Cuando arrancó no vio la sangre que había en el camino. Fue solo unos cuantos metros después que se dio cuenta de que algo no andaba bien.
Una línea roja recorría aquellos metros. Asombrado, se bajó para ver qué pasaba, si la sangre ya estaba allí. Su asombro fue creciendo cuando se dio cuenta que la misma provenía de su auto.
Miró debajo de las ruedas, buscando rastros de algún animal atropellado. Se le ocurrió abrir la maletera. En ella llevaba las herramientas por si se llegaba a averiar, un par de latas de cerveza y un neumático.
Al no encontrar nada extraño se montó y arrancó. Una silueta roja se dibujaba por la carretera mientras él avanzaba.
En un momento dado, su auto comenzó desacelerar. Se detuvo en una parcela solitaria y vio que la sangre estaba allí, como si lo estuviera siguiendo.
A su lado se detuvootro conductor. Le mencionó que lo venía siguiendo porque veía aquel rastro inexplicable. Conversaron un poco sobre los autos y algunos problemas mecánicos. «Lo suyo no es un problema mecánico, amigo», dijo aquel hombre, «¿Es que no se da cuenta que su auto ya no da para más, que se está desangrando?» y tras aquellas palabras soltó una carcajada estrepitosa para luego arrancar.
Al verlo desaparecer, en la lejanía, vio las llamas que se acercaban hacia donde estaba. No podía creer que aquel hombre se dirigiera hacia aquella catástrofe.
El hombre se palpó el cuerpo. Durante todo aquel viaje no se había percatado que un hilillo de sangre recorría parte de su cuerpo. Comprendió entonces que él no estaba bien, que llevaba ahí un buen rato, desangrándose. Que el incendio que se aproximaba pronto lo consumiría, que su auto estaba en llamas, y no podía hacer nada para evitar la proximidad de su muerte.
English version
When he drove off he didn't see the blood on the road. It was only a few meters later that he realized something was wrong.
A red line ran along those meters. Amazed, he got off to see what was wrong, if the blood was already there. His astonishment grew when he realized that it was coming from his car.
He looked under the wheels, looking for traces of an animal that had been run over. It occurred to him to open the trunk. In it he carried the tools in case it broke down, a couple of cans of beer and a tire.
Finding nothing unusual, he got in and drove off. A red silhouette was drawn across the road as he went along.
At one point his car began to slow down. He stopped in a lonely patch of land and saw that the blood was there, as if it were following him.
Next to him another driver stopped. He mentioned to him that he was following him because he saw that unexplained trail. They talked a bit about cars and some mechanical problems. “Yours is not a mechanical problem, my friend,” said the man, ‘Don't you realize that your car is not good enough anymore, that it is bleeding to death?’ and after those words he burst out laughing and then started to drive off.
As he watched him disappear into the distance, he saw the flames coming towards him. He could not believe that the man was heading towards that catastrophe.
The man felt his body. During the entire trip he had not noticed that a trickle of blood was running down part of his body. He understood then that he was not well, that he had been there for a long time, bleeding to death. That the approaching fire would soon consume him, that his car was on fire, and he could do nothing to avoid his approaching death.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)