As soon as they entered, they sat down, and one of them brought them water, which they drank.
Afterwards, the leader asked him:
"So, what do you say?" And how did you become who you are? And where is the mayor?
Tears began to stream down his face.
I'm telling you, we weren't even facing the police or the army.
We were facing ghosts.
People who died and then came back to life.
Silence fell as the men looked at each other in bewilderment, their thoughts racing to the conclusion that the mayor's son had gone mad.
Sika spoke, moving from his place.
Turn on the radio.
Everyone looked at him silently as he switched on the radio on his phone to the same channel. The channel was repeating the same message: a warning about the spread of a strange epidemic that makes people more prone to violence and even murder. Anyone who suffers even a scratch or a cut from them could contract the same disease.
While everyone was listening, their leader looked at the mayor's son's hand, which was clearly injured, so much so that it had turned blue and was oozing pus. But the mayor's son quickly noticed his gaze and covered his hand with his robe.
Then the leader looked at Sika, but saw nothing wrong with him. Scratches
He replied angrily, "Shut that thing down!"
"What do you mean, only you survived? Are you telling me the entire army that went out with the mayor died?"
Silence fell over the place, as if it were a pre-arranged mourning period without bodies or a burial.
After the silence had fallen, one of them stepped forward and said,
"So who do we appoint after the mayor?" Everyone looked at the mayor's son, who was beginning to look exhausted. Another man responded while silence reigned,
"What are you saying, man? Don't you see the mayor's son as good enough for you?"
The man quickly replied, realizing the impact of his words in the gathering,
"Of course I see him. But I mean, how much has the mayor taught his eldest son?"
Then their leader replied,
"The mayor's son is the mayor, whether he's old or young. And whoever doesn't like it can take his wife and children and leave the town."
Then the mayor's son replied,
"I know that my father, the mayor, knew you better..." My older brother... but my brother lost my father. And now I'm the only one left of our family.
My father entrusted us with the care of the town and its people before he died.
And I won't abandon his wishes until I die.
A caller came from outside and asked permission to enter.
Then he entered, looking alarmed.
"Your Honor, the Mayor!" There's a policeman outside who wants to see you.
At this point, the mayor's son and Sika became tense. Looking at each other, they recognized the two policemen Sika had referred to.
The man entered.
Everyone looked at him in silence. He broke the silence, saying,
"I only see the mayor's son. Where's the mayor?"
Anger flashed across the faces of those standing there. The commander was about to shout at him, but the mayor's son stopped him, grabbing his hand and saying,
"You're in front of the mayor. What's the matter, Officer?"
The policeman understood what had happened and remained silent, saying,
"So the rumor is true, and the mayor has gone to fight in the desert farm..."
The commander became angry and shouted at him,
"What are you saying? We don't understand you. Speak clearly!"
The policeman looked at him, smiling.
"The world's turned upside down out there. Maybe it's because the village is far away, so the news arrives late." But there are many crimes outside and diseases no one has ever seen before.
But I was appointed by the committee searching for the missing police officers in the past few hours.
And I'm here with a court order to arrest the mayor.
The commander shouted, "Are you crazy? Are you coming into our home to threaten us?"
The mayor's son stopped him.
"I'm coming with you."
Everyone looked in shock at his words and their commander's response.
"What are you saying? If you go, we're all with you."
He looked at him, his exhaustion growing.
He removed his hand so the commander could see it.
His hand was blue, and it seemed a disease was spreading through his body at an alarming rate.
The mayor's son looked at him.
He spoke in a low voice, "I haven't been here long, and my presence here is thanks to the man standing behind me who saved my life three times.
If I have any request of you, it's that he be the mayor. Our term as mayor is over." And I'm the last one from the mayor's house.
You and your whole family were our best right-hand men, and I'm telling you, the man behind you is the one who took the sword of death from my neck. And what I'm going through is because of my own actions. When I got close to my father's body, he wounded me, and the disease is feeding on me as I speak to you.
I'll go with him in his car so I don't pass anyone from the village.
If anyone has the courage to face the death that's coming their way, it will be this boy.
The one who's coming doesn't die by a rifle or a knife. I saw with my own eyes how he finished them off.
A sharp pain shot through the mayor's son's hand, and the veins began to turn blue and throb, spreading.
The commander looked at him. "Mayor!"
His features changed, and his eyes grew even redder, but then they returned to normal.
He regained his senses and spoke to the commander.
"This is my last request of you."
He moved closer to his ear and whispered something, and then the commander's eyes welled up with tears. It was a strange sight for everyone present, as no one had... They saw the commander weep one day and knew that something serious had been said to him.
He went to Sika and whispered something in his ear. Sika was shocked at first, but he nodded when the mayor's son asked if he understood.
The mayor's son then turned around.
"Let's go, Your Excellency."
The officer's smile widened, and he felt victorious. He and the mayor's son left the council.
A child was outside, and the mayor smiled at him as he walked out. The child looked at the commander and the other men who were leaving behind the mayor.
Screams began to rise from the women after the child's hands were handcuffed.
Meanwhile, the officer and the mayor's son led the child, head bowed, into the vehicle. Two soldiers were already inside, and the vehicle began to turn. The commander passed by the child, moving him out of the way, and placed a piece of cloth over the child's head, which had been around the commander's neck.
As the vehicle drove away, a hail of bullets from the commander and his men rained down on it. A few meters away, amidst the panic of everyone at what was happening.
Bullets pierced every part of the vehicle. One soldier opened the door and tried to escape, but he didn't make it. Another tried to resist, but bullets were coming from all directions. Only seconds passed before the vehicle exploded.
Screams rose from the women of the town, and the men around the commander didn't understand why they had done this. But then they saw the mayor's son telling them, as he turned to go with the officer,
"Listen to what they're about to say, and don't go back."
Terror was etched on their faces. They believed they had participated in the killing of the mayor's last descendant, even if he had approved of it. The shock and incomprehension were still evident on their faces. The shock intensified when someone emerged from the heart of the flames. It was the mayor's son, but he was a living corpse, burned beyond recognition.