Ilustración: Hybrid-Kira (2018)

I didn't feel that had passed more than three hours. My knees were beginning to hurt, numbed by the position I had been sitting on the floor for so long since I returned from work.

The desire to do anything else had vanished. Iker would probably already be interned in some laboratory, and they would be doing any kind of chemical testing, or questioning him in atrocious ways. Each of the images that came to my head was worse than the previous one. I have the curse of having a terribly creative and detailed mind to imagine such things.

Only the pain in my legs and the smell of the meat I had brought had been enough excuse to get me up from the floor. My face also hurt because I cried so much, although that was not the biggest of my problems. With some awkwardness I got up from the floor and shook my clothes, the floor was dirty from the dirt that Iker had on his wheels.

... Iker.- His face would not be one that I would forget so easily, and it was a shame I had not met him before. But now it only remains to hope that he does not suffer so much, and pray for the E.M. to give him a pardon for being an hybrid of Cilt ... although internally I doubted that he would be forgiven that easily, the laws towards hybrids will always be rigid.

I entered the house to take refuge again from the cold, because the night was coming and it had started to rain and the combination of both was not good. I do not even have the force to carry the bags of meat into the house. Anyway, the refrigerator did not work, and the meat would stay cooler in the garage than in the interior. I would figure out how to eat that large amount of meat so it does not rot in the next few weeks.

Even though I have lived alone for two years now, the house has never been so silent. I got too used to the company of someone else now the house felt empty. In an attempt to make that silence less noticeable I decide to turn on for a moment the old radio that my mother had forgotten to pack before moving, that radio has accompanied the family from my mother's great-great-grandfather, and for some strange reason it still works, although I am afraid that it is already in the last, because it is using the last lithium batteries that I found one day in an antique shop. Anyway, it does not have very good sound quality, but it makes me nostalgic every time I turn it on, imagining what the world should have been like before the Third Great War.

The music played quietly in the room, relaxing me a little. I sit on the sofa focusing only on the music, humming the melody from time to time, fulfilling the function of calming a little my nerves and the pain I felt towards Iker. Suddenly the music stops abruptly, giving way to the anthem of the M.E. and with this, unexpectedly, a message from Aron Novak himself, the president of the European Metropolis.

"Good evening to all the citizens of the European Metropolis, I am talking to you tonight to make known the security measures that will be implemented as of tonight due to the recent sightings of Vortex in the perimital areas of our capital. "- The president keeps silent for a few moments .-" ... As of tonight, there will be a curfew at twenty-two hours, the electricity supply to homes will be cut at that hour and will be again activated at eight o'clock in the morning. Motion detection devices will be placed around the entire periphery of the Metropolis in the following days, with this we can accurately detect the passage of hybrids and people at any time of the day. As a preventive measure and to encourage the proper use of daylight hours and the protection of the citizens themselves, anyone caught wandering in the streets after the curfew will be taken by anti-hybrid security agents to the closest police office, being the creditor of a fine for infringing internal security laws. We hope that these measures will improve the security of the European Metropolis thanks to the active participation of its citizens. Thank you very much for your attention, and good evening. "-

The presidential message ends, and the radio remains in a deafening sound of interference, and moments later the lights of the house are turned off, leaving everything in absolute darkness and silence, making me anxious. I grope for the wall clock that I have and when I pass my hand in front of it turns on again, marking exactly 22:00 pm. It was clear that this was perfectly timed to be the last thing that all the inhabitants of the metropolis listened to and saw on their televisions or radios, and although it was not strange to hear presidential reports continuously, it had never been to communicate a curfew.

It was too much coincidence that this measure was taken right today when I had contact with Iker, since there were always Vortex sightings in the neutral zones. Most likely they used that excuse to limit the electric power, the city was on the verge of an energy crisis, because several of its thermoelectric and hydroelectric plants were guarded by Vortex, and Cilt laws prohibited the massacre of hybrids even if these were man-eaters like the fearsome Vortex. In any case, we had many wind farms, but they would not be enough to supply all the people of Europe.

Without moving from my place on the sofa and putting the hood of my hoodie back on my head, I lie on the couch not having the will to even go up to my room. My mind was foggy and I needed to rest after all of this. As I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, I still expected to hear the roars of Iker again, the same ones I heard last night, begging to let him in into my garage ... without hesitation I would open the doors for him.

But it was too late. He surely was already dead.

A knock on the outside of my house begins to awaken me from my dream, which had been very short judging by the temperature in the house, which had not yet descended so much. Was someone knocking at the door after the curfew? The question keeps hovering in my head and little by little it generates an uncomfortable pit in my stomach. No one besides the police was authorized to roam the streets at night, and that was not good. I lay still for a few more moments thinking the noise would have been imaginary, while also hoping to hear it again. My nerves had completely frightened me from sleep.

The same knocking is heard again, now more impatient. A human hand was touching from the other side of the metal gate, making the foil of the door shake and my heart at the same time. I jump up from the sofa and pass my hand over the clock to corroborate the time. It had been only thirty minutes since I had fallen asleep. The rain had increased and the cold was little by little more intense, it was clear that whoever was outside the house had an urge to talk to me.

I grope my way to the garage even if I can not see anything, the only light that filtered into the interior was a thin strip that could be seen under the door coming from the street lighting, along with the shadow of that person's feet. Apparently there was only one.

... Yes? What do you need? - I say out loud, enough for that strange person to respond. Police of the M.E. Let me in please.- A male voice answers me, making my speculations come true. That voice was familiar, it could easily be the same policeman who interrogated me in the afternoon when I returned home, but I had to be sure that it was really the same person. ... Could you put your identification under the door? -

There is a moment of silence, but apparently that person agrees to show his identification. The plate was flat enough to pass under the gate, and once it was within my reach I began to check it. In effect, it was the same policeman.

Fearing what would happen next, I took the door knob with one hand while I continued to see the policeman's photograph printed on his ID. I open the door cautiously expecting to see him face to face, but what I find is a human figure of smaller stature than I could remember, much less robust body build. Her face was covered with a mask, but it was quite obvious that it was a woman.

W... wait, who are you? - The strange woman takes a step towards me and extending her arm touches my neck, generating a small pain like a puncture. - What have you done to me!? W... what do you want? - I immediately backed away and put a hand to the place where she had touched me, and I managed to take off from my neck something that looked like a small red patch with a tiny needle that was barely perceptible to the touch.

Soon my legs began to fail and I felt my body incredibly heavy, at the same time that an incredibly strong feeling of sleep began to invade my body, weakening it. The desperation of the moment made me want to scream but my mouth was numb, soon the rest of my body followed it except for my eyes and my conscience, because I could keep listening and l could still see just fine, seeing what happened. Feeling that I was about to drop my body to the ground, that same woman rushes to hug me to my body and with all her strength to stop me from falling to the cold floor of the garage. Let my head rest on the floor with care at the exact moment my eyes closed, but I was still fully aware of what was happening, unable to scream or defend myself.

Well... there is the boy, I told you to trust me.- Says the male voice of the police man, it seems that he was an accomplice in all this. I think you were right this time... thanks Mark, I owe you one bro. Kassia will be happy to know that the boy will be safe now.- Anything to obey the orders of our beloved leaders, hahaha ... - He says in a mocking tone as I hear him approach and he carries me with both arms without any difficulty. I feel like they clearly put something on my body to keep me from getting wet with the rain, because judging by the cold we were already outside. - Tori, the door please.- From one moment to another I was in what seemed to be the interior of a vehicle, but it was strange that its interior felt much warmer than outside, as well as the absence of the noise of an engine that should drive the vehicle.

The door closes without generating any noise and I stay there inside, listening as the rain kept falling outside, resigned to letting myself be carried away by my kidnappers since I could not do anything else. Suddenly the door on the other side of the vehicle opens and the woman enters the interior along with something else that was wrapped in a plastic bag.

Oof, look what I found Tori, the boy had just bought food, I think it would be better to take advantage of it before it goes to waste.- The woman takes off the plastic cover that had helped me protect me from the rain, leaving me to breathe freely. My breathing is stirred voluntarily to avoid any contact with her or any other person involved in my kidnapping. -Uhm ... Tori, the boy is hyperventilating.- She says with some concern. Did you put the second sedative right? - Another female voice is heard by a small speaker that was probably installed inside the vehicle. ... Second sedative? - Yes, the red paralyzes the body, the blue makes him lose consciousness.- Oh... heck, then he's still awake ... ehh, I'm sorry Tyler, we're doing it for your sake.- I feel a second prick on the other side of my neck, and I slowly start to listening all the sounds faint, and go to sleep again in a matter of seconds.

My head ached, I was lying on a soft surface and felt an uncomfortable moisture on the edge of my mouth from having been asleep with my mouth open, that was all I knew while my body slowly regained control of my limbs. A murmur between two people begins to make me recover consciousness little by little.

And... are you sure he's still asleep? – His heart rate is still at rest, there's nothing to worry about.

My throat was dry and it hurt, but at least I had control over my breathing. I was still dizzy and preferred to sit still until I knew what had happened to me, wishing that all this had been a simple nightmare, although voices were not common in my house.

- Well you are the medic here, you will know when it will be the best time to disembowel him... -

- I'm not going to disembowel him Adara, I just want to be sure that he's healthy, that's all.-

- Take it easy Tori, you know that was sarcasm, right? -

- Hybrids aren't exactly good at sarcasm... -

- I noticed it...-

I manage to open my eyes, and the first thing I see in front of me is a huge mouth with white lips that discovered sharp fangs every time that thing spoke.

- ... let's see what it takes to get you ready.- It did not take even a second to distinguish that this was really an hybrid, of perfect white skin and sharp teeth like any other hybrid. She was really close to my face, so much so that I could feel her breath every time she exhaled.

- Aagghhhh! N... no! Get away! - My screams seem to frighten the hybrid, because immediately she jumps back and instead of screaming as I did she gave a loud roar that ends up deafening me for a few moments.

- But I haven't done anything to you! -

- Tori! I told you that he would wake up soon! - My sight may not have returned completely, because I still saw blur at a distance, but that voice was identical to the woman who had kidnapped me, and seeing it was more than clear that it was her.

- Go... Get away! What do you want from me!? - I take the first thing I have at hand, which ends up being a thermometer that was set on a table almost at ground level, that thermometer was strangely large. I soon realized that that medical instrument was being used by the white hybrid to check my health, all those gadgets were designed to be used by a hybrid with its mouth or its wheels. ... Where am I? ... Where the hell am I?!

- You are in a hidden base in the forest, it is the midpoint between the Metropolis and Cilt... we call it the bunker. - Responded the female hybrid, being calmer. My vision was clarifying and I noticed that she was an Audi R8 of year 2013, or at least that was her body type. She had bright fire-colored eyes composed of yellow, orange and red in both irises, forming a combination that reminded me of a fire's embers.

- Well... well, now I want to know why you brought me here... also, why you know my name.- I point to the girl who also had a worried face, she was young, I estimated her no more than 20 years, tan skin, medium height for a woman and her hair was long and curly until her half back. - ... I know that many know my name, but it is not normal for my kidnappers to say it so openly... -

- Okay, we'll tell you everything you want to know... but please, put that thing down and calm down, okay? We do not want you to faint. - The girl responds and gets on her knees to be at my same level, while I leave the thermometer on the floor and end up sitting, analyzing the movement of both.

- Okay, I'm calm... now please, can you explain me why you came to my house in the middle of the night, in the middle of a storm, helped by a policeman from the Metropolis to kidnap me, not to mention that the hybrid could not to have entered the city after what happened last night outside my house.- I pointed towards the hybrid, who seemed to be more serious than her human companion.

- My name is Tori, I am a fifth rank Cilt Medic although I am also a good hunter, of the fourth rank to be precise. But since I know you do not understand a word of what I'm saying, the only thing you need to know is that I am your protector and your transport while we head to Cilt, after that we will hand you over to the Leaders and they will take responsibility of you.- The Audi says as calmly as possible.

I'm watching the girl for a few moments, without giving her another option besides identifying herself equally. She hesitates for a few moments, but the uncomfortable silence makes her succumb.

- ... My name is Adara, I'm the second in command of the Hunter rank, it's a pleasure to finally meet you Tyler.- She holds out her hand to me in a very natural way, as if she had already forgotten the fact that they practically dragged me out of my house, but listening to them and deduce that they came from the same place from which Iker came gave me some confidence to also shake her hand, anyway they were my friend's companions. - I think you've already heard about the neutral city of Cilt, didn't you?

- Just a few legends... They say it's full of hippies and they're governed by a single hybrid for reasons of "fairness"... that and some things I learned from a hybrid that spent the night in my garage the night before today... A yellow McLaren called Iker .- Both seem to react to the name of Iker, and look at each other for a few moments. - ... although I don't think that talking about him will serve much ... the police of the E.M... He took it. I doubt he's alive now... -

Both are looking at each other for a few more moments, and from one moment to another a slight smile is drawn on their faces, making me somewhat curious.

- Tyler... Iker is in Cilt, our Leader Kassia took him out of the garage before the police arrived and they started investigating what had happened.

- But... and the policeman... I thought he had taken him away.-

- Mark? He is a Cilt Warrior and obeys the same orders as us. He only did it to protect you and Iker, he cleaned up the whole scene before the other cops came and investigated the house, it was thanks to him that we knew where you lived and... well, we helped you in your transfer to Cilt... - Tori hides her wheels inside her body a bit embarrassed.

- And... it was not easier to arrive and say; "Hello Tyler, did you pack your things? Because we will take you to Cilt where your father has been living for the past thirteen years without giving a clue that he was still alive all this time. "- Silence becomes present again, and neither of them wanted to say anything. I just took a breath and tried to calm down knowing that Iker was alive, and that accompanying them would bring me back to see my father.

-Well, since I know that you are only following orders, I think it does not give me another option besides to follow you towards Cilt.-

- A... Are you sure Tyler? I know our methods were not exactly... ethical. But if you are sure you want to do this, there is no going back. You will not be able to return to the Metropolis because the simple fact of being a Hopper already puts you in their sights, people may believe that you have turned to the Vortex cause, and life outside of Cilt will be really hard... - Tori stares at me with her fire-colored eyes, making me reflect for a moment on what she had just told me. ... but, if you decide to go to Cilt with us, I assure you that you will be able to see your father again, and you will live in a place where your last name will be the least of your problems, people will know you and will be happy to have you among them, and you will be of great importance to finally end this unnecessary war between species.-

Those words make me tingle in my stomach, something new was within my reach, as well as the opportunity to leave once and for all the horrendous city that was the Metropolis with the assurance that everything would go well.

- ... What do you say Tyler? Are you ready to go? - Adara stares at me, her brown eyes gives me the confidence to believe her words.

- The question here is... When are we leaving? - I answer without too much hesitation, and looking up with enough optimism.

- ...You really are the Hopper we were all waiting for.-

Hybrid-Kira (2018)