Sitting at the table, right in front of her, Father had a serious expression on his face after hearing the whole story.
Seven had told him everything, how and where he found it, its appearance, and how he managed to escape from there.
While listening to what happened, Father remained in complete silence. This made Seven uneasy, but even looking at his face, he saw no change.
"It's not natural for a humanoid to go so far from the center, perhaps because it was blind…"
Father, just like Seven, was equally surprised to find one of those so far from the center.
Shaking his head, he abandoned that theory.
"No, even so, this isn't normal."
"Yes…"
Seven didn't understand why one was there, and even his Father didn't understand.
Why was the humanoid there, so far from the center…
"Leon really doesn't know anything?"
"Oh, no, after I came back, I acted normally and made up some excuses. Though he was suspicious, in the end, he believed me."
"That's good. If he knew, we'd have to talk to him to keep it a secret."
Looking at the closed bedroom door, Father sighed.
"Even though she's doing better, talking about this might remind her of something."
"I know… but what are we going to do about the humanoid? Even if it wasn't right by the lake, it was very close."
"There's not much that can be done. Starting this year, we won't go back there."
Upon hearing this, Seven, abruptly standing up from the chair, questioned:
"But what about Yuliya's medicine?!"
The plants they gathered at that lake were mostly for his sister, so not being able to collect them anymore would be a huge problem for everyone.
"…I'll find another place that has that herb, or I'll have to look for another one with a similar effect before our stock runs out."
"Haven't you already tried several others before? But in the end, none of them worked?"
It wasn't a cure for the disease, as there was no medicine that could fix it. The kind of thing afflicting her would have to be fought by her own body, so it was a slow and gradual process.
But that plant was used to make a strong painkiller, the only one that managed to relieve the intense pain she felt. That was all they could do, fight the symptoms with various medicinal plants, but not the cause.
"Isn't there anything that can be done? Can't we just keep going there during the day, like we've been doing?"
Seven knew it would still be dangerous; humanoids were brutal by nature, both in strength and ferocity. It was too risky to approach a place they knew had one, even protected by daylight.
Clenching his fists, Seven sat back down in the chair.
I don't want her to go through the same thing as before…
When she fell ill, she spent days suffering in bed, unable to sleep due to the pain she felt throughout her body. On top of that, she had a high fever, to the point they had to put her in water to control her temperature because the medicines were ineffective.
Looking down, Seven spoke almost in a whisper.
"If it's you… maybe you could even kill it."
It was blind and weak, to the point that he managed to escape from it. Seven knew he couldn't kill it; against the humanoid, he had no chance, but his Father could, he believed that.
"Son—"
As he spoke, the bedroom door suddenly opened, with Isis stepping out.
"Father—"
She, sensing something strange in the air and seeing Seven's startled face, stopped.
"—Did something happen?"
Quickly, with ease, Father answered her.
"No, it's nothing, I was just talking to Seven about what we'll do in the coming days."
Realizing his slip, Seven turned forward, putting a lighter expression on his face while his father and sister talked.
"I see…"
"What do you need?"
"I came to return Yuliya's cup; she thanked you for the tea."
Approaching, she placed the cup on the table and turned to leave.
"Daughter."
But, being stopped, she turned back to her Father.
"Tomorrow, you'll lead the group on the daily task, in Seven's place."
Surprised, Seven turned to his Father, wanting to say something, but gave up and looked down.
I was expecting this…
His Father might have forgiven him for straying from the group, but now, discovering the situation was more serious, nearly getting killed, there was no escaping it.
It wasn't Seven's fault that the humanoid was there, but it was because he acted irresponsibly and chased the rabbit that he ended up in danger.
I'll probably have to stay home for a few days.
Isis, frozen in place after that statement, took a moment to process the information.
"…Wait! But this will be my first time! Will Seven be there to help me?! What do I have to do?!"
Desperate, she tried to understand the situation she'd been thrown into.
"No, Seven will accompany me to a place I need to go."
"What??"
Surprised, Isis and Seven spoke at the same time.
I thought I'd be punished…
"But we only have one bow! If Seven doesn't come with me, I won't have a weapon to defend myself!"
"No problem, since he'll be with me, you can take it, as you know how to use it."
Interrupting the conversation, Mia and Victor came out of the bedroom, entering the room, looking sleepy.
"Daddy, I'm hungry…"
"Father, will it take long for the food to be ready?"
After looking at them, noticing they were tired, Father stood up and turned to the kitchen.
"We'll talk about what you'll do tomorrow after dinner, daughter."
"Wait! Why after eating? Can't it be now?"
Picking up the rabbit, Father began to skin it.
"No, because then the food will come out too late for your younger siblings."
"But Father!"
"While I prepare dinner, everyone go take a bath, now."
Even though Isis tried to stay to get more answers, Mia started pulling her.
"Come on, sister! We have to take our big sister to the bath too!"
Reluctantly, she had to give up, returning to the bedroom with the younger ones.
Seven, getting up from the chair, began walking toward the bedroom too, with a worried expression, when Father spoke.
"We'll talk about this again tomorrow."
"Yes…"
"And also, I know you were scared at that moment, but you made the best decisions and got home alive. I'm proud."
Turning to his Father, he was surprised, but a smile soon spread across his face.
"Thank you!"
Nodding, he resumed walking toward the bedroom, feeling lighter.
***
After midnight, Isis woke up in her bed. Sitting up, she slowly began to look around.
Everyone was still sleeping deeply, illuminated by a faint light that glowed just enough to keep some light on without disturbing them.
The day they'd had was exhausting, traveling to a lake that was just under half a day away and having to carry a heavier load on the way back due to backpacks filled with plants, had worn them out considerably.
They had also arrived home later, due to the problems they faced, and stayed up late celebrating Seven's first successful hunt.
Still waking up, rubbing her eyes, Isis murmured:
"Thirsty…"
Being on the top bunk, she climbed down carefully, avoiding making noise so as not to wake her siblings, especially Mia, who slept right below her.
Luckily, the metal bed didn't creak as she descended.
Leaving the bedroom, she went to the kitchen, which was also lit by a faint light.
The place was in complete silence.
Looking to the side, at one of the room's doors, she checked if any light was seeping through its cracks.
It was her Father's room, as she wanted to know if he was still awake.
It's off… he must have gone to sleep…
Normally, he stayed up very late, even into the early hours, but it seemed he had already gone to bed.
Yawning, Isis looked around.
Passing by the sink and the open cabinets, she was looking for something when she noticed that on the table, the plates and cups they used for dinner were still there.
Why is everything still on the table?
She remembered clearing them, but they were all still there.
I must be mistaken…
Too tired to try to figure it out, she walked to where she had sat during the meal, grabbed her cup, and went to the sink.
Reaching it, she took a bottle full of water that was there and poured herself a glass.
Just as she finished, about to start drinking, she felt a cold breeze hit her back, making her stop.
Where did that come from?
Although they had an air exchange system that kept constant ventilation in the bunker, the air was heated, so it didn't make sense for it to be cold.
Setting the cup aside, she began to follow the draft, being led to the exit staircase.
"Is it open?"
Climbing the stairs, she approached the exit door, noticing from a distance that it was half-open. Without wasting time, worried, she ran the rest of the way.
As soon as Isis reached it, she began pushing to close it, but she couldn't.
Why is it so heavy?
Perhaps because she had just woken up, she wasn't able to move the door.
She knew it wasn't easy to move, but she had done it countless times, and it wasn't as hard as it was now.
The weight this time, for some reason, felt different, much heavier than it should have been, to the point that she couldn't even budge it.
I have to close it as fast as possible!
It wasn't safe to leave the door like that at night; something could get into the house.
Straining, she kept pushing.
With her effort, gradually, she noticed the door starting to move, which relieved her.
Thank goodness…
When, suddenly, the door jammed again.
Isis was a bit irritated; she wanted to close it quickly and go back to bed, but she was also scared of being there alone with it open.
"Is something blocking it?"
Carefully, Isis stepped out from behind the door to find and remove whatever was preventing it from closing.
It must be the cabinet…
Since it was the only thing they placed near it, it was the most likely.
However, looking outside, she couldn't see anything; the exterior was in absolute darkness.
Straining her eyes, she tried to adjust to it.
But, feeling a chill after staring for too long, she turned and went back inside.
I'll wake Father or Seven to help me.
Moving away from there, she started walking toward the stairs when she felt something grabbing her leg.
Startled, she quickly looked down, seeing a long arm coming from outside the bunker, its large hand completely encircling her ankle.
It had pale, cold skin, with thin, almost skeletal fingers, and long nails that resembled claws.
With its firm grip, it wouldn't let her escape.
Screaming, she called for help.
"Seven, Father! AAAAAAA!!!"
Then, knocked down, she was dragged by the pale hand out of the bunker.
…
Terrified, Isis woke up in her bed again. Looking around, she tried to understand what had happened.
Everything was calm, with a faint, warm light illuminating the room, and only the soft sound of her siblings' breathing could be heard.
But, feeling something gripping one of her legs, she quickly lifted the blanket and saw that part of the bedding had come loose and wrapped around her ankle.
With a swift movement, she easily freed herself.
It was just a dream.
Everything was nothing more than that—the wraith and the open door, none of it had happened, it was all a dream.
She was safe inside the bunker, in her room, but even so, her heart was still racing, and her breathing was heavy and labored.
Trying to calm herself, she focused on the cozy, safe environment around her. Then, feeling her throat dry, she turned to the bedroom exit, which led to the kitchen, where there was absolute darkness.
Feeling a chill run down her spine, she began to sweat coldly.
It was just a dream, just a dream, just a dream, just a dream!
Repeating it like a mantra in her mind, she tried to control herself.
Hugging herself tightly, her breathing was heavy and steady, gradually becoming louder.
Feeling short of breath, she started breathing through her mouth too.
A dream, a dream, a dream!
But even breathing through her mouth, she still felt something suffocating her.
Placing her hands on her neck, she tried to find what was hindering her breathing, but there was nothing.
Looking at the bedroom exit, into the complete darkness, remembering what happened in her dream, feeling a terrifying despair, her eyes began to water.
Help…
When she was about to scream.
"Is everything okay?"
Something called out to her.
Startled, Isis turned and saw Seven awake on the bunk beside her, looking at her with concern.
"Did you have a nightmare?"
Feeling some of the despair fade, she looked down.
"…"
Still shaken, she stayed silent for a few moments before answering.
"…Yes…"
"I understand. Want some water?"
Automatically, remembering the dream, Isis answered him, shouting.
"No!!"
Caught off guard by such a response, Seven was left speechless.
"…"
Luckily, even though she had shouted, her siblings only stirred in their beds, still sleeping, too exhausted to wake up.
Realizing how she had responded, she quickly tried to correct herself in a lower tone.
"I'm sorry, Seven, it's just—"
But before she could explain, he interrupted her, speaking calmly.
"No problem, it's okay."
It wasn't just his words; his understanding expression made her realize she didn't need to explain anything.
"Thank you…"
Gradually, Isis began to feel her heartbeat return to normal, and the suffocating sensation started to fade.
A dream, it was all just a dream…
"I'll get some water for you."
"Yes…"
Climbing down from the bunk, Seven quickly went to the kitchen.
Watching him leave, Isis gave a melancholic smile.
In the end… nothing has changed…
Without delay, he returned to the bedroom with a glass of water.
"Thank you."
Seven, smiling, took it and placed it on one of the pieces of furniture between the beds.
Turning, he began to prepare to climb back onto the bunk but stopped, noticing that Isis was still staring at him, as if she wanted something.
"Need anything else?"
Avoiding eye contact, she started speaking shyly.
"Well… could you… well… sleep… with—"
In a low, hesitant tone, she tried to say something, but before finishing the sentence, she stopped.
"…"
I'm past that age…
She wanted to ask to sleep together, as they had done in the past, but ended up giving up.
"…It's nothing, good night, Seven."
Turning, Isis lay back down on the bed.
"Good night, Isis."
Climbing onto the bunk, Seven lay down too.
...
After several minutes, the room fell into complete silence again, with only the slow, steady breathing of the sleeping people.
But Isis still couldn't sleep.
Why did it come back…
It had been years since she'd had one of those, though they were constant when she first arrived there, with nearly every night plagued by nightmares about them: the white wraiths.
Night after night, she woke up desperate, screaming in panic.
She could hardly go back to sleep, to the point of having to stay awake through the night, something that became relatively normal for her.
The nights in that place would have been lonely, in a dull bunker she had just come to know, in a room dimly lit, at least, that's what it could have been.
Moving silently in bed, Isis looked at Seven, who was already asleep.
I wish I could be like you…
Whenever she stayed awake, Seven kept her company, no matter how tired he was, he was always there with her.
Since the nights were long, to pass the time, he told her stories Father had shared with him, about what they did during the day, or even about a book he had read, even if she only listened.
Sometimes the stories became repetitive, so he would read books to her.
It was surprising to her that, even after days staying up with her, he had the energy to talk all night and move during the day as if nothing had happened.
The times she managed to sleep were when, driven to exhaustion by days without rest, she was overcome by sleep and ended up sleeping deeply.
Already half-drowsy, Isis thought about the past.
When… did I start speaking again?
When she was rescued, she was completely mute, due to the trauma of losing her family, but after a long time, with Seven's care, she slowly began to speak again.
At first, it was only with him, with a few scattered words, but gradually that changed, from words to sentences, from sentences to small conversations.
— Yaaawn! —
Little by little… things got better…
By coincidence, or not, as she started talking more with her new family, the nightmares lessened more and more until she had none, until today.
I hope… this… is the last one…
Isis, reaching for her chest, clutched a medallion she wore around her neck.
Gradually, Isis began to feel sleepy again, as she was very tired from the day she'd had.
Daddy… Mommy… sister…
And so, she began to drift from thought to thought until she finally fell asleep.