Strange reports have started to come in from a village far away from the city, informing that a few days ago the residents have been under what seems to be a kind of toxic and evil air. According to the information, a dense fog has mixed with the ecosystem of that place and mainly in daylight hours it tends to spread very quickly, causing much damage to people. It is said that those who are reached by it, suffer a high degree of intoxication while others have caused a disorder of weakness and disorientation.
The competent authorities have decided to send a specialist in the matter, Dr. Suzan Dawn, who will have the difficult task of finding the source of the problem and solving things before the chaos and panic become greater and this tragedy becomes known worldwide. Together with her team, the doctor must reach the place by the only possible means, a helicopter, and as they approach the destination, Suzan begins to study the possible strategies and techniques that can help her in this reckless mission.
Late in the afternoon, the doctor and the others arrive at the village. Prepared with a special suit, one by one they get out of the helicopter without knowing what awaits them out there, and just when they get off they all seem to share the same impression: there is no one waiting for them, and although many houses can be seen around, that place seems to be a ghost town. Only the footsteps of the new visitors can be heard, the whistling of the wind can easily be heard walking around the place while everyone observes the houses with their doors closed and the windows completely sealed. In the middle of the astonishment, a man covered from head to toe is seen in the distance, who begins to give them indications with his hands and pointing towards an entrance that seems to be a huge basement.
Suzan heads the platoon, so she is the first to go down the stairs to this strange place that is really the refuge of the villagers who have not yet been affected by the mysterious mist. Seeing that this is the long-awaited help, the people take the doctor to the village chief, who explains to her what little they have been able to observe of the situation:
-Every morning at sunrise, a mist begins to cover the whole place, and brings something with the air that catches you and never lets you go again.
Those generated some intrigue to Suzan and his people, while the chief added:
-It is like a strange smoke that settles over the village until the sun goes down, and it is only at night that we can walk around the village without any risk.
Hearing this, the doctor decides to attend to the matter promptly and asks the villagers if they have been able to figure out where the mysterious mist is coming from.
-Some hunters claim to have seen it coming from the foot of a mountain a few miles from here.
That was the only clue Suzan had, so after consulting with his team, they decided to go there, and for greater security they would do it at night and well equipped to avoid a fatal encounter with that strange invading agent.
A guide leads them to the foot of the mountain. It is a very wooded and dark area, where you could barely make out the presence of someone a few meters away. The ground seems to move with the pattern of the waves of the sea and a heat that is gradually gaining in intensity is felt as they walk. It seems that they are closer than they think, until the guide alerts them:
-There it is! that's the place.
And pointing her flashlight to the left side of the path, the doctor found herself in front of a huge crevice that seemed to breathe and murmur at the same time. Exactly how deep and how thick it was could not be seen, so the doctor and her companions decided to get a little closer to observe and take some samples, something so simple that in a second it became its own trap, since that crack was not willing to receive certain visitors.
And a chilling groan seemed to come from the bottom, and what they least thought was already happening: a dense curtain began to rise and throw itself with total fury towards all of them. Everyone began to run desperately, and full of fear they felt how the security suits simply vanished before that enemy presence. The doctor in a single stumble lost her step and also her flashlight and then had to run without knowing where to go. Even so, Suzan did not stop running while she heard some people screaming and calling for help because they felt lost in the forest. The doctor was about to give up because of the tension and the fear of feeling how the fog was getting closer and closer to her, and when everything indicated that it was already her end, a free fall of several meters took the doctor directly to a river, a place where the fog could not reach.
Fortunately, Suzan was dragged by an impetuous current that took her to the vicinity of the village, and just before dawn this brave woman was able with her last strength to reach the place of refuge. Only she and one of her companions managed to save themselves while the others were still lost in the forest, including the guide. After several hours, Suzan was treated for her minor injuries while the village chief praised the doctor for her miraculous escape:
-"It's a good thing you inadvertently hit the old river crossing that leads to the volcano.
-Volcano? Is there one very close to here?
-Of course! It's the same mountain where we now know that strange mist is coming from.
And then the village chief explained to Suzan that for years they had lived with this sleeping giant and that he had never caused them any problems. On certain occasions, it expelled gases that, thanks to its similar height, did not harm people. But on the recommendation of several men, a few months ago they decided to seal the mouth of the volcano in case it ever woke up and erupted.
Hearing this, Suzan's facial expression changed completely. This was the missing piece of the puzzle, and what was once considered an act of protection actually ended up becoming the villagers' nightmare. It only took a few days for Suzan to get well, and knowing the possible origin of the problem, he led a special brigade to the volcano, where after clearing and freeing its entrance, they managed to completely eliminate the presence of that mysterious mist.
After that, everything became a time of jubilation for Dr. Suzan and for all the villagers who could now walk freely with nothing to fear. The crack that for a long time became a silent enemy now lies dormant, only being from that very moment a small wound in the lands of that place and a scar in the lives of many inhabitants who will never forget it.
THE END.