Shapeshifter
I open my eyes... I see that it's dawning. Ah!
"!!!"
I got up quickly, remembering what happened last night... but... it seems I'm back in my bed again. Mom and Vivia are sleeping, I'm the first one up...
I decide to go outside, it's not yet the time when mom wakes me up to get the morning food, but I see some people are up...
While I'm observing, I see out of the corner of my eye a guard approaching where I am... I don't pay much attention to him...
"…"
I feel something in my stomach… so I look.
"!!!"
A sword… the guard's sword was completely stuck in my stomach.
"AHHHH!"
I fall to the ground, I can't move, I start to feel a lot of pain, ahhh, I can't stand it! I can't see well… Damn…
…
…
…
"!!!"
I wake up again without forgetting that horrible moment I went through. So I just think about checking myself first... yes, there's no wound. The truth is, I knew it was a nightmare since I woke up, but I wanted to make sure... maybe it felt very real.
I look around and see everything is normal. Mom and Vivia are still sleeping, so I carefully go outside.
Yes, the same dream I had, except that I don't see any guard approaching...
"Jinta? You woke up early?"
Mom wakes up and approaches me.
"Yes, but..."
My head hurts, wait… Benily!… she was captured… Ah! The bathroom. If I go now when there aren't many people, they won't notice my presence…
"Mom, I'm going to see if I can get the food earlier."
"But it's quite early..."
"Don't worry, I've been doing it for a while. I'll ask and come back, while you can keep resting."
"Mmm, okay."
Yes, just hearing her approval, I started to go to the warehouse. There was no one waiting to enter, so I just peeked in to see if there was a guard inside. There was no one, so I go in and hide. If a guard found me, he might throw me out or tell me not to enter, but the idea was to hide for a while until mom went back to sleep… well, after a while I'll peek out again, maybe he's waiting for me or he's already gone.
"…"
Dam! He's waiting for me, can't he trust me?
"Boy"
"!!!"
…
I go back to our area, but not alone...
"Oh, so it was possible?"
"Actually, I made an exception for you, I didn't want your son to miss the trip."
Lairen found me in the warehouse, of all the guards it had to be him. Seeing me, I couldn't say anything, the words didn't come out, but he assumed I came for the food or maybe he used it as an excuse to come with me here.
"The thing is, the breakfast I brought is new, so I thought it would be good for you to be the first to try it and tell me how it tastes," Lairen tells mom.
"Very well, let's all go in while I wake up Vivia."
Mom lets everyone in, I just try to blend into the environment, pretending not to feel uncomfortable.
We sit down, Vivia wakes up and each of us takes our breakfast before opening it.
"Well, open it," said Lairen with great enthusiasm.
When we opened it, we saw the usual, but noticed something new.
"Meat!" shouted Vivia excitedly.
"Ha, yes, that's what's new in today's breakfast, although I think for your brother it's nothing new..."
Lairen is sitting next to me, and he murmured the last part, so I was the only one who heard it. Unfortunately, for this situation, there's nothing to do, I can't fight… maybe say it's poisoned? There are many things in my head… I know he will kidnap them if it tastes bad to them...
…
I was lost in my thoughts and didn't realize Vivia and mom were already trying the meat…
"Mmm, it tastes good."
Mom was the first to give her positive vote… I really felt relieved. Only Vivia is left…
"…It tastes good."
Vivia responds somewhat cheerfully, but it was enough. Lairen has nothing left to prove.
"Well, then we will serve it to others in a moment… I thought it would taste bad, I'm not good at cooking," said Lairen as he was leaving.
"Ah… although, it does taste a bit bad."
"!!!"
Said Vivia as Lairen was starting to leave… that stopped him for a moment, but then without saying anything, he finished leaving. I still can't believe it, she said she liked it!
"Vivia, you said you liked it!" I shouted directly at him.
"S-sí, but since everyone was looking at me and mom said it tasted good, I thought…"
"What! you shouldn't have told the truth!."
"Jinta, what's wrong with you! If she doesn't like it, what's the problem!"
Stupid, stupid, stupid! You know nothing, Vivia!
I went out for a moment, ignoring everything. I thought Lairen might approach to take Vivia, but I still didn't see him. If he went to get company, I must prepare to attack him, that was the only thing I thought. So I went back in and tried to find something that could help me, I see the wrapping in which my food was wrapped has a message: "come to the same place at the same time."
"Jinta, what's wrong?"
I heard someone's voice, but I just focused on the message. I knew what I had to do to put an end to this, yes, I'll tell mom.
"Mom, the truth is-"
AHHH! Why, why can't I get the words out!
…
"Ah…"
It seems I can speak again, from the pain I felt I confirm it's not me, something is preventing me from saying what I want to.
I try and the same thing happens again.
"Jinta, are you okay?"
…
"Yes"
Yes, I'll have to go alone…
…
…
…
Everything happened as always, the only difference was that addition to the food and the noticeable strangeness Vivia and mom felt towards me.
Night comes, mom and Vivia sleep. I didn't rest at all, maybe because of the nerves, but I go prepared hiding a small knife in my pants, with only that I start going.
…
I enter the women's bathroom, the broken part is fixed, but nothing that a couple of blows can't break. Reaching the end and remembering the place, I continue until I get to where the guard sat Benily and me. I wait patiently for Lairen's arrival remembering the knife I carried.
"Oh… you really came."
Lairen arrives with the same carefree attitude as always, but what I wonder is where Benily is, I don't see her around.
"Are you looking for her? Don't worry, she's fine…" Lairen sits far from me and continues:
"Look, I don't want you to see me as the bad guy, I just want you to know that this problem involves us all… you and all these people are inside a wall where their routine is to get up, eat, and sleep. Easy, right? But outside these walls, we fight against these creatures:"
Lairen gets up and goes towards something that lay behind him covered in sheets, it looked like a statue, but when he uncovers it:
"!!!"
A woman with long white hair… she is tied to a wooden stake from feet to arms and in very bad condition.
"Don't misunderstand, this thing is a shapeshifter. It's not human and it doesn't stop making some kind of whistle"
I try to control my emotions while Lairen carelessly manipulates the woman's face, I could see her lifeless face and how she seemed to whistle, but nothing could be heard.
"Well, as I was saying… we are hunting the leader of these monsters and we believe that killing the leader will end all of this. Unfortunately, this shapeshifter took the leader's appearance and no matter what, doesn't want to speak…"
I could only watch with concern as he continued:
"We were ordered to capture everyone who possessed a Sico like your friend to finish off the leader, so tomorrow we will take them in the morning."
Lairen got a little closer to me, so I only thought of attacking him by surprise with the knife I had, but…
"!!!"
I fall to the ground before acting, again a blow came from behind and I don't know who it was… and I start to…
"Relax… the truth is, you don't pose a problem in alerting anyone thanks to the device I put on you… but to avoid any eventuality… it's better to keep you here locked up, I'll tell them to release you tomorrow when everything is over…"
I can't do anything… damn… again… I'm useless…
…
…
…
What was I thinking, as if I was going to beat him in battle… it was stupid… maybe I was very desperate. Yes, after all, I'm not strong.
…
I wake up… yes… they knocked me out, the first thing I do is observe my surroundings… I'm in a cage and very close to the woman Lairen uncovered last night… ah! What time is it! Lairen said I would be released after capturing those who possessed a Sico.
I hear a familiar voice… maybe it's mom, damn, maybe they are already taking them, I knew I had to get out before because when they release me they will already have taken them.
I tried to force the lock, but there was no result. Then I remembered the knife I brought and used it, hitting the lock consecutively, and to my surprise, it breaks.
I get out of the cage and look to escape… the place where I entered is closed, and it's very reinforced. I hit it, but I see no effect.
"AHHH! DAMN!"
I go back to where I was locked up and hear someone:
"Lairen said he locked the boy around here…"
"Should we just return him and tell him he got into trouble?"
Two people are approaching, THINK, THINK, THINK. At that moment of stress, I remembered the woman, surely she can help me! Approaching her, I try to make her react… she's awake, but as if she doesn't see anything…
"Hey, hey"
"…"
"There is no option, I'm not strong, I won't be able to do anything against those two, and I have little time before they take Vivia… so please, help me."
There is no other option, the last thing I do is to destroy the bindings that held her with my knife. I try to hold her down, but in the end, she falls to the ground.
"Hey, react."
I can't do anything else, I left her there and hid…
I hear the guards' footsteps, I will wait for them to come in a little more to escape through where they entered. While I wait for them to get closer, I take action.
"Hey… AHHHH!"
"AHHHH"
The guards noticed my presence when I left, but when they looked at me the woman attacked them by surprise. I only saw how she bit one, but at the moment to avoid seeing such a scene, I turned around. Then I only heard screams that stopped after a while.
I could only wait to die, it was logical, but unexpectedly I hear a whistle, a very loud one. Then I turn around and manage to see how the woman goes through the wall with a jump.
"…"
I get up after everything that happened, I'm still stunned, but with little time I only think of Vivia, so I leave.
…
I go out and surprisingly end up in the warehouse where the food was withdrawn. I see Vivia in the distance and two other people who had a guard next to them, while others guarded the door. From what I see, they don't seem alarmed, so it seems I arrived in time.
"Hey, boy!"
As I approached, everyone noticed me and a guard approached, but I ignored him and moved on.
"Hey, stop!"
He grabs my arm, I can only react in one way:
"Don't touch me!"
Shouting that at him, I hit him, but due to his armor, it didn't have much effect. Soon after, a tremor began to be felt, we were all puzzled, but taking advantage of being free I head towards Vivia.
"Jinta!"
"Vivia, don't leave my side!"
I told Vivia, who immediately agreed and grabbed my shirt. I reached her with difficulty due to the tremor, so I will wait for it to stop to quickly pass both guards and go to mom.
The tremor stops, it's now! I run to leave the warehouse with Vivia, but the guards see us and quickly stand in the way. It was too easy to be true.
"AHHH!"
I hear a scream behind me, turning around I see a monster attacking a guard. I really can't believe it, I can only be stunned while watching, ah! More are coming out! The guards covering the entrance went to attack them, so I only think of getting out of here with Vivia, and of course, the other two people also left.
When we got out, we found mom, she seemed about to enter the warehouse because of the scream she heard, but without wasting time, she grabbed Vivia and me and quickly took us to our area.
"Don't move."
She tells us while she seemed to arrange the most important things we have. Vivia goes in with her and I stay outside observing the situation. The truth is, my heart is beating very fast, but I think I have controlled my emotions well, I haven't altered much, and speaking of which, all the people were alert, unlike the other two who just went out in panic but didn't say anything. So I think this calm will only last a few minutes. While I was observing, I see a guard approaching me out of the corner of my eye, but I don't pay attention to him and suddenly:
"!!!"
The guard drew his sword and tried to stab me, but someone stopped it, stopping his sword with their hand. Observing, I'm surprised… it's the woman I freed! Her appearance was the same, but her strength was something else. Without receiving any damage, she destroys the sword and hits the guard, sending him flying. After that, I just watched her.
"Jinta!"
Mom and Vivia come out because of the noise, but a sudden shadow over us surprises us all. Big wings, resistant scales, fangs that could split structures, and possible fire that would spew from its throat…
"Dragon."