He, on the other hand, found out all about her in the Civic seat.
They started talking about their lives.
"My parents divorced when I was six" he confided, "but I didn't take it that hard. Ever, since I was little, I felt how cold my father was, unable to feel affection for anyone. It's ugly to say, but his presence made me uncomfortable. His cuddles were cold, his gifts annoyed me. When he left, that feeling of cold that my father sowed for the rooms also went away with him."
Guido stopped to observe Caterina. She listened to him with the expression of one who is attentive to every word, her fleshy lips ajar to contradict her natural innocence, so seductive. Guido had to kiss her because he felt she was longing for him.
Out of the car, the cold blanket of fog began to envelop the clearing.
Caterina also hinted at his life.
"I come from a wealthy family" she exclaimed, as she caressed Guido's curls gathered behind her ears. "My father is Antonio Biondi, the former mayor of Castelmuso."
"Center-left council. I remember him perfectly" he nodded.
"Now he is struggling with an angiosarcoma that gives him little hope of survival" she explained with melancholy resignation.
"I'm sorry. I really am."
"I also have two sisters” she added, the tone of those who don't want to give in to sadness. "Cheeky six-year-old twins who hate each other. But they hate being apart more, just as they hate dressing differently and talking without one completing the other's sentence. Otherwise, I have few friendships, all concentrated in the parish. I do a lot of volunteer work. I love to walk the boys at the co-op."
Outside, the fog was getting thicker.
Caterina drew a heart on the foggy window, and pierced it with an arrow. Guido thought it was a childish thing to do as a child. Then he thought of her while she was on top of him and screamed with pleasure. He used to yearn for the desire to possess Daisy like that. She was his first love. Daisy had been the dawn of his innermost passions.
She had been the dawn of sin. But now it was Caterina. And she was everything else.
The girl raised her slender hand, her wrist embellished with a Cartier.
"It is time to go. My mother will make a mess if I'm late" she said.
They hugged, lingering in a long kiss.
Guido was getting excited again, when she put her hands on his chest to get off his arms.
"Guido, did you hear that?" she said with a veil of concern.
"Heard what?"
"A noise. As if someone was outside."
Guido wiped the foggy window with the palm of his hand. He looked out. The fog had settled over the clearing. Catherine became more than a little nervous than she should have been, and didn't understand why. She took Guido's hand and held it for a long time, in silence, her pale face and outstretched gaze, careful to catch the slightest noise. An unusual calm hovered around the reeds. The croaking of the frogs had disappeared, the rustling of the reeds, the sigh of the wind.
"I don't want to be here. Let's go away" she begged him, fastening her seatbelt even though they had to make a short distance. Guido straightened the seat, brightened up his hair, looked at her with a calm smile, just to reassure her. He turned the key to start the engine.
The car made a faint noise, and all the dashboard lights went out. She turned the key several times, but each time she tried, the control unit sent a small electric ping, and nothing else.
"Shit. The battery is down" he snorted annoyed. He was about to open the door when something hit the windshield.
"What... what is it?" she shuddered.
Guido remained silent, pale, his breath cut off by the slime. Nevertheless, he tried to say something reassuring, just to ease the tension.
Outside, everything was still, motionless, when a sudden noise hit the car. Caterina screamed in terror. Guido took her in his chest, in an instinctive gesture of protection.
It was raining coal from the sky.
Hard, black, fiery fragments hit the hood, the windows, the roof, bouncing and leaving flaming commas that were lost in the fog.
Guido thought of Daisy. His accident announced by the same coal rain.
He thought of the monk's words.
The coal was a message. A message of death.
16
The psychiatrist's wife was a fine woman and a bit of a snob. But she was also a real lady.
Elettra Salieri was able to pass over the personal aesthetic and role criteria that status imposed on her, so she agreed to celebrate her birthday at the modest Dancing Sport, personally invited by the mother of the famous singer Daisy Magnoli. She and her husband had a table reserved for six people, next to Daisy's table.
The psychiatrist didn't told his wife, but he was also in the club for a prosaic business reason. He was finishing a study to be published in a prestigious scientific journal.
He had already chosen the title: ʺPsicodinamica of a multiple personality in a person with schizophrenia.ʺ The last part of the article dealt with the reintegration of the schizophrenic patient into society. The completion of the study was the only reason he accepted Sandra Magnoli's invitation.
A stumpy-necked bouncer, the tie that seemed to choke him, escorted Elettra and Roberto to their table.
With the couple there were their four friends: a notary with a thin face and flat forehead, and a silk bow tie to embellish a rather dull face. Next to them, the young companion wrapped in a gold dress fastened around her neck, considerably lowered at the shoulders. At the back, two chubby men with silver hair. Both wore an elegant satin suit in electric blue shades. They were two cheerful, smiling types, in clear harmony with each other and with life in general. Two kindred spirits who had lived five minutes of fame in the past. They were in fact among the first to join in marriage thanks to the new law on civil unions.
When Roberto Salieri reached the table saw Adriano in the crowd. A glance was enough to understand that he was sick.
Adriano approached the VIP area, where Daisy was signing autographs.
His sister had dozens of fans in front of her, holding pens, papers and mobile phones. Adriano made his way among the boys, trying to fight the parasite that was possessing him again.
Daisy, it's me. I'm back.
Daisy heard the voice creeping into her mind. She was seized with an invincible panic. She tried to move, she tried to stop signing autographs, she wanted to shout something to Aadriano for help, but she couldn't do it.
Unwittingly, she kept on making a list of names: Antonella... Mario... Simona... Stefano...
Aadriano approached the balustrade that separated him from his sister.
‘That's enough. The harvest is complete.’
Adriano struggled against himself. He rebelled and cursed, but without success.
He took his sister's face in his hands.
‘Daisy... my Daisy.’
‘Leave us alone! Leave me and my sister alone!’
Adriano, against his will, his eyes flushed with tears, kissed her on the mouth.
She tried to pull away. She wanted to fight back, defending herself by punching, kicking, scratching and biting him, but she couldn't move.
"What the fuck is going on?" Filippa gasped and spit out his cigar on the floor.
"Holy shit ! What the fuck ?" Manuel and Leo, who couldn't believe their eyes, exclaimed.
"What the fuck are they doing?"
Roberto Salieri hurried up. He caught up with Adriano. He grabbed him by the arm, snatched him from Daisy.
"All right, guys. That's enough."
‘Doctor, what a pleasure!’
Salieri put his hand in his jacket pocket and, turning to the boy, said peremptorily, "Adriano, I have a syringe with four milligrams of Lorazepam in it. Now keep calm or I shall be forced to use it."
‘Don't worry, Doctor. I'll be good. Ah... I have good news for you. You're going to be all right. All the sons of bitches are not going to die tonight.’
Daisy finally
moved, but without coming to her senses. She stared at the floor with her vacant eyes, the look of someone who doesn't ask questions because she was afraid of the answers. She became dizzy. She clung to the balustrade, staggered on her shaky legs and fell to her knees.
Filippa jumped out of the chair to help her. She grabbed her by the waist and put her back on her feet. Manuel and Leo joined the two friends.
"Daisy, what the hell? How much have you been drinking?" Manuel asked, worried about that incestuous kiss that someone would soon put on the net.
Leo felt the phone vibrate in his pocket. Guido's name appeared on the display. He answered, trying to isolate himself from the noise around him.
"Guido, I don't understand you. Speak louder. It's a mess here."
Guido, on the other end of the phone was yelling, "Leo, get out of the club right now. Everybody get out. Now!"
"Guido, are you out of your mind?"
"Something's about to happen, but I don't have time to explain now. Get out. Get out now! And take Daisy away!"
"Shit." Leo went pale. The line suddenly went dead.
ʺPerhaps someone telephoned the editorial office. It must be the usual bomb scareʺ Leo thought.
The bombs of Islamic fundamentalists, real or alleged, had been terrorizing Europe for some time, but at the time, he had no desire to stay there to see if it was a joke or not.
He looked at the fire door. It was less than 20 meters away.
He grabbed Daisy by the arm and ordered Manuel and Filippa to follow him.
"Guido wants us to leave. Now."
He explained the phone call in two words. His friends knew Guido well enough to follow his order without questions. Guido had told them to get out and they wouldn't be left for another second.
"You guys go ahead. I'll tell the deejay to make an announcement to evacuate the club” exclaimed Leo.
Filippa walked quickly as Manuel dragged Daisy's delicate figure. A sudden gathering of fans, all waving pens and asking for autographs, blocked their way.
The emergency exit, just a few steps away, had become unreachable.
Down in the reeds, Caterina cried unable to understand what was happening.
In less than a minute the coal rain had become less thick. A few more seconds and it stopped completely. On the surrounding meadow lay pieces of lit coal, small red eyes glistening in the mist.
"Guido, my God... what was that?"
The silence was broken by the dogs howling all at once, and Guido had a clear feeling that something was about to happen again. He attracted Caterina to him, as if he wanted to protect her.
"Hold me and close your eyes” he suggested, her face marked by a dark omen. She hugged him tightly.
At that moment the earth's feral fury awoke.
The roar of the earthquake was so loud that it completely covered the music. The illuminated disco floor seemed to rise from the ground. The headlights rocked dangerously. The loudspeakers came off, falling on a group of kids. The walls swung. The steel pylons where the lights hung unbolted and fell on the crowd.
The shelves of the bar tipped over. Hundreds of bottles and glasses shattered to the ground.
With every second that passed, everything moved more violently.
The plasterboard ceilings folded like sails, falling off the vaults and falling to the ground amidst suffocating clouds of dust. The floor under Filippa's feet warped, as if a large animal were sliding under a carpet.
Dozens of boys fell in clusters.
Leo was able to stand and approach the exit, but was overwhelmed by a group of girls who all fell at the same time.
Manuel managed to get to the emergency door. He tried to open it, but the windows slammed so hard that he was out of the squadron.
Filippa saw the stone arches in the ceiling fill with cracks. With each movement of the ground, they grew wider and wider.
ʺShit. This time I’ll get killedʺ thought.
The light suddenly jumped out completely, and cries of terror rose from every point of the room.
Manuel managed to open the door with a kick. He dragged Daisy with him, finding himself on the street with dozens of other people.
Filippa also managed to escape outside.
Outside, the light poles were swinging like reeds in the wind, cables were crackling, power lines were jumping. Pieces of ledge plunged into the road. Window panes cracked and fell to the ground like a hailstorm of glass. An amaranth-colored station wagon that was driving down the road near the Dancing Sport, lost control, broke through a hedge and rolled over on its side, leaving behind a trail of sparks.
A thunderous roar came from inside the disco. From the doors came a cloud of rubble and numerous cries of terror. The ceiling had come down.
ʺIt's a massacreʺ cursed Filippa, attached to a lamppost that swayed like a ship's flagpole.
Downriver, Guido's car seemed to rise from the ground. It swung so hard that he and Caterina were tossed around like they were riding a mechanical bull. The bamboo reeds slammed making a loud, dry noise, the trees shaken, the branches creaked ghostly, losing bundles of leaves.
Guido clearly saw the crane above the building site swing and fall on a row of houses under construction. A farmhouse swayed frightfully. A wall came down. The roof collapsed into the building, lifting a cloud of grey dust.
In Castelmuso people had always lived with the earthquake, but it was impossible to get used to the fear it triggered, especially if the shock was very strong. And that was the strongest tremor Guido had ever felt. It had been long, infinitely long. He imposed himself to stay calm. He knew that the car in the middle of the clearing was, at that moment, in the safest place.
Caterina clung to him, with her face sunk to his chest, her arms tightened around his neck, her body no longer soft and sensual but stretched into a tangle of nerves and despair.
After a time that seemed eternal, the earth calmed down like a bear that suddenly fell into hibernation. The shock lasted seventy-two seconds. When it ended, all the people of Castelmuso poured into the streets.
The national and foreign networks began to spread the first bulletins. An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale struck central Italy. The epicentre is located near the municipality of Castelmuso. For the moment there are no reports of collapses or injuries...
Inside the disco, Adriano watched strangely the dim mobile phone lights filtering through the dust. The guys trapped in the rubble were desperately trying to call someone, but all the lines had been cut.
On the track, covered by a heavy grey blanket, were the corpses of some young people, their cold faces flashing with the pale light of mobile phones.
Moans and screams rose from every corner of the club. Leo had an ankle stuck between the irons sticking out of a block of concrete. He tried to scream for help, but as soon as he opened his mouth, it got stuck in the dust. Two guys, apparently unharmed, who Leo seemed to know, lifted the concrete block and released his ankle. The boy, escorted by the two rescuers, limped out into the open. His clothes were torn to shreds, he was dirty, full of scratches, his leg was bleeding from a long, deep gash. But he was alive and could have witnessed the nightmare he had just experienced.
Adriano looked at the bodies scattered on the ground.
A smile of satisfaction ran across his face like a malignant scar.
Secret file n.5
The editorial staff has received the recorded documentation.
To interview the witness is (omissis)
REGISTRATION IS COMPLETE
"Same old tape recorder."
"Yeah."
"Shall we get started?
"A promise is a promise. I'll talk about him."
"Then let's begin. First question: How was it?"
"Splendid. Like all children."
"Do you think of him often?"
"I think about Luca all the time." Always. When I was in prison, I lived with the abyss of his green eyes. Deep, hypnotic eyes. I think a lot of
girls fell into it. A lot of girls fell into it, I think. Then... well... there was the surprise."
"The surprise?"
"Yes. One day he told us he knew the truth."
"Can I know, or should I guess?"
"Luca told us he was gay."
"Ah!"
"And then the monster took him away."
"I see we get right into the subject. Then tell me about the monster."
"All right. Let's talk about it. I started to get suspicious when they pulled Luca out of the rubble. That day, the fire department dug 36 hours straight. First they pulled out a girl. She was reduced to an ash doll. She looked like she was asleep. A fireman wiped her face so gently, tears in her eyes. He even gave her a kiss on the forehead. I remember everyone was crying. Then they pulled out a boy. Thin arms and a pale face, like an innocent child. He wasn't even 16. A flower yet to bloom, and the damn monster had already cut him down."
"And then it was Luca's turn..."
"Yes. Luca. My Luca. There was that wonderful golden retriever from the dog unit, and he was exhausted from barking.
He directed them to where all the other kids were crowded. They had dug with their bare hands, moving the bricks one by one to create a cavity. When they pulled him out, there were applause and tears of happiness. It seemed like a perfect happy ending, what you can give the media. But Luca, my Luca, wasn't him anymore. The first foolish thing in all that horrible tragedy was the colour of his eyes".
"The color of his eyes?"
"The color of his eyes? They weren't green anymore. The prairie no longer had all those lovely aquamarine veins, no emerald streaks, no cilestric hues. They had turned black. Full of unnatural darkness."
The Dawn of Sin Page 18