avenue and into other minor streets, on the way he saw multiple houses with their entries destroyed and probably their contents stolen, some of them had the behind of a car sticking out of them. He did not notice at the beginning, but there were many human bodies laying around, he was hoping they were just drunk and not dead.
“If anyone wants to get down of the car at any time please let me know, we are going to the POTGC building in Los Chaguaramos, there is someone we must meet there.” Roberto said in a loud voice tone.
Nobody said anything, a few were just looking through the windows scared at what they were seeing, those that were not able to see through the windows were just crying.
On the way they went pass some small groups of troublemakers, most of them carrying fire torches, but more than a few were carrying televisions, tables, fridges and other stolen things. Most of them did not paid any attention to the Toyota, but sometimes they could hear insults and some even threw bottles and rocks toward them which bounced harmlessly off the car body. They could hear a few random gun shots as well, but nothing else, just darkness and silence.
They arrived to POTGC and in the petrol station just in front of the main gate was Cristobal's Suzuki parked in the parking lot. Cristobal, Edward and Lucio were waiting outside of the car. Roberto parked the Toyota next to the Suzuki and everyone stepped down of it. The place was a very small petrol station with a variety shop and a car wash that was usually attended by multiple employees. The place was deserted and the shop had its doors destroyed, there was graffiti all over the place.
“We have been waiting for you for too long! Always driving like an old woman, eh Roberto!” Cristobal said, but Roberto only mumbled something.
Roberto went straight to the flat tire to check it up. Meanwhile the rest of his friends got together with Cristobal' group. Some of the other passengers asked for a mobile phone which his friends lent them and after making a quick call they started leaving the place by foot in different directions. Lissette went straight to Guillem and asked him for his address then she hugged him and left.
“Uy, not everything was so bad eh? Guillem has a new girlfriend! Maybe she will finally take your eternal summer from down there away eh?” Said Cristobal pointing toward his crotch. “What is going to say your satanic cult now little boy? Are you allowed to have a girlfriend? Can she be someone from outside of the cult or does she has to believe in the devil as well?”
“It is not a satanic cult and she is not my girlfriend. Grow up Cristobal.” Said Guillem angrily while walking toward Roberto. “How do you see the damage?” He asked Roberto.
“I will have to change the tire, the car suffered a lot of damage, but it is a strong vehicle, it will hold just fine.” Answered Roberto. “Please, keep an eye for anyone that might approach this place. Tom, can you help me change the tire?.”
“Off course buddy!” Said Tom.
The others sat down close to the cars and looked into the darkness that surrounded them. Everyone was very quiet, just thinking and keeping to themselves.
Occasionally they saw some drunken people or speeding cars. They could hear as well a few laughs and female screams in the night. But nothing that would threaten then directly at least.
“I have never noticed how dark it gets. And quiet. It feels so weird this situation, I feel so vulnerable now.” Said Guillem. “You know what? I am going to the shop to see if I can find something to drink, do you guys want something?” Said Guillem.
“Let's see if we can find something for everyone. I will go with you,” said Cristobal “you need an adult to take care of you anyway.”
“You know I am not a child, right?”
“Not to me little buddy, not to me.”
Both of them got up laughing and went to the shop, but Cristobal went running first to the Suzuki to pick up the sledgehammer.
“I like it.” He said with a smile. “It might be useful in there if we have to break something or someone.”
“You are just a big child, did you know that?” Said Guillem.
The door had been pulled out of its frame and was resting on a side, the interior was very dark. Guillem found the switch for the lights on the right of the door frame and turned them on, some of the lights were broken, but still most of them worked and illuminated the place well enough. There were many shelves, but all of them were laying on the floor, as well as the food and magazines which were mostly destroyed and finally the cashing machine which had been emptied of all money.
As soon as they turned on the lights they heard a light knock at the other side of a door located at the back of the shop.
“Maicol? Mate are you there? Did you bring the gang? Here I have the POTGC bitches. Vohemia really helped us, that bitch really brought us some really nice asses here.” Guillem and Cristobal ran and hid behind the remains of one of the shelves. Whoever he was, he was drunk.
“Maicol? God damned, who is there? Stay here my little bitches, I will come back soon. Vohemia is that you? Do you or your sisters want more fun?” The door opened and a teenager of average height, very thin, tall and dirty came out, he was dressed with large clothes, including a blue jeans and a black shirt, his clothes were very deteriorated and stained in what seemed like blood. As soon as he opened the door a very intense odour came out, it smelled like sweat, blood and alcohol. In his right hand he had a pistol.
“Hey you!” The guy yelled at Cristobal as he fired his pistol and a roar of pain filled the shop.
Guillem ran to the guy and tried wrestling the weapon away from him, but the guy kept throwing him around as if Guillem was weightless. While the guy was trying to get free from Guillem's hold, Cristobal took his sledgehammer and with a maniacal look in his eyes hit the drunk on the side fracturing a few ribs and knocking down both the guy and Guillem, the guy fell unconscious from the impact.
Guillem came out from below the bloodied drunk's body and saw Cristobal sitting in one of the shelves covering his chest with a look of extreme pain in his eyes, his eyes reminded him of those of a hurt dog, they looked innocent, in a lot of pain and in need of attention. The others came running by the door, but calmed down when they saw that Guillem and Cristobal were fine. After doing a quick search on the body, Guillem took the pistol the drunk teenager had with him.
“Come with me to the back of the shop, this idiot came from there.” Said Guillem talking to the whole group as he got up and started walking to the back door.
He opened the door slightly and looked inside, what he saw broke his heart, there were multiple men and women laying in multiple places in the room, they were not moving at all and were mostly naked with multiple wounds over their bodies. There was a strong odour to blood and semen in the place. He came out again and closed the door, then ran to a corner and vomited.
Edward approached the door to open it, but Guillem stopped him before he did it.
“No! You do not want to see what is in there. Do not open that door.” Edward stepped away as suggested by Guillem, so did the others.
“Pick up whatever you need and let's get out of here, this place is disgusting and reeks of dead.” Said Guillem.
“Hey, shut up!” Whispered Maria as she turned off the lights. “We have company outside.”
Guillem approached the entrance and saw two older Toyota Land Cruisers from the seventies of the kind that is used in Caracas' bad neighbourhoods to transport people, they were parked just outside next to their cars. A group came down of them, it was a gang of about 12 people in total, one of them was middle aged woman with chinese face features and short black hair, she seemed to be the leader and could not be older than 40, but had all the signs of a person that drinks and consumes all sorts of drugs. They all had red shirts.
“Hey Marta, what do you think about these cars? They are cool, I like the Suzuki. But, they were not here last time when we came. Shall we take them? What do you say? The egg heads that left them here do not deserve to have them.” Said one of the gang members.
“
Idiot, the owners should be still around, maybe they are in the shop. You and you, stand guard here, the rest, follow me!” They went to their cars and armed themselves.
Cristobal went to the switch and destroyed it with the sledgehammer.
“If these idiots do something to my Suzuki I will kill them. Anyway, now if they come they will not be able to turn on the lights.”
“You and you, get in there and check!” Marta told two of the gang members.
Both guys approached the shop cautiously with a gun in hand each of them. Roberto whispered to the group.
“Hide, let them get in and then we attack all at the same time!”
Guillem hid behind one of the lying shelves and took out the pistol he just picked. He saw as both gang members came into the shop, they had just walked a couple meters into the shop when one of them quickly turned toward the place Cristobal tried to hide and fired his weapon at him, almost instantaneously Guillem aimed his weapon and fired at the intruders as well. The others jumped from their hiding places and were trying to grapple, immobilise and disarm them.
Guillem tried to immobilise the guy that shot at Cristobal, but he was extremely wiry and quick so kept escaping once and again not only from his efforts to hold him down, but from those of Cristobal and Edward as well. Guillem could hear and smell gun shots, but was unable to check how the others were doing. It