On a blanket spread directly on the ground, Salomé was sleeping.
A grasshopper landed on her face and bothered her. In her sleep, she chased it away with a gesture and turned over. The insect came back. Salomé chased it away again, and this time she woke up. She looked around her and saw the grasshopper on the blanket.
— Why is this little creature bothering me?
She looked up at the sky: the sun was already setting. It was getting late. She got up and stretched, then, in front of her, she made out two silhouettes approaching. She narrowed her eyes and thought she recognized them.
— Ha ha, it's Bakuzan and Sakolomé! They're coming!
Niyus approached behind her.
— Yes, it is indeed them. I imagine they've finished the task their mother gave them.
Ramos joined them.
— So they're the ones who removed all those weeds and those trees that made the region so inhospitable?
Niyus nodded.
— They started at eight in the morning.
Sakolomé and Bakuzan finally stood before them, and the first thing everyone noticed was Sakolomé's condition.
— Sakolomé, what happened to you?
Salomé hurried to answer.
— Dad, I think they fought each other again!
Sakolomé shook his head.
— Don't say nonsense, Salomé. The truth is that we fought mutants on Mount Ayohngoï.
— Mutants? Ramos wondered.
Sakolomé nodded.
— How many were there altogether? Niyus asked.
— Eight, as far as I could tell, Bakuzan replied. Sakolomé killed one, and I killed all the others.
— Not bad. I'm proud of you, children. But were they powerful? Judging by Sakolomé's condition…
Sakolomé blushed.
— Actually, one of them swallowed me whole. That worm had very powerful gastric juices, which explains the little burns I have, and the state of my jogging pants…
Niyus sympathized.
— I'm glad you came back in one piece. Ramos's plane is repaired: he wanted to say goodbye before leaving.
Bakuzan and Sakolomé smiled and turned together toward Ramos, who returned their smile.
— I don't regret meeting you. I hope we'll see each other again. In any case, you'll be coming to the city for your studies, we're bound to cross paths, and I'll invite you to a fancy restaurant, where you can eat whatever you want!
— Those words do not fall on deaf ears, Mr. Ramos! Sakolomé replied proudly. Excellent!
— And if you have the time, Mr. Ramos, Bakuzan added, you can come visit us from time to time. You'll always be just as welcome.
Ramos was delighted.
— I have no doubt about that, children. Salomé, Sakolomé, Bakuzan, and you too, my friend Niyus… I hope that one day I'll have the level to measure myself against the Satsujin Otoko.
— You already have the tea of longevity, Niyus replied. You therefore have all your years ahead of you.
Ramos nodded. He headed toward his plane, looked at the family one last time, and sighed.
— I wish I could have been a Satsujin Otoko, ha ha! Goodbye, everyone!
He boarded the aircraft and took off. It did not take him long to reach the sky.
— Well, children, let's go home, Niyus said. Sakolomé, you're going to take an ointment bath to make those nasty burns disappear, okay?
— Yes, Father!
*
A few hours later, night had fallen. The entire Satsujin Otoko family had had dinner, and everyone was now in bed.
Salomé was so excited at the idea of going to the city for the first time the next day, to accompany her mother to the market, that she could not fall asleep. She got up and left her room to go to Bakuzan's.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
No answer. Salomé opened the door: it was dark. She turned on the light, which woke Bakuzan with a start.
— But what the…?
He looked toward the door and saw Salomé.
— Salomé, turn off that light! I'm dead tired.
He pulled his blanket over himself and buried himself in it from head to toe.
— Bakuzan, I can't sleep. I keep thinking about tomorrow…
— Really? he replied from under his blanket. And what is so special about tomorrow?
— Tomorrow, I'm going to the city for the first time. So I'm stressed and excited at the same time, since I'm also going with Mom to the market.
Bakuzan stuck his head out from under the blanket and looked at her.
— Bakuzan, can you tell me a story so I can fall asleep, please?
He sighed.
— All right. Turn off the light and come join me on the bed.
Salomé obeyed. She lay down beside him.
— I'm not going to tell you a story like the others, but a story you absolutely must know, and which will also tell you how not to lose your temper over there.
— All right, big brother.
Bakuzan began.
— There was a time when a Satsujin Otoko provoked an immense war between the other humans and us. This war is classified as the second deadliest, after the war against the mutants. But it is also the longest that has ever existed.
— Who is this Satsujin Otoko, this villain who dared to do that? Salomé asked, intrigued.
— A look-alike of Father. His creation dates back many years. He first betrayed Father, then all of humanity, wanting to become the man above all men. For that, he needed the support of other Satsujin Otoko of the time, and, strangely enough, he got it. He was appointed to high positions, and no one was able to beat him or stop him. The Satsujin Otoko were seen as lords of fear: although few in number compared to the population of the country and the world, they had managed to dominate everyone.
"But not all Satsujin Otoko took part in that fight. There were some, like those who lived with Father, who were peaceful and bothered no one. And there were those like his look-alike, more numerous, who waged war on the entire world.
"The only one capable of stopping his look-alike was Father. It was said that this look-alike was far stronger than him, but Father managed to seal him under a very powerful seal. I don't know where he placed it.
"After the neutralization of that man, the most dangerous in the world, the war resumed. The army eventually, despite the difficulties, dominated the remaining Satsujin Otoko and killed a very large portion of them. This time, all Satsujin Otoko were affected, those who were peaceful as well as those who had taken part in the war. The most powerful army in the world, which had millions of nuclear bombs to its credit, caused enormous damage and killed so many of our kind that we became a clan on the verge of extinction. From a people of two million individuals, we went down to only three hundred.
"After that, everything returned to order. Father moved around wearing a mask, to avoid being mistaken for his own look-alike in crowds. He signed a peace treaty between the Satsujin Otoko and the rest of humanity, on a global scale: the order of constitutions, infrastructure, food self-sufficiency… The Satsujin Otoko hardly benefit from it. What we gained, after that war, is a deep hatred of humanity toward us.
"Mother was loved, before. Loved by all those people. She saw that the hatred toward the Satsujin Otoko was terrifying. That was when, in front of a crowd, she kissed Father, declaring that not all Satsujin Otoko were bad, and that not all supported the lowering of humanity; on the contrary: it was even a Satsujin Otoko who had neutralized the leader of that organization. The whole world did not agree. In its view, it was the army that had done everything. Mother was therefore taken for a traitor, and she suffered their hatred afterward.
"Well. To conclude, Salomé, there is one thing you must know.
— Which is, big brother? Salomé asked, intrigued.
— There is a strong chance that tomorrow you will suffer people's hatred. Whatever form it takes, stay calm, don't retaliate, okay?
Salomé nodded sleepily.
— Understood, big brother.
— Promise me. I want you to promise me.
— I promise you, big brother.
Then she fell asleep. Bakuzan pulled the blanket back over her, and fell asleep in turn.
*
Day broke. Salomé woke up alone in her brother's bed.
— Uh… Bakuzan, where are you?
She got up and went to the exit of the room. In the kitchen, Amu was washing dishes. Salomé's arrival interrupted her. She turned around.
— Salomé, go wash up and have your breakfast: we're leaving soon.
— Mom, are we alone in the house?
— Yes. Your father left with your brothers. He says they have a mission, and that he needs extra hands for the sector where he's going to work.
— Oh, I see.
There was a moment of silence. Salomé yawned and headed for the shower.
— Mom, I'm going to shower first!
— Very well, my baby. But hurry: we have to be at the market in three hours.
*
The country where the Satsujin Otoko live is called Gu-HoiT. It is a large country, which has undergone two great wars: the war against the mutants and the one against the Satsujin Otoko. It has several large cities, some of which were destroyed during the wars, but that is not all.
Gu-HoiT now has five capitals, the largest of which is Gu-HoiT City. In the past, it had only one, destroyed during the war against the mutants. The country has nine hundred million inhabitants, over an area of three million square kilometers. Gu-HoiT City alone houses two hundred million of them over six hundred thousand square kilometers, making it the most populous city in the country.
This city is the size of certain countries, and even exceeds the area of several of them. It is the richest in the world, and the first in every field of business.
*
At that moment, in an abandoned city of the country, there reigned a deathly silence. Darkness and dust ruled there. Rubble littered the ground, and the atmosphere gave one cold sweats.
The destroyed cities bear names similar to the letters of the alphabet. The former capital is now called City C. That is where Niyus and his children were. They roamed through that emptiness and chaos.
— Well, children. You need to know something. First of all, do you know that City C faces one of the country's capitals?
— Yes, Bakuzan replied. It is the fifth capital, Monor City. It has eighty-eight million inhabitants over ninety-seven thousand square kilometers, and it is about five kilometers away by road from here.
Niyus nodded.
— Very good, my son. But that is not all. During the war against the mutants, humans migrated: they abandoned City C for more favorable regions. In leaving, they made room for mutants, which settled there. I therefore ask you to be very vigilant. And there is more: it is said that humans and mutants mixed here, and gave birth to humanoid mutants.
— Father, what is the purpose of our mission here? Sakolomé asked.
— It is very simple. There is a mutant here that has only just arrived. According to my sources, it is heading straight for Monor City, but it has not yet crossed City C: it is said that it has only just entered it, and that its intentions toward us, the humans, are not good.
Bakuran spoke in turn.
— So you want us to kill it, is that right, Father?
— Exactly. I got this information from a mutant who, to save his life, gave me useful information last time. So be vigilant. Let's split up: I'll go straight ahead, and you three will go around from behind. But stay together, okay?
Niyus turned around, ready to leave, but Bakuzan stopped him.
— Father, what does this mutant look like?
Niyus turned around and slapped his forehead.
— Damn, what an idiot! I almost forgot that. It is very easy to spot: it is enormous, fat, repulsive. It smells of rotting flesh and it is covered in badly made stitches. In short, it is stitched up all over, which is very strange. Well, see you soon, children!
Niyus went on his way. Bakuzan, Sakolomé, and Bakuran turned in turn, and went on theirs.