Rio Niterói Bridge, Rio de Janeiro

Friday morning. The 13-kilometer length of the Rio-Niterói bridge connects the state capital and the municipality of Niterói across Guanabara Bay. Built by the military in 1969 and completed in 1974, it is estimated that 150,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day. It is the largest in Latin America.

Seven fifty in the morning. On the Rio de Janeiro direction of the bridge, suddenly the vehicles started to slow down. A collision occurred between a Toyota SW4 and a Range Rover Evoque due to sudden braking. It appeared that six heavily armed men with shirts covering their faces took over the short stretch, demanding that the passengers of a bus get off immediately. One of the sextet threw a flammable liquid inside the vehicle, which began to burn.

The situation got out of hand when a Volkswagen tried to break through the barricade. The criminals were unaware and shot the vehicle, hitting the driver and killing him. Finally, the six men forced a lady to abandon her Chevrolet Onix in the middle of the avenue. They took the vehicle and drove off in the direction of the City of Rio de Janeiro.

It didn't take long for the event to become news in the main television networks of the country. As it turned out, the state government was afraid of what happened in 2010, when 39 people died and more than 180 vehicles were set on fire in several alternating attacks by criminal groups in the city.

The next day, Vini once again listened to the sound of his alarm clock. Only this time he heard a different, deeper noise. That melody made his blood run cold. Lying in bed, he lifted his head to check if he was awake or if it was just a bad dream.

- Enzo? - Vini called out. - Enzo?

No answer. So he got up and went to the door, but then he got another surprise, in the dark corner of his room. A friendly face.

- Belgium? - Vini recognized her. - What are you doing here?

Before he had the answer, her face began to disfigure like a cake batter, forming a circle of human skin and blood.

- What the fuck? - Vini asked, startled.

- Come here, baby - said Belgium, or what should be Belgium.

For some strange reason, Vini started to walk closer to the gruesome figure. He seemed possessed, his brain did one thing, but his body responded in another way. Then a child, in a bizarre way, slowly came out of her belly, around a shower of blood and body parts.

- Look how beautiful he is. - she said.

What could Vini do? Well, he held the child in his arms, still with the umbilical cord connected to the mother, or whatever that creature was. While cutting it with scissors, Vini felt a sudden strong nausea and vomited on his own bed. His belly began to bleed, as if he had a huge hole inside. Finally, the baby smiled mischievously and jumped on him.

- Holy shit! - screamed out Vini. - What the fuck?

- Vini, goddammit! - Enzo complained. - You're moaning like a maniac and I can't watch the damn TV! Are you watching porn before going to bed again?

- When have I ever done that, you imbecile!

- Sure, sure, blame the messenger.

Lying on the couch, Enzo was zapping the channels on Vini's television.

- What the hell happened anyway? - Enzo wanted to know. - Did you have a bad dream?

- I hope so. If not, we're all fucked.

- Hey, Vini, do you know about this movie "Bridge to Terabithia"? - Enzo quickly changed the subject.

- The one where the little blonde girl dies?

- Why have you told me the end of the movie, you assface?

- It's not the end of the movie!

- Is it? So... Danny dies at the end of Pearl Harbor!

- Oh, God, no! That was a cheap shot, Enzo! I put this movie on tape yesterday to watch today!

Still, could be worse.

- Hey, Vinicius, don't forget to put your clothes on outside, okay? said Vini's aunt, getting ready to leave.

- I will.

Vini's aunt noticed Enzo's presence and greeted him:

- What's up, Enzo?

- What's up, cutie?

Vini stared at him furiously until she locked the apartment door.

- Could you stop hitting on my fucking aunt? It's weird as shit!

- Hey, you know a fun fact?

Here we go.

- If I married your aunt, I'd be your uncle.

- It's not a fun fact, Enzo. Its not even a fact.

Enzo had a second thought about the sentence he had just said.

- Come to think of it, in my mind it was more interesting anyway.

Enzo fooled around, Vini was quicker and grabbed the TV remote control.

- If you put on a bad show, I'll throw the remote out the window.

- Like what?

- Grey's Anatomy.

- Grey's Anatomy is not bad, Enzo. The show only got bad with the election of Trump and the insufferable characters who came in to defend the agenda of the Hollywood leftists.

- I'd rather get my ass kicked than listen to that freaking Maggie complaining about everything. "Ohh, your white privilege". "I am a genius black woman and i went to college when i was a teenager!" If I wanted to hear woman whining... That's the point of Sex and the City's comeback, isn't it?

- Sex and the City is back?

- Yes. Woke, weird and horrible. I almost got heartburn watching it. Like the new ICarly. Holy shit, what was that.

Since Enzo couldn't choose the channel, Vini pressed the down button, while his friend went to the balcony to light a cigar. To his luck - or bad luck, depending on the context - the next station was a network news channel. And that particular news item caught Vini's attention, and he called Enzo over to watch.

- What?

- Look.

Enzo stared at the TV, not very interested.

- CNN? What the fuck, Vini?

- It's not CNN, you idiot!

- Yes, it is. And I hate this journalist. Every time she gives some news, she makes a scene and starts crying!

- What do you mean?

Vini hoped that Enzo's theory was incorrect, but to his bad luck, this was not the case. During the report of the shooting on the bridge, the journalist began to cry while the images were being broadcast.

- Sorry, viewers. - she said, visibly emotional. - It's just that the violence in our city is very evident and affects all layers of society! What if it had been your son on that burned-out bus? Or my kids?

- She says that shit all the time! - Enzo continued his rant. - Just give us the story! We don't care about your thoughts! Fucking journalists.

In spite of the shabby acting, the news was actually quite worrisome. A bus set on fire in broad daylight during rush hour. Problematic, thought Vini. And the situation could get worse, depending on the motivations of the criminals.

- We need to talk to Suzane.

- Now?

- Yes, now.

Vini picked up his cell phone and phoned Suzane. They arranged an unpretentious dinner at a hotel in Barra beach. But this time, they would go to the meeting without their costumes, which would be risky. But Vini no longer wanted to play with risk. His plan was to put her against the wall and, who knows, obtain answers.

- Lives are at stake!

- You're right. Mine.

- That's not what I meant.

- I know. - Enzo smiled.

Although it has not been mentioned, which may even be my fault, the pair spent a day in the capital of the neighboring state of São Paulo, right after Luana's capture. Vini thought it was a good idea to go to a shooting club to improve his ballistic skills, for safety reasons. And the result was satisfying.

Eight o'clock at night. On Barra's Beach. Windsor Hotel. Enzo and Vini were waiting in the restaurant, at a circular table for three people. And it didn't take long for Suzane to appear, wearing a long blue and black dress, with her hair tied up and red shoes almost invisible. Enzo's observation a few chapters ago made sense. How can women walk without seeing their own feet?

- I'm waiting for Sarah Collins and Diane... - She has forgotten the last name invented by Vini.

- This way, ma'am. - said one of the waiters.

If Vini could take a picture of Suzane's surprised expression when he saw them, that picture would be in that "people dying inside" category. She didn't understand a thing, she thought it was a mistake, but it wasn't.

- Hello Suzane. - said Vini.

- Vini? - She asked, still incredulous.

- Surprise.

- And Sarah and Diane?

- They don't exist. We made it up.

- You tricked me?

- You and the whole club.

- Why?

- Do we have to tell the whole story? - Enzo complained.

- So... You were the ones who went?

- In Rocinha? Yes. We were shot by the sons of bitches? Yes. Our friend was kidnapped by...

- When Enzo says "our friend", he means a girl he spent the night with. - Vini clarified.

- And to clarify it means that she is Marcos' daughter.

- Oh, crap. - said Suzanne.

- Yeah, but now it's time to clarify.

- All right, all right, all right. Sorry I lied, but you weren't honest either.

- For obvious reasons, right? The club is not very all inclusive.

- What do you want to know?

- Do you want to take over the drug trade?

- No! I'm not a drug dealer, dammit! I already told you! Or I told them. Whatever!

- What about your husband?

- Look, I know he is what he is, but I needed to investigate. My husband has an affair and I needed answers.

- And Marcos?

- He is the head of trafficking in the slum. And it looks like he will lose his dominance. Look, my husband has nothing to do with this.

- Why are you always defending him?

- Because he puts money in the house.

- See, Vini? I told you.

- What do you mean?

- That she would defend him to the bitter end.

- At what stage did you say this?

Well, maybe Enzo didn't say it in words, but as it turned out, he was right in his statement. Suzane was going to protect her husband in every way.

- Why did you ask us to hand over the guns?

- Well, the right question is: why did I hand over the guns to Marcos?

- Is it relevant?

- Honey, I don't know if you know this, but the slum is an intense dispute for power.

- You must have this phrase at some point in the story.

- Marcos is a bit incompetent. And he will lose his position the same way he won, except that I won't help him anymore. That's the way it is.

- So, you wanted to help him by not helping him.

- Yeah. I mean, I like Marcos, he is nice, but he doesn't have the guts. As long as it was useful to have him by my side, I made sure he kept control of things. But now that the shit will stink, well, I need to change the pawns, if you understand.

- I don't get it. - Enzo said.

- So who are the guys who shot us?

- Oh, it's none of my business.

- Oh, sure! - Vini pretended to believe it. - Create an ambush and kill the messengers without dirtying your name. Sounds like a great plan to me.

- If you don't believe me, watch it on TV. I have no connection.

- What is happening on TV?

- A dragging in broad daylight on the Rio-Niteroi bridge. It doesn't happen every day and the authorities are afraid that 2010 will happen again.

- And will it?

- I don't know.

- Suzane, you better talk.

- It's okay, it's okay. They want to assassinate Marcos. A rival group. To take over Rocinha.

- The Crazy Rooster?

Suzane was surprised at how much information those two had. They seemed like real detectives.

- Why do criminals always have weird names? - Enzo wanted to change the subject. - You don't see a gangster with the name Thomas or John.

- That's a name I haven't heard in months. - Suzane ignored Enzo's irrelevant comments. - He's a dangerous man. From Minas Gerais.

- Oh, I thought he was an Atletico Mineiro fan.

- Obviously, Enzo. Shut up! - said Vini, impatiently. - Suzane, what can we do?

- What do you want to do?

- Well, initially I wanted to know why Pacifier was so strange. Now, I confess that I've lost my initial intentions.

- Vini, my girl friend.

- Oh, yes. - Vini recalled. - Enzo's friend was taken by Roberto. He's one of yours, your husband's, screw that. We need her back.

- She's dog food by now.

- Ha, ha. Dogs don't eat human flesh. - Enzo said. - Doesn't it?

- How do we approach the Crazy Lobster?

- Crazy Rooster.

- Yeah, whatever.

- It's not simple, Vini.

- We burn and kill four of his men. Don't say it's too difficult, because I'll disagree.

- Wait a few more days. Be patient.

- And my friend? - Enzo at last asked a relevant question.

- Oh, that. Well, I guess she's done. I'm sorry.

- And your husband? What's his part in this story?

- Well, he gets benefits. He makes deliveries. He works for the drug trade. That's where our money comes from.

- And when did it all start to go wrong?

- It never went wrong. It's just that when one group tries to take over another's territory, people die. My husband doesn't know how to shoot. Or handle a gun. What I mean is that he doesn't do those things.

- Hard to believe.

- But it is true. From time to time, people ask to leave guns and money in our house because my husband is so trustworthy.

- It's not very clever, Suzane.

- I know. But they pay very well.

Enzo raised his arm and called the waiter.

- I'll have the grilled salmon. White rice and a lemon. And a sparkling water.

Vini stared at Enzo.

- What? - Enzo didn't understand. - I'm hungry. I wanna a bite to eat. We came for that too, didn't we?

- Vini, darling, I know I've lied a lot of times, but this is not your world. Stay out of it and stay away.

- I thought about it. Until Enzo's friend was captured. If we don't help, she will die alone and with the knowledge that we haven't done enough.

Suzane started to look outside. She felt nostalgic for a moment.

- I remember when I was your age. Everything was simpler. Walking on the beach. When I met my husband, everything changed. I don't complain about some things. I mean, it's been years since I've worried about my credit card bill. This is nice. But the problem with this world is that it doesn't only affect your family, but other people's families as well. As a woman, I feel sorry for your friend.

- Enzo's friend. I hardly know her.

- Anyway, I feel sorry for her. You have a lot more character than I do. So, I will "not" deliver an address to you that "no" may mean a help.

Vini understood the message, while the waiter brought Enzo's plate.

- Hmmm, salmon, yummy.