Miranda stopped her sister, pulling her by the shoulders.
— "Let me go! Things were just about to get good!"
— "Masia! Please! At least let's go somewhere more private!"
Gantz pulled up his pants quickly; he felt embarrassed, while the frustration of knowing Olete wouldn't be here made him upset.
— "How about it? Shall we?" Miranda asked, her eyes shining with the expression of a begging puppy.
Gantz thought for a moment and followed them down the red corridor. There were no more employees around. They reached a hallway with dozens of doors, and Miranda entered one of the first ones. The round bed with a beautiful red blanket in the center of the room was striking. On the walls, red curtains covered every side, which confused Gantz—who puts a curtain that leads to a wall?
Masia grabbed him as soon as he entered, slamming the door shut with one hand. Her lips were soft and wet as her tongue intertwined with his. The refreshing scent of mint filled Gantz's mouth as he began to surrender to Masia's pleasures. Miranda joined in hesitantly; she kissed his neck while unbuttoning his suit. They took turns kissing his mouth and his body, then his torso until they reached his waist, where they removed his pants and began to lick his intimacy, alternating from one to the other.
Gantz grabbed Miranda and threw her onto the bed, kissing her neck and moving down to her nipples. He licked them for a moment before descending across her strong abdomen, moving up and down the small mounds of muscle, until finally reaching her waist and sensing the faint taste of the sea in his mouth. While he was occupied, he didn't notice Masia coming from behind and licking him; he jumped, and they all began to laugh. Their eyes met again, igniting something within them. Their bodies entwined, their warm, goosebump-covered skin rubbing together as the juice of their love flowed through every part of them.
A few hours passed. Gantz lay holding them, feeling the warmth of their bodies while enjoying the emptiness of his mind, until Olete's smiling face flowed back in. That smile haunted his days and nights constantly.
— "Olete," he grunted, almost a whisper.
— "Did you say something?" Miranda asked, lifting her head from where it rested on Gantz's chest.
— "It's nothing." He kissed her slowly and lovingly.
— "No, it's just that I thought I heard you mention our father's name."
Gantz tilted his head. His face went white, nauseated for a moment; his lips trembled as he inquired.
— "Your father's name is Olete?"
— "Yes, Olete de Cravos Santiago. He is a priest in the church."
Gantz laid his head back on the bed while Miranda looked at him with concern.
— "What is it? Do you work for my father? Why is your face so white? My love, answer me!"
He flicked the hand where his silver ring rested. Miranda's voice was cut off as both were sucked into the ring, vanishing from reality.
Getting up from the bed, he cleaned himself using the old hand movement he'd seen Melinda do so many times. After that, he changed and went out into the hallway, finding Vincente having fun in the middle of the party. He passed through the hall and sat on his stool, waiting for the party to end. His mind felt like a whirlwind of emotions at that moment; however, gradually, a coldness took hold of his heart like a serpentine emotion of tranquility.
Time passed, and finally, the employees returned to the kitchen after an arduous night of "work." Everyone went back to their duties while Gantz and Vincente left the party.
— "That night was wonderful!" Vincente said, stretching his arms upward.
— "Yeah," Gantz followed, lost in thought.
The two said their goodbyes as they went their separate ways. The weight on Gantz's finger bothered him as he pondered what to do next.
The sunlight hit the window and reflected on Gantz's face in the morning. He stretched his body while rubbing his face, making the ring scrape against his skin. He looked at the glint on his finger and sighed. After having his morning coffee and warm bread delivered by a bakery worker from downstairs, he headed out to the streets.
While pondering, he came across a mess: people being dragged by men in armor. Soldiers were throwing things out of windows, and people were being beaten and taken to wagons with bars on the doors and windows. Gantz approached a man and asked:
— "What's going on here?"
— "The soldiers are desperate, looking for two girls who went missing yesterday! They're destroying everything and taking every vagulm they can find."
Two guards crossed the crowd! They stopped for a moment before looking at Gantz and advancing toward him.
He retreated and made his way to an alley; the officers followed him through the corridors.
— "Where is that shit?"
— "I don't know, but I'm sure I saw this one with that other guy, Vincente."
— "Didn't that one squeal where his friend lived?"
— "No, the bastard is tough, though I softened him up a whole lot, hahaha." Saliva sprayed from the man's mouth as he laughed.
— "Hey, take it easy with that laugh, you're getting me wet!"
The soldier looked to the side and saw his partner hanging by what looked like a black hook. His face went white as he tried to pull the blade from his waist.
As the body dropped, a shadow descended beside him. He felt his body being lifted, his head pinned against the brown wall, and then shoved sideways, making his skin scrape until it hit bone. His jaw twisted and snapped in two as his eyes burst. Blood stained the wall in the shape of a streak, dripping slowly. The body fell to its knees, and Gantz delivered a kick, crushing the rest of the skull, staining the wall with even more blood.
His face was twisted with rage as he climbed back to the rooftop.