Day breaks. But nothing changes.
The light is there. Faded. Cold. It glides over the ruins, and the wood is scattered.
I walk. The shovel is still in my hand. The metal is frozen. My fingers too.
The injured pass by me.
Nobody is talking, even if there aren't many of them, it's still one less person in the force.
The fence needs to be rebuilt as soon as possible.
The kid I pulled earlier ran to grab onto the leader and then went towards a woman.
I'm not looking at him anymore; my eyes are scanning the fence.
Or what's left of it.
The pit for burying the wood is rather small.
The snow is advancing, but first they need to take care of the goats.
I grip my shovel
– …we need to dig.
No one is answering.
The leader found herself in the center. Standing. Whip in hand. Motionless.
The others gather around her.
I approached as well.
Silence.
She began to speak.
– We don't have time.
Direct.
– the second rear wave.
No one bats an eye and everyone just nods their head in agreement.
– If the snow gets past the barrier… we'll head up into the trees
A man clenches his teeth.
– the village will disappear; without it, we cannot survive without food.
"We're going to die," the kid blurted out.
The little girl comes closer to me. She grabs my coat.
– Ki-Moon…
I'm not looking at her.
– you place too much hope in me
I fix the pit all around the village.
I'm stepping forward.
– …no.
They turn their heads towards me.
I look like a slob.
I stop in front of the breach and jump in; only half of my body disappears, and it's not even big enough.
And the layer underneath is hard
I raise my head.
– …we can stick them here,
Silence.
They exchange glances
The boss stares at me.
I'll continue.
– They all pass through here.
– we will just enlarge the hole, and if we read the surroundings they will slip, fall into the hole and as soon as they get up we will spray them with water,
– they will remain stuck in place
I tap my foot.
The sound is very harsh.
– they are big enough to make a good fence.
A while.
The muscular man frowned.
– What are you saying?
I get up.
– We need to dig; they will push back the snow to survive.
Silence falls.
Heavy.
I point towards the mountain.
– we don't have time
– they only want to eat you.
– They are no longer your comrades.
No one is speaking.
I look at the boss.
– they will be able to leave if they occur.
Pause.
– This is an outing for us.
A shiver ran through the group.
The little girl is holding my coat tighter.
– …you …you're completely crazy
I shake my head.
– Non.
I'm looking at the snow.
– I'm saving your life.
A rumble.
Light.
Beneath our feet.
Everyone freezes.
I strike the ground with the shovel.
BAM.
The noise echoes.
This time, they understand.
– FUCK! someone yells.
Immediate action.
They ran on their shovels
The chef cracks her whip.
CRACK.
– CALM DOWN!
Instant silence.
She stares at me.
A long time.
– You know what to do.
Not a question.
An order.
I look around and nod to the man
– a height of three men, the depth is already good
They frown.
– We open it.
Silence.
"They're still our comrades," the muscular man said.
I started digging first, throwing the snow towards the edge of the village to show them an example.
I step into the hole.
The boss doesn't take her eyes off me.
I continue even if they don't seem enthusiastic.
– We'll dig deeper.
BAM !
Another rumble.
Closer.
THEY ALL SET THEIR HEADS TO DIG IN HURRY
Tension.
The leader is also moving, she's coming forward, side by side with us.
Then she raises the whip.
CRACK.
– LET'S DIG!
Explosion of movement.
This time, they are moving faster.
Without thinking.
Shovels. Hands. Everything.
They are tearing away the snow.
She is terrifying
The little girl is looking at me.
– ….
I'll take another shovel.
hollow.
Quickly
Faster.
The snow is giving way in places.
Cracks appear.
The rumbling rises.
Stronger.
Closer.
"PRECIPE SOME WATER!" I yelled.
The houses are shaking.
The cold is becoming intense.
The leader takes a position at the edge.
Whisk ready.
The other diggers come out.
Pele raised.
Me… I'm staying downstairs.
Into the hole.
The little girl screams.
– KI-MOON!
I'm not moving.
She's kind of annoying me.
The moment.
– Back up.
They hesitate.
– BACK UP!
The leader shouts:
– EVERYONE BACK!
They obey.
Then-
CRAAAAAAAAACK.
The ground is moving.
Right in front of me.
Black-clad, hoofed beasts from the depths of the snow
Dozens of his twisted bodies with red eyes.
I take a step back.
- NOW.
CRACK.
The whip falls.
Cut the first line.
The others follow, pouring water in large quantities.
They can no longer jump.
Stuck in the bottleneck.
I'm slowly going back up.
The little girl jumps on me.
– YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD, YOU WANT TO DISAPPEAR!
I push it back slightly.
– Please move.
I don't have the authority of the leader, but at least I'm no longer invisible.