Miguel and Abraham are walking in Old San Juan to head towards Él Morro. "Coño. The sun is biting hard today. This 'project' better be worth the sunburn and jail time." Miguel says.
"I told you to put on sunscreen and I've been up for days trying to find a legal loophole for me to legally paint my art in one of the most famous tourist spots. I will spread it to as many people as I physically can." Abraham dramatically clenches his fists. Miguel rolls his eyes.
They move past one of the entrances to La Perla, when an older man with long gray shabby hair and beard stands in their way. "H-hola, chamacos! A-are you both interested in b-buying one of my products?" He jitters a bit while grinning. Showing off his rotted teeth.
"We're not into that shit, viejo. Bother some tourists. They're freaky people." Miguel tries to move past him, but the man holds him firmly by his shoulders.
"N-N-NO! No!" The old man realizes his rashness and releases him before he becomes angry. "My a-apologies. I h-haven't taken my m-medications yet. B-but don't you want to visit L-La Perla? We're even l-letting people take pictures and videos!" He desperately points at the entrance.
"We already told you we're not fucking interested! Now fuck off!" Miguel snarls at him.
Abraham feels pity and gives him five dollars. "Get some water. Okay, man?" He pats the man's back.
The old man notices the spray cans in his satchel. "You're a-a graffiti artist? That's wonderful! W-We're looking for people like you to give life to our buildings."
"Hmmm. I don't know…" Abraham ponders.
"D-Did you know Despacito was filmed here? Lots of gringos come by to take pictures o-of everyone's work."
Abraham gasps. "That sounds a lot easier than messing with the law! And it's Despacito!" He boldly follows the man, but Miguel grabs his arm.
"Oye. You know where you're fucking going into?"
"You mean one of the most dangerous slums on the island? That's just a myth for the tourists." He hands waves dismissively.
"Cabron. I'd rather be alone at night in La Rosaleda during mom's time than stepping foot in there. Even my uncle knew better and he was a dumbfuck junkie."
"If that's the case, don't you think he could be hiding in there?" He nudges him. "Plus, we got our Zemis to protect us against anyone. So what's the worry?"
"A-are you coming along?" The old man motions to himself.
Miguel sighs and pulls out a cigarette. "Letting you now, we ain't leaving without a fight." All three go down the stairs towards the infamous slum.
They pass under a bridge that leads in the neighborhood. One of the buildings has the puertoriccan flag painted all over the walls. There are bars and other restaurants open with the residents chatting and sneaking a glimpse of the men. The streets are littered with trash and empty eye drops.
Up ahead is a group of people dealing with someone. Noticing them, they hide the bags in their pockets and glare at them. A plump man in his thirties with a Yankees hat approaches them. He tips the hat. "Buen dia. Hope you're enjoying the tour." He faces Miguel. "You like smoking? I got some high quality grass if you like?"
Before Miguel could fuck him off, Abraham intervenes. "Actually, we're here to spray paint on one of the buildings." He says excitedly.
The men burst into laughter. The plump man snaps his fingers to shut them up. "We appreciate any artists taking interest in this damned place. Follow me." The man leaves. Miguel notices the other men giving the homeless man some eye drops before going deeper into the slum.
They head over an abandoned house near the cemetery. "You can use this place to your heart's content. This is where tourists go when they want to get frisky." He points at the used condoms on the ground. There are more empty eye drops. "Might be nice to give them something to look at while getting rammed against the wall." He chuckles.
"All right! Time to work on my baby!" Abraham pulls out his mask and spray cans to start painting.
"Well. I'll leave you chamacos be." The man waves goodbye.
"Un momento." Miguel stops him. "I didn't know you guys were running a charity with LSD. What's the catch?" The man tenses up at the question.
"A-are you interested in some?" He tosses him a bottle and runs away before Miguel can further interrogate.
He picks it up and checks the content. It's clear and has a slimy texture. Pouring a drop on his fingertips, it slightly burns. "As if I'm crazy to use this shit." He sighs.
"Did you ask about your uncle?" Abraham asks while grabbing another can.
"Nah. And even if they did, I doubt those sketchy fuckers would tell me. Just finish your drawing." Miguel goes to the back of the house which has a clear view of the sea. The sound of waves crashing against the rocks is soothing. Causing him to yawn and take a nap.
Cinco horas después
Miguel wakes up. The sky has already darkened, with the full moon hovering brightly. He stretches and checks up on his friend.
The once white wall is now a drawing of Rua with the Puerto Rican flag covering her private parts. "Talk about horny posting." Miguel yawns.
"Well she is a living symbol of the land." Abraham comments.
"Yeah. Symbolism of your dick." He snickers. Miguel decides to look around. He sees the homeless man from earlier on the ground. He's face down, not moving a muscle. "Oye viejo, you good?" Miguel pulls him up. Doing so causes the old man's eyeballs to fall off. He drops him out of shock. "Que carajo!?" That's when he examines the same eye drop clutched in his cold hand. The eyeballs start moving on their own towards Abraham. Miguel gasps in horror at the sight.
There's a giant snail girl on the roof of the house. Her unnaturally elongated eyes are hovering above his friend. They're pulsating a disgusting color of orange. Her giant mouth is releasing a mixture of moaning and panting. The brightness of the moon reflects her decaying green skin. Abraham is too focused to notice the abomination.
"ABRAHAM! ABOVE YOU!" He screams while running towards him and lighting his cigarette desperately.
"Huh?" He looks up. "Oh. A full moon." He says casually as the Jupia inches closer to him.
Miguel blows the smoke to summon Newi. "Take him out of there!" She flies and pulls Abraham away. The snail moans in disappointment. "Rip that fucker!" He commands, but she is confused. "What are you looking at me for!? She's right there!" He motions at the Jupia, but she's gone.
"Dude! You're bleeding!" Abraham points at his face.
Miguel touches his cheek and there's blood dripping from his eyes. "But that's impossible! I didn't even use that MIERDAAAAA!"
←To be continued