Sheʼs Temporary Teacher Of Section Gang

Chapter 12

I woke up, feeling something crawling on my face. As I slowly opened my eyes, darkness enveloped me. 

Nasaan ako? 

I tried to recall what happened earlier. It wasnʼt until I remembered the events leading up to this moment that I began to piece together how I ended up here. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, nagpalinga-linga ako sa buong silid. Sarado ang mga bintana at maraming nakatumbang bangko. I realized I was in an abandoned classroom!

I continued to observe my surroundings until my gaze fell upon the floor. My eyes widened in horror as I saw a swarm of cockroaches. Nagpumiglas ako ngunit hindi ako makawala dahil nakagapos ang mga kamay at paa ko. I tried to scream, but my mouth was gagged.

My shoulders slumped from exhaustion. Ayoko na. I gave up. The ropes were too tight, and escaping seemed impossible.

I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt the cockroaches crawling up my face. I was overwhelmed with mixed emotions— anger and fear. I was angry at Braxton, but the fear that this might be the end for me took precedence.

Miguelʼs warning from our last meeting echoed in my mind. 

“Huwag mong hahayaan na mapalapit sila sa ‘yo, dahil kapag nalaman nila ang buo mong pagkatao... pupuntiryahin ka nila sa kahinaan mo.”

How did he know my weakness? 

Habang tumatagal ay lalo akong nawawalan ng pag-asa. I admitted that my pride was too strong to ask for help, but in this moment, I wished an angel would descend from heaven to help and rescue me from this dark room. If in the past I wasnʼt afraid of death, now I wanted to live. 

Please, Lord, donʼt take me yet. Magiging teacher pa ako. 

It seemed the God had heard my plea when I heard a loud crash. My eyes snapped open, and I turned towards the door, where the noise came from. The locked door was on the verge of bursting open, forced by someone determined to break in.

The door swung open with a loud crash. A blinding light flooded in, hitting my face, and I instinctively shut my eyes. I slowly opened them again and saw the figure of a man entering. I stared at him intently until I recognized him.

Pinaghahagis niya ang mga bangko na nakaharang sa dinaraanan niya. Nang makalapit siya sa akin ay agad din siyang natigilan nang makita ang kalagayan ko.

“Shibal!” Henry cursed. 

He stepped away for a moment and went to the corner of the room. When he returned, he was holding a broom. 

Tangina. Anong tingin niya sa akin basura?

Pumikit ako ng mariin nang winalisan niya ang buong katawan ko upang itaboy ang mga ipis na dumadapo sa akin. I heard his loud curses, so I opened my eyes, and I wanted to laugh when I saw him retreating because the cockroaches were flying towards him. 

Agad niya akong dinaluhan. First, he removed the ties from my hands, followed by the ropes that bound my feet. 

“Are you okay?” he asked me with concern. 

As soon as my hands were free, I immediately removed the handkerchief from my mouth. I glared at him. “Do I look okay to you?” I snapped, rolling my eyes. Nakikita na nga niyang nag-aagaw buhay na ako tapos iyan ang itatanong niya sa akin?