Iñaki watches more and more zombies disappear into the trees and squeezes his jaw not to talk. He can't imagine what Mike and Eduardo's eyes are seeing.
"Rambo, no." He tells the dog when he senses he's going to bark.
Rambo snorts and obeys.
The earth turns with its army of the dead and the sun begins to merge with the horizon.
"Can you see us?" Eduardo's sepulchral voice asked.
Iñaki studies the trees. He tries to see what is hidden between the trunks. He only sees cadaverous figures.
"No," Iñaki whispers.
"Look up."
In that instant, Iñaki catches a hand piercing the top of a tree. "An infected ?" Iñaki asks. "No, the infected don't say hello.
I see you."
The sun has finally disappeared behind the horizon and the moon reflects its rays on two faces surrounded by leaves. Underneath, a swarm of hungry creatures surrounds the tree like sharks, and moans have replaced crickets.
"They know we're here," Eduardo mutters.
Iñaki sees the movement of the zombies under the tree, like a group of fans dancing around a bonfire.
"I see them."
The moonlight casts the stage a silvery color that allows Iñaki to spot the creatures, but from time to time, a gray cloud gets in the way and he is left in the dark.
"What is the plan?" asks Eduardo.
Iñaki waits a few minutes until a gray cloud stops absorbing light and scrutinizes the ground. About thirty infected guard the circumference of the tree. The rest is scattered over the terrain that separates the river from the highway, wandering brainlessly among the vegetation.
"I'm afraid," says Iñaki, turning his eyes to the treetop, "that you guys are in check right now."
"Don't you see any escape?" Replies Eduardo who is not very amused by the simile.
"Not at the moment, let me keep exploring."
Iñaki's eyes scan the terrain over and over again. He looks for something new in a scenario that doesn't change. A thick line of infected makes jumping from the tree a suicide. And without coming down from the tree there is no escape possible. If the mountain doesn't go to Muhammad…the zombies will have to leave the tree.
"We have to get rid of the infected so you can get down from the tree."
"Okay, any ideas?"
"The volume of the walkie-talkie is at minimum, right?"
"Yes."
"Okay, you can raise it to the maximum. Then you wrap the device in your jacket and throw it as far as you can."
Silence. Eduardo waits for Iñaki to finish explaining the plan.
-…Once it has landed I will make as much noise as possible from here, the infected will follow the sound of the walkie and you will be able to get down from the tree and run towards the urbanization."
"Very well." Eduardo seems to choose each word. "Then this will be the last time we talk.
"Until you return to the urbanization."
"That's it," he adds unconvinced, "are there any more obstacles along the way?"
"Some infected have stayed on the highway, but they are few and seem slow."
"Okay, anytime."
Iñaki takes a breath and looks like an owl in all directions until he comes across the sign.
"Did you wrap it?" Iñaki asks with an electric voice.
"No… otherwise I couldn't talk to you."
"True," replies Iñaki anxiously, "until now."
"Until now... Iñaki"