The whistler 2

Sue and Chia looked at each other for a moment, the weight of the decision falling upon them like a stone. Both felt their hearts pounding hard, fear gripping their throats.

—Should we...?

Chia began, her voice trembling.

—I don't know.

Sue admitted, looking toward the house.

—That monster... it looks terrifying. We were normal people just a few days ago. We're not ready for this.

The whistling continued, piercing and chilling. Chia felt the darkness in her hands trembling, reflecting her own uncertainty.

—We could call the police.

she suggested, though her voice didn't sound very convinced.

—I don't think that'll work...

Sue clenched her fists, feeling the fire inside her flickering nervously.

—By the time they arrive, it could be too late.

The silence stretched between them, heavy and thick. They both knew the truth: they were afraid. Afraid of getting hurt, of not being strong enough, of facing something beyond their understanding.

But then, Sue remembered something. The reason she had wanted these powers in the first place. The reason she had wished with all her heart to have powers.

—I... always wanted to be a hero.

she said quietly.

—Since I was a kid. I wanted to be someone who made a difference, someone who protected others.

Chia looked at her, and Sue saw her own fear reflected in her other self's eyes. But she also saw something else: determination.

—Me too.

Chia whispered.

—If we don't do anything now, what good were these powers? What good is having the ability to help if we don't use it when it matters most?

Sue nodded slowly, feeling something inside her grow stronger. Yes, they were afraid. Yes, they weren't ready. But if they didn't act, who would?

—We have to do something.

Sue said finally, not taking her eyes off the house. Her voice was firmer now, filled with a newfound determination.

—Now.

—I agree.

Chia responded, feeling the darkness begin to swirl around her hands with more purpose.

—But we can't just run out the door. It would take us too long to get there.

Sue looked down, mentally calculating the distance between their apartment and the neighbor's house. Then, an idea crossed her mind.

—We don't need the door.

she said, with a determination that surprised even herself.

—I can use my fire to propel myself. Fly over there.

Chia looked at her with wide eyes.

—Fly? Are you sure you can do that?

—There's only one way to find out.

Sue replied, heading toward the window.

—And you can create a barrier around yourself. Like in the experiments, you could manifest your barriers anywhere and even move them. You could float with it.

Chia nodded, immediately understanding the plan. She extended her hands and a translucent sphere of darkness began to form around her, expanding until it became a perfect bubble that completely enveloped her. The surface shimmered with a faint silver glow, like a soap bubble made of solidified shadows.

Sue threw open the window, letting the cold night air rush in. She breathed deeply, concentrating on the fire she felt burning inside her. She visualized the flames, their heat, their power.

Then she jumped.

For one terrifying instant, she felt gravity pulling her down. But immediately, controlled explosions of golden fire burst from her hands and feet, propelling her upward with incredible force. The air around her heated instantly, and her hair whipped wildly from the momentum.

—It works!

she shouted, surprised by her own success.

Chia wasted no time. She focused her will on the bubble surrounding her, and it began to rise gently from the ground. It wasn't as spectacular as Sue's fire-propelled flight, but it was stable and silent. The darkness forming the barrier seemed to have negative weight, as if it naturally wanted to float toward the night sky.

Both rose from their apartment window, suspended in the air several meters high. For a moment, they looked at each other, still processing the surreality of what they were doing.

Then, without a word, they headed toward the neighbor's house.

Sue moved with controlled bursts of fire, adjusting the intensity of her explosions to maintain control of her trajectory. It was like surfing on air, a delicate balance between power and precision. The night wind tugged at her clothes, but the heat from her flames kept her comfortable.

Chia floated beside her inside her protective bubble, moving with her will. The sphere of darkness responded to her thoughts, taking her exactly where she wanted to go. She could see through the translucent barrier without any problem, though everything had a slight silver tint.

As they approached the neighbor's house window, the whistling grew louder, clearer. It was a twisted melody that chilled the blood, a wordless song that promised death and suffering.

Sue reduced the intensity of her flames, decelerating until she was suspended in front of the second-floor window. Chia floated beside her, her bubble gently brushing the window frame.

What they saw through the glass filled them with horror.

The creature was crouched over the neighbor's body, its grotesque and unnatural form writhing under the dim light of the room. It was biting the neighbor's leg, tearing flesh and bone with a brutality that made Sue feel nauseous. Blood stained the floor around them, forming a slowly expanding pool.

The neighbor was trying to scream, his face contorted in a mask of pure agony. But the monster had one of its claws pressed firmly against his mouth, muffling any sound that could escape. Only muffled, desperate moans managed to filter through, mixing with the horrible sound of the creature's chewing.

The neighbor's eyes were wide open, filled with tears and terror. He was desperately searching for something, anything, that could save him. His body trembled violently, whether from pain, shock, or both.

Sue felt her stomach churning, the horror of the scene threatening to paralyze her. Beside her, she heard Chia gasp, her darkness bubble trembling slightly.

—My God...

Chia whispered, her voice barely audible.

The monster suddenly stopped its feast, lifting its deformed head. Its eyes—if they could be called that—were empty holes that seemed to absorb the light around them. It turned slowly toward the window, as if it had sensed their presence.

And then it whistled again, but this time it was different. It was a challenge. An invitation.

Sue clenched her fists, feeling the fire inside her roaring with fury.

—We're not going to let this continue.

she said, her voice trembling with rage and determination.

Chia nodded, and with a fluid movement of her hand, her darkness bubble dissolved. Both lunged toward the window.

Sue extended her fist and an explosion of golden fire shattered the glass into a thousand pieces. The fragments flew into the room, reflecting the flames like small burning mirrors.

Both burst in.

El Silbón turned its head unnaturally, almost 180 degrees, its empty eyes fixing on the intruders. Its grotesque smile widened even more, if that was possible, and it let out a sharp whistle that made the walls vibrate.

—Let him go!

Sue shouted, her hands already wrapped in golden flames.

The monster didn't respond with words. Instead, with a movement surprisingly quick for its size, it hurled its sack of bones directly at them.

Chia reacted instinctively, raising a wall of black ice that intercepted the projectile. The sack impacted with a wet, nauseating sound, staining the ice with dark blood before falling to the floor.

But it was a distraction.

El Silbón had already moved, its spindly limbs propelling it with unnatural speed toward Sue. Its bony fingers extended like claws, aiming directly at her throat.

Sue barely had time to react. She released an explosion of fire from her palms, creating a burning barrier between her and the creature. The flames roared, illuminating the room with a blinding golden glow.

El Silbón retreated, but not from pain. Sue realized with horror that the fire barely seemed to affect it. The cadaverous flesh smoked slightly, but didn't burn. The creature whistled again, this time with a mocking tone.

—It's not enough!

Sue shouted.

—Chia, I need backup!

Chia wasted no time. She extended both hands and launched a barrage of crystallized darkness swords. Dozens of black blades cut through the air, converging toward El Silbón from multiple angles.

The monster moved with impossible agility, dodging some swords, but several managed to impact. One pierced its shoulder, another embedded itself in its thigh, and a third cut deeply into its side.

But it didn't scream. It showed no pain.

Instead, it simply stopped, looking at the swords embedded in its body as if they were mere nuisances. Then, with deliberate movements, it pulled them out one by one, letting the black blood drip to the floor.

—Shit, what does it take to stop this thing?

Sue muttered.

El Silbón opened its impossibly wide mouth and released a deafening whistle. The sound was so intense that Sue and Chia had to cover their ears, feeling their eardrums threatening to burst.

And then it attacked.

It moved like a giant spider, its limbs bending at impossible angles as it lunged toward Chia. She barely had time to create a darkness barrier before the monster's claws impacted against it.

The barrier held, but Chia felt the force of the blow. It was incredibly strong, much more than she had anticipated. The creature began to pound the barrier repeatedly, each impact sending shockwaves through the solidified darkness.

Sue seized the opportunity. She concentrated all her energy in her hands, feeling the fire inside her roaring with fury. Not just ordinary fire. Purifying fire, concentrated light, the kind of energy she used to heal but inverted, intensified, converted into a weapon.

—Get away from her!

she shouted, launching a spear of pure light directly toward El Silbón's back.

This time the attack worked.

The spear pierced through the monster's body with a sound of tearing flesh. El Silbón arched violently, its whistle transforming into something like a distorted shriek. The golden light expanded from the wound, illuminating its interior as if it had swallowed a miniature sun.

The monster staggered, its body convulsing. For the first time, it showed something like real pain. Its movements became erratic, uncoordinated.

—Chia, now!

Sue shouted.

Chia needed no further instructions. She dissolved her barrier and, with a cry of effort, created an enormous black ice sword, as large as herself. She lifted it over her head and hurled it with all her strength.

The sword cut through the air with a whistle of its own and embedded itself deeply in El Silbón's chest, right next to the wound Sue had created. The impact was devastating. The creature was thrown backward, crashing into the opposite wall with such force that it cracked the plaster.

For a moment, everything fell silent. El Silbón was motionless, pinned to the wall by the massive sword, with the golden light still flickering inside its shattered body.

Sue and Chia were breathing heavily, their hearts pounding hard. Had they defeated it?

Then, the creature moved.

With a supernatural effort, El Silbón tore the ice sword from its chest. It threw it to the floor, where it shattered into a thousand crystalline fragments. The light inside its body began to fade, but the wound remained open, bleeding profusely that thick black blood.

The monster looked at them with its empty eyes, and for the first time, Sue perceived something in them: caution. Maybe even fear.

Without warning, El Silbón turned and ran toward the broken window through which they had entered. Its movements were clumsy now, uncoordinated from the massive wound in its chest.

—It's escaping!

Chia shouted.

Sue immediately stepped forward, her hands already glowing with renewed fire, ready to chase it. But Chia extended her arm, blocking her path.

—Wait!

—What? We have to catch it before—!

—The neighbor!

Chia interrupted, pointing toward the shattered body on the floor.

Sue stopped short, turning her head. The neighbor was still there, unconscious or in shock, bleeding profusely from what remained of his leg. The wound was horrible, a mess of torn flesh and exposed bone. If they didn't do something now, he would bleed out in a matter of minutes.

Sue felt her pursuit instinct fighting against her conscience. The monster was fleeing. Every second that passed was a lost opportunity to catch it, to make sure it didn't hurt anyone else.

But Chia was right. They couldn't let this man die.

—Damn it...

Sue muttered, running toward the neighbor.

She knelt beside him, her hands trembling slightly. She had healed a cut on Chia's hand. She had revived a plant. But this... this was completely different. The man's leg was mutilated, with pieces of flesh completely torn away, the bone visible and splintered.

—I don't know if I can do this.

Sue admitted, looking at Chia with uncertainty.

—You have to try.

Chia responded, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

—You're the only one who can save him.

Sue nodded, breathing deeply. She placed both hands over the horrible wound, feeling the warm blood soaking her palms. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

The golden light began to emanate from her hands, soft at first, then increasingly bright. Sue felt her energy flowing into the man, searching, repairing, rebuild.

It was different from healing a small cut. This required much more power, much more concentration. She could feel every torn tendon, every broken vein, every splintered bone fragment. And one by one, she began to repair them.

The process was slow and exhausting. Sue felt her own energy draining, flowing toward the neighbor like water from a pitcher. Her breathing became heavy, sweat began to form on her forehead.

But it worked.

Before her eyes, the flesh began to regenerate. Muscle fibers wove together again, veins reconnected, skin expanded covering the wound. Even the pieces that had been completely devoured by El Silbón began to grow back, as if time were rewinding.

Chia watched in absolute amazement.

—It's... incredible.

she whispered.

After what seemed like an eternity but was probably only a few minutes, Sue finally withdrew her hands. The neighbor's leg was completely healed. There was no wound, no blood, not even a scar. It was as if the attack had never happened.

The neighbor began to regain consciousness slowly. His eyes blinked, confused, still clouded by trauma. He looked at his leg, then at Sue and Chia, not fully understanding what had happened.

—Please...

he murmured in a hoarse voice.

—Please... thank you...

His voice broke, tears began to roll down his cheeks. He was alive. Against all odds, he was alive and whole.

—Stay here.

Sue told him gently.

—Call the police. Tell them everything that happened.

The man nodded weakly, still in shock but alive.

Sue stood up, feeling the weight of exhaustion in her limbs. She had used a lot of energy in that healing. But they couldn't stop now.

—Let's go.

she said, looking toward the broken window.

—That monster has a head start, but we can still catch up to it.

Chia nodded, feeling the darkness already beginning to swirl around her, preparing for the chase.

They both ran toward the window. Sue released blasts of fire from her palms and feet, launching herself into the night air. Chia created her bubble of darkness and floated after her.

As they rose over the neighborhood, scanning the dark streets for the wounded monster, Sue felt something new inside her. It was no longer just fear or uncertainty. It was determination. Purpose.

They had saved a life tonight. And now they were going to make sure El Silbón couldn't take anyone else's life.

The hunt had begun.