Damiano's throat went dry. He couldn't stop thinking about his family and how they might be doing.
He grabbed his phone and called his father.
The call wasn't answered. He did the same with his two brothers and got the same result.
If he had been a little nervous before, now he was truly worried.
From the school's loudspeakers, an alarm began to sound with clear instructions.
> [All students, please evacuate the premises immediately. Classes are suspended due to public safety concerns.]
[All students, please evacuate the premises immediately. Classes are suspended due to public safety concerns.]
[All students, please evacuate the premises immediately. Classes are suspended due to public safety concerns.]
Many panicked and immediately ran out of their classrooms. The hallways quickly filled with students screaming and trying to get out at all costs.
Damiano found himself trapped among the mass of people, unable to move forward or return to the classroom.
His concern for his family made him act too rashly.
"Everyone, please evacuate in an orderly manner!!"
The teachers tried to restore order, but no one listened.
Slowly, everyone made it out of the building. Some were injured or hurt in the process, but no one seemed to care.
Planes and helicopters flew over the area, and several heavily armed military trucks drove through the streets.
Damiano said goodbye to his friends, who were just as worried as he was.
As he crossed the streets, Damiano noticed that it wasn't only his school being evacuated. Businesses, companies, and even subway stations were shutting down.
Many people rushed underground to try to get home, but aside from the overwhelming number of people, very few workers chose to remain at the stations.
Damiano had no choice but to take a taxi, and even that was difficult due to the number of people in the same situation.
The trip was anything but easy. There were traffic jams, accidents, and shouting everywhere, but he managed to get home after an hour and a half.
Fortunately, when he arrived, he found his brothers and his father in the living room. The TV was on, constantly showing images of an explosion while the news anchor provided updates.
"What's wrong with you guys?" Damiano sighed. "I tried calling you so many times—you had me worried."
His father didn't seem to hear him. He had a phone pressed to his ear and was pacing back and forth, clearly anxious.
Ashley stared at her phone with trembling hands.
The only one who answered was Andre, who stopped watching the TV and looked at him with a frown.
"The attack happened in the Molins district."
Damiano raised an eyebrow and slowly began to understand the seriousness of the situation.
His uncles and cousins lived in the Molins district. Now he understood why his father was so worried.
"An attack?" he asked after a moment.
"Yes," Andre nodded grimly. "It was the Children of Anarchy. They attacked several cities at the same time and released some nightmares while fleeing."
Damiano dropped onto the couch and buried his face in his hands.
The Children of Anarchy were a terrorist group of Dreamers who advocated for the supremacy of Dreamers.
In short: a group of lunatics who believed they were superior and that they should rule.
They had carried out attacks and skirmishes before, but nothing like this.
"Hello? Yes, yes… of course. Don't worry."
His father finally managed to contact his aunt. He spoke with her for a long time before sitting down beside his children.
"Kids…" His voice hesitated slightly. "Your aunt's house was near the area of the attack."
"Is she okay?!" Ashley asked anxiously.
"Yes, she's fine," he nodded. "Fortunately, the girls were at school and she was at work."
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
"The problem is that her house was among those affected, and now she has nowhere to stay," he continued. "They don't have anywhere to go, nor the money to get a hotel."
"They can stay here!" Ashley said immediately.
Patrick looked up and saw Damiano and Andre nodding without hesitation. Neither of them even considered leaving their relatives alone in a moment like this.
A smile appeared on his face. He was proud of what his children had become.
"I already spoke to her. I told her she could stay with us."
"How are we going to arrange things?" Damiano asked.
"We only have three bedrooms," Andre added.
"For now, Damiano will sleep with Andre," Patrick explained. "Damiano's room will be for Sabrina and Natasha.
I'll sleep on the couch, and Rebecca will stay in my room."
Damiano and Andre exchanged a glance and shrugged.
They didn't mind sleeping together at all; until they were thirteen and fourteen, respectively, they had shared a room.
The only one who was unhappy was Ashley. She didn't want her father sleeping on the couch and preferred to share her room with her aunt, but Patrick refused.
Damiano chuckled quietly. He knew his father well—he would never allow his little princess to suffer even the slightest inconvenience.
He and Andre had learned long ago that Ashley was the spoiled one.
Instead of causing jealousy or resentment, it had inspired them to become loyal protectors of their beautiful and precious sister.
Though they would never say it to her face.
The family began organizing the house so that when their aunt arrived, she wouldn't feel uncomfortable.
Since the city was in chaos, they couldn't order pizza or delivery food, which forced them to cook for themselves.
When their aunt arrived with her two daughters, they were already waiting with a hot meal and smiles on their faces.
Together, they shared a warm dinner and talked without going into detail about what they had experienced in that place.