in town had finally been hooked, Mr. Walker hated the news for fear that any serious compromise could jeopardize his son's promising career.

Hearing his son explain that he also had no intention of specializing in cardiology had almost caused the mayor to have a nervous breakdown. It was inconceivable to him that Richard chose to specialize in obstetrics. For almost two hours, the father had argued in every possible way and glared at the picture of his wife who died during the difficult delivery that had almost cost Rick's life.

Rew Mountain had the lowest birth rate in the state. Walker believed it was a waste of his son to focus on that area, not knowing that Rick decided that when he chose to leave the small town and accompany the girlfriend he intended to marry.

It was not in the mayor's plans to suddenly find himself in the condition of a grandfather at the age of fifty-five. The respectable politician spent his spare time with a younger girl than his only son. It didn't matter that he had expenses to support and maintain an exclusive lover who made his want, pretending orgasms that the mayor never suspected were false. He was proud and had a lot of masculinity.

When the cell phone rang, Walker let out a series of furious curses seeing the beautiful body straddling his and riding his aroused member to slide away. He answered the call angrier than ever and frustrated by the interrupted orgasm. His eyes stared with regret at the girl rising gloriously naked and looking for a nightgown to cover her nakedness.

-I think it's good to be important. - warned harshly. - I left specific orders of not wishing to be interrupted.

Especially when he was testing new drugs to increase libido, trying to control premature ejaculation.

- The medical examiner's exam was ready sooner than we expected, sir. - The private secretary's voice was nervous and loud.

Walker looked up at the ceiling, asking himself the ordeal of fate precisely because of such a scandal in the election year that was going to start soon.

-Tell me it's good news.

Perhaps a careless tourist would have been lost in the woods walking. He suddenly saw the chance that it was just a natural death to fall to the floor of his hopes.

- The body is that of a teenager, but it was not possible to make any identification, sir. I was able to keep the expert's report according to his orders confidential.

What the fuck! Please say that the fuck isn't happening again.

"Did you find any more concrete evidence?" His voice came very low after gesturing that his lover left him alone.

Walker closed his eyes cursing his luck.

- I am sorry to say that the report was no different from the other deaths that occurred. The body had dry tissues such as skin and muscles. There is an incision in the open corpse in the abdomen region and the viscera (liver, heart, kidneys, intestines, stomach, etc.) were not found.

Walker took a deep breath with the sensation of whiskey turning in his stomach and dropped his body heavily on the chair.

-The family ...- he looked for the courage that he didn't feel.

A long pause made him hold his livid breath.

Scandals! Scandals in the middle of an election campaign could spell doom.

- If the teenager lived in Rew Mountain, as always the family preferred to hide his disappearance. The oldest in town ...

The ancients of the city believed too much in old superstitions for Walker's taste. In the first year of his term, much of the mayor's disbelief had disappeared after reading the city's most secret reports.

-So get away with those damn reports and have the unfortunate body incinerated. There is little left to darken it. You know as well as I do that it is not safe to be wandering around after the night comes.

The mayor's voice shook slightly as he touched his strained face. It wasn't going to happen again, was it? He looked even tighter at the clock on the small table that said half-past five in the afternoon. In general, the day darkened completely after six-thirty. after September ends some birds usually run away from the harsh winter and low temperatures. The birds seek warm places close to the equator and the South and Southeast of Brazil.

The sound of the flight of birds ... The noise that all of them together made with their wings sounded frightening to the old mayor. Ah, with all the hells, it always started like this ...

-Sir? the secretary's voice echoed with sudden static.

-Gather the City Council and report that the city barriers must be closed after dark. We just need to keep a cool head and ...

The static sound came back renewed and stronger and at last, the connection went dead. Walker stared at the bird hitting the glass window and fell to the marble breastplate with a dry throat.

- Damn it. not again. God! have mercy on us this time. - his call was sincere for the first time in his life.

And it made no difference. The sharp, sharp pain came head-on when he put his hand to his chest, breathing hard. Pain radiated through the neck, arm, and left shoulder. The body slid smoothly to the floor and the mayor was sweating cold as he closed his eyes with the scenes returning to his mind.

Make sure Rick finds the plague of that self-interested woman naked and in bed with another woman.

If Rick finds out it was a setup to end his wedding plans ...

I want that damn rag away from my son. Offer money. Do what you need. Just make sure there's a scandal surrounding this bitch ...

But, sir ... If the test results are right ...

It's another reason to keep this girl away from Rick. The blood that runs through your veins. They come back. They always come back. When least expected they are around us. And it all starts again.

Her father was your friend ...

And his folly and disbelief in accepting the inevitable caused his and his wife's death. It won't be the same with my son if it depends on me.

Walker still managed to observe the shadow that grew against the dark, menacing wall, livid. The noise of hissing and gasping breathing was not his at all. The air around him felt cold and heavy in the empty room.

In his last moments of life, he realized too late the foolishness of his fears. It wasn't Rick that those things were meant to look for.

The sound of birds flitting and crashing against the glass window became deafening. And the shadow projected against the wall more slowly still began to assume gigantic proportions.

Walker tried to scream and the strangled scream stuck in his dry throat as his lungs burned without oxygen.

The last thing he saw was decisive to shake his emotions and the heart attack became fulminating fueled by the fierce fear that surrounded him.

In the darkness of the room red eyes just watched and waited

The time had come for everything to repeat itself. So RewMountain and its people were punished for their mistakes.

The sky closed with purple clouds and thundered loudly and loudly before the storm collapsed furiously and harshly.

The lights of the city streetlights flickered a few times until they finally went out amid nature's fury.

Fifteen thousand people. The antenna signal that guaranteed communication and access to the outside world failed.

Cell phones went dead and lifeless as people searched for candles and lamps running home.

Two kilometers away, Richard Walker cursed an enviable series of expletives when the car battery failed and the engine ignited the car.

In the city morgue, the coroner screamed until he was sure he lost all lucidity at what he saw. That body on the exam table ...

Finally, the lights went out and Rew Mountain fell into darkness until dawn.