Chapter 1
November 28, 2023 at 9:52 AM
Thick snowflakes easily fell into the eyes, forcing them to blink for the last time. A loud, but very quiet, muffled hum was heard, which always replaced silence. But along with it there was also a modest wind, which unpleasantly tickled the nose and cheeks, freezing the already cold skin. A slightly dark, blue, transparent sky and a couple of tree branches created the last landscape of his life. Perhaps this was his gift for the New Year, the very last one... The eyes were tired, and the snowflakes made them tense even more, causing the barely breathing body to lose strength even more. There was not a single thought. None at all. I just wanted to become this snow that flies from the sky and flies until it falls and melts. From far away came the barely audible sounds of trains and the hum of cars. All this made the landscape even more alive. The snow around the guy had long since turned burgundy, also leaving a mark on important clothes that were already stained with blood. The eyes began to slowly close together, forcing me to try to start thinking faster, although there were no thoughts at all. Rare, hoarse breathing became slower and slower, giving a sign that very soon the end of the second chance would be coming. Thirteen holes in the body caused an unpleasant sensation of tingling and nausea throughout the body. My vision was dark and my head hurt. Gradually everything became like a dream. Everything was floating, ringing, making noise, getting dark, etc. The eyes completely closed, not allowing themselves to be opened. Another couple of seconds, or minutes, or hours, and all the noise that he had heard before began to calmly subside.
***
A group of people wandered noisily through the forest, causing the forest inhabitants to fray their nerves. The crunch of snow echoed in the natural silence. There were whispers coming from some of the faces, which were difficult to hear over the loud cracking snow. Some faces were relaxed and not at all excited, while others were intimidated and a little worthless. It was immediately obvious that some of them were completely new. This huge brigade had been walking for a very long time, looking for something. But suddenly, the one who walked first stepped on something that was softer than snow, did not crunch, but was hard. He looked down curiously at his foot, which landed who knows where. The snow in this very place was a little burgundy. How did they not notice this very prominent spot? Everyone immediately rushed to this very spot and began to dig it out, because from the traces of snow, it was clear that the cause of this spot was covered with snow.
***
The cold body lay on the table, almost untouched. Pale, slightly blue skin was covered in congealed blood and fractures. How does the body still look human... The eyes were black and deep, but as empty as those of a dead man. Previously, these eyes were alive, like space itself. They had life like on earth, even if they were depressed. But only now it was possible to see a truly dead emptiness. The hair is disheveled, there are bags under the eyes. This made it clear that in the last minutes or hours of his life, he was clearly very tired.
-Here he is...- A rough voice came from the shadows. A tall and obviously important man stepped into the light, showing his face.
-The end of your dark tale...- He said calmly and quietly, approaching the table on which the dead man lay. The red leader came close to the table and carefully tucked a lock of hair behind the dead man's ear.
-Tom...-