Hope of the Dying World

CHAPTER 107 - THE PENDANT

"They're upstairs, doctor. We've been hiding in their attic." Dylan explained while wiping his tears.

"Are you alright? Are you scared?" She held his small rosy face.

"I shouldn't be scared but... but I am." He wailed.

"Shh... Don't cry, Dylan. We're here. No one will hurt you." SHe wiped his tears before they went to the attic.

Zyrille saw Hailey at the corner, silently hugging her legs while watching Cally from afar.

"Hailey... are you okay?" She softly asked.

"Y-Yes, ma'am. But..." She looked at Cally. "But... she's not." She pointed her fingers at Cally.

"D-Doctor... Please save, Cally. She couldn't b-breath and something was forming in her s-skin. She's... She's in pain." Dylan was begging.

"W-What?" Zyrille's hands became cold after she confirmed what they were saying. She immediately covered her mouth using her trembling hands. "Oh my God!"

"Zyrille—" Danryll froze after he saw a glint of tears in her eyes.

"She's... infected."

"D-Daddy... Kuya... so itchy..." Cally rolled over the carpet while struggling because of the pain she was feeling. "M-Mommy... Mommy!"

"Baby... Baby. Please... endure it a little bit more. Mommy's here. Baby... Mommy will stay by your side." She couldn't touch her. It was heartbreaking to just watch. "Danryll! We need the cure right—"

She was stunned when she faced the door and saw someone that she didn't expect to see at that moment.

"All this time... you're... m-mom?"

"Trestan..."

+++

"Sir, where are you? We have a prob—"

"Xol!" Blair recognized the voice after she answered the phone call.

"Blair? Are you with Sir Ferran right now?"

"Yes, yes. He's with me."

"Goodness. Are you alright?"

"Yup."

"May I speak with him?"

"I could speak with you. He couldn't talk because something happened. Please... pick us up to the location I'll send to you."

"Okay. I'll be there."

Ferran's still crying. It was a torture to him. For the nth time, he lost a comrade, partner, and a loyal friend.

"U-Uncle... please. Be strong."

"He's dead. Sanchez's... dead. Damn it!" He struck his head on the steering wheel and Blair was trying his best to stop her uncle from hurting himself. He's not the only one who's in pain.

She didn't receive any news about Trestan. She doesn't know if he's still alive or like Sanchez...

"No. No. I believe that he's not dead yet." Blair mumbled.

After minutes of waiting, Xol arrived and he opened the door for Ferran. He looked at Blair as if asking what happened to Ferran.

"Uncle Rouvie..." She uttered before a tear fell and Xol immediately understood the situation.

Xol cussed and closed his eyes.

They arrived at Blair's wrecked house.

"Why..." Blair's chest throbbed just looking at their house.

"Sir, let's get inside."

"Leave me alone."

"I think we should just let him stay here for a bit." Blair said.

"It is safer if we all stay inside." Xol explained.

"Uncle—"

"I said leave me alone! Can't you understand? I want to be alone..."

"Sir!" Xol couldn't help but to let out his emotion. "We're not helping you just to end up like this!" He clenched his fist because of frustration but Ferran just stared at him. "Asyl... Sir Simon... Dr. De Vega... Officer Sanchez... all of them! Will you just throw away their sacrifices because of that damn emotion?! F*ck it! We will all just die here, doing nothing!"

Ferran couldn't utter a word until his eyes turned to the digital watch. 10:10.

"An hour and fifty minutes... damn." He closed his eyes and thought of the goal they were aiming for. "This is our last chance..." He mumbled.

"Uncle."

"Sorry... I got too emotional. Let's end this once and for all." He got out of the car and followed Xol and Blair to the basement.

"What is this... place? I never thought that there would be a room like this in our house." Blair uttered and looked at the people inside.

Timotheus, Veronica, and Czaquira are all looking at them. They were waiting.

"Sir Ferran," Czaquira caught Ferran's attention. "We're in the last part of the process. We cannot send the evidence and reports due to tight security, Sir Simon Ferran made."

"What? I thought everything was inside the flashdrive Asyl left and the red notebook?" Ferran grabbed the notebook and looked at the pages one by one but there is nothing special about it but the codes of the local members of the organization. "Damn... What now?"

Everyone fell into a deafening silence. Thinking of something that they could use to retrieve the missing passcode.

"F*ck... we don't have much time." Uneasiness filled Ferran. "We have until midnight?"

"What? We still have time. There is no time limit—" Veronica was interrupted.

"It has. We should accomplish everything before the time comes." Ferran deeply sighed while forcing himself to remember. "Wait..."

***

"My daughter... Please Simeon, protect her, take care of her." Simon whispered at him. "Her necklace. You will need it in the future."

"Necklace?"

"No more questions. Now go."

***

"Blair's necklace... Give me your necklace!" Ferran said.

"My necklace? What about—"

"Just give me the damn necklace!" Ferran was eager to know about the necklace. Simon told him that it will be needed in the future. The future is now the present.

"Where is it? Where?" Ferran examined the necklace but he saw nothing.

"What are you looking for, sir?" Xol asked and everyone just watched him, without knowing what he was up to.

"The code. It might be here." Ferran focused his eyes at the pendant. "Switch off the light."

Czaquira just followed what he was saying.

"Flashlight."

Timotheus gave him the small flashlight in his pocket. Ferran placed the necklace in a transparent glass, put the necklace on it, and pointed the light on its pendant.

"As I've thought." Ferran smirked. "Got it."