The story
The early morning hours on the sabana, the high plains just outside the city, wrapped the land in a thick, freezing stillness. Mateo had spent hours tossing and turning on his cot, unable to fall asleep. A strange restlessness ran down his spine, fueled by a distant sound: a lugubrious howl, far too human and heart-wrenching, that seemed to tear through the cold air. Tired of tossing and turning, he decided to get up to start his watch shift much earlier than usual.
The property was deserted, illuminated only by the pale moonlight filtering through the branches of the eucalyptus trees. Mateo walked over to the old tree in the center of the grounds and let himself drop to the ground, looking for some calm. However, the peace didn't last long. A dry sound broke the silence; then another. Little pebbles began to rain down on his head and shoulders, falling from the heights of the empty branches. He looked up with a frown, but the foliage remained motionless, swayed only by the night breeze. There were no birds, no strong wind, only that strange shower of gravel that seemed to strike him with intent.
Minutes later, his fellow watchman, Esteban, approached the area to relieve him. Esteban walked with a firm step, but upon reaching the tree, his face suddenly went pale. He stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide open, and looked at Mateo with absolute desperation.
"Don't move," Esteban whispered, his voice trembling. "There's a woman standing right behind you."
A chill ran down Mateo's spine. He slowly turned his head, scanning the darkness behind him. There was no one there. Only the blackness of the night and the shadows cast by the distant walls. However, before Esteban could get out another word, a sound froze the blood in both of them: a female laugh, high-pitched and mocking, rang out clearly in the middle of absolute nothingness, as if it were coming from the air itself.
That macabre echo lingered in the air for a few eternal seconds before dissipating, leaving behind a sepulchral silence that weighed like lead. The two men, paralyzed by terror, preferred not to investigate further and took refuge in the guard shack until the first rays of dawn chased away the shadows.
Days passed and the incident seemed to be left behind, buried by the routine of daytime work. However, the mystery took on a terrifying physical dimension when Esteban discovered something unusual on his skin. When he took off his shirt in front of the mirror, he noticed a strange red mark, a burn with a perfectly defined shape that seemed to have been viciously branded onto him while he slept. That unseen sign was the tangible reminder that the entity inhabiting the darkness had not only watched them, but had taken a piece of them with it.
