Turbinio

Yew Oil

''Santo Deus!'' You exclaimed, blessing yourself without realizing it.

Hot Pants made a gesture as if to tell you to be quiet. The crows were feeding on something in the hole left by a tree uprooted; all you could see, through the bushes, was a mound that disturbingly resembled a bare shoulder.

You frowned, your breath becoming labored at the memory of Gyro and Johnny.

It was, in fact, a bare shoulder. From a pig. You crouched down beside the carcass, frowning at the marks that stood out against the thick, pale skin. You touched the deep grooves in the animal's flank in disgust. Hot Pants was pale as a ghost.

''Bear?'' She asked hesitantly. So hesitantly that the fear in her voice was clear.

You shook your head.

''No... It has lots of teeth, like an alligator, but the jaw is round.'' You brushed away the wispy, coarse hairs behind the animal's ear and pointed out the perforations in the folds of fat. ''It broke the neck with a single bite, see? A bear would have eaten a larger body part. This has barely been touched.''

''The trail of blood doesn't end here. Let's go.''

You got up and wiped your face on your clothes. Despite being sticky with sweat, the hairs on your neck stood on end with a chill. It was too easy to imagine the lifeless bodies of Gyro and Johnny in front of you. You continued to follow the trail. This time, blood covered a huge part of the river water.

''Do you think this is it?'' You asked.

''Yes. Johnny and Gyro's horses are there, can you see?''

Following on foot, not far away, were the two men on the ground, just as you imagined when you saw the pig's shoulder. Hot Pants led the way, nudging Johnny with her feet, and he was awake. You approached the water. Another body lay, floating among the crimson stains. Closer to your feet was what you assumed was Gyro's boot, which soon disturbingly turned out to be his severed leg. Your throat closed and your stomach lurched. Trembling, you walked over to Gyro's body, motionless, eyes without sign of life.

''Ho...Hot Pants!'' Johnny grunted painfully. ''You...''

''Your horses are alone on the other side of the Mississippi... That's why we came.'' She looked around, making sure there was no one else. ''They didn't take the parts, did they?''

''Wait...Hot Pants!'' You can just hear Johnny struggling. Soon, you turned away, not wanting to see whatever was happening. ''That crest! What... what is that crest?! It's from Gyro's...''

You shrugged your shoulders when you heard a loud thud and then silence. You were shaking with nervousness and shock. Approaching the other body, you uttered a melancholy exclamation. Soundman, whose you saw in the lead hours ago, had a fatal puncture in the neck. Your first impulse was to kneel and foolishly check his pulse. Wet sand scratched your knees and your hands were shaking harder than ever. There was no sign of life on that body, and the confusion was obvious on your face. Did Johnny kill Soundman? Why?

You felt something metallic scratch your shin and, pulling yourself up, could see what it was. A dagger, which you assumed belonged to Soundman, as it was engraved and lightly worn. You picked it up and tried not to freak out.

You nodded to see Hot Pants. She was oddly still. A chill ran down your body when saw that she had the corpse's spine and the left arm. Then, you walked and looked at Johnny, unconscious.

''Johnny...''

''He's alive.'' Hot Pants said, her voice cracking.

''Wait... Hot Pants, we can't leave them like this! Please can you use your Cream Starter on Gyro? He's...''