They run. They don't even feel the weight of their book bags on their backs. Vincent turns around but they are still walking towards them. "Keep running", his backpacking friend Martin yells. Vincent can see the church's bell tower hovering in the blue sky. They both race up the steps leading to the church's courtyard and find the gate closed. "Open the fucking gate!!" Martin continues to yell as Vincent keeps an eye out for the things that are lumbering towards them. The church's wooden double doors open and a policeman races out, making his way across the courtyard to Martin and Vincent. The policeman opens the gate a tiny bit, with Martin and Vincent barely squeezing through the iron fence with their packs on. "Whoa", Martin says as he sees a nickel plated .45 calibre pistol staring back at him. "Were either of you bitten", the policeman ask. Martin and Vincent begin feeling around, showing the policeman their bodies as they rotate 360. "If you had been bitten, you would've turned out like Rodrigo; a deputy", the policeman says as he points to the shade under a tree. Underneath a dying tree, Vincent sees a man bound by metal chains; blood soaked onto his clothes. "I would not advise going to close", the policeman says as he walks back toward the church. "Estan bien!"
"So, what are those things?" Father DeSalvo looks around and tells Martin he doesn't know. "It started a week ago, no one knows how. A man, a gringo like you, strolled into town one day. He slept on the bench in the back of this church and the next morning, he was gone. These people came, panicked, and Deacon Cardenas allowed them sanctuary here. We could not save anymore than what you see. This is all that's left of our town."
