Tears welled up in my eyes.
I, who was carrying a weapon…
I, who was nevertheless taller, more muscular…
I began to weep like a child.
All the barriers I had built up so as not to sink in the face of horror had just shattered.
The blood on my hands, the house on fire, the corpses in the woods, the amnesia…
Everything came rushing back at once.
The weight of the world was crashing down on my shoulders, and I no longer had the strength to feign courage.
I did not know this man.
But his simple gesture, his steady, human voice, broke my last defenses.
— Are you alright, sir?
he asked me again.
His voice was filled with genuine concern.
I tried to speak, but a sob choked me.
— I…
I don’t know who I am…
The words came out in a pathetic whisper.
— Nor what I am doing here…
I said, my vision completely blurred by tears.
The man took a step closer.
He did not flinch at my weapon, nor at the blood coating my body.
He placed a reassuring hand on my good shoulder, carefully avoiding my broken rib.
— Calm down.
Don’t cry.
His tone was gentle, almost fatherly.
— I’m sure it will all come back to you, he replied with a benevolent smile.
His words were like a balm on an open wound.
In this hell, he was an anomaly.
— You are the only person I see who seems normal…
I said, trying to hold back my tears.
— Calm down first, I barely understand what you are saying, the man replied, laughing softly.
I took a deep breath.
The cool night air entered my lungs, calming the frenzied beating of my heart.
I had to pull myself together.
I could not fall apart now.
— Do you know anyone who could help me?
I asked, my voice trembling a bit less.
The man looked at me, curious.
— There is a house…
on fire…
up there…
in the woods.
I clumsily pointed toward the hill with my weapon.
The man paused for a moment.
Then, he burst out laughing.
A genuine laugh.
Sincere.
I stood there, stunned, my gaze blank.
— You must still be in shock, he said, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye.
There is no fire on the hill.
— But…
I saw it…
— It is nothing, he resumed, patting my shoulder.
A little humor always does some good in difficult times.
I did not understand.
Why was he laughing?
I had clearly seen the flames devouring that building.
I had felt the heat.
But his laughter was so contagious, so anchored in reality, that I ended up letting out a faint smile.
Then, a small nervous laugh escaped my throat.
We laughed together, in the middle of the night, at the edge of this cursed forest.
It was absurd.
It was crazy.
But that shared laughter gave me back a spark of humanity.
The man regained his composure, but his gaze remained warm.
— You should go enjoy the festival in town.
— A festival?
— Yes, the election ceremony for the new town chief.
Everyone is gathered there.
Perhaps down there, you will find answers or help.
Answers.
That was exactly what I needed.
Someone there might recognize me.
Someone would know where this blood on my body came from.
— And you?
I asked.
Aren’t you going?
The man shook his head with a smile.
— Me, I’m going to go grab my friend.
He drank too much and must be evacuating everything somewhere in the forest.
He pointed to the shadows of the forest I had just left.
— Better that I find him before he does something stupid.
I nodded.
— Thank you…
Thank you for everything.
— You’re welcome, friend.
Take care of yourself.
I let him leave, and the man resumed his route alone, disappearing under the dark canopy.
I found myself alone once more, facing the immense glow filtering through the last trees.
But this time, I was no longer afraid.
The man had told me it was a festival.
This light was not a destructive fire; it was the light of civilization.
Torches, laughter, joy.
I followed the advice he had given me.
Clutching my weapon against me, I took my first steps out of the forest, heading with a firmer stride toward the town.
Hope had just been reborn.
But I did not know yet that this hope was about to be crushed in the most horrifying way.