Earth

  The blast hit like thunder.

  Marco’s scream tore through the air as he staggered back, his shotgun slipping from his grip and clattering to the dirt. He clutched his shoulder, face twisting in agony. “Aaah—! Fuck, it burns!” He dropped to one knee, breath ragged, blood starting to seep between his fingers.

  “Marco!” Alessandro lunged toward him, grabbing his arm to steady him. The shirt was torn, and dozens of small red welts glistened against his skin. .

  Across the yard, the farmer stood framed in the open barn door, shotgun trembling in his hands, his eyes wild and sunken. “You want more?!” he bellowed, voice raw. “You’ll get worse if you don’t run now!”

  “Don’t shoot!” Alessandro shouted back, raising his hands. “Pozza! It’s me — Alessandro! Dalla Rovere!”

  The name cut through the haze like a slap.

  For a heartbeat, the man froze. His lips moved soundlessly, eyes darting over Alessandro’s face as if trying to fit the memory to the man standing before him. Then his shoulders sagged, and the gun lowered a fraction.

  “Oh fuck,” he muttered. “Oh fuck, fuck, fuck—” He stumbled out into the light, dropping to one knee beside Marco. “Shit, I thought you were the same bastards from this morning! I— I’m sorry, Christ, I didn’t know it was you!”

  Alessandro glared at him, jaw clenched. “You shot him!”

  “I know, I know! It’s salt, it’s salt— it hurts like hell but it won’t kill him. Come inside, quick! We need to take it out before the pain get worse.”

  “Salt?!” Marco barked through clenched teeth. “You shot me with fucking salt, you lunatic?!”

  Davide winced, gesturing toward the house. “Better than lead, ain’t it? Come on, I got tweezers somewhere!”

  Together, they hauled Marco to his feet, Diego taking most of his weight. He hissed and swore with every step, as they half-dragged, half-carried him toward the farmhouse.

  Inside, the air was thick with the smell of sweat, blood, and disinfectant. The place was a mess — overturned chairs, shattered glass, another rifle on the kitchen table beside a half-empty bottle of homemade grappa. The curtains were drawn, the room dim.

  Davide kicked aside a bucket and gestured toward a wooden chair. “Sit him there. I’ll get the first-aid kit and the tweezers.”

  Marco groaned, collapsing onto the seat. “You better pray to every saint you know, Pozza,” he gritted out. “If I die of infection, I’ll haunt your ass till the end of times.”

  “Stop whining, you’re fine,” Davide shot back, rummaging through a drawer. “You should thank me for not putting a hole in your chest.”

  Alessandro leaned Marco forward and tore the fabric open around the wound. White grains of salt glittered in the raw flesh. Marco hissed in pain, teeth clenched. “Holy mother of— fuck! That’s burning!”

  Davide returned with a bottle of clear alcohol, a pair of tweezers, and a rag. “Hold him,” he said.

  “Don’t you dare—!” Marco tried to rise, but Diego and Alessandro pinned his shoulders.

  “Easy,” Alessandro said. “Just breathe.”

  The farmer stopped for a moment to look at Marco. “This will hurt more than the salt so brace.” then poured the alcohol directly onto the wound.

  Marco’s scream rattled the windows. “You bastard! I’ll kill you! I swear to God I’ll— AAAH!”

  “Stop moving! Do you want me to take it out or not?” Davide snapped, squinting as he began plucking the salt pellets out one by one. The metal tweezers clicked softly against the bloody skin.

  “Son of a bitch—! Christ Almighty! Mother Mary full of grace— I’ll shove that tweezers up your—!”

  “Language!” Davide barked.

  “Language?! You shot me, you goddamn madman!”

  “Better than being eaten by those things outside!”

  “Then shoot them, not me!”

  Alessandro almost laughed — almost. He was too busy holding Marco still as another volley of curses filled the room.

  The tweezers clicked again, another salt fragment falling into the bowl with a wet sound.

  Davide’s hands shook slightly, his face pale and sweaty. “There, almost done. You city folks don’t know what pain is till you get salted proper.”

  Marco snarled, gripping the edge of the chair so tightly his knuckles whitened. “If this is country hospitality, I’m moving to the damn Alps.”

  Alessandro let go slowly, exhaling as the last of the white specks was pulled free. “You good?”

  Marco gave him a murderous look. “Ask me again when I’m not on fire.”

  Davide stepped back, wiping his hands on his blood-stained overalls. His expression softened a little — weary, guilty. “Sorry, truly. I ain’t been right since yesterday. Things came out of the fields… and then some scavengers tried to break in this morning. They killed Peter, my dog.” Nearly choking as he said the last part.

  “The german shepherd? I’m sorry about that.” Said Alessandro.

  “I’ll be sorry about it too if I didn’t got shot for that!” Came the scathing remark from Marco. Then he leaned back in the chair, sweat still beading along his forehead. His breathing had steadied, but the occasional twitch ran through his jaw when the alcohol stung too deep. “I can move it,” he grunted, rolling his shoulder gingerly. “Hurts like hell, but it moves.”

  “Good,” Alessandro said, inspecting the bandages. “You’ll live.”

  “Barely,” Marco muttered, earning a faint chuckle from Diego that vanished as quickly as it came.

  Davide was sitting opposite them, elbows on his knees, staring at the worn planks of the kitchen floor. The grappa bottle stood between them like an unwanted guest. “So, what do I owe this visit for?” He said at last. “I don’t suppose you came here just to chat.”

  “Yea, as much as I would prefer the situation to allow for a nice chat, we didn’t come for that.” Alessandro answered. “Truth is, we came hoping for finding the farm running, we need food mainly,but even medicine, weapons and ammo. We’re short on everything. And I’m not talking just about us three. In the city, people organized themselves as an improvised militia, so many died for fighting back the monsters, and the portals are still spewing out more. We managed to stop the one by the plaza, but they told me there are more.”

  Davide nodded slowly, as though turning the thought over. “I think I know what you’re talking about. I found one of those portals not far from here, a big green oval of light, swirling around. Shit… so it’s not better in the city.” The big farmer put his head in his hands and took a big breath. “I just thought… leave it.”

  Alessandro’s brow furrowed. “What kind of monsters came out from there?”

  “Big, strange animals. They look a lot like a puma, if it were the size of a horse and scaled like a pangolin.”

  “Fucking hell! Are you for real?” exclaimed Marco while Diego muttered “What’s a pangolin?”

  “I manage to hurt one by shooting it with big game bullets. But it didn’t fall, it just run away.” Davide glanced toward the window. Through the grimy glass, the fields stretched out in muted brown and green tones — motionless, except for the faint sway of grass in the wind. “Listen here, a lot of the animals died since yesterday,” he said. “Some of them… are wounded but not still dead.” A sad expression crossing his face. “They’ve been lying there all morning. I was starting to take care of it when you showed up. If you help me quarter and burn the ones still salvageable, I’ll let you take whatever you can carry in that pickup of yours. I’m not going to stay here longer than necessary anyway.”

  “You’re telling me you want us to play butcher now?” Marco said, but before he could add more Alessandro shot him a look that ended the protest.

  “We’ll help,” he said simply. “It’s fair.”

  Davide gave a slow nod and pushed himself to his feet. “Then we’ll start soon. Best to do it before dusk. Once the light goes, they get restless.”

  Diego frowned. “They?”

  Davide didn’t answer right away. He crossed to the cabinet, rummaged inside, and came out with a small roll of gauze and a knife that had seen too many days in the field. “You’ll see soon enough,” he said, tone flat. “For now, bandage that arm and make sure your friend there doesn’t pass out.”

  Marco snorted. “You wish.”

  He rotated his shoulder again, testing it. The sting was sharp, but not crippling. He’d work through it — he’d worked through worse.

  Alessandro looked at Davide. “Why are you leaving, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  A hollow smile flickered across the farmer’s face. “Wife and daughter went to her parents’ place two days ago. Near Montecchio. Not far — about five hours’ drive, less on a good day.” He sighed, voice thinning. “I stayed behind. Needed to watch the farm, feed the animals. And, well…” He gave a bitter laugh. “Couldn’t stand her old man. Thought I’d get a few quiet days for myself.”

  The silence that followed was heavy, thick with things none of them dared to say. Finally, Davide continued, his gaze distant. “Then the stupid System came. At first, I thought it was an allucination. Then yesterday the beasts started screaming.” He rubbed a hand down his face, the gesture weary and rough. “By the time I realized something was wrong, half the were down already.”

  He looked up then, eyes hard and steady. “Now I’m packing up. Taking what I can carry, heading out tomorrow morning. If I don’t go now, I’m afraid I’ll never see them again.”

  “You’ll go alone?” Diego asked quietly.

  Davide nodded. “Don’t have a choice. Nobody else needs to go that way. And if I stay more I’ll become food for those beasts.” He rubbed his arm absently. “I’ll take all that I need. The rest… take it, it’s yours. At least I know it’s going toward helping good people instead of some vulture. It’s the least I can do after shooting you.”

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  Alessandro frowned. “It’s a dangerous journey given the situation, probably the main roads are stuck already.”

  “I’ve got the old jeep,” Davide said. “I’ll keep to the side roads, stay out of sight.”

  He paused, glancing toward the window again. Outside, a shape moved near the treeline — something crawling low, too large for a dog. Davide’s voice dropped. “Before I go, I’ll open the pens. Let the ones still standing run. Maybe some’ll make it. Maybe not. Better than waiting for what’s out there.”

  No one spoke for a moment.

  Alessandro rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the weight of that choice settle in his chest. “Thank you, really, you’re doing us a great favour.” he said at last.

  Davide exhaled slowly, as though he’d been holding that breath since dawn. “Aye. Stil, not that I have much more of a choice.”

  He pushed off the counter and moved toward the door. “Come on, before I talk myself out of it. The barn’s out back. We’ll start with the pigs.”

  The others followed. The air outside was sharp and foul, heavy with the rot of blood and soil. The yard looked like a battlefield — animal carcasses scattered near the troughs, the ground churned and blackened. The stench was thick enough to make Diego gag.

  “Christ…” he whispered.

  “Don’t look too close,” Davide warned. “Some of ’em were still twitching when I came back from the barn. It’s not a good sight.”

  They got to work in grim silence. Alessandro and Davide hauled the salvageable bodies inside while Marco, one arm half-useless, moved mostly poultry with his good one. Diego fetched tools and after disposing of the worst carcasses they started the butchering, it was hard dirty work, but under the guidance of Davide they managed somehow.

  By the time the sun began to sink, the smell of offal and blood felt impossible to remove from their clothes.

  “That’s the end of it,” Davide said quietly. “Tomorrow I go.”

  Alessandro nodded. “We’ll help you pack before we leave.”

  The farmer gave him a tired half-smile. “Appreciate it. And… sorry again for the salt. Ain’t the first time I’ve made a bad call, but I hope it’s the last.”

  Marco grunted. “Next time, just wave a hand instead of shooting.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” replied the farmer with a grin.

  They walked back toward the house together. The light was turning amber, stretching shadows across the dirt. The wind carried the low groan of something far off — another reminder that the world beyond the farm was still shifting, in the wrong way.

  Inside, the house felt smaller than before. Davide began to gather supplies — stacking cans, ammo boxes, and bundles of clothes into a pile near the door. “I’ll take what fits on the car,” he said. “Rest’s yours.”

  Alessandro surveyed the pile. There was more than they’d hoped for — sacks of grain, jars of preserved fruit, several boxes of ammunition, and all the meat they could possibly carry. Enough to make the trip more than worthwhile.

  He turned back to Davide. “You’re sure about going alone?”

  The farmer didn’t look up from his work. “If I wait, I’ll lose my chance. I can’t live knowing I didn’t even try to reach them.”

  Alessandro studied him, then gave a slow nod. “Then we’ll make sure you’re ready to go.”

  For the next hour, they worked in a hurry. Packing, sorting, loading the pickup. By the time they were done, maybe another couple of hours of sunlight remained, and only the hum of the distant wind filled the quiet.

  Davide closed the front door behind them and looked out over the darkening fields. “If the world goes to hell,” he said softly, “then I’ll meet it on the way to my family. Not waiting here.”

  He turned to them, a faint glint of something like gratitude in his eyes. “Good luck to you, Dalla Rovere. You go and get back to your family too. In the end, that’s all there is to it no?”

  Alessandro extended his hand. “You too, Pozza. Find your family.”

  They shook once — firm, wordless.

  Then Davide turned back toward his barn, the shotgun slung over his shoulder. The others climbed into the truck. The engine coughed, then roared to life, breaking the silence of the evening.

  As they pulled away, Alessandro caught one last glimpse of the farmer silhouetted against the setting sun, walking toward the pens, where the surviving animals stirred faintly in the dim light.

  He was opening the gates.

  Letting them run — into a world that no longer cared who lived or died.

  “What a fucking day…”

  “Stop complaining all the time, it wasn’t that bad,” Diego said, smirking as he leaned his elbow against the window frame.

  “Not that bad?” Marco shot back, incredulous. “Maybe I’d be enjoying the day a tad more,” he muttered, pinching his fingers an inch apart, “if I didn’t take a whole packet of salt to the shoulder.”

  Diego snorted. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll survive. Gives you something to brag about when the kids ask what you did during the apocalypse.”

  “Sure,” Marco replied dryly. “I’ll tell them I was almost taken down by table seasoning.”

  Alessandro chuckled quietly, eyes still fixed on the road ahead. “You’re lucky that’s all it was. If Davide had been using real shells, we’d be bringing you back in a bag. Or not at all.”

  “Yeah,” Marco admitted, rolling his sore shoulder a little. The bandage tugged, and he winced, but his arm still moved fine. “Guess I should thank the universe for small mercies.”

  “Do that,” Alessandro said. “Davide’s not usually like this. He’s a jolly guy, normally. Always the first to offer you a drink after work. But today…” He exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. “He’s not all there. You can tell.”

  Diego nodded. “Can’t blame him. He said his wife and kid are at her parents’ place, right?”

  “Yeah,” Alessandro replied. “I hope he’ll manage.”

  The cae fell silent for a while, the only sound the rattling of the truck and the low growl of the engine. Outside, the sun was dipping lower, painting the empty fields in rust and gold.

  The drive back took longer than expected. Cars clogged the main roads — abandoned, or crashed. They weaved through the mess slowly, occasionally having to push a smaller car aside to make space.

  By the time they rolled outside the plaza, the sky was bruised purple, the first stars faint against the darkening blue. They parked in a quiet corner, away from the main streets.

  “Let’s split the haul here,” Alessandro said, lowering his voice. “No need to wave it around.”

  They opened the truck bed and quickly divided the meat, cans, and supplies. There was more than enough to last for weeks if rationed properly, but showing off such bounty would’ve drawn too much attention — and trouble.

  When they finished, Diego loaded his share into his own car. “Alright, I’m off. The missus will kill me if I’m late again.”

  “Tell her we found enough to feed an army,” Marco said with a grin.

  “Yeah, right. See you tomorrow!” Diego honked once and drove off toward the outskirts.

  Marco closed his trunk with a soft thud, then looked at Alessandro. “Mind if I tag along? Gotta get this shoulder checked again.”

  “Sure,” Alessandro said, nodding toward the plaza. “Let’s go.”

  They made their way to the camp’s first-aid tent. A doctor helped Marco rebandage his shoulder while Alessandro waited outside, watching the flicker of campfires across the square. He never thought in his life to see such a scene in the town he grew up in.

  When Marco stepped out again, he rolled his arm experimentally. “Better. Still stings, though.”

  “Just be careful to keep it clean,” Alessandro said. “See you tomorrow at my place?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it,” Marco replied, then headed for his car.

  Alessandro lingered for a moment, then turned toward the playground — still dimly lit by flickering lamps.

  He found Laura sitting at a table, Alice beside them, while the twins played still. She looked tired, but she smiled faintly when he approached.

  “You stink,” Laura said, wrinkling her nose, but clearly happy to see him safe and sound.

  “Yeah, well, fieldwork,” he said, dropping on the bench with a groan. “We found Davide at the farm. Gave us meat and supplies — enough for weeks if we’re careful.”

  “That’s good, very good.” she said, relief softening her tone.

  After recounting the day, Laura and Alice filled him in on what they discovered while staying in the plaza. “The portal’s still active, but it stopped spewing monsters. Nobody’s dared to go inside it, though. And things at the river are getting worse — more of those things are amassing there.”

  “They didn’t try to take them out?”

  “No. But they are thinking of striking first, before the situation devolve. Another thing, people think another portal opened nearby. Maybe even inside the hospital, that’s why the nurses and doctors are staying here. It’s chaos. Fights are breaking out all over — some people nearly killed each other over some stupid argument.”

  Alessandro frowned, rubbing his temples.

  “And it’s not just them,” Laura continued. “Even the kids are getting restless. Angry. Alice and I both felt it too — like this constant pressure in our heads. We think it’s the portal.”

  He nodded slowly. “You’re probably right. It’s strange, you remember what I told you about the battlke we fought here at the plaza? People went crazy, they attacked the monsters without care, there was like a strange aggression in them, in me too.”

  “Mmm… whatever it is, honestly, I think it’s better to avoid the plaza for a bit, while I would like to help out, we need to look after ourself first.” replied Laura.

  “Yea, not a bad idea, we got what we needed for now, and I got Diego and Marco in on the scavenging, tomorrow they will pass by and we can see what to do. For now let’s go back home, how are you holding up Alice? Everything’s alright?”

  “More or less. I’m just… tired,” Alice said, forcing a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. The effort to sound calm only made the strain clearer — worry lingered beneath the surface, fragile and unspoken.

  Laura sighed softly, then reached out and brushed a lock of hair from her face, her touch gentle. “We all are sweetheart,” she said. “But we’ll get through this. One day at a time.”

  “Let’s load up and head home before it gets darker. Things feel… tense tonight.” Alessandro said while looking around them.

  Around them, the plaza was slowly quieting down. A few survivors sat around fires, voices low and tired. Somewhere near the fountain, a group argued in hushed tones — the debate about whether to move the camp still ongoing. The air carried a strange heaviness, a mix of smoke, sweat, and quiet fear.

  Laura took Alice by the shoulder, guiding her gently toward the car. “Come on, let’s go home.”

  After dragging the twins away from the other children, they walked together across the cracked pavement, the faint sound of distant shouts echoing from a nearby street. The pickup’s doors creaked as they climbed in.

  No one spoke for a while. The city lights were still up, but there were much less than before. The roads were littered with abandoned cars, forcing Alessandro to swerve more than once as they made their way back through the streets.

  When they finally reached the familiar outline of their home, a tired quiet fell over the group. The engine cut off with a sputter, and the silence that followed felt strangely heavy.

  “Home sweet home,” Alessandro murmured, stepping out first. He stretched his back, glancing up at the faint stars above the rooftops.

  Laura helped Alice out of the car while the twins ran ahead to open the door. The smell of dust and lingering smoke met them as they stepped inside — but it was still theirs, still safe for now.

  They began unloading the truck in silence, the rhythmic thud of boxes and bags filling the air as they carried supplies into the kitchen. By the time everything was inside, exhaustion had dulled the adrenaline of the day.

  Dinner was simple but warm. The smell of cooked meat filled the house, giving back a bit of warmth to the tired family. Alice ate quietly, avoiding eye contact, while the twins argued about which class they’d pick if the System ever gave them the chance.

  “Mage! C’mon magic must be possible, we already saw portals around!” one said.

  “Rogue are the ones that always get the loot though.” the other countered.

  “Summoner sounds cooler.”

  “Yea but Fighter’s more practical!”

  Their debate went in circles until everyone was laughing again — a fragile moment of normalcy in a world gone mad.

  After dinner, they stored the rest of the supplies. The old freezer they’d been meaning to throw out became their best investment yet, humming quietly as it filled with meat.

  Laura led Alice to Raime’s old room. Together they prepared the bed. “You’ll stay with us for now,” Laura said softly. “Until things settle. Your parents know?”

  Alice nodded. “We messaged them. It took hours to send, but they know I’m safe.”

  “That’s something,” Laura said with a gentle smile. “If you need anything, just ask. I know you packed light so if you ned clothes you can borrow mine ok?”

  “Thank you very much Laura… I don’t know what would I do by myself.”

  “Don’t worry, you are not alone. We are your family too.” After a short hug, Laura left Alice to settle down and went downstairs.

  Later, Alessandro and Laura sat by the window, the faint orange glow of distant fires reflecting in the glass.

  “Tomorrow,” he said quietly, “I’ll meet with Marco and Diego again. See what’s around. Maybe find more weapons. Figure out how bad things are getting. I want to know how many portals are around here and which kind of beast we’re going to face.”

  “I’ll stay here with the kids,” Laura replied. “I can’t move much, but I can teach Alice how to shoot. Just in case.”

  “Good idea.”

  For a while, neither spoke. The house creaked softly as the wind moved through the cracks in the shutters. In their room, the twins were already asleep. Alice sat by the window, keeping watch — her silhouette outlined by the faint streetlight glow filtering through the curtains.

  Alessandro reached for the first-aid kit and motioned to Laura. “Let’s check those cuts again before you sleep.”

  She sighed but nodded, pulling back the edge of her shirt. The wounds looked still raw. He dabbed them gently with iodine, the sharp smell filling the air. She winced, then smiled faintly. “You’re good at this.”

  “Not exactly something I would like to get good at,” he muttered, taping a fresh bandage in place.

  When he was done, she touched his wrist lightly. “He’ll be fine, you know,” she said softly.

  Alessandro didn’t need to ask who she meant. “Yeah,” he said after a pause. “He’s strong. Stubborn too. He’ll make it.”

  Laura smiled faintly, though her eyes were distant. “Let’s just make sure we’re still here when he does.”

  He nodded, closing the first-aid box. “We will.”

  They shared a quiet moment, the silence no longer heavy — just tired, human.

  Outside, the night deepened. The wind rustled through the nearby trees, carrying faint echoes from the city. No monsters came near the house. No claws scraped the walls.

  Inside, Alessandro and Laura took turns resting and watching. Alice joined them, asking to be put on watch too.

  The world outside was fractured, uncertain. But for one night, at least, their small corner of it held still.