Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Story

It was gruesome.

I can see traces of blood across the floor. Sa sobrang dami nga'y hindi ko na alam kung kaninong nanggaling iyon. Halos makita ko pa ang pagkalabas ng dugo sa mga katawan nila habang binabaril sila ng mga kalaban nila.

Napakaraming tao sa kampo ni Vincent at ganoon din sa kampo ni Damon. They were battling each other as if it was their last day. Time is passing slowly. All I can hear is the firing sounds of gun all over the hall. Pasalamat na lang ako at hindi ako natatamaan kahit papaano. Pati bala ata ay iniiwasan na rin ako.

I surveyed the whole place, hoping to find something to open the lock of these chains. To no luck, I found nothing. But then, I remembered something. Inobserbahan ko muna ang lahat. Everyone’s still busy with the fight.

I took it as my cue and moved. I immediately kicked my shoe backwards. Kasabay niyon ay ang pag-atras ko hanggang maramdaman ko na ang dingding. I winced slightly when my back that is filled with bruises felt the coldness of the wall.

Nagpapasalamat na lamang ako at maingay ang paligid kung kaya't hindi nila marinig ang pagkalansing ng kadena na nakagapos sa akin.

Kinapa ng aking mga kamay na nakahalugpos sa likuran ang sapatos na itinulak ko patalikod. Nang mahawakan ko iyon ay dinukot ko sa loob ng sapatos ang pinakatatago kong hairpin na madalas kong idinidikit sa itaas na bahagi ng loob nito.

And despite feeling the soreness of my muscle, I smiled, thinking that I'll be free in just a matter of seconds. I picked the lock and got out of the chains.

I was finally free from the chains that bonded me for almost three days. I stood up and huffed. Adrenaline started pumping in my veins.

Ruso was the first one to notice me. Galit na sumugod siya sa akin. Nginisian ko siya. Nang makalapit siya ay sinugod niya ako kaagad ng suntok. Yumuko ako at agad na sinuntok siya sa tiyan. Napaubo siya. Pagkatapos ay sinuntok ko rin siya sa panga na ikinatumba niya.

I ran out of breath after that. Muntik pa akong matumba kung hindi ko lamang napigilan ang aking sarili. I regained my balance and started walking slowly. But it was short-lived. May humila sa aking buhok pababa, dahilan para mapaluhod ako. Napasigaw ako sa higpit ng pagkakakapit ng kamay na iyon sa aking buhok.

"Akala mo makakatakas ka? Think twice," I shivered when he went close to me and whispered these words at my ear. Lapastangan.

"Muntik na nga, e. Sayang lang," nakangisi kong sagot kay Vincent. Napangiwi ako nang mas lalong higpitan niya ang kapit sa akin.

May dalawang lalaki ang pumunta sa likuran ko at pinilit akong patayuin. Marahil ay parehas silang inutusan ni Vincent. Napasigaw ako sa sakit nang madiin nilang pinisil ang kamay ko kung saan nagdudugo na ng sobra-sobra ang sugat ko. Hindi pa nakatulong ang madiing pagkakalagay ng kadena doon.

"Saan niyo ko dadalhin?!" pasigaw kong tanong. Patuloy pa rin ang bakbakan sa kwartong iyon. Ni hindi ko na nga maaninag si Damon dahil masyado na akong nadadala sa sakit ng aking kamay.

"Bring her to the dungeon." Nakangisi si Vincent habang nakaupo lamang at pinapanood ang mga tauhan niyang nakikipaglaban para sa kanya. Hindi ko man lamang napansin na nabitawan na niya ang buhok ko.

"Damon!" I frantically shouted. Nakakainis! Hindi man lang ako makakilos ng maayos! Slowly, my eyes were fluttering because of too much stress and weariness. Pilit ko na lamang na pinapanatili ang pagbukas ng aking mga mata.

"Fuck!" I immediately recognized the voice and was suddenly filled with hope. Binuksan ko ang aking mga mata at unti-unting naaaninag ang bulto ni Damon. He looked so worried with a bit or anger radiating within his body. Sa bawat paglapit niya sa akin ay ang paghawi niya sa mga tao. Binabaril niya ang mga ito sa balikat at binti.

And that was all I could remember. Because right at that moment, the fatigue set in. And then everything, went black.

-

Damon’s POV:

I tried to hurry and chase Ella but there were too many of them. Ang isa pa nga'y hinarangan ang paningin ko mula sa aking asawa kung kaya nama'y hindi ko na malaman kung saan siya dinala.

"Damn it." I can't help but to curse. Kaunting distansya na lamang ay maaabutan ko na sana siya kung hindi lamang sa mga ugok na ito. Nang may lumapit na namang lalaki sa unahan ko at nakangisi pang nakatingin sa akin ay kaagad ko ng pinaulanan ng bala dahil sa sobrang inis.

Huwag nila akong inisin gayong gusto ko ng tapusin ang lahat.

It was a long journey of firing guns and injuring these assholes, but I know it'll be worth it. Halos kalahati na sa mga tauhan ni Ashton ang nasugatan namin at ganoon din sa aking kampo. Ngunit masasabi kong mas marami pa ang buhay at gumagalaw sa aking grupo.

I've got almost five or more people on my back and we're slowly heading outside this room. Sobrang laki ng kwarto na ito. It was more fitting to call it a hall and not a room. Unmoving bodies were scattered all over the place.

Nang makalabas na kami ay sinuyod namin ang buong lugar. I can still remember Ashton telling his people to bring my Ella on the dungeon. And by the word itself, I can say na sa ibabang bahagi iyon.

My team were cautious. Nakataas pa rin ang aming mga armas dahil baka abangan din kami ng kalaban sa labas. At parang narinig nga nila ang mga sinasabi ko dahil maya-maya pa'y may nagpaulan ng bala. Mabilis kaming kumilos at nagtago sa may poste sa hallway. And when the firing stopped, we responded their challenge and fired everyone. We made sure that our target was properly shot. And it did.

Nang masiguro naming wala ng naga-abang sa amin ay tuloy tuloy na kami papunta sa baba. It was easy because the hall was situated at the second part of the building.

I had this eerie feeling as we slowly approach the underground part of the building. Pakiramdam ko ay may mangyayaring malaki at hindi ko inaasahan ngayong gabi.

Unti-unti kong tinulak ang pintuan, nagtataka ako kung bakit bukas iyon at walang kandado. I saw nothing but a chair. Mula sa kinatatayuan ko ay may bulto ng tao na nakaupo doon. Lumakas ang kabog ng aking dibdib nang makita ko ang mahabang buhok niyon.

And then the light was on. It was Ella who was sitting on the chair. I was about to run towards her direction, but Ashton was already on her back and my people stopped me from doing so.

Nasa bungad na kami ng pintuan at hindi pa tumutuloy. We're being cautious even if what I really wanted to do was to fire the gun and kill that damn Ashton.

Fuck it. I always hated that man, but I never found any dirt in his records kaya namin tinanggap. Magaling ding pumuslit ang gago.

"Well, hindi pala sapat ang dalawang-daang tauhan ko para pigilan ka. I underestimated you, Sir," nakangisi niyang saad.

Pinigilan ko ang sarili kong mainis o magpakita ng kahit na anong senyales ng pagkapikon sa kanya. Alam kong pwedeng magamit niya iyon laban sa akin kung sakali mang malaman niya iyon.

"Share mo lang?" hindi mapigil na saad ni Ella. Umangat ang sulok ng labi ko.

Damn this woman and her mouth. She never fails to surprise me.

"Shut up, bitch," asik ni Ashton. I almost hissed as he gripped the hair of my wife.

"Alam mo, pansin ko lang ha? Kanina mo pa hinihila yung buhok ko? Sa totoo lang, magtapat ka nga, inggit ka bas a buhok ko?” I snorted as Ella asked Ashton.

Woman, it's not the time for you to make jokes. But damn it, you really have a funny humor.

I was really doing a good job handling my temper but not until Ashton slapped my woman on her cheek–so loud that I swear it echoed across the whole dungeon. That was when I decided to fire the bullet until it grazed his shoulder.

Ashton flinched and immediately loosened his grip on Ella.

He let out a chuckle. "Calm down. I'm just shutting her mouth. Ang daldal, e."

You are the one talking nonsense. Stupid.

"Since you’re already here, why don’t you listen to my story?" he smirked.

Kumunot ang noo ko. I couldn’t believe this pest. "I'm not in a mood to hear your stupid nonsense. Just in case you don't know, all I wanted to do is to shoot your brains until you're dead," I blankly said.

His smirked didn't fade a bit. "Cool, but you might want to hear it because it involves your wife. Both of them, right, Ella?" He gripped my wife's jaw and made her look at him. Mattias stopped me from sprinting towards them and knocking the hell out of Ashton. Darn it.

"Shut up," Ella gritted her teeth. "Stop ruining our lives, Vincent." Vincent? "Ate Erin's dead. Tapos na ang lahat. Tumigil ka na." Kita ko ang pag-iyak ni Ella na labis na nakapagpasakit ng aking dibdib.

So, Dumbo's right when he said that he suspected Ashton as Vincent, our rival in the world of mafia. Huli kong balita bago mamatay si Erin ay patay na rin siya. Guess he went somewhere far and changed his identity as well as his face. And he even brought my wife in this mess. Asshole.

Napatawa ng malakas si Vincent. "Bakit ako titigil? Hayaan muna nating malaman ng asawa mo kung ano ang totoo. Diba, Damon?"

Hindi ako sumagot.

He only shrugged. "Once upon a time, may magkababata. Babae at lalaki. Nagkaamnesia parehas, nalimutan ang isa't isa at hindi na nagkita. Do you remember this story, Damon?" nakangising tanong ni Vincent.

Kumunot lamang ang noo ko.

"You don't? Well then, let's try again. The boy suffered a severe injury, leaving his family with no choice but to go to America and leave their life behind. At ang babae naman ay naiwan din sa Pilipinas ng wala man lang kahit na anong naaalala sa buhay niya dati. Years after, the boy was living a normal life---"

"Tumigil ka na, Vincent! Parang awa mo na!" Tears were streaming down from my wife's eyes. And it pains me to see her hurting, but I don't understand why. I don't see any connection of her with the story.

She looked me in the eyes, begging me to stop Vincent. I targeted my gun on Vincent, but it was as if he sensed me. He lifts his right hand, and soon his men surrounded the area. Nakatutok ang mga baril nila sa pwesto namin. I'm not a coward and I plan to fight for Ella, no matter what.

Kakalabitin ko na sana ang gantilyo nang magsalita si Vincent.

"Kung hindi mo 'yan kakalabitin, walang mangyayari. Pero kung gusto mo ‘yang ituloy,.." Kinasa ni Vincent ang baril niya at itinutok kay Ella iyon.

Napapikit si Ella at kasabay niyon ay ang pagtulo ng luha niya. "I'll shoot your wife's head until she's no longer breathing," banta niya. Slowly, I lowered my gun.

"Good. Nagkukwento lang ako, nakikiepal kayo e."

Gago, ikaw ang epal. Tangina nito.

"Where did I stop again?" he smirked. "Ah, years after, the boy was living a normal life. Everything was going smoothly, not until a woman appeared and introduced himself to her. Guess what? She said that she was this boy's childhood friend. At ang uto-uto namang lalaking ito ay tuwang-tuwa at paniwalang-paniwala. Hindi ba, Ella?" nakakalokong tanong ni Vincent.

Hindi sumagot si Ella at mukhang nainis ang lalaki dahil doon. "Sagot!" Mas lalo nitong diniin ang baril sa ulo ng asawa ko. Kitang-kita ko ang paghagulhol ni Ella na sobrang kinagalit ko.

"Damn it!" Itinaas kong muli ang baril at itinutok sa kanya.

"Ibaba mo yan." Sinamaan ako ng tingin ni Vincent. "Hindi ikaw ang tinatanong ko. Sagot, Ella. Ayaw mo namang agad na mamamatay diba? Sagot."

"Oo," naiiyak na sagot ng asawa ko.

Damn it. I felt so pathetic having to stand here without doing anything. This may seem pathetic, but I'm so scared thinking about losing my wife with just one wrong move.

"Good," natatawang sambit ni Vincent. "Kinasal sila nang hindi nalalaman ng lalaki na nagsisinungaling ang babae. At alam mo kung ano pa ang sikreto niya? She was working for another mafia. So, the man lived with an enemy inside his house. Pero alam mo kung sinong panira? Ang kapatid niya." Mabilis ang tibok ng puso ko sa sinabi ni Vincent. Everything was connecting. But I am still confused. I knew Erin was my childhood friend because she had the picture. It can't be untrue.

"This girl has a sister, and you know who's the sister? Kilala mo ba, Ella?" Parang demonyo kung tumawa si Vincent and I want nothing but to erase his face and existence in this world. Umiling-iling si Ella at tinikom ng maigi ang bibig na parang ayaw niyang magsalita. I clenched my fist, stopping myself to move and to say anything.

"Sagot," Vincent gritted his teeth. Mas diniin niya ang pagkakalagay ng baril. Ella cried a lot harder than before. Kinagat ko ang labi ko sa pagpipigil. Pakiramdam ko ay nagdudugo na iyon sa sobrang diin.

"Ako! Ako yung kapatid!" naiiyak na sigaw ni Ella. Napanganga ako nang maintindihan ko ang kwento. It was Erin who introduced herself to me as my childhood friend and Ella was her sister. But it was unclear. Mas lalo akong naguluhan sa kwentong sinasabi ni Vincent. Ayaw kong maniwala.

"Kilala mo na ba ang tauhan sa kwento ko, Damon?" I closed my eyes and nodded para manahimik na ang hibang. "Ikaw ang uto-uto, si Erin ang nagpanggap at si Ella ang tunay na kababata mo," tawang tawang sabi ni Vincent.

"Now, Erin and I planned everything. Mula sa pagkakakilala ninyong dalawa. Sa pagkakakasal ninyo. Lahat. Lahat ng nangyari pinlano namin? And you know what's our greatest plan? It was to kill you." His sardonic smile was showing. It made me gritted my teeth in anger.

"But of course, it didn't happen because Ella was there. Do you still remember the crime scene? You woke up and found Ella holding the gun. At nakatutok iyon kay Erin hindi ba? Alam mo kung bakit? Kasi papatayin ka na dapat ni Erin pero nalaman ni Ella ang lahat. You were drugged to sleep by Erin. You were fooled. Nakipag-agawan si Ella ng baril kay Erin at sa huli nga, natalo si Erin kaya siya namatay. Which is the main reason kung bakit ka buhay. Kuha mo?" tawang-tawa si Vincent sa sinabi niya.

"Anong masasabi mo sa kwento ko?"

I can hear Vincent's voice and his words, but it wasn't fully sinking on my mind. I stopped listening from the moment that he said I was fooled.

Hindi ako makapaniwala na nagkamali ako ng hinala at pinagbuntunan ng galit. I looked at Ella and saw her shedding tears. She tried to smile at me kahit na may baril nang nakatutok sa kanyang mga mata. She looked so tired and restless; it was as if she wanted to rest because she fought a long battle.

Hindi ko na napigilan ang pagluha ko. All this time, my anger was wrongly placed. I hurt her and deprived her of happiness when I should be the one thanking her for allowing me to live and giving me another chance to go on.

She mouthed me the words, "I love you, Kuya Damon" and just in time, her tears started falling. And it was as if something inside me clicked. Memories started swirling inside my head.

The swing...

The ice cream...

The playground...

Lahat ng alaala ko'y parang pelikulang bumabalik sa utak ko. Pati ang mga mabining ngiti ni Ella noong mga bata pa kami ay para bang ipu-ipo kung umatake sa utak ko. Napaluha na ako ng tuluyan nang maalala ko na ang lahat.

My head started throbbing as my memories started to consume me. Hindi ko na napansin ang paligid ko. All I hear was the exchange of bullets, but I was not sure because I was so consumed with the headaches. I started hearing a deafening sound and my ears started ringing. And then it became clearer. My vision went back.

Naaaninag ko ang pagtakbo ni Ella papunta sa akin pero hindi ko alam kung para saan. Noon ko lamang napagtanto ang lahat ng bumagsak ang katawan ni Ella sa akin. Nakatutok ang baril ni Vincent sa kanya.

Nanginginig kong pinaputok ang baril ng tatlong beses pabalik kay Vincent pagkatapos ay napaupo ako at hinawakan ang mukha ni Ella.

Sa kabila ng pagtulo ng dugo mula sa kanyang bibig ay ngumiti siya. Naiiyak ako habang nakikita siyang naghihirap. Bakas sa mukha niya ang pagod at tila ba sinisikap na lamang niyang labanan ang kanyang sarili para magising.

Halos mapahagulhol na ako habang nakilita ko siyang nahihirapan. I was breaking and I didn't think I'd break more, not until she spoke.

"S-Sabi ko naman sayo, m-mahal kita e. A-At m-matagal... na kitang... n-napatawad. S-Sana m-mapatawad mo na... rin a-ang s-sarili mo."

And then, she closed her eyes.