Monday, May 17 arrived and Romaia and Érika pressured Belinda to hang up the phone, because although they could not make calls, they could receive them, and that was the most common problem of every day, the phone occupied by tenants who did not stop receiving long distance calls from their love correspondence, but what caught the attention of Mrs Adelina and Soledad, was the constant presence of one of the boys of the neighborhood, that although he was already practically official boyfriend of Ana Lee Erensweig Terrones, and was allowed to visit her in the mansion, by the parents of the girl and Mrs Adelina, his tendency to stay with the girl had increased, since they had practically had to run him from the house to let her eat, do her homework, and even go to sleep, but the boy wouldn't leave; Adelina had to call his parents, because the night before It was already past 12 o'clock at night and the young man was still standing in front of the house, with his eyes fixed on the terrace, perhaps hoping to see Ana Lee, even if it was from afar.
"And there it is again. —Adelina says on the phone to the boy's parents. -The girl already went to school, I had to take it practically hidden in the Van so that I would not see it and apparently I did not go to school, because there he is standing as if he were drugged, in the uniform of his school.
- In a moment let's go for him, Mrs Adelina, don't worry!
The father says hanging up the phone and sure enough, a few minutes later, the boy's parents were there, the father scolding and aggressive and the condescending mother, the boy without protesting, or answering in the least, got into his parents' car and took him away.
And far from there, in Puerto Arturo.
- I don't know what the hell is happening to me!
Nathan tells his mother and Timothy Verch, his younger brother, being the second one of the photo that he sent to Romaia.
- I already talked about it with Gregory and we agreed not to talk so much on the phone with the girls from Mexico! But I can't help it, Dad had to take our phone and I don't have a penny in my bag, because all my money has been spent on public telephones, precisely on long distance calls.
- Gregory is the same! He doesn't even help your father in the carpentry shop anymore, and since last Wednesday that he hasn't wanted to go to school, He has spent his time writing letters and asking me for money for postage stamps. – says Emma Verch, the boys' mother. "The bad thing is that whatever you two have, you have passed it on to Mickey, who also doesn't want to go to school because he is stuck with the girlfriend, I'll have to talk to your father to see what we do with you.
- That's exactly where it comes. –says Timothy. - How lately does he come around the house very often and why bring Mickey with him?
Mrs. Emma was talking to her husband about the boys' affair, and the boys, after listening attentively, said to her:
-Something strange is happening with our children, woman, precisely I had to stop working because the father of Mickey's girlfriend called me on the carpentry phone, to tell me that I no longer wanted to see him so often at home, that he takes time away from his daughter and does not let her do her chores, Not even doing homework, the strange thing is that I went to drop him off at school And he had never left.
- Well, the same thing happens to your other sons, Gregory and Nathan! I hadn't wanted to talk about it with you because I thought I could figure it out on my own. —She tells her husband that she stared at Nathan.
- Did you also drop out of school?
"But Gregory did, the director spoke to me to tell me that since last Wednesday when he has not shown up, he just wants to be writing letters, because he no longer has money for the public phone.
Mr. William Verch, did not say anything because he had stared at Mickey who only looked at the table, without saying anything, the same symptoms that Nathan presented, although he could still see a little lucidity in his eyes, he also reacted when he passed his hand in front of his eyes, which little Mickey did not, and so they went to sleep, or at least they tried.
Because Mrs. Emma spent her time trying to put Mickey to sleep, who only got out of bed to try leave the house, to go to the house of his girlfriend who lived far away.
And in Veracruz, the girls watched a horror movie on TV, hoping Adelina wouldn't scold them.
- Look, just like Ana Lee's boyfriend!
Says Érika, seeing in a scene in which a boy, among other people moved erratically, walking through the countryside as if he were affected by his mental faculties or drugged, the film was called: The night of the living dead, and yes; Romaia realized that the boy for whom his parents had also gone to school, behaved like a living dead, because he had stood at the window of the corridor to wait for his girlfriend, without saying anything, just looking at her, until the teacher already angry because she did not pay attention to his words that became scolding, reported it to the address, leaving also scolded Ana Lee and had to give the phone of the boy's house so that his parents came for him, the girls finished watching the film and fell asleep, but Romaia was intrigued.
Adelina already kept the phone off the hook, because it was already very annoying to spend all day rejecting requests for calls to collect, that being one more of the signs that indicated that something was wrong.
She handed over the girls she had left in school, who were gradually trying to resume their daily lives, because even the guard of the insurgent army had begun to fall apart, before the conviction that night they had defeated the Countess of Malibrán, returning her to the hell from which she had escaped, only one unit of the navy remained on guard, And of course, the gunboat Guanajuato, as promised by the municipal president, by order of the governor of the state,
Soledad had been temporarily absent, but she kept an eye on the girls through the magic doors, in fact almost every day she ate with them or dined, she spent all her time in libraries all over the state trying to to collect all the available data she could, about the legend of the Countess of Malibrán, things about her life, where she was born, grown, in short, her goal was to locate the origins of the Count, because her story was the only clue that she had, she heard the classic 3 taps on her magic door and seeing that it was the one that overlooked the terrace of the mansion, she went right away because already knew it was Adelina.
Elsewhere, also far away from there, the landlords of the fraternity where René lived, in Houston, spoke to her very worried because they said that something had happened to her son, that it was as if it were not in reality and only a word came out of his mouth; Pamela, and that he repeated it continuously, over and over again, that they had to pick him up at a delegation, because some highway policemen had found him walking on a state highway, in his school uniform but as if he were drugged.
"They called me from Houston. Doña Adelina tells him. -I think something happened to my kid, it's fine, but they told me it was better to go for him, because he won't be able to get there by himself, I'll have to take a plane to go see him, that's why I called you, to know if you could stay in charge of the girls for a few days.
-Of course, if Adelina lacked more, there was less missing! But if you prefer just give me the address and I can be in Houston immediately through your library, and if it is true that he is not fit to travel alone, then I bring him on the plane and maybe we would be here tomorrow afternoon. –says Soledad.
-I think it is the best we can do and I gladly accept, although I would like you to take me through a magical door.
-I assure you that you would not like, friend, you are still young and pretty so that you take a look at the afterlife, I think there is a way, but I prefer not to risk it, better give me the address to leave right now to See how our beloved crocodile killer is doing.
Soledad tells her and Adelina went into her room, to give her enough money for plane tickets.
-It's too Adelina, remember that I will only pay for the return trip, better talk to the owners of the pension where he live, so they know I'm going there.
- How long will it take to arrive? To tell them. —Adelina asks.
- I don't know!, What the taxi does from the Houston library to his home.
Soledad says, disappearing by the Door drawn on the wall of the terrace.
It had not even been 2 o'clock in the afternoon of that same day, when Soledad arrived at that kind of hotel, where several young students of the University of Houston were staying, finding René in a state of mental inlucidity already very advanced, so much so that although he seemed to recognize her as soon as he saw her enter the room where they had locked him, But he only showed a little joy and tried to greet her, returning to his lethargy of repeating the name of Pamela, but he was not the only boy who presented the same symptoms, with the permission of those responsible for the fraternity, took a look at the others, most were affected by the same evil.
-Good afternoon! My name is Emma Verch and I am speaking to you from the United States.
Adelina receives that call answered by Hermelindo, who as lived there had the necessary confidence to answer calls.
- Yes Mrs. Verch, gladly! What is offered to you from so far away?
-I have a problem with a couple of boys around here, who are my children, who I know write to each other and talk a lot on the phone with a couple of girls who live in that house, which I understand is a pension for young ladies. – says Mrs. Emma.
- I think I know what your problem is and don't worry! That for three weeks now, I have restricted the use of the phone to my pensioners, because my phone bill also got very high. –says Adelina.
- Thank you very much and I understanding! But that's not my problem In fact, Could you tell me if among your girls live Miss Romaia Montero, and Miss Érika Cienfuegos?
And so, they spent a few minutes, talking about the state of mental retardation of their children and as soon as they hung up the call, another one came in but this was Soledad who was already at the airport of the city, asking her to go for her and for René, since there were no taxis available and as soon as they entered with the Combi to the garage of the mansion, she let go of himself to say, as suitcases were taken down; Adelina had to grab her son because as soon as she set foot on the ground, she got out of the vehicle to head towards the gate, probably towards Pamela's house.
- I almost bring it through a magic door! Adelina, apparently the chaos is continental; René is not affected by his mental faculties, nor by any drugs, he just wants to be with Pamela, he is the only thing he thinks about, it is the only thing he lives for, and also over there I saw other kids with the same problem that we have here, who also have it in Houston.
-The mother of the boys who are Romaia and Érika's correspondence boyfriends just spoke to me, she has 4 children, but apparently only 3 have been affected.
René had already been taken to his bedroom and lying down; Soledad reassured him using a sleep spell.
-In the television news this evil is no longer attributed to the Countess, Apparently everyone is gone and was defeated that same night, again the Russians are being blamed, there is talk of a selective bomb or something like that that affects only young boys, because most of those affected by the disease of the living dead, as it is beginning to be called, They are young boys of student age.
It was 12 o'clock on Friday, May 21, and they settled down to watch the news.
The undead syndrome is spreading, The shops are in crisis due to the lack of customers, mainly bars and canteens, because there are no longer men chatting with other men in them, even several football games at the professional level and of all levels, have had to be suspende, and not only football we are talking ladies and gentlemen, basketball and baseball have also stopped playing; What is affecting our men? Yes, of course, we all know, Some call them in undead syndrome; But what is it in reality, a virus, a curse, or a selective bomb dropped by the Russians? I am Leticia Correa, for the news of XEW, radio and television.