Durval listened in astonishment to Heitor’s story, the retired army captain who had illicitly entered a government laboratory where Botelho was conducting genetic experiments involving men with horns.
— The platoon of soldiers that invaded the laboratory, combined with the shrill sound of the alarm, would have made an untrained person panic. But if you had measured my pulse at that moment, I’m sure it was close to normal. I remained motionless, lying on my side in my hiding place in the metal structure above the central operating table.
“I tried to spot Second Lieutenant De Matos, but from my position, I couldn’t. I hoped he had managed to hide before the soldiers entered.
“I tried to push my body back so I wouldn’t be seen if they looked up, but the space I had was small, and I felt, once again, the pressure of something pointed at the back of my head. Slowly, and trying not to make noise, I groped with one hand. It seemed to be some sort of twisted and wrinkled cone. I froze at the thought of what it could be. Slowly, I turned my head back and came face to face with one of those skulls with two horns protruding from the forehead. Even in the dark, I could see the sharp teeth of the skull that seemed to be grinning at me in a devilish way. Next to it were others like it, some smaller, others larger, but all with horns and pointed teeth. I held my breath and closed my mouth. I didn’t move a muscle as I slowly exhaled to regain control of my mind and body. Gradually, I calmed down.
“The soldiers were searching the laboratory, and it was only a matter of time before they found us. Then we heard a roar. It was like that of a large animal, like a lion or bear. It had come from the back of the laboratory, but I couldn’t see exactly from where. The soldiers stopped in their positions, and I heard someone shout for them to turn off the alarm. Then we heard a dry thud, then another, and another. The soldiers pointed their weapons in the direction of the sound, which continued without interruption.
“The alarm stopped the moment Botelho entered the laboratory. He was wearing a white lab coat and seemed distraught. He shouted for the soldiers to lower their weapons and said that if they fired a single shot, they would have to deal with General Mascarenhas himself.
“Botelho ran to a cabinet and grabbed what looked like a tranquilizer dart gun. With a syringe, he filled the dart with a colorless liquid and cocked the weapon.
“Silently, he went to the back of the laboratory where the thuds were coming from. Then I lost sight of him. After a few seconds, I heard the sound of the gun being fired, and the thuds ceased. Botelho went to the entrance door of the laboratory and closed it, took the intercom off the hook, and dialed a number. He told the person to come immediately to laboratory 5S. He looked at the soldiers and said that the guilty would be punished severely.
Episode XXXVI continues in the next edition.
JOSÉ GASPAR
Filmmaker and writer
www.historiasdooutromundo.com