The story
The tropical storm broke over the capital of Meta with unrelenting fury, instantly knocking out the electricity and plunging the house into a thick, cold gloom. It was past eleven at night when Mateo decided to go out to the porch to secure the tarp on the pickup truck, battling the wind that thrashed the palm trees violently. His wife, Lucía, accompanied him to the doorway, intrigued by a silhouette cutting through the persistent downpour.
A few meters from the entrance, walking with unusual calm through the thick mud, a woman dressed in strict mourning was moving slowly. She carried a bundle wrapped in dark fabrics against her chest, pretending it was a baby. Lucía felt a pang of compassion, imagining a child exposed to such harsh weather, but Mateo, feeling a sudden chill that had nothing to do with the freezing breeze, preferred to ignore her and focus on the knots of the tarp.
Inside, the sudden, piercing cry of the younger brother broke the silence, forcing Lucía to turn around and close the door behind her to calm the boy. At that exact moment, the behavior of the guard dog, an imposing and fierce attack dog, changed drastically. Trembling with pure panic, the canine dragged itself along the floor until it hid beneath Mateo's legs, letting out a pitiful whimper that ran the man's blood cold.
The supposed baby in the stranger's arms then let out a strident, inhuman wail that blended with the roar of the thunder. But that wasn't the worst part. The woman slowly raised her face and let out a macabre, hollow, mocking laugh, directed straight into Mateo's terrified eyes. It was a sound that seemed to tear the night apart.
From inside, hearing the tension in the atmosphere, Lucía opened the door again just a few centimeters. Right in time to witness how the figure in black stumbled strangely, falling into the mud, only to get back up immediately while still laughing and continue her march toward the dark corner of the block.
With hands clumsy from fear, Mateo finished securing the tarp, stumbled as he crossed the threshold, and bolted the door twice. The dog didn't leave his side all night, while the family stayed in silence, terrified by the echo of that laugh that still seemed to resonate in the hallway.
