The announcement was greeted with almost deathly silence. After listening, he realized that he had ceased to hear the voices of people who, before that, seemed to be the natural background of the local nature. Shouts, swearing, emotional speech - all this was interrupted and replaced by the sounds of walking. Hundreds of naked human feet were now walking towards him, and apart from the usual sounds of the forest, there was nothing else.
"Blood!" - flashed through my head, - "They go to the smell of blood." He did not have time to think about further, as the first approaching people appeared from behind the trees. The same naked as he and his friends. But there was no embarrassment in their eyes. His eyes burned with curiosity and hunger. It was the look of interested predators, not people who were in the central part of Russia a couple of minutes ago and were resting. New feelings for them forced them to go where it smelled so wonderful and delicious. But it didn't even smell like food. By force. Life.
Since the smell is not a lasting thing, if its source has disappeared, and the wolf has not exuded the smell of blood for some time, then people who came to a spontaneous gathering with the mood of fierce predators found themselves almost at a broken trough and began to feel somewhat awkward.
For about a minute, Alexander watched more and more people approach the small clearing. Those of them that came up first had already begun to look around nervously. It was necessary to do something about it, and the moment was extremely good.
- So. Attention. I ask everyone to come here, at the sound of my voice. Do not be shy. Come here. Those who are already here, go around me and stand on the other side, making room for others. Come all over here. Attention…
After shouting like that for about a minute, Alexander realized that he no longer heard anyone else going to his voice. Yes, and the nose claimed that all people are next to him. While he was shouting, summoning people, next to him stood Aleksey Gennadievich, deputy general director, the very boss who was unlucky enough to be the senior at the upcoming event. Being a great friend of the head of the company, he was at the same time a man of great meanness, and he also had an undeniable talent for leadership. The latter reconciled people with his main flaw.
Ale cost Kasandra attempted to start speaking, as Aleksey Gennadievich abruptly stopped him and showed with facial expressions that he should not climb forward.
- I ask everyone to calm down and allow me to speak, - the head began his speech, - we have an emergency with you and we are all in some confusion. Let's discuss the current situation since we have all come together so well. My name is Alexey Gennadievich. I am the Deputy General Manager. Although most of those present, I am well known. We have all become victims of some incomprehensible event and we are in a very delicate situation.
- This is a curse for our sins! The Lord punished us! We will all die and burn in hell!
A stout woman, somewhat unkempt, stepped forward, her naked body looking even more repulsive than her face. Olga Viktorovna - assistant to Alexei Gennadievich and his main sang along. A woman who was distinguished by an unusually significant fanaticism and a certain degree of exaltation. The whole firm suffered from her tantrums, and none of the departments did without her inspecting him and reporting all her sins to her boss. No one at the firm liked her except Alexei Gennadievich.
- Olga Viktorovna, my dear, I beg you to keep quiet ...
- Alexey Gennadievich, don't you see ... - the woman burst into a cry.
- No, I do not see, and I will ask you ... no! I even order you to be quiet and not interrupt me - the steel notes added to the director's voice clearly showed his highest degree of tension.
Even in the most difficult moments, the deputy general never allowed himself to raise his voice, always kept a smile on his face and the most benevolent tone of speech.
But now even his favorite, Olga Viktorovna, irritated him.
"Why are you shutting a woman's mouth!" Said a tall man standing in the third row, "We are all here on the same terms, we are all in the same trouble. Don't yell at women!
- Now you don't need to start sorting out the relationship - who is right and who is wrong, and who treats women like that, - a middle-aged man squeezed into the first row, followed by a woman, - Alexey, excuse me, did not hear how you were talking about the priest, all right began to speak. We don't need to panic and start a personal discussion now. The main thing now is to decide on our next steps and try to find out what happened.
- I am Gennadievich, Alexey Gennadievich. And thank you for your help, although I did not need it, "the deputy general director turned to the newly-minted character.
Why did he continue loudly into the crowd:
- Now the most important thing for us is to go out to people so that they can help us.
Everyone nodded in agreement. The speaker's proposal met with universal approval.
- I am sure that they are already looking for us and we just need to all move in the direction of people together so that no one gets lost and we can provide each other with the necessary support.
Alexander completely agreed with the very first statement of the director. But the last remark caused him a clear rejection. He had little idea of the march of several hundred people through the forest, especially naked people and city people. There was no doubt that such creatures, accustomed to the city, had gathered here. It was enough to look around.
- Alexey Gennadievich, how do you imagine our trip to an unfamiliar place? This is not a city park. There are no paths or paths here. This is a real forest.
- Alexander, I am grateful to you for bringing all the people together, it was very correct and timely. But let's not bother me. Here is a young man who just started correctly. There should be one leader. I have been made responsible for all of you. And I intend to bear this responsibility to the end. Therefore, I ask you not to interrupt me and follow my instructions.
The deputy came close to Alexander and looked into his eyes, trying to look taller and more solid. But since he was half a head lower, this did not affect Alexander.
- I will not be silent. We must stay put. Nobody is looking for us, but we cannot move in such a composition and such a form. And most importantly, we do not know where we are and where to go. The most important thing now is to start a fire, build a shelter and find water.
- Well, about fire and water - I completely agree, but shelter ... Well, what are you talking about, - the man who came out with the woman said again, - We need water and fire, there is no shelter. After all, then you need to decide where to go and start moving.
Alexander was slightly embarrassed but quickly pulled himself together.
- Yes, you are probably right.
- Let you two still shut up and listen to me, - Alexei Gennadievich could not resist such an obvious violation of his authority as a leader. - Here and now I am in charge, and you must listen to my instructions. Otherwise, we will not be able to cope with this situation!
- We do not need to shut up our mouth, - the woman who was standing next to the man said, - We are all in the same conditions and you no one chose as their chief. I understand perfectly well that you are used to leading, but there are other people here who have the know-how to do it. Your idea of a general trek through the forest is completely stupid and does not hold up to scrutiny. You can no longer be a leader! Your very first decision was wrong, even the young man turned out to be more perspicacious.
- Female! I ask! No, I insist that there be silence! - Alexey Gennadievich began to shout, but not from an overabundance of feelings or emotions, but working for the crowd, - In emergencies there should be only one leader, and I will be one since about half people present here are my direct subordinates. And based on this fact, I demand obedience to my decisions.
- But your decision to go to no one knows where ... - the companion of the speaking lady tried to insert the word.
- Yes, let me tell Alexei Gennadievich, - Olga Viktorovna interrupted the man, - Who are you to get in and what do you allow yourself! Shake your farm here ...
The woman made a wide gesture with her hand, pointing to the groin area of the interlocutor.
"In case you haven't noticed, everyone is naked here. I apologize if my penis interfered with you, but I do not have any clothes to cover myself, - the man mocked, but Olga Viktorovna did not even notice this.
- So cover with your hands! Why should I, an unmarried woman, look at your balls? I'll write a police report on you! Let's see how you like it in prison!
The man completely ignored her words and pointedly scratched his groin. This action angered Olga Viktorovna even more and she began to shout something unintelligible, splashing saliva.
- Stop this booth. Now we must all go there together, - Alexey Gennadievich, raising his voice, gestured in the direction in which, in his opinion, everyone should have gone.
"In case you haven't noticed yet, there are women and children here. How do you imagine their movement through the forest?
- We'll move slowly!
- Have you ever walked in the woods?
Alexander was tired of this skirmish. Although in fact, it has not even begun yet, it was already possible to foresee that the conversation would not end with anything good and the quarrel would only grow. He abruptly approached a tree, a pine tree, with a trunk about twenty centimeters in diameter, and with all his might hit it with his fist. What happened next probably scared him more than anyone else. The guy understood that the blow would not be easy, but he was not ready for the fact that his fist would knock a huge piece of the trunk out of the tree. Fortunately, now he did not break the trunk completely, as happened some time ago, and the tree remained standing on a small part of the remaining trunk. Quickly finding his bearings, Alexander realized that if he did not take decisive action, the tree would begin to fall right on people. Therefore, making a small jump in place, he pushed the trunk above the place where he knocked a piece out of it and thus made the tree fall in a given direction.
For a while, everyone was shocked, silently looking at the fallen tree. Having decided not to delay any longer, Alexander spoke as loudly as possible:
- I think everyone is well aware that moving naked, in an unfamiliar area, in an unknown direction is not the most correct idea. I suggest that right now everyone should be engaged in the extraction of firewood and fire, the search for water. And although my idea about huts and shelters is not the most correct, it would be better for us to start making them. In the meantime, all of you are doing this, I will go on reconnaissance.
The crowd roared with approval. Some of the company's employees looked at the deputy general director with confusion. The habit of obeying the orders of a senior leader does not fade in a few minutes, even in such an emergency. Most of the staff agreed with the thoughts expressed by their young colleague, but they continued to hesitate.
Aleksey Gennadievich realized that he was losing the initiative, but not seeing anyways how else to prevent such logical actions, and how to direct people on the path to an unknown goal, made a last attempt to play the situation back.
- And why, will you go to reconnaissance? And not, say, me? Or, for example, Sidorov from the logistics department?
- And this is the second question that we should touch upon. - Alexander hesitated, not knowing how to continue his speech, - After all, apart from our so unusual movement in space and our unusual appearance ...
With difficulty choosing the words, he composed a text in his head, determining how best to convey to people the idea of their somewhat stranger state than the fact that they are naked, in the forest, it is not clear where.
- You probably noticed that our bodies have changed, absolutely everyone, - with these words, people began to examine themselves and their neighbors, - No, we have not grown membranes on our hands, but we no longer have physical defects that were an hour ago ... Note that our skin is pristine. All teeth are in place and healthy, and our feelings - listen to them!
There was absolute natural silence in the forest, several hundred. The lovers stopped making any sounds, even breathing became almost silent. Although everyone has heard how his lungs work, and the lungs of his nearest neighbors.
- Pay attention to how we all see, how we hear the slightest rustles, and how accurately we distinguish smells. To be honest, there are a lot of smells.
- And it's true. I somehow did not immediately attach any importance to this, - the man who arranged a skirmish with Alexei Gennadievich, sat down and began to sniff a fern bush under his feet, - I can feel all the smells in general!
- Right. But even that is not all. Remember what brought you all here?
People, embarrassed, began to try to understand what it was that some time ago made them all stop looking around with horror and go to a specific goal.
"I'll answer for you," Alexander acquired the confidence he needed so much, "Blood! The blood made you come here. I just killed a wolf and drank its blood.
The fear and horror that appeared in the eyes of the people in the front ranks even gave him some aesthetic pleasure, although he had not noticed such fun in himself before. Alexander considered it bad form to frighten others and tried never to allow this.
"But besides this, something else happened - I didn't just drink blood, my body absorbed it directly through my skin, and along with the blood I received… how can I say… all the memories of the wolf about his life, all his memory.
He fell silent, allowing people to comprehend such an exotic thing that he had just told them about.
- God is with you, Alexander, what nonsense are you talking about! Have you taken drugs? - the deputy felt a chance to put the presumptuous youth in his place and immediately took advantage of it.
- No, Sasha is telling the truth, - Oleg approached them, - I also drank the blood of a wolf and also saw his whole life. But even more - I felt some wild power that filled my body at the same time.
- Yes, that's right, - Alexander again intercepted the conversation, - You all saw how I took down not the smallest tree, with just one blow. My body became much stronger after that.
To prove his words, the man jumped on the spot. This jump would do credit to any athlete in the discipline, and Michael Jordan would die on the spot from envy. People fell silent once again, shocked.
- What strength, what jumps? You either drank or were completely stoned. Orlov here? Orlov!
A natural tank began to move through the crowd, and soon a hefty man came out to the speakers. Orlov Mikhail is a bummer from the transport department. Extraordinary kind and a strong guy. It only remained to be amazed at how quickly Aleksey Gennadievich knew how to make decisions in some situations.
- Misha, here a friend got stoned and claims that he knocked the tree down with a blow. I think it's rotten. You are the strongest person I know, please demonstrate to everyone that Alexander is out of his mind.
- How is it?
- What how?
- Well, demonstrate how? I won't beat Sasha! - Mikhail was not a fool, but he was thinking slowly.
The director raised his eyes to the sky.
- No need to beat anyone, for God's sake! Just fight on your hands like Schwartz in Predator. *
(* refers to a scene from the movie "Predator", where actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Karl Weathers fought in their arms in the air)
- Oh, well, this is possible, - Mikhail slowly walked up to Alexander and put out his hand, - come on brother, I'm sorry if that, but nothing personal.
"Everything is fine," with these words, Alexander bent his elbow and squeezed the palm of his involuntary opponent.