Tony’s parents were about to answer, desperately searching for the right words, when Rick suddenly burst into the room and snapped in a scathing tone:
“Yeah, kid.
Yeah, we’re all gonna die.
Because nobody here is capable of exterminating these Calamities.”
Eden took a step forward to stop him, but Lamar placed a hand on his shoulder, signaling him to let him speak.
Rick continued, his voice trembling with rage and frustration:
“Yeah… Yeah, I said it.
I warned him!
I told him to rest.
What didn’t I do to make him listen to me?
But no… We, the young ones, are never listened to.
We can scream, we can shout our lungs out, but nothing works.
The old folks think they know everything, but once again, look at the result!
And the worst part is, he isn’t even here to talk about it anymore… Seriously… you guys tire me out…”
Tears of anger streamed down his cheeks.
Turning on his heels, he slammed out of the room to isolate himself.
At that exact moment, Tony’s device slipped from his hands, smashing onto the floor in a loud crack of broken plastic.
The little boy collapsed, unconscious.
But his supposed “fatigue” concealed a far darker reality: after a quick medical analysis, the diagnosis fell like a guillotine.
Tony had been contaminated by the Calamity during the attack.
Sally, her face completely pale, declared:
“If we don’t find a cure, he won’t last another day.”
After administering emergency first aid, they gently settled him into his bedroom.
Lamar, crossing his arms, broke the heavy silence:
“Is there nothing we can do?”
David and Eden replied with a single voice, a glimmer of hope in their eyes:
“I think there is…”
David threw himself into his notes and monitors.
A few minutes later, a shout echoed through the corridors:
“I found it!”
Lamar ran over immediately:
“Come on, tell us!”
“To save Tony, we need… the core of a live Calamity,” David explained, short of breath.
“Calamities are classified into several ranks: bronze, silver, gold, and rainbow.
The ones below the rainbow rank all possess a core.
But these underground Calamities… they don’t even belong to this ranking.
Only elite specimens are included there.”
At this announcement, the group was completely devastated.
Sophie, her expression grim, broke the heavy silence:
“What about… Mrs.
Bones?”
Eden nodded:
“Yeah, that’s true… I think it’s time to go see her and support her.”
Immediately, all eyes turned to Lamar.
The large hunter blinked, deeply uncomfortable:
“What?
Did I do something wrong?”
Then, understanding the silent request of his comrades, he sighed:
“Oh… I see.
I’ll do it.”
Eden then threw him a provocative smile:
“So you really thought someone else was going to volunteer in your place?”
Sally stepped in to defend him with a kind smile:
“Don’t listen to him, Lamar.
Besides, you are their favorite.”
“Truly an encouraging line…” Lamar replied in an ironical tone.
He took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the old lady’s room, but the room was empty.
Outside, a sudden wave of panic washed over the group.
They imagined the worst, thinking that Mrs.
Bones had cried so much that she had literally evaporated from grief.
But Alya intervened, discreetly pulling Eden by the sleeve.
She pointed toward Tony’s bedroom.
Mrs.
Bones was there.
The old lady was sitting on a chair, right at the little boy’s bedside.
Tony, who had just briefly regained consciousness, looked at her and asked in sign language:
“Are you okay, Mrs.
Bones?
You look a bit tired.”
Mrs.
Bones replied to him with the same gentleness, also using sign language:
“Yes, I am okay, my little Tony.
It’s just that… Mrs.
Bones is a bit old, so she is a bit tired.”
“But I think you are very young and beautiful, ma’am.
Even more beautiful than my sister and my mom.”
Behind the half-open door, Sally and Sophie, who were listening to the scene with the rest of the group, instantly felt targeted and sketched a smile despite the sadness.
Mrs.
Bones let out a tender laugh, her heart warmed, and thanked him.
The little boy’s face became serious again, and he asked the question that tormented him:
“Ma’am… Is what Mr.
Rick said true?
Are we going to die?”
She gently caressed his hair to reassure him:
“No, it was just a joke on his part to scare you a little bit.
But… did it work?
I think not, right?”
“Yes, yes!
I wasn’t even scared!” Tony replied proudly, puffing out his chest.
Behind the wall, the others finally breathed a sigh of relief, moved by the old woman’s devotion.
They discreetly left the doorway to give them some privacy, while Eden went up to the balcony to get some fresh air.
Lamar, on the other hand, had to excuse himself for a moment for an urgent bathroom break before joining him.
Meanwhile, back in the room, Tony continued to question his honorary great-grandmother:
“Ma’am… Where is Mr.
Bones?
It’s getting late and he isn’t here.
He was supposed to tell me a story.”
Mrs.
Bones had a slight pause, a veil of sadness passing through her eyes, before masking her pain:
“Oh… As for Mr.
Bones, my little Tony… He is doing well.
He said to stay very good and that he was going to give you a big surprise.”
“Oh, oh!
OK!
I’ll be good… super good even!”
“Alright.
Well… For the story, I will ask someone to come tell it to us.
And I guess you must be hungry… So I’m going to go prepare something good for you to eat.”
Mrs.
Bones stood up and walked out into the corridor.
There, she crossed paths with Alya, who was about to go join Eden on the balcony.
Without giving her a choice, the old lady gently grabbed her by the arm and drafted her on the spot to help out in the kitchen, leaving Eden all alone up there with his thoughts.