October 26.
A little over a week has passed since Luara decided to take care of C-001, who had broken into her apartnt.
During those days, she had gone through hell trying to take care of that child; he was very troubleso, as if he were a wild animal.
Bathing him was a battle.
Feeding him was a nightmare.
And dressing him... well, don’t even ntion it.
If clothing were a mortal enemy, C-001 would have already earned the title of "T-shirt Killer 10."
Laura swears she has aged about three years in just a few days.
"Now I understand mothers..." she sighs, staring into space like a war veteran. "They should give dals for surviving this."
Raising a child was difficult.
Now, one as special as the one she had decided to care for out of excessive empathy made it extrely difficult; it was as if he had been injected with hyperactivity; it was another level.
"Ugh... why did I decide to stay with him?" she grumbles as she tries to drink her coffee in peace, knowing she won’t succeed.
And indeed, at that mont...
"Hey, don’t eat that pigeon!" she shouts, running toward the balcony.
There is C-001, happy, cheeks puffed out, holding what was clearly a live pigeon thirty seconds ago.
The child looks at her with his big, innocent eyes, as if he doesn’t understand what he did wrong.
Luara is disgusting to the core; she puts on a glove and pulls the pigeon, which appears to have been stuffed, out of its mouth.
"How could you hunt a pigeon?" That surprised her, as if a child who didn’t look older than 10 could hunt a pigeon... although eating a pigeon without changing your expression in the slightest is extraordinary and, at the sa ti, horrible.
"What on earth did I decide to take care of?" She feels like she’s going to sigh a lot from now on.
She throws one of her stuffed animals to C-001 to keep it entertained while she searches for sothing on the internet.
[What should I do if a child eats a pigeon?]
- Take them to a hospital.
- Give them a glass of bleach.
- Check if they have a stomachache.
- Take them to church.
...
"What the hell is wrong with this search engine?" She decides not to think about it too much and check the child’s body... well, because in the end, pigeons are like rats with wings.
After a quick check, C-001 is perfectly fine, as if he had immunity and no sense of taste.
Just an innocent smile that screams, "I’d do it again."
Laura stares at him; she had previously decided not to think too much about this; it was too much for her ntal health and emotional stability.
...
Night.
After a day that seed to last forever, filled with chaos, running around, and a pigeon she still preferred not to rember, Laura finally had a little breather.
The clock struck eight, and the apartnt was in an almost miraculous state of peace. Almost.
She put on her sneakers with a long sigh, the kind that cos from the soul, and stretched her arms as if she were preparing for a marathon. Not for pleasure, but because surviving a week with that child deserved, at least, a walk in silence.
But of course, the silence wasn’t going to last.
She turned her head... and there he was. C-001. Standing by the door, motionless, with that neutral expression he used for everything.
His eyes barely glowed in the hallway light, and his posture... well, it was identical to that of a dog waiting for its owner to say the magic word: "walk."
Laura blinked.
"... Don’t tell you want to co too."
The child nodded without saying a word.
She looked at him for a few seconds, not knowing whether to laugh or give in. Finally, she sighed with resignation.
"All right, co on. But if you see another pigeon, pretend it doesn’t exist, understand?"
He tilted his head, not fully understanding, but his bright gaze was enough to soften her.
Laura gave a tired smile and picked up her jacket.
Before opening the door, she glanced at him sideways.
"You know, I can’t keep calling you C-001. It sounds like a microwave or a homicidal android. You need a real na."
The child looked at her silently, curious.
Laura put her hand to her chin, thinking. "Let’s see... what na would suit you? Hmm..."
She walked a few steps in circles, as if she were weighing up so severe options.
"Sothing short, easy to rember, that doesn’t sound like a lab chip..."
Her eyes suddenly lit up.
"I’ve got it. From now on... you’ll be called Nilo."
The boy blinked, repeating the na awkwardly, as if it were a foreign word.
"Ni...lo..."
"Exactly." Laura smiled, gently smoothing his hair. "Nilo. Much better than C-001, right?"
He didn’t answer, but a slight spark of joy flashed across his eyes. It was brief, almost imperceptible, but enough for Laura to notice.
And so, as the New York night enveloped them with its cold air and the distant murmur of traffic, Laura and Nilo left the apartnt together.
A woman who didn’t know what she was getting herself into...
And a child who was beginning to rember what it ant to have a na.
Shortly after, they arrive at the park.
There should be people: joggers, couples, the typical man walking his dog, or a teenager with loud music. But no.
The place is eerily empty, as if the city had decided to take a break.
The wind blows gently, stirring the dry leaves that cover the paths. Laura closes her eyes for a mont and lets the breeze caress her face.
For the first ti in days, she breathes in what little clean air New York has to offer, and the simple act feels almost... therapeutic.
She opens her eyes and looks up. The sky, though veiled by the city lights, reveals a few scattered stars, timid but present. A small smile appears on her lips.
At his side, Nilo walks silently, observing everything with the fascination of soone seeing the world for the first ti. His steps are soft, almost careful, as if the grass might break under his feet.
Laura watches him out of the corner of her eye and can’t help thinking about how much her routine has changed since that boy ca into her life. Just a week ago, her biggest problem was choosing between ordering pizza and cooking sothing instant. Now, her daily routine includes preventing soone from eating live pigeons.
She sighs with a mixture of exhaustion and tenderness.
Despite all the chaos, stress, and sleepless nights, she feels good. She wouldn’t say it out loud, not even under torture, but she has had fun.
Who would have thought, eh?
An ordinary woman who lives in an apartnt and takes care of a child with predatory instincts.
Suddenly, "Grrrr!" She notices that Nilo starts growling and frowns, confused. It’s the first ti she’s seen him like this.
Then she hears a man’s deep voice.
"It seems our lord is on our side; to think we would encounter that aberration today."
Laura turns and sees a man with black hair and dark brown eyes, wearing a black priest’s robe that appears to have been made for combat, with a silver crucifix around his neck.
"Lady, you know what you have beside you," the black-haired hunter points to Nilo, whose eyes are now red as blood, shining intensely.
"Ha, ha, I don’t understand what you an. Isn’t he a normal child?" Laura lets out a nervous laugh, trying not to sound it; she notices that Nilo hasn’t cald down in the slightest.
’What should I do? Should I hand it over and save myself a problem?’ She glances at him, and mories of these days flash through her mind. ’Damn it! Now is not the ti to get sentintal.’
"It seems you don’t know what you have by your side, poor soul." The hunter’s words pull her out of her thoughts, and he looks at her with regret.
And he begins to explain: "What you have beside you is a repulsive, evil creature that should not exist... a vampire... no, sothing much worse, it is an aberration."
A heavy silence fell over the place, interrupted only by the wind whistling through the benches and trees.
"... Vampire?" Laura raises an eyebrow in surprise. That famous creature from novels and movies, that boy next to her, is he one of them?
"You can’t be serious. Vampires? In the 21st century?" She feigns disbelief while thinking of a way to get out of this crazy cosplay.
"Ah... I see." The hunter looks sad. "It seems that demon has already claid you." He shakes his head. "It’s truly a sha."
"Wait, what the shit are you talking about?" Laura smiles nervously, her body trembling slightly.
However, her words do not seem to reach the hunters, who rub their hands together in prayer.
"Raise a barrier and let’s send this demon back to hell where he belongs," said the black-haired man.
Another hunter takes out a Bible and begins to recite:
"Heavenly Father, today I humbly turn to You for Your protection for and my companions who are near .
Keep us safe as we fight, and watch over our souls if we should die in the line of duty.
An!"
The pages of the Bible flutter as if they were coming to life and fly away in a white swarm, sticking to trees, benches, and trash cans.
Laura watched everything with wide eyes; she felt as if she had been transported into a magic movie. That ant the boy who had interrupted her in her apartnt was a vampire.
She feels dizzy and nauseous. She wanted to vomit!
"In the na of the Lord, we will purge that demon and deliver you, for your soul has been corrupted," said the black-haired hunter, with the crucifix that turned into a silver whip.
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