Julia came to her senses. Take a deep breath and sharply opened her eyes. Opened and cried out in surprise. She was not in her cozy room in a hostel. No, and not at home. But where do you think? One never will guess! On the Maidan! In the center of Kyiv. In a fountain filled with water! Nude! In shock, not knowing what to do, at a loss, she looked around wildly. Fortunately the street was getting dusk, and she was at the base of the fountain. People who were relaxing near the fountain mainly were sitting with their back to the fountain. This saved Julia from the imminent shame.
Only the little girl whom was splashing up to this moment with her small hands in the heated water per day, puzzled looked at appeared from nowhere in the water terrified girl. One moment Julia and little girl looked into the eyes of each other. Then the hand of the little girl reached for the elbow of a young woman who was sitting with her back to Julia.
‘Mom! Mom, in the fountain live mermaid! Mom looks!’ Happily faltered the little girl was pulling her mother's sleeve.
The young woman slowly turned around. Julia not knowing where to go, burning with shame, sharply sat down in the water. At the same moment with the fountain began to happening something strange. It was something that made Julia forget about her own nakedness and that she in such appearance was in the fountain in the center of Kyiv. The water in the fountain began to change its color. Greenish surface of the water, beginning to turn yellow, getting thicken and slowly rise into the air. Julia, who was sitting in the water, remained on the slippery tiles. Before her opened wide eyes the whole water from the fountain, no spilling, slowly kept rising. The water then got hardened, beginning to crack, ran across the all surface the cracks. People sitting at the fountain began to run away, turn around. Someone shouted. Those who were on the opposite side of the square on the contrary hasten to the fountain to get in time to see and photograph the unusual sight. Perhaps the most of people thought it was some new and funny attraction. The water in the fountain has rose half a meter.
Forgetting about herself, Julia, seeing off with an astonished eye the rising mass of water involuntarily rose to her feet. At the same moment, the water turned its natural color, got liquid and with the hum, rumble and splashes collapsed back into the fountain, bayed with greenish water, as Julia and nearby people. One heard shouts, cries even a nervous laugh. Taking advantage of the turmoil, Julia jumped out of the fountain, and began to run to the underpass. Why there, she did not know.

People stared at her in surprise. Some of the guys whistled after her. Someone called her “Crazy Femin.”
Julia was running, not paying any attention to anybody. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Wet, hot body was blowing by the warm evening’s breeze. Everything seemed somehow unreal, as if in a sleep. And no wonder. It should be added: “In a nightmare.”
People past which ran Julia began to stop, stand still. Their bodies began to be torn to pieces, flew off the head, arms, and feet. But all froze in the air and nothing falls to the ground. Not shed blood on the asphalt, but with a large dark at dusk and artificial lighting pools, a little was spreading through the air and froze. The air on the way of Julia thickened, enveloping her with a pale glow. The show was fantastic, incredible and horrible at the same time. Barely a minute later, as a way Julia was decorated with the dozens of broken into pieces of human bodies. Relaxed from the summer heat people, did not immediately understand what was happening on the Maidan. Those who were close could say because they were dead. People, who were at some distance away, could not understand what was happening. And a colorful lighting advertising hurt anything to see.
Julia herself did not look around. She saw before her only goal. It’s underpass. She did not know what she would do there but really wanted to run there.
With torn apart bodies of the people which were left behind Julia’s back continued the strange metamorphoses. Hung in the air the bodies suddenly came to life, began to move, and began to gather together, but somehow in a complete disarray. The head of one body draws quite to another. So a woman's head adheres to the body of a man. Man’s head to the female body or even in a place of hands or feet. When the air over the Maidan got clear from the torn into pieces of human bodies, the area in front of the fountains filled with the ugly creatures. Some of them even tried to go. It’s a strange thing. Black pools of blood had not returned to the body, left hanging in the air. For a moment, ugly creatures mindlessly bumping into each other, huddled in front of a fountain, then as at the command fell to the ground dead. At the same moment spilled on the ground hanging in the air blood covering all around. On the Maidan reined panic.
Julia did not see or hear what was going on behind her.
She left to run no more than ten steps to the underpass. She had seen the top step leading down. Running has become harder. As if something was holding her feet. Julia quickly looked down.
Her feet above the pits during the run began to sink into the asphalt! The more Julia ran father, the deeper she was sinking into the ground. A few convulsive jerks and Julia with her head fell through the ground. For a moment she was in a complete darkness. Then she felt that she was falling somewhere down. Noise. Hum. Bright light hit in the eye. Squatting, she quickly looked back. Incredibly, but she somehow broke through the surface and fell to the metro station. But she landed not on the platform but on the rails, right between the sleepers. She was in the subway.
On the left, with the hum the train just left the platform. Julia turned her head quickly. Subway’s station Institutska she read. Oh! It was her station. She can go right to her lectures. Meanwhile, the platform began to fill with the people for the next train. It's hard to describe the surprise which was appearing on their faces when they saw on the rails the young, naked girl. Suddenly, Julia heard as someone’s voice, shouted her name:
‘Julia? Is that you? What are you doing there? How did you get there?’ In a voice of a man who says was heard sounded a real astonishment. ‘Why so you look like this? What happened to you? Hand, give me a hand ... a fool! Soon arrive the next train. Crush you!’
Julia quickly raised her head, looked around the platform.
‘Andrew!’ She exclaimed happily and at the same time, embarrassing of her appearance. Andrew was her classmate. They met in the summer during the university’s entrance company.
One more second and Julia was already near the edge of the platform and grabbing for the outstretched hand of a guy. Andrew pulled her over, trying to get as quickly as possible to the platform and cover with his jacket. One more effort and Julia has been around on the platform and firmly pressed against him, trying to hide her naked body in his clothes.
‘Don't Look at me.’ She said sharply, without looking into the eye.
‘I've nothing more to do but look at you.’ Andrew said to her in a low and confused voice. He quickly was taking off his long khaki coat. He had just been returning from a picnic. ‘I do not look at you but the other just stares at you. Take it, put it on.’ He quickly wrapped Julia with his jacket.
People, who witnessed of an unusual incident, stared and did not respond. Some thought that it was shooting a new video clip. Some just looked at the naked girl till they had such an opportunity. When Julia was wearing the jacket all passengers who were on the platform immediately took their eye off from her, pretending that nothing had happened. Moreover the train was approaching.
‘Julia what does it all mean? Are you in such a hurry for your lectures that forgot to put on your clothes? How did you get on the subway’s rails? Fell out of the last carriage? Or somebody just in the carriage took off all your clothes and thrown you off?’ Questions rained down from Andrew as cheap chips from a broken package.
‘I had been kidnapped.’ Julia got nervous chill.
‘Kidnapped? Who? When?’ Andrew's eyes widened.
Julia shrugged, shook her head:
‘It doesn’t matter. I do not know. I'll tell you later. If not difficult, give me a hug. I'm scared. But don’t press to me. Got it?
‘Okay. I’ve got it.’ Andrew awkwardly hugged the girl's shoulders. The news that her classmate was kidnapped, stripped and thrown onto the tracks of underground was for him from the category of incredible. Through the unbuttoned jacket he felt the warmth of the body of the girl. So close, and in such appearance, Julia has never been to him. Andrew's breath was caught for a moment, his head spun. But it was a pleasant dizziness. He would hold her for eternity until the subway crash down.
Waking up from sweeping over him unusual feelings, he asked:
‘Maybe you should call a police?’ He suggested, and suspiciously looked at the crowd of people on the platform. Suddenly he’ll also have been kidnapped as an accomplice?
‘No. No need call the police. They do not understand. It’ll take a long time to explain all. It’ll be better if you help me get to my uncle. He is a colonel of SBU. I’m sure he knows what to do. Can you help me?’
‘Of course, I’ll help you. No questions. I’ll just leave at home my backpack, and we’ll go where you say.’
‘I'm with you, at your place.’ Julia exclaimed nervously, clutching Andrew. She was terrified of being alone. It seemed to her that after her even here among the people and the light, were watching the strange creatures with which she happened to meet. There wasn’t any force in the whole world which could tear her away from him. No way. Now she for anything in the world does not left alone! The very fate brought here Andrew and threw her in his strong, as she had hoped man's arms.
Andrew hesitated:
‘At home is my mom…probably. But you’re in such a look. She did not understand.’ He explained embarrassing and with confusion.
‘Ah, well, Mom. If your mother at home…OK, I understand.’ Julia after experiencing seemed to have completely forgotten that in the world still exist moms and not only they. Then immediately came over the decision. ‘Let’s go my hostel. I’ll put myself in order. Agree?’
‘Agree.’
‘I think your mom will like me.’ The last words of Julia were muffled by the roar of the train which just arrived to the train station. Opened the door. Tumbled out and tumbled into the passengers. Julia and Andrew were among them. The doors closed. The train jumped up and disappeared with a roar in black throat of the tunnel.
Julia looked out the window and think of nothing. Andrew stood beside her and was thinking. But he could not remember about what.
On the platform, meanwhile, had appeared a strange creature. After a few steps in the direction of the departing train, the creature not paying any attention to the still rare passengers and a policeman disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. But camcorder of the subway station recorded an unusual creature. It was kregl. He watched after Julia. Plarms believed that Julia would bring them to Max and Jennifer.
Everything was just beginning.
 

1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 17| 18| 19| 20| 21| 22| 23| 24| 25| 26|