Chapter 26

The aftermath of the event left the entire Cova in an uproar, with streets filling up with people running desperately, trying to hide. Others stopped anyone they could to try to figure out what was happening.

The group had been hiding in the same alley since their escape. Gabriel was wiping his face with his shirt to remove the bloodstains from his deceased companion and had to apply a fresh layer of ointment to his arm, which had started bleeding again due to the sudden effort.

— "Now it makes sense," the young man muttered as he rubbed his face harder.

— "What?" Naomi asked.

— "I ran into one of those creatures so easily," he replied. "Martha led me into the alley. She intended to kill me."

— "Yeah," Mateus agreed. "It must have been from the information she got from the fishermen."

— "But that doesn't explain why Gygy helped," Cecília pointed out.

— "Not all the Corvos must be on the Doctor's side," Gabriel spoke again. "It's not uncommon for Ninhos to rebel, but there are always members who oppose it."

— "Are you saying she had no idea?" Cecília asked, sitting down with her back against the wall.

— "Probably not. I'm alive by sheer luck," Gabriel said, laughing without much enthusiasm.

— "The situation is more complicated," Mateus spoke again. "If these two Ninhos are involved, they could easily block supplies and trap the others."

Gunshots silenced the group, along with everyone else rushing through the street. Gabriel noticed that the shots came from a distance, based on the sound's height. He guessed they were at the city entrances.

An unnatural silence took over for a few moments before screams and chaos returned to the street. People rushed by, bumping into each other, and several individuals crouched in corners, crying, confused about what was happening.

Naomi left their hiding spot, shouting at a woman running at full speed. The woman was out of breath, using her large frame to push through the crowd easily.

— "What happened?" Naomi yelled.

— "The Corvos closed off the city!!" the woman replied, still running. "They won't let anyone leave, they just killed a family who tried to disobey."

Quickly returning to the alley to avoid being run over by the woman, Naomi turned to face the others, who had heard the message. They had really closed off the city.

— "How is it possible for the Doctor to control two Ninhos?" Gabriel asked.

— "We have a bigger problem right now," Cecília said. "We won't be able to handle so many Corvos on our own. I need to talk to Kasca."

— "The leader of your Ninho?" Naomi asked, receiving a nod in response. "We also need to warn the Bunker."

— "I'll do that," Mateus volunteered.

— "Better I go with you," Gabriel suggested.

— "With your arm like that? Thanks, but no. Cecilia, take them to the Ninho. I'll meet you there."

— "Alright," the young woman replied. "Better not die, or Sarah will never look me in the eye again."

"Don't worry, I'm just sending a message to the Bunker."

Mateus watched as his companions entered the street amidst the crowd. As soon as he lost sight of them, he headed for the Nest in the center where the pigeons were. But the walk was frustrating for the young man, as people were rushing towards him.

Squeezing against the walls of the Old buildings, Mateus continued toward his goal. Turning the corner, he passed by an old man who had tripped and been trampled to death. Skipping over the disfigured corpse, he kept going until he saw the square in front of the Nest.

New gunshots rang out in various parts of the Pit, and the streets were becoming emptier as people found shelter. In front of the Nest, Ravens looked lost in all directions, the attack had taken them completely by surprise. Some ran toward the sounds of gunfire, while others returned inside to grab their full gear, since they were only carrying knives.

The staircase in front of the Nest ended in two revolving doors, situated between an entrance sealed by an iron gate, which was raised due to the situation. Mateus quickened his pace, climbing the stairs two at a time.

Other Ravens looked at him with little concern, and he passed through the entrance where the gate used to be, arriving in the building's main lobby. Even though it was crowded with people in black running in all directions, it remained spacious. The marble floor was scratched, and in many places, the wear was obvious. Two staircases led to the upper floor, ending at the deactivated elevators.

It was possible to see the Ravens running on the upper level along the railing, where only their heads passed hurriedly. Two smaller staircases were located in the corners of the upper part. Mateus hurried his pace to talk to someone about where the pigeons were, and Lorenço, the leader of the Nest.

Bumping into several people, he headed for the stairs. The sound of footsteps echoed on the marble floor when the young man finally reached the staircase. His hood was down, and his face was dripping with sweat. He climbed as fast as he could, when the whole place fell silent. He turned to the entrance at the right moment to see a young man gasping for breath.

"Truck!!" shouted the rookie Raven just before his body was violently struck by a vehicle.

The front of a truck hit the side of the young man's body, throwing him five meters forward with all his bones broken. His lifeless body rolled across the asphalt. The Nest was stunned by the scene unfolding before them. Fuel was a luxury only the Bunker could offer. Mateus knew that the situation was more complicated than it seemed; the Doctor clearly had contacts and had managed to get both gasoline and a truck.

A new vehicle suddenly entered the area, crushing several Ravens who were stunned by the truck. Mateus had to hold onto the marble handrail with the invasion of the new vehicle. Screams of pain filled the air as the vehicle, its front crushed, stopped on the first steps of the staircase.

From his higher vantage point, Mateus saw the damage done. Several bodies with smashed, immobile limbs. When the truck's bed door suddenly opened, the Raven felt his blood run cold. Twenty people, their bodies filled with iron, emerged from the compartment. Unlike the three he had encountered before, these were much better protected, with blades welded to their bones in an exemplary manner. The Doctor had learned from his previous mistakes. Mateus realized that the ones he had fought before were merely prototypes compared to the true horror of flesh and iron.

Chaos erupted in the Nest as the Ravens were massacred. Mateus watched in shock for a few moments as his comrades tried to flee like ordinary civilians, only to have their bodies torn apart or crushed by the iron monstrosities. But this moment didn't last long, as the Ravens quickly started to fight back, especially those on the upper floor who fired at the invaders. These new monsters created by the Doctor had more protection, and the iron didn't go inside them but instead lay close to the muscles like an exoskeleton.

Because of their altered bodies, each one could move unnaturally, making it difficult to shoot them. Mateus saw five of the monsters dead, and nine Ravens, when he noticed the first truck that had invaded the area. A man dressed entirely in white, wearing a mask over his mouth, observed the scene as he casually opened the truck's bed door, through which more modified people emerged to join the attack.

Mateus knew at that moment that it was the Doctor, and he reached for his revolver but changed his mind when the new horde of enemies joined the attack. Gritting his teeth, he began to ascend toward the pigeon areas. His legs felt weak, and the screams of pain and death mixed with the shrill sounds of the modified people filled the area. The gunfire was incessant.

The Doctor was trying to destroy the communication methods to the outside world, Mateus understood as he climbed the side staircase of the upper corridor in the main hall. The man intended to leave the city completely at his mercy, and with the most important Nest taken down, things would get easier. The young man ran without feeling any fatigue, fueled by adrenaline. His mind kept processing everything; if two Nests were supporting the Doctor, and excluding the one in the city center, he could create a "line" between the locations with Ravens, destroying them.

The man was acting in haste, this was a fact with the ongoing attack, but it had been planned for a long time. Mateus reached the top of the stairs and entered a room crowded with frightened pigeons. His legs felt as heavy as lead, and his arms were numb from the continuous effort, but he didn't dare stop there.

The room contained dozens of cages hanging on both walls and the ceiling. In the center, a black office desk with papers and pencils was placed, and just ahead, a small exit through which they sent the birds. He ran to the center of the room, grabbing one of the papers with his trembling hands and writing: "Cova Two, Traitor Ravens."

There was no time to elaborate on the message. He rolled the paper up and, using a piece of string from a wooden box in front of the pencils, tied the message. He ran to a cage, grabbed a black pigeon that was desperately struggling, and noticed that the gunshots below had decreased. This could mean two things: either the enemies were being defeated or all the Ravens were dead.

He tied the message to the pigeon's leg with another piece of string and released the bird. The pigeon took off impulsively, flying through the passage and disappearing. There was still hope. But it wasn't over. Mateus needed to find Lorenço, if the man was still alive.

"There wasn't supposed to be anyone here," said a young voice.

Mateus turned immediately and saw a rookie standing near the door. The young man was pale and holding his gun with trembling hands. Feeling a little calmer, he spoke.

"Don't worry, I sent a pigeon asking for help."

"No, this wasn't supposed to happen," the rookie's face was pale. "He told me to stop this."

"Who?" asked Mateus, feeling his chest grow cold, slowly reaching for his revolver.

Seeing Mateus's movement, the rookie fired, hitting the Raven in the stomach. He immediately curled up in pain.

"The Doctor can't know about this," the rookie continued, fleeing up the stairs.

Mateus coughed up blood as he tried to stop the wound from bleeding more, leaning against the desk. He knew the rookie who had shot him—it was one of the newcomers from that Nest. The pain and dizziness from blood loss made it hard for him to think. Why would someone be on the side of a man who would attack his home, killing his friends? Mateus wondered, grabbing a stack of paper to press against the bullet wound.

The Raven refused to die there. He reached into his medicine bag for the anticoagulant made from spider venom. He was going to leave, he wanted to see Sarah. He grabbed the vial when something sharp suddenly appeared from his neck.

Mateus felt blood fill his mouth as a long spike pierced his neck. The blade had just appeared in his field of vision so suddenly. His attacker pulled the weapon, and a gush of red blood poured from the wound.

Mateus collapsed, struggling to breathe as he drowned in his own blood. But he was able to see who—or rather, what—had delivered the fatal blow. One of the creatures was watching him with lost eyes, a long spike protruding from the lower part of its arm.

The Raven thought of Sarah again as he drowned in his blood, while the monstrosity watched him die slowly. He felt desperate tears fall down his face. He didn't want to die.

Most of the Ravens from the central Nest had died. Mateus was one of them, but he had completed his mission. The Bunker would know.