Several hours later, the thugs returned to their main hideout carrying the battered and bloodied bodies of their fallen comrades. Zapata led the procession, his face somber and pensive as they also dragged the lifeless and shredded body of the creature that had massacred his men.

They followed a long underground corridor until reaching a huge chamber hidden beneath an abandoned warehouse. There Riquelme awaited them with a retinue of his most trusted lieutenants. The burly capo frowned at the sight of the corpses and the blood that accompanied them.

"What the hell happened out there?" he thundered as he approached with great strides. "It was supposed to be a quick job, that's why I gave you the big guns! Now I have that son of a bitch Miguel asking nonsense!"

Zapata squared up in front of him and nodded curtly, his expression inscrutable.

"We did it, boss, and we confirmed Beto's reports..." He stepped aside to reveal the mutilated body the boys were transporting in black bags. "This was the target, we believe it was the supposed employee of the old woman who perpetrated the massacre."

Riquelme raised an eyebrow at the sight of the horrible wounds and the alien aspect of the shredded corpse. He moved a bit closer, furrowing his brow as he examined it.

"What do you mean?" he snorted with visible disgust. "It doesn't look like any monster, you want me to believe a damn gringo killed so many of my men alone?"

Zapata shifted uneasily and shook his head.

"Sir, I can confirm that according to what we saw, that creature possessed superhuman strength, regeneration and resistance. We managed to kill it but not before losing some men, it tore them apart with its bare hands..."

Riquelme narrowed his cruel eyes upon hearing those words as his men deposited the remains on the floor with a wet sound. He clicked his tongue in annoyance but also interest. That thing looked like an ordinary human, but his business instinct told him there might be some value in finding out what it was.

"Take it to the lab and summon Solano along with his people and some doctors," he suddenly ordered, waving a dismissive hand. "Maybe those chemical freaks can figure out what the hell this is and where it came from."

His men nodded and proceeded to take away the remains while Zapata approached his boss with renewed interest.

"One more thing, boss. It's about the old woman from the store where this thing operated... According to the boys' notes, maybe the old lady gave it shelter knowing what it was. We didn't find her at the site either."

Riquelme narrowed his eyes, weighing that idea for a few moments. Finally, he gave a smile.

"Good move as always, Zapata. Something tells me the old lady has more to do with this spawn than we think." He turned to another of his most trusted subordinates, a cunning fellow with a restless gaze. "Lupe! Find out where that old witch is hanging out right now, did you hear me? I have Miguel in the police so he'd better help you locate her."

The one called Lupe nodded diligently and took out his cell phone to make some calls.

♢ ♢ ♢ ♢

Lupe dialed his police contact Miguel's number impatiently. As he waited for him to answer, his restless eyes darted around looking for any prying glances.

"Yes?" The voice on the other end sounded cautious.

"Miguel, it's me," Lupe responded in a murmur. "I need you to do me a favor..."

A brief tense silence ensued before Miguel snorted.

"You know I don't like getting the police involved in your dirty business, Lupe. I've already given you enough information on the procedures they followed after your latest mess."

"This is important, you jerk," Lupe insisted brusquely. "The boss wants us to locate an old lady, a Juana who could be related to...the latest mess."

Miguel stayed silent for a few moments, pondering the request. Finally, he let out a weary sigh.

"Okay, okay. I'll look into any report or anything on that lady in the databases," he reluctantly conceded. "But I don't promise anything, you'll have to give me more details."

"It's Juana, the old lady who has that thrift store downtown," Lupe promptly provided. "That's all I know, maybe you can get court orders to obtain information from travel agencies, car rentals or bus terminals."

Miguel fell silent again, his mind working furiously. He knew Juana well, and worse, he knew where she was. But she was a kind, lovable old lady who had been very nice to him many times in the past. The idea that she might be involved in the cartel's shady dealings somehow filled him with unease.

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"I'll do what I can..." he finally muttered in an uncertain voice. "But if I do find out something, you'll have to promise me you won't harm her. Mrs. Juana is a good person."

"I don't promise anything, Miguel," came Lupe's harsh response. "Just find out what you can and we'll see after. The boss wants to interrogate her and it's not up to me to say more."

Miguel gritted his teeth, feeling a familiar sense of helplessness and self-loathing. How many more times would he have to betray his principles because of these people?

"Alright, I'll do what I can," he repeated curtly before hanging up abruptly.

♢ ♢ ♢ ♢

Riquelme turned his gaze back to Zapata.

"What else do you have on her and that monster?"

The thug hurried to respond, pointing at the bloodstained notes they had recovered from their fallen men.

Zapata swallowed hard.

"Well...maybe the old lady is some kind of witch who made a pact with that spawn to gain some power, I can't imagine why a little old lady would shelter such a monster," he speculated cautiously.

Riquelme remained pensive for a few moments, nodding slightly at the idea.

"A pact...you gotta be kidding me. Each day forces me to get used to hearing more nonsense." He clicked his tongue and looked over at Lupe who was still on the phone. "Well? Have you located the old lady or not?"

The subordinate looked back at him with some defiance, snorting.

"Sorry to say no, Mr. Riquelme."

Riquelme clenched his jaw in frustration at the news before rounding on Lupe in an imperious tone.

"Then we're not searching hard enough, you idiot." His frown deepened with suspicion. "Scour every inch of this damn town until you find her, use all available resources...contacts, crooked cops, whatever. I want her found whether she's hiding like a rat or fled to the other end of the country. Am I being clear enough?"

"Yes sir. Miguel informs me there's no information on her so far. He'll investigate transit routes with police help to find her."

Both Lupe and the rest of his henchmen nodded obediently although visibly uneasy. Riquelme calmed down a bit and huffed loudly before heading to his private quarters.

"Whatever, just get moving. I want that old lady here for questioning as soon as possible... I'm going to find out everything she knows about this creature no matter what it costs."

♢ ♢ ♢ ♢

"Alright, I'll do what I can," Miguel repeated curtly before hanging up abruptly.

He sat at his desk in the station, mired in gloomy thoughts. If Juana was truly involved with the cartel, any information he gave about her whereabouts could condemn her. But on the other hand, if he didn't cooperate enough Riquelme and his thugs might retaliate against...

No, he shook his head, hands trembling slightly at the thought of such a scenario. No, he couldn't let that happen, not after all he had sacrificed.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. The best thing would be to proceed cautiously and buy time to figure out what to do. He typed a few searches into the police database...

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, a mixture of relief and worry. The longer he could delay providing information about Juana, the better chance he'd have of finding a way out without compromising what he wanted to protect most.

Three days passed and Lupe contacted Miguel again, his tone much more threatening this time.

"What the hell are you doing, you useless cop?" he growled as soon as Miguel answered. "Why haven't you given me anything on the old lady yet?"

Miguel swallowed heavily, quickly searching for a believable excuse.

"It's just...I can't find anything about her in the databases, her trail must have been erased or something. Give me more time and..."

"Nonsense!" Lupe cut him off abruptly. "The boss is starting to lose his patience and you know what that means for you know who..."

He made a significant pause, laden with sinister implications. Miguel clenched his teeth, his heart beginning to pound forcefully.

"No...please no, I'll do anything," he babbled in a terrified whisper. "Give me more time, I have to..."

"Don't give me excuses!" Lupe's voice rose several decibels instantly, hardened by threat. "They know where your daughter lives after all, don't they? It would be a shame if some of our guys paid her a visit..."

Miguel froze, his chest tightening in a mix of panic and rage. How dare they break their agreement and...? Oh God, no, not her, he had already sacrificed too much to keep her safe...

"Leave her alone, I beg you," he gasped in a broken voice, his hands shaking uncontrollably. "I'll do whatever you want, anything, but stay away from her..."

A cold, cruel chuckle came from the other end of the line.

"Then hurry up and get that damn information once and for all," Lupe urged him mercilessly. "Or you can just imagine what will happen next..."

The call ended and Miguel remained motionless, his mind paralyzed by fear. In the end, all his willpower dissolved in the face of the sinister threat of endangering the only person he had left in the world.

He clenched his fists in fury, feeling the tears struggling to come out. All those years doing the right thing, redeeming his mistakes, trying to live a quiet, honest life... and yet, there was always a way for the hell of the past to catch up and rob him of the little he had left.

He rose slowly, his features twisted into a tormented grimace. He had no choice, he had to act quickly if he wanted to preserve his family's safety. With trembling fingers, he dialed a number on his phone as he mentally prepared himself for what he had to do.

In the city, a very old cell phone began to vibrate inside a small bag next to the bed. A figure stirred amongst the sheets before reaching out to answer. It was Juana.

"Yes, hello...Miguel? What a miracle, what's going on at this hour, son?" Her voice rasped with sleep but sparkled with concern. Miguel took a deep breath before speaking.

"Juana...listen to me carefully because what I'm about to tell you is very important..." he began in an urgent tone.