Iñaki and Eduardo slowly descend the stairs, trying to postpone reality for as long as possible, but the steps end. They return to the apartment; their expressions are the same shadow.
"Coming this way?" asks Mike.
Eduardo nods.
"who?"
Sofia's voice reminds Iñaki that she's there.
"A few friends," Maria steps forward. "You think you can draw a dog?"
"Like Rambo?"
"Yeah, like Rambo!"
"We have to divert them," Martina says with a conviction that Iñaki is unaware of.
"Yeah, but how?"
"Creating another distraction," Iñaki says as he looks at the map, "how long would it take them to get to the church?"
"At the rate they're going... I guess it would take about 3, 4 hours."
"And they're going to church?" Maria intercedes, "without a doubt?"
" Yes, the auditory stimulus seems to have been enough. Once the music stopped playing, they just kept walking in the same direction."
"What do you have in mind?" asks Mike.
"I could approach the zombie horde with the car and honk until I get their attention. Then I drive slowly to somewhere far away and lose them there."
"What if you run into obstacles on the streets?"
"I intend to maintain a distance that allows me to maneuver if something happens."
"What if you have a problem with the car?" Eduardo adds.
"A risk I'll have to take."
"And why," Mike joins the interrogation, "are you talking about going alone?"
"I can do it faster on my own, you know I'm a better driver. Besides, I think you and Eduardo know better the area to go get water once I get back."
"If you come back," Martina says with a flash in her eyes.
"I'll be back."
Eduardo clears his throat, he is not convinced.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Ok, there's no time to waste."
When Eduardo's words die, a rumor of moans is born in the air that makes Iñaki's blood run cold.
Mike looks at him, walks up to the window, and opens it. The chanting of the dead runs through the hall.
Rambo sniffs the air and growls with his hair on end.
"No," Iñaki said, "there's no time to lose."
Iñaki drives like the street is made of glass. In the back seat, he rests his backpack with a bottle of alcohol, a sheet, and the lighter in a pocket. The dead are a black and distant row at the right window of the vehicle. The sun above turns them all into shadows.
The secondary road that Iñaki chose is clear, so he moves along relatively easily. The houses are left behind and in the distance he can see the shopping center.
"Well, that's enough."
Iñaki heads towards the row of reanimated corpses and stops a street away. He places his right hand on the steering wheel and honks.
Like a pond agitated by rain, dozens of heads begin to rise in the crowd. their white eyes recognize the vehicle and break through like a wave in the sea. The moans give way to the grunts.
The waves turn into a storm and what used to be dozens become hundreds and then thousands. Iñaki feels the vibrations of their footsteps on the floor of the car. The quickest ones run toward him, the laziest ones roar helplessly. The wave turns into a tsunami.
"I think I've got their attention."
Iñaki turns in <> and begins the dance.