CHAPTER 12: MILAGROS

Ofelia and I are traveling to the city of Hunza, where we can find some information about Ofelia's parents and, hopefully, also about this "Goranchacha" guy Sugunsua and Bachué warned us about. However, what was supposed to be a brief stay in Harmony Town, quickly has become a problem that we must solve.

CHAPTER 12

MILAGROS

One day. It took us just one day being in this town and we already witnessed how messed up it is. Ofelia's father wasn't lying when he told her that Harmony Town was a horrible place to live in. Its leaders, The Vela brothers are definitely people you don't wanna mess with. It's unbelievable how 2 humans, especially so weak-looking as them can have such control over everyone and everything. Still, they're not what I'm worried about. At least, not yet. That evil presence I felt back then… It was definitely the one that killed Iván Vela. I can't feel any chaos magic from it, but I can't just leave this town until I deal with this thing, whatever the hell it is, although I have some suspicions.

After we returned to Bertha's café, it opened and started receiving its regular customers like nothing had happened. People came, ate, drank, talked about their days. The good, the bad, the ugly. They paid their bills, thanked the service and left. Still, that sensation of fear and uneasiness can't be hidden. I don't have the power to read minds, but I don't need to do it to know what the people are exactly thinking: "Can you believe Iván Vela died?", "who could have done it?", "Am I a bad person to feel relieved about that?", "Do you think the Velas are going to retaliate?", "What's going to happen to us now?"

Ofelia and I try to ask Old Bertha and the others about the whole thing, but they just ignore us or change the subject. We would like to investigate the town a little more and ask the townspeople about the situation, but we would immediately rise suspicions. After all, the mayor already noticed us and, apparently, he and his brother have some kind of quarrel with Old Bertha and his friends. With us staying at her inn, that would definitely put them in more troubles.

Guess it's not use. Ofelia and I will stay in our room the rest of the day and we'll investigate the town during night.

Later that night…

—Ok, Ofelia, we're going to investigate the alley where the corpse was found. From there, we'll follow the trail of evil energy and see where it led us.

—Got it.

—I doubt we can find someone this late walking on the streets. Even more with a killer on the loose. Still, try not to drag any attention. However, if that happens, we can't return to this place. We don't want Old Bertha and her friends to be in troubles.

—Yes, ma'am.

—Alright, let's go.

We open the door and, for our surprise, Old Bertha, Julio and Licovi are right there waiting for us.

—Oh, Gods Almighty!! – I yell – Don't scare me like that!!

—Going anywhere? – says Old Bertha.

—I told you we should have escaped from the window, Lady Chía – nags me Ofelia.

—But it's a second floor! I didn't want to hurt myself with that jump.

—You broke your ankle and got your stomach pierced by a huge claw, but a second-floor jump is a no-no for sumercé?

—Hush, niña. Don't dare to sass me.

Old Bertha pushes us back to the room while Julio and Licovi locks the door.

—Listen – says Old Bertha –, I still don't know you very well, but I know you two are trying to investigate things that don't concern you. I have to ask you to stop, or you could end in troubles with the wrong people, like Iván's killer or even worst, the Velas.

—Mrs. Bertha, ma'am – politely says Ofelia –, we appreciate your concern, but we cannot stay here without doing anything.

—Ofelia is right – I add –. The murderer may be more than a simple person.

—Oh, we know – says Old Bertha – it was not a human. It was a wraith.

—Ha! I knew it! It was a wraith, after all!

—A wraith? What's a wraith? – asks Ofelia.

—It's a vengeful spirit born from a violent murder – replies Julio –. We… well, Mrs. Bertha and my wife felt the evil energy the moment we arrived to that ally. There was no doubt that Ivan was murdered by a vicious wraith.

—My word. What a normal reaction for such a supernatural twist – I say –. Looks like you know way more than just cooking delicious food.

—Same goes to you two, girls who already dealt with kidnappings and murders – says Old Bertha with sarcastic tone–… I think I still owe you that third breakfast, right? Licovi, could you please go and cook something for our guests?

—With extra eggs and bread.

—Lady Chía!

—*chuckles* Yes, ma'am – replies Licovi and leaves the room.

Once Licovi leaves, Old Bertha sits in the bed and continues…

—What I am about to tell may shock you, but I promise you is nothing but the truth… you see… ghosts are real, and we all are powerful shamans that contact them.

—Oh, neat – I reply.

—Wait, that's it? Just "neat"?

—Well, I'm a fallen goddess and Ofelia and her family are demon hunters.

—Also, we just defeated and killed a demon that kidnaped and murdered women from a small town – adds Ofelia – Oh! And we just met Lady Bachué and Lord Sugunsua! *whispers* they are perverts.

—Oh… good then.

—D-Did you forgot that, except for this town, people DO know that gods and supernatural creatures actually exist, right, Mrs. Bertha? – says Julio.

—Quiet you! Well, that saves me a lot of explanations. Anyway, the story I'm about to tell you is tied to this town's history and their ruthless founders: The Velas. This is the story of a beautiful woman, a love affair, a heart-broken husband and a violent murder. This is the story of "La Patasola".

As I told you before, Harmony Town was founded by both locals and foreigners, that's why, back then, it was quite the novelty seeing people so different than we normally look. Still, our local genes were stronger, and that's why, with the pass of time, harmonians ended up looking just like the rest of the locals. However, genetic can be funny sometimes and, one day, a beautiful baby girl was born. Her skin was so pale and soft that you could almost think she was a living porcelain doll. Her eyes were so green and bright than they could even give emeralds a run for their money and finally, her hair was so bright and yellow that it almost looked it was made of gold. Harmonians were so delighted with the girl's appearance that they even dared to say that foreign gods put that girl in our region just to show some kind of superiority. Their proud parents named the girl "Milagros".

With the passing time, Milagros grew up and became a beautiful woman, which made her even more popular. She was the proud and joy, not only of her family, but the entire Harmony Town as well. Her beauty was so legendary that even people all over the region visited our town just to see her for a couple of seconds. She received all kind of gifts and proposals but, as you may already imagine, being the center of attention her entire life just made her ego so big, that nothing was enough for her.

Milagros was so popular and so full of herself, that she honestly thought that nobody deserved her. Not even The Velas were good enough. The only reason why not even them dared to lay a finger on Milagros was because they knew that the entire town would turn against them. That beloved she was.

However, despite her crazy life-style and greater than life ego, one day, Milagros knew a man, and not any man: a humble one, a hard-working peasant. Now, if the man was so handsome that she couldn't help falling in love, or he was so kind and pure that he treated her like an actual human being and not some kind of deity or novelty, it will never be known. The point is that Milagros fell in love really hard for that man and, luckily for her, the feeling was mutual.

Milagros and the handsome man got married and, surprisingly, she became humbler. She was a lovely housewife, and his husband worked hard to give her a modest, but joyful life. The marriage was happy for many years. However, despite giving her a good life, there was something the man could never give to Milagros: a child. At first, she didn't mind but, with the pass of the years, her wishes to become a mother grew so strong that she started hating his husband.

It is said that old habits die hard and Milagros grew so frustrated with her husband that, in secret, she started having an affair with another man, but not any man. It was Alberto Vela: Patriarch of the Vela family and father to Antonio, Francisco and Iván. If his husband couldn't give her a child, then the most powerful man in town should do it.

For some time, Milagros and Alberto had many encounters, but they were very careful that nobody even noticed… or so they thought. Milagros' husband noticed that her wife's attitude towards him drastically changed from one moment to another. He tried not thinking that much about it, but everything changed when one day, when he returned home, he noticed a male hat that didn't belong to him. At first, he didn't want to think Milagros was cheating on him. He loved her so much that he refused to believe that, but his suspicion grew stronger, and one day, he decided to check the truth.

He told Milagros that he was going to do a trip that would take him a couple of weeks, but he would do his best to return sooner. Milagros faked sadness, kissed him good bye and wished him luck. Needless to say, he never left, he just hid in the forest close to his home and then he waited, waited and waited until night came, and with it, a man on his horse arrived to Milagros' house.

Imagine the poor man's surprise when he saw his wife greeting the man with a big hug and a passionate kiss, and that the man was none other than Alberto Vela. When the lovers entered to the house, the poor man fell on his knees and cried so hard that he almost lost consciousness… nevertheless, that never happened. In fact, once he stopped crying, he became so angry, that all of his niceness and humbleness were replaced by pure, unadulterated rage. The man took his sharp machete and entered to his house, catching them naked. Imagine Milagros and Alberto's surprise when they saw the infuriated man with his weapon in hand.

But Alberto's surprise was quickly replaced by a smug expression. After all, he was Alberto Vela, the most powerful man in town. He knew the poor peasant wouldn't do anything to him. While Milagros was desperate crying and apologizing to his cheated husband, Mr. Vela calmly put his clothes on, took some bucks from his wallet and threw them to the married couple. "Sorry for the inconveniences and good luck, you two", were the only words he said. But before he could leave, the angry man put his hand on Alberto's shoulder.

Alberto's felt shocked and offended being touched by a mere peasant, but before he could do a single warning, the cheated husband cut Alberto's head off with a clean sweep from his machete. Liters of blood gushed out from Alberto's headless corpse covering everything and everyone. Milagros was shocked. She couldn't believe her peaceful, beloved husband actually killed a man in such a gruesome manner. Milagros, tried one last time to apologize, but it was futile. Enraged and covered with blood, the man fixed his look on his unfaithful wife, ready to kill her. Milagros, absolutely terrified, managed to dodge some of the man's attacks and tried to flee. However, she couldn't avoid the last one and her left leg was cut off clean. Milagros screamed in agony and fell down. All she could do was desperately crawl to the exit, leaving a trail of blood behind her. She begged and begged her husband to spare her life, but he didn't listen.

Now, in what could be considered a final act of luck from the foreign gods, when the man was about to hit the final blow, he slipped on a puddle of blood, tripping down and accidentally slitting his throat with his own machete in the process. The cut was so deep that he died mere seconds later. But Milagros luck ended there. The injured woman crawled outside the house and tried to go to the road asking for help, however, she lost a lot of blood, and ended up dying in the middle of the road.

The bodies were never found in the crime scene. Some people said that the police, by orders of Alberto's wife hid them to avoid bad press, and some other said that Alberto and Milagros never died and just fled to the foreign lands while the cheated husband, with his honor mangled, committed suicide in another town. But a few of us know what really happened: Milagros violent murder transformed her into a ferocious, vengeful creature: a wraith. She ate the bodies of Alberto and his husband and fled. Since then, she has been roaming around the forest and Harmony Town, killing and eating all men and women unlucky enough to cross in her path. It is said that all the victims she leaves behind are missing their left leg. Some said she took them as a trophy, others said she is looking for her lost leg. With the pass of time, Milagros became a legend and people started calling her "La Patasola".

—La Patasola… the One-legged Woman – I say while finishing my food.

—W-What a horrible story! – adds the terrified Ofelia.

—Horrible, but true – says Old Bertha –. As any other story from this town. The Velas and the rest of "The Benefactors" have made sure that nobody from here believe in magical creatures or gods among us. They say said is an invention from the purists to keep the public ignorant, that's why people say the Patasola is only a legend.

—Those damn benefactors! – says Julio angrily.

—Julio, please – says Licovi calming him down.

— "Benefactors"? "Purists"? – asks Ofelia – What are those.

—That, my dear child, is a story for another day – answers Old Bertha –. For now, you already know the story of La Patasola. I hope that's enough information for you. Now, please. don't interfere with the situation. We are all Shamans here. Our job is to stop evil spirits.

—You're joking, right? – I say – You think that just because you've told us the story of a creature without more context, we should stop? I don't care who that monster or those Velas are or if Harmony Town doesn't believe in gods or monsters. It is my duty to stop any kind of evil.

—Me too – says Ofelia –. My parents taught me that we must help all people we can, despite they're good or bad.

—*sigh* I imagined you would say something like that – replies Old Bertha.

As soon as she finishes talking, my body starts feeling unbelievably heavy and tired.

—What?… Old Bertha… what did you… *yawn* …do to … us?

—Lady Chía… the food… had … something.

Ofelia and I fell unconscious…

—Umm… Licovi, what did you put on their food? – asks Bertha.

—Sleep powder – proudly answers the young woman.

—WHY?!

—I thought you wanted to prevent them to go investigate.

—Yes! But I didn't want to drug them! I just wanted to talk!

—Oh… silly me then, Hehe.

—*sigh* now when they wake up, we will really look suspicious – says Julio while scratching his head –. You need to stop being so impulsive, Licovi.

—I'm sorry.

—Nevermind, young one. At least we got more time. We can't let these girls get into troubles.

—But, with all respect, Mrs. Bertha – says Julio –, they said they're a demon hunter apprentice and a "fallen goddess". We don't know if it's true, but if they are, they could be helpful stopping the Patasola.

—That's right – continues Licovi –. With this wraith killing people and The Velas breathing over our necks, any help is welcome.

—… *sigh* I guess you're right. Ok, let them sleep now. Tomorrow we'll think in something. Go to sleep, you, guys. Today was a long day.

Julio and Licovi leave Bertha with Chía and Ofelia. The old woman sits next to Chía and gently puts her hand in her forehead.

—A fallen goddess?... could this girl be actually Huitaca?

Meanwhile in the forest near Harmony Town, a man desperately runs fleeing from someone.

—This cannot be, this cannot be! – says the horrified man – I should have known this would happen!

At the distance the man hears a monster howling and moaning. It's La Patasola, who quickly approaches to him. The man, despite being tired and injured, manages to hide behind the trees. He can hear the heavy breathing and creepy cackling of the creature looking for him. La Patasola, despite acting like a vicious creature, doesn't have keen senses and is having troubles finding the poor man.

—*whispering* please, go away. Please, go away!

 The man keeps moving around the trees, but got so desperate that he accidentally steps on a branch making some noise that immediately reveals his position to the creature.

—THERE YOU ARE!!! – yells La Patasola.

It's too late for the man. He sees the creature getting closer and closer, and he's already too tired to keep running. The man starts crying, but more than tears of fear, are tears of frustration.

—You'll pay for this… you, horrible monster!... I should have known you'd ending up doing this.

The man extends his arms, accepting his fate. Then closes his eyes and yells.

—CURSE YOUR DAMN …!!!

He can't finish his final words when La Patasola rips his jaw with a single blow, killing him immediately.

TO BE CONTINUED…