Blood. Blood everywhere.
Her own scream was silent to her ears, Tár did not even realise she was giving voice to her terror and pain. The only thing she could hear was the accelerated beating of her heart and an endless buzz that overwhelmed every other sound. She blinked and her breath was once again caught into her throat. She was kneeling on the ground, a gnarled root pressed onto her shin, the discomfort a forgotten afterthought. She bent down at the waist as her sight darkened and a shiver ran from the base of her neck down to her tailbone.
She was cold. Afraid. Ragged breaths now came out of her mouth, as another bout of shivers shook her, but this time her arms too started trembling. Her whole world was unravelling in front of her eyes, and the weight of everything she had suffered since they had been attacked and captured was about to crush her. A helmet appeared in her field of vision; it was one of those strange, totally closed ones that these humans wore. It was unlike any other she had ever seen, but the sight was now so common it did not elicit any more surprise. Regardless, even if it had been the first time seeing it, it would have caused no reaction in her. Not in her current situation. She understood that the one in front of her was saying something only when they took hold of her arms and shook her with surprising strength. Tár still could not hear anything except for the sound of her own heartbeat and that annoying and ever-present buzz.
The human stopped shaking her and turned. They were speaking, perhaps, while looking around. She did not know. She did not care.
She looked down.
She was holding a hand, a gentle hand smaller than her own, with a couple of years left to complete its growth. She could feel the dirt, the scars, the scabbed scratches, the callouses, the broken nails and ruined skin. The hand was cold, so very cold.
As Lífsgleði lay there on the ground, blood pouring out from the deep cuts on her arms, Tár found herself frozen, unable to do anything except stare at the joy of her life dying.
No! Not again. By the Sage, I will not bury my daughter as well, the Widow be damned!
Her hand tightened around her child’s before letting go. The tunnel vision receded while she moved according to painful experience and ingrained practice; she tore strips out of what little cloth she had left of her shirt, feverishly tying them around the wounds on the left arm and putting pressure on them. The human – Gjaspinder she assumed, given the dark eyes visible inside the helmet – was already taking care of the other arm, where the wounds looked shallower; from a pocket of her belt, she took out a tiny white and blue satchel that looked so very fragile, as if made of thin parchment. She tore it open on one side and poured the white powder it held onto the bloodied arm. Then, she did the same with the other side, but this time blue powder fell onto the wounds. Once done, she spoke very loudly in her language. The only thing Tár understood was “Elisa”, and a warm ember of hope started to burn inside her. When a female voice replied, she looked up to see the human healer running towards them, followed by the muscular one, Tetzuo. It was at that moment that she looked back at Lífsgleði and saw the dirty rags she had used as bandages drenched red, the blood still seeping from under them and onto the ground. The ember was almost snuffed out at that moment, but then she noticed that her daughter’s other forearm was encased in something lucid and transparent. She considered it in wonder for but a second, marvelling at how that white and blue powder had become that thing and stopped the bleeding. With renewed fire in her heart, she quickly turned her attention back to the left arm, doubling her efforts to stop the bleeding. She looked at the human healer and pleaded her for help. «Elisa! Please save Lífsgleði! Save my daughter».
Then, she was suddenly shoved aside.
***
The girl’s face was pale, or at least it looked so. Elisa was not an expert on the physiology of grey aliens, but she could recognise the incoming hypovolemic shock in the blueish lips, in the closed eyes, in the clammy skin and in her shallow breathing; they were losing her. Tár was putting pressure on the filthy “bandages” – though the name felt too generous – that were already drenched in blood, and the combat medic tried not to think about the appalling risk of infection on the wounds. Still, she could not leave it like that; the Okkar woman was trying her best despite the panic on her face and trembling hands, and it did not look like it was the first time she had dressed a wound, but she was clearly not trained in any first aid basics.
As if reading her mind, Tár addressed her directly. «Elisa! Please bjargaðu Lífsgleði! Bjargaðu my dóttur». Tears fell to the ground, driven by her desperation.
Elisa shoved her away. No time to be gentle, the girl had lost too much blood already.
«Everyone, back off! Jas, talk to me». Her commanding tone would have made Alessandro himself snap to attention.
«Copy. A single, deep cut on the left arm and multiple wounds on the right. Likely self-inflicted. I found a jagged stone covered in blood. Tár found her. I poured a dose of FAP on the right arm».
Mentally cursing once again whoever had decided to call it “First Aid Powder”, Elisa checked the left forearm with expert eye. She took the med-kit out of her backpack, pulled out a tourniquet and with quick and precise movements, put it on the girls’ left arm. Shit! She’s going into hypothermia. «Al, help me. We must warm her up, she’s too cold». Alessandro followed her orders without a word, and soon Lífsgleði was wrapped into an olive-coloured casualty blanket. Elisa grabbed the right arm and performed a simple visual inspection; the anti-septic powder had already transformed in gelatinous foam, coating the wounds and the blood vessels in the process, helping with coagulation. «Well done, Jas. The bleeding has stopped, but keep the pressure above the elbow». She put the arm back under the blanket and turned towards Alessandro, crouched next to her. «Al, keep an eye on the tourniquet. Mark ten mikes from now, you know what to do».
«Roger, ten mikes. Marked».
Taking hold of the injured left arm, Elisa removed the bloodied bandages as fast as she could and examined the wound. She washed the blood away with some water, took out a FAP from her utility belt and, with a steady hand, poured the dose of anti-septic powder onto the cut, watching its rapid expansion into a transparent foam that coated almost all of the forearm. All the while, she never stopped paying attention to Tár. The woman had gone through the first stages of grief in rapid succession, and now hope was strong in her and she was breathing a sigh of relief.
Too early for that. Now comes the hard part.
«That never ceases to amaze me. The wonders of modern medicine...»
«Sorry, Jas, no time to chit-chat», Elisa told the younger operator. «Mark fifteen mikes for the foam and keep the pressure on the other arm». She rummaged inside the med-kit. «We can only use two more FAPs before she starts to get blood poisoning; she’s just a civilian, and not even an adult. We need to be quick». She grabbed the injector, loaded it with a vial of broad-spectrum antibiotics and administered them to Lífsgleði, hoping she would not have an allergic reaction.
She breathed in, then out. It was not finished yet.
«She’s stable for now. We stopped the haemorrhage but she’s still in critical condition». Elisa applied a small disc to the girl’s neck to check her vitals, and a list of parameters appeared on her visor. She read them out loud, more to confirm them than to let the others know. «Pressure: 80/60. Heart rate… stop disappearing for fuck’s sake! 125… no, 132. Now it’s 128. Scheiße, the pulse is too weak even for the sensor». She grabbed a crystalloids bag and put up an IV connecting it to the girl. «Brad, keep it high». She cursed again. «This is not enough. She needs a transfusion or she’s as good as dead». Elisa looked at Alessandro, the only universal donor among the team. He understood, nodded, then began to take off the body armour on his left arm.
«Are you sure this is the best option?» Bradley asked.
«No, but I don’t even know if it’ll be enough to save her…»
Jaspinder chimed in. «Elisa, can she even get blood from us? I mean, we’re the aliens here! Are you sure—»
«I don’t know, Jas! I’m not sure of anything here! I don’t know if 0 negative will be rejected or not, but her blood is red like ours, and this… this is our best bet».
«What are the risks if the blood in incompatible?» Bradley asked, his voice tinged by an unusual anxiety.
«The mild ones? Fever, nausea, vomit, dizziness, tachycardia, pissing blood, jaundice—»
«Jaundice?» He asked.
«When you get yellow skin and eyes. It’s a liver problem».
«Oh, ok».
«Then there are the serious complications», Elisa continued to talk as she carefully dressed the wounds on the girl’s right arm – the least hurt of the two – with an emergency bandage. The dry foam would ensure the wounds remain clean and the bandages sterile. «Lung problems, kidney failure, shock, death. Jas, you can stop with the pressure on the arm».
«Oh, for the love of…» Bradley swore out loud. «Is it too much to ask for something less dramatic sometimes?»
«Elisa», Alessandro addressed her, his voice calm and quiet, «Wouldn’t it be better to have Tár do it? She’s her mother, while I’m literally from a different species».
«We’re not sure she is. We still can’t have a damn serious conversation with them. Yes, I’m almost certain they are mother and daughter, but “almost” is not enough. And yes, we are different species, we’re the aliens here, but – as I said – they too have red blood, and I know you are 0 negative, Al, while I have no idea of their blood types».
«Okay, but isn’t there a good chance that we have totally incompatible blood, then? The two of them should share the same, no?»
«Maybe. It’s possible; and no, they could still have different blood types. At best, the chances are one in four, and that’s if they’re mother and daughter. If they’re sisters we should consider that they might have different fathers, or perhaps Tár is the girl’s aunt, who the hell knows!» She closed her eyes and took a calming breath; she was getting too heated up. She really wanted to take off her helmet, but she needed the medical parameters it showed. «All these mental gymnastics are pointless if we let her die! Maybe Tár is the perfect donor, maybe she has a blood-transmitted disease, maybe, maybe, maybe… We don’t know and we can’t test her blood, so I’m still counting on you».
«I’m ready, but I’ll ask again: are you sure? The chance of rejection could be too high», Alessandro said.
«No, I’m not sure! Scheiße, Al, I don’t fucking know! We transplant pig organs into humans, but this isn’t the same! If we make the transfusion, she might die. If we don’t make the transfusion, she will die».
«Elisa», Brad intervened, his voice a warm embrace, calming, «you’re the medic, you know best. We trust your decision».
Elisa went quiet as the others looked at her. She felt their stares even as her mind weighted the options while the mantle of responsibility pressed her down, her thoughts racing to decide what would give the young girl the best chance of survival.
If we leave her be, she dies. She’s lost too much blood. If I use Tár, I’m making a serious gamble with her life. If I give her Al’s blood, it’s still a gamble, but I have some control… or the illusion of it. Shit! Shit! Shit! Why can’t the decision be easy for once?
«Fucking hell, I hate leaving things to chance…» she muttered, but she had made her choice. «First the tourniquet. How are we with that, Al?
«We’re down to two mikes».
«Good, I’ll remove it now. Al, lay down next to her. Put your head towards her feet, so I can connect your left arms. Jas, your mark».
«Six mikes left».
Not enough time. I’ll have to use another dose of powder. «Jas, you’ll help me. Do as I say when I say it».
«Yes, ma’am».
The removal of the tourniquet did not cause any new bleeding from the wound. Despite its depth, no artery had been touched, otherwise the foam would have not been able to contain the blood ejected at arterial pressure. They proceeded with the transfusion, and Jaspinder was tasked with checking the numbers on the small display of the transfusion kit’s gauge.
«It will automatically stop the blood transfer at the 900 ml mark, but warn me when it reaches 450».
«Wilco, ma’am».
«Now, hold her arm steady, palm up».
Once the transfusion was underway, Elisa poured another FAP on the wound, marked fifteen mikes, took off her gloves and picked needle, tweezers and surgical thread. Using her visor to zoom in and out on the wound, she started to suture the veins in the left arm that the girl had cut or nicked in her suicide attempt; the transparent foam allowed her to operate with a clear view of what she was doing, with no blood flowing out, all while keeping both the wound and the instruments sterile.
Only a minute passed before the silence was broken. «Elisa, why did you choose to have Chief Rossi undergo the transfusion and not Tàr?» Jaspinder whispered, her eyes reminding the German medic of a curious cat.
«Well, the girl has more similarities with Tàr than Al, that’s evident. They’re related and most likely mother and daughter. However, I remembered that some chimps and gorillas have blood types very similar to us».
«Gorillas? Why are you talking about apes?»
«Look, I know it sounds stupid, but a human with type A blood is closer to a type A gibbon than to another human with type B». She carefully inserted the hooked needle into the vein and connected it to its severed part with a final loop and a small knot. The intensity of the situation and the fact she was wearing her helmet had Elisa sweat profusely; on the other hand, the fact that she was wearing the helmet meant that no sweat would go into her eyes. «Hell, the Rh factor itself stands for “Macacus Rhesus”, so, you know, I thought “what if their blood and ours are similar enough?”. It was a gamble I admit, do-or-die, with risk of failure in any case». She began to suture a second vein.
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«So, a kind of Kobayashi Maru, but you managed to cheat like Captain Kirk» Jaspinder commented.
«I don’t think I want to know what that is. In any case, Al was a known variable with the most neutral blood type, so I went with him because it was the safest choice between two bad ones».
«I can hear you». Alessandro said, his eyes still closed.
«It’s rude to eavesdrop».
«If you don’t want to be overheard, don’t talk where I can listen».
«And here I’d hoped the blood loss would make him more amiable», Elisa said to Jaspinder.
«Not really an adjective I’d use for him», Bradley pointed out.
«Indeed, you’re right. “Grumpy uncle” would be more appropriate». Jaspinder wore an amused smile.
«I’d go more for “annoying old man”», Elisa replied.
«Har-har-har. You guys are so funny. Ever thought of doing stand-up?»
«Yes, of course. I have a natural gift for comedy, don’t you know», Elisa deadpanned. Her hand had never stopped working on the unconscious Lífsgleði, though. She had finished to suture the second vein and was proceeding with the remaining two. Then she would have to close the wound in the same way. Only nine minutes left before the foam would flak away.
A couple of minutes later, as Elisa had just begun to reconnect the last vein, the gauge alarm went off and Jaspinder notified her that they had reached the 450 ml mark. After receiving Alessandro’s permission to continue, Elisa warned him that they would only transfer another 450 ml and then stop. She would not risk his life. That amount of blood would have to do.
With a little more than a minute left before the anti-septic foam would dry off, Elisa finished stitching the wound and wrapped it in clean TR bandages, her movements efficient and delicate.
As she checked the right arm, Elisa shared her thoughts out loud. «I don’t think we need to use a TRB here. From what I saw earlier, the wounds are not so deep that they need a fast tissue regeneration. I guess the girl was too weak – or too afraid – to do a good job».
Jaspinder chimed in. «She did manage to inflict no less than five cuts, though».
«Yeah… Let’s leave the Israeli bandage and see how it goes».
Not long after, they reached the 900 ml mark and Elisa stopped the transfusion. She also injected the young Okkar girl with a stims shot and a tetanus shot; the last thing they wanted was for her to die right after saving her life.
They had done all they could. Now they had to wait and hope she pulled through.
***
It was late morning, and Tetsuo was walking around the camp, helmet hanging from his belt and LMG attached to his back. They had remained in the same place since the previous afternoon, and most of the group had welcomed the unforeseen break. Around him, people quietly murmured, and he listened to them without really focusing on anyone in particular, catching a word here and another there, though the vast majority of each conversation still felt obscure to his ears. The air was damp and the smell of wet soil and wood already permeated his nostrils; it smelled good and fresh. It made him thirsty. The forest, however, was quiet, devoid of any natural noise except for the rustling of leaves and a couple of brave birds which were having a duet high up on some branch, probably feeling safe enough from predators to indulge in a few songs.
Naturally, Tár was not among those who had been happy about the respite. She would have preferred if they had not had to stop at all, for obvious reasons. Now she was sitting close to Lífsgleði, nursing her daughter – Tetsuo had made sure to receive crystal clear confirmation about that – in hope she would heal and awaken. Bradley had made them dig some fire holes and bring the girl close to one, keeping her warm throughout day and night. Elisa checked on her periodically, but there was nothing more she or any of them could do; they had to wait until she got better.
Or until she did not.
One thing that Tetsuo liked to do in stressful situations was to walk. As he walked, he would listen, observe, feel whatever happened around him, without focusing on anything in particular. It helped him to change perspective and ease some tensions. The only downside of this method was that he could not always do it; for example, being under direct fire can be considered a very stressful situation, but he would have never considered freely walking around to relax in such context.
Moving around the camp, he noticed that each team member had their own way to cope with the latest event; Lífsgleði’s attempt to take her life was still just a step away from becoming another tragedy in their messed-up mission. Senior Chief Rossi was still recuperating from the considerable blood transfusion, though the master chief had had to literally sit down on him when he had insisted on going hunting with SO2 Cooper, despite Chief Schwartzman’s orders to rest. That was why he now mostly laid down to sleep or sat with his eyes closed and sighed even more than usual. When she had asked why he kept doing it, the senior chief had replied that he was picturing his wife, his daughter and his son in his mind, wondering when he would see them again.
«I wish I had a photo of them with me, and to hell with OPSEC…» He had told her, worry and longing in his voice.
Chief Schwartzman, Elisa, had confided in him the previous evening that, since morning, she kept thinking of all the young people she had seen die in the last few years; she kept seeing their faces everywhere, fear and shock etched into their final expression. Her mind, she had told him, also kept going back to her younger brother back in Germany, wondering if he was fine.
As he walked, Tetsuo chanced upon SO1 Khalid repeatedly kicking a tree. He decided no to disturb her, and when she stormed off, visibly dissatisfied, he followed her discreetly. When he saw her joining SO2 Cooper in doing some basic calisthenics, Tetsuo walked away, but not before overhearing a snipped of their conversation.
«I have cried enough». She declared, getting down on the ground for some push-ups. «First to fifty? The loser pays the next drink».
Cooper simply grunted his agreement. Tetsuo was quite certain they both needed to vent some anger and frustration, and left them alone. He found the master chief standing guard – someone had to – and approached him.
«Chief».
«Tetsuo. Any news?»
«Negative. No status changes».
Chief Anderson cursed out loud.
«Trust in medicine and in the girl’s resilience. We can’t do more than what was already done».
«Roger, I know. It’s just… She’s a kid, just a little older than my girls, and we failed her. Again, I couldn’t protect her».
«Chief, you know very well that we did the best we could do. Those who harmed her are dead, and none of us had any way to stop her from attempting suicide».
«Guilt doesn’t go away with logic, Tetsuo. We were unable to protect her, that’s a fact». He sighed. «I wish I were with Becky and the girls… Anyway, good job, Tetsuo, carry on».
Recognising the dismissal, Tetsuo resumed his walk. After seeing the senior chief and the master chief, he could not help but think about his husband and their son, and how glad he was that Reiji was growing up in a country where he did not have to fear for his freedom or his life. His feet carried him onward, towards his actual target for the day; the giant Okkar was leaning against a tree, perhaps lost in thought, but Tetsuo had lots of questions, about their culture, life, habits, about them as persons, not just a people, and Eiðvörður was the right one to answer them.
This, too, was his way to combat stress.
***
Alessandro woke up refreshed. Well, as much as one could while in middle of a forest, with no bed, no shower or other modern amenities. Still, he felt full of energy; it was a given, since they had forced him to lay down and rest for a day and a half, and just because he had given some blood. A break was always welcome, sure, but he was not on his deathbed, he could have helped around camp, gathered firewood, tended to the fires, cooked, stood guard; not one of those activities were strenuous or very tiring, as he told the others.
But Bradley had heavily insisted, as in 90-kg-plus-equipment heavily, and Alessandro knew when to relent.
He stood up and stretched, his back and neck aching from laying down for too long, stopping when he felt his muscles had loosened enough. He helped himself to some hare meat caught and prepared the previous evening by the two hunters; they had roasted them with some herbs he did not recognise that removed some of the gamey flavour. He warmed it on the closest fire, but the first bite confirmed it was still too bland for his tastes, so he took his backpack, removed a small container from it, took out a tiny pinch of salt and sprinkled on top of the meat.
Oh, yes! Salt makes all the difference. He sighed, content, as his taste buds enjoyed the now-tastier meat. I am almost out it, though. Not that I brought much to begin with…
Alessandro finished his breakfast and decided to check on the girl. She was only ten or so metres away, close to the biggest fire hole and still wrapped in the emergency blanket. Tár was sleeping next to her, clearly exhausted, but still holding her hand. His arrival did not disturb their peace, he kneeled down and saw that both were breathing normally; it was a sight that made him feel at ease, despite knowing the precariousness of the situation. As he stood up to walk away, Tár stirred and opened her eyes.
She said something unintelligible, then wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her free hand and slowly sat up. She caressed the girl’s face and moved a lock of black hair. Then, she searched for her makeshift canteen and drank greedily what water was left in it. In all this, she never left the hold on Lífsgleði’s hand. Looking at Alessandro, she spoke with a now clear voice: «Alesanðr, I thank you. You bjargaðir my dóttur. Your blood mun vernda her, now».
«You welcome», he replied. «I happy to help».
Tár smiled at that, but it was a smile that could not hide her worry. Alessandro nodded and with nothing more to say, began to move away.
They noticed it at the same time, and they both turned to greet the pair of brown eyes that was looking at them.
«M… o… ther».
Lips barely cracked open, Lífsgleði managed to utter that one word, and Tár almost threw herself at her daughter, hugging and kissing her with passion and relief. Tears flowed freely from her eyes and words of joy filled the quietness of the forest, her every gesture was full of care and tenderness.
Alessandro was not wearing his armour so he did not have a way to call the others on the comms, but since they were in the middle of the camp, he guessed that shouting would be enough. «Elisa! She woke up!»
Their resident combat medic arrived running non even half a minute later, med-kit in hand. She was followed closely by Brad and Cooper. Wasting no time, she began to check the young girl’s health in silence, and no one uttered a word as she worked. Eiðvörður too came closer with the rest of his people, until everyone was huddled together. They all quietly waited for Elisa’s words.
Only a few minutes passed, not more, but to Alessandro they felt like hours, until Elisa stood up and spoke. «She good. She will live». The words were said in the Okkar’s language and were met with cheers of joy and relief. Tár was positively beaming despite the copious tears running down her cheeks, and hugged Elisa first, then Alessandro, before going back to tend to her daughter. The rest of the Okkars kept celebrating and hugged each other, some with tears flowing but all sporting a smile; even “Lady Braids” let go of her perennial scowl for five minutes and smiled in relief. As the cheers quieted down, Elisa continued her report in English. «She’s safe now, lucky girl... She survived, but I fear she might have damaged her tendons. We’d need a deeper check but we don’t have the equipment, so only time will tell».
Bradley nodded, busy drying his tears of joy. «I want everyone to give Tár and… Lifsgledi, correct? Anyway, give them your full support. Elisa, Tetsuo, talk to them and learn if there’s anything else we can do. Everyone else: we stay here until Elisa decides she can travel, so back to your duties!»
At the order, Alessandro decided to take care of whatever tasks Elisa and Tetsuo had to do before Lífsgleði had woken up. It was the least he could do, and he was in serious need to do something with all the energy he had.
Later that evening, he was sitting down on the grass, resting. He massaged his shoulder as he slowly stretched it, trying to ease the dull ache. I might have exaggerated…
«Hey, gramps, having back pain? Did you remember to take your evening pills?» Bradley plopped down next to him.
«I’m well, better than young punks like you. Now, get off my lawn».
Brad laughed. «See? You’re already in character, ready for retirement».
«So, what news do you bring, o’ mighty master chief? All quiet on the western front?»
«Well, things are okay. Tetsuo managed to understand the meaning of Lífsed… Lífsgleti… Jesus, I’ll never complain about Carter’s naming sense again ».
«Brad, she tried to name her son “Puto”».
«Well, Filipino rice cakes are good…»
«Tell that to anyone who speaks Spanish. She had misspelled “Pluto”. She was lucky the clerk at the registry office noticed and made her change the name».
«Well, at least she didn’t choose “Uranus”».
Alessandro stared at Brad, unblinking, and slowly raised an eyebrow.
«Anyway, Tár’s daughter. Tetsuo has learned that her name means “Joy of Life”, because she was that for her parents».
«See? That’s good naming sense. Okay, “Lífsgleði” is not easy to say but it’s not that complicated either. At least not for most of us».
«Yeah, yeah, you’re so good with languages, unlike me, poor, ignorant American country boy. I bow to your superiority».
«You said it, not me». Alessandro smirked.
«I don’t punch you only because pa’ taught me not to hurt the elderly. In any case, we spoke with Tàr; we managed to have a kind of conversation».
«About?»
«So, Elisa asked her to be there for her daughter, constantly. To talk to her, to make it so she is not alone facing her nightmares».
Alessandro nodded.
«I was there with her and Tetsuo. We more or less made Tár understand it will be difficult, that such scars will not go away, but that her daughter has to talk about it with someone who cares about her. Hell, we’re not shrinks, but they should all talk to someone; a friend, family, it doesn’t matter. They can even talk to us if they want».
«That would be an interesting sight».
«Well, I think we managed to pass the message, because Tár started crying and thanking us. She kept saying “two times”, so we guessed it was for saving Lífsgle… ði twice already».
«We only did what was right».
«Yeah… Elisa is frustrated though. She hates not being able to help them recover from the trauma and that even listening and talking to them is complicated because of the language barrier».
«What else is new? She’s always preferred to blame herself instead of rationally consider the situation».
This time it was Bradley’s turn to look at Al in askance, one eyebrow raised. «Whoa, man, that’s cold».
«It’s the truth. I also noticed that they do cry quite often, Elisa too».
«Dude, not everyone has the emotional range of a rock».
«That’s offensive», Alessandro replied, straight-faced. «I’m much more sensible than a rock, at least as much as a tree».
«Okay, that’s it. I can’t take a dad joke at this hour. I’m done for today. You take first watch with Tetsuo, since you’re so full of energy».
«Aye, aye, chief». He gave Brad a mock salute and slowly stood up.
***
Two weeks passed by in a flash, and they found themselves outside of the forest. It was sudden, almost unexpected, and left them disoriented; it was as if a strong wind had blown away a dense fog from their minds, now lighted by the sun that shone above their heads. One by one, they all stopped to enjoy its warmth, which was a balm for the spirit after weeks in penumbra, surrounded by humidity or drenched by rain. Alessandro was the first, followed by the rest, who took off his helmet and breathed as if it were his first time, as if his lungs could now hold more air, all while basking into the sunlight, eyes closed and a blissful look of enjoyment on his tired face; then, he exhaled a long, heavy breath he did not know he had been holding in, and could hear the others do the same. With a satisfied sigh, he looked at the sky in quiet contemplation, losing himself in its vastness. This new world appeared to be welcoming them, its colours now more vivid than anything they had seen in the forest, the skies azure with a tinge of green, as verdant were the plains stretching endlessly in front of them, and the smell of virgin soil and grass gently warmed by the sun, of the still-remaining morning dew, embraced them. It was the smell of Spring, and only a few sparse trees and a couple of gentle hills emerged from the unbroken sea of green that melted into the horizon. He spared a glance at the rest of the team, who was quietly enjoying that same peaceful state, while their Okkar friends showed the relief one would feel after waking up from a nightmare; some stood, arms spread out and eyes closed, others kneeled and touched the ground with their forehead, a few murmured unknown words, and sobs could be heard here and there.
Jaspinder pointed at it first, but everyone heard the cry of a bird of prey flying above them, hunting for its next meal, as an easterly wind caressed their skin, blowing away what darkness remained upon them. They walked, an unconscious spring in their steps, and the rustle of the grass and their footsteps filled their surroundings; the sounds too were clearer now, crisp, as if a muffler had been suddenly removed from the world around them.
Amidst all such changes, the most notable, but also the most subtle, was the invisible weight that lifted from their chests the farther away they moved from the forest. They all, Charlie Team and Okkars, set out with their back straighter than before, shoulders more relaxed and heads held higher. Baffled, Alessandro and the others watched with warm eyes and an amused smile as their ash-skinned friends visibly relaxed and began to make small talk among each other after weeks of almost complete silence.
It was only around noon that Cooper spotted a blurred dot at the horizon; Tár confirmed it was their destination, the town they were looking for. With renewed vigour, they marched on.
No one looked back at the dark forest, its boundaries already far behind them.