The smoke still floated in the air as if someone had activated a fog machine in the middle of an epic battle of a low-budget movie. Alex rose among the rubble of what remained of the villain's makeshift hideout, coughing and shaking off the dust while searching for his friends with his gaze.
— Carlos? Marta? Max? — he shouted, with a hoarse voice.
A faint bark was the response. Max, covered in ash, stumbled out from a mountain of destroyed boxes, with a sock hanging from his ear. Behind him, Marta emerged crawling, with her hair disheveled and remnants of tape stuck to her face.
— I'm fine… I think I have glue even on my eyelashes — she grunted, pulling off a piece with a whimper.
Carlos appeared seconds later, walking as if he had been run over by a tricycle and mumbling something about "miscalibrated calculations" and "treacherous physics."
— That was amazing! — he exclaimed, completely oblivious to the chaos —. Did you see how the bubble machine exploded just when the villain's henchmen entered?
— What bubble machine? — Alex asked, bewildered.
— The one I modified to launch bubbles filled with tear gas.
— WHAT?! — Marta and Alex shouted in unison.
— Don't worry, it only causes temporary blindness… in theory.
As if the universe wanted to confirm his theory, a loud crash was heard a few meters away. One of the villain's henchmen blindly tripped over a pile of tires and fell headfirst into an abandoned fish tank.
— We have to get out of here before they realize we are still alive — said Marta, dragging Alex by the jacket —. Hurry!
The group ran down a narrow, dark hallway, filled with stacked boxes, loose cables, and signs reading "DANGER: HIGH VOLTAGE" written with a permanent marker. Max trotted happily at the front, as if all this were part of a Sunday stroll.
— How are we still alive? — Alex asked between gasps —. Shouldn't we have died like three times already?
— Probably yes — replied Carlos —. But the statistics are overrated.
Upon reaching a fork, Marta took out her reliable pocket flashlight shaped like a unicorn and pointed it in both directions. To the left, a hallway with flickering lights and strange mechanical sounds. To the right, a door that said "EXIT" with a hand-drawn arrow.
— Doesn't it seem too easy? — said Marta, frowning.
— It's a trap — asserted Carlos —. Which means we should definitely go that way. It's what they would least expect us to do.
— That doesn't make sense — replied Alex.
— Exactly!
Without better ideas, they pushed the door. On the other side awaited them… a staircase. Long. Dark. Dusty. And, of course, without a railing.
— You know what? I'm starting to miss the toxic bubbles — murmured Marta as they began to descend.
Halfway down, the lights went out.
— Carlos?
— It wasn't me!
An alarm sounded, and a robotic voice echoed through the speakers:
— ALERT: INTRUDERS DETECTED. ACTIVATING CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL.
— What kind of evil base has a containment protocol? — asked Alex.
— A very organized one — said Marta —. Run!
They began to rush down, slipping on some steps, dodging cables hanging from the ceiling, and jumping over rats that clearly had been there longer than any human.
When they finally reached the bottom, they found themselves in a giant warehouse filled with boxes with suspicious labels: "CONFIDENTIAL MATERIALS," "DO NOT OPEN," and "TOTALLY NOT WEAPONS."
— I have a feeling we should open one — said Carlos, already with a crowbar in hand.
— NO! — shouted Alex and Marta in unison. Max, for his part, had already opened one with his teeth. Inside, he found a blonde wig, a chicken costume, and a box of flares. — What the hell are they keeping here? A criminal circus? — exclaimed Marta. The lights came back on, illuminating the place suddenly. And they were not alone. A squad of henchmen on electric skates appeared at the back of the warehouse. They all wore striped suits and sunglasses, as if they were extras from a 90s music video. — Stop right there! — shouted one, pointing a paintball gun. — What do we do? — asked Alex. Carlos lifted the box of flares. — Improvising? The flares flew in all directions, filling the warehouse with sparks, colored smoke, and a suspicious smell of burnt bacon. Taking advantage of the confusion, the group ran towards a rusty freight elevator in a corner. — Get in, get in! — shouted Marta, pulling the lever hard. The freight elevator shook, creaked, and then... began to rise. Slowly. Very slowly. — Does this thing have a turbo mode? — said Alex, watching as the henchmen skated closer. Carlos pulled a portable battery from his pocket. — Connecting extra charge! The freight elevator screamed as if it were possessed, and then took off like a rusty rocket. They shot up at full speed, bouncing against the walls, dodging boxes, and hearing the shouts of the henchmen from below. Finally, they shot out through an open hatch and landed on a pile of pillows (by some miracle of fate or poor planning of the base). They rolled on the ground and stopped, gasping. — Where are we? — asked Marta.
Alex looked around. It looked like a mattress shop.
I think we are in a shopping center.
A man appeared behind the showcase, completely confused.
Do you need help to choose a mattress?
"Only if you come with an emergency exit," Carlos answered.
The group ran out of the local and then the alarm of the shopping center began to
and sounding. Through them, the sequences flooded by the same comport, some of them
still in patins, others with roasted costumes and painting spots.
by here! – she screamed Marta, pointing out a very motorized cleaning cart.
Do you know how to drive me?
I've played Mario Kart.
They went up as they could. Marta accelerated, struck a poster of "2x1 in Sabanas"
It was launched through the central corridor of the shopping center.
The customers looked confused as a group of teenagers, a dog with glasses, and
A half-thousand people passed through them at all the speed.
This is the best thing that has happened to me since Black Friday. She screamed a lady.
He raised his offering.
The cart turned, dropped and slid through a ramp to the bottom floor. At the entrance, the
Emergency exit glowed like a light of hope... or like a poster of "Here"
The movie ends."
Go on! He cried Martha.
The carcass stumbled the door, crossed the street, and ended gently staring.
A place of hot dogs.
Max is stolen. They were out. They were alive. They followed together.
What are we doing now? He asked Carlos.
Martha dropped on the steel, exhausted.
Take the air. Eat something. And then... think about how to get rid of that wicked one time I will
for all.
Alex looked at Max, who was already stealing a bread from the vendor.
— First... a bath for him...