Hindi ko agad sinagot yung tawag. I was in the middle of writing that night, tahimik ang paligid, and the only thing I could hear was the soft rain hitting the window. Naka-rest
yung phone ko sa mesa, vibrating over and over again, like it was trying to get my attention for a reason.
Unknown number. Usually, I ignore calls like that. But that night felt different. May kakaibang
pakiramdam na hindi ko ma-explain. Parang may mali. Like something was about to go wrong. I stopped typing and stared at the screen for a few seconds. Hindi ko alam kung bakit
ako nagdadalawang-isip. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was fear. But eventually, I reached for my phone and answered it.
"Hello?" I said, with my voice low and unsure. At first, there was nothing. Just silence. Then I heard it, the uneven breathing on the other end. Mabilis, magulo, parang may
hinahabol. And somehow, I already knew.
"Lena...?" That voice. Nanlamig agad yung katawan ko. It's Mara. Everything in me froze, but at the same time, everything started moving too fast. My heart, my thoughts, my
breathing. She didn't sound like herself. Hindi iyon yung kapatid kong matapang. There was fear in her voice. Real fear. I didn't even realize I had already stood up, gripping the phone tighter as panic slowly
crept in.
She told me she found something. About a company. Something wrong. Hindi niya dinetalye, and that made it worse. The way she said it, parang may tinatago, or maybe hindi niya kayang sabihin. Sa background, may mga ingay. Hindi ko masyadong rinig, but enough to make me uneasy. Parang may gumagalaw at nagmamadali kumilos or maglakad.
She said she didn't have much time. That's when it really hit me. This wasn't just a random call. Something was happening to her.
I tried to get answers. I kept asking where she was, what was going on, telling her to come home. My voice didn't even sound like mine anymore. It sounded desperate. Then she said something I couldn't ignore. 'Don't trust anyone'. Mahinang boses pero
sobrang bigat. I felt my grip tighten around the phone. My chest felt heavy, like something
was about to collapse inside me.
She tried to say more. "Not even-" and then the line cut. Just like that. No warning and no explanation. One second she was there... and the next, she was gone. "Mara?" I called out, but I already knew she wouldn't answer. The silence that followed was louder than anything I had ever heard. All I could do was stare at my phone, waiting. Hoping. Convincing myself that she would call again. That this was just a bad signal. That everything was still okay.
But deep down, I knew. That call wasn't normal. That call meant something. And whatever it meant... it wasn't good. That was the last time I heard her voice. The next day, pumunta ako sa apartment niya. I expected something....anything. A
sign, a clue, or kahit maliit na detalye man lang na makakapagsabing she's alive. But there was nothing. No answer. No movement. No trace. It was like she never lived there. Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months. I searched, asked questions, followed every possible lead I could think of. But nothing. No one saw her.
No one knew anything. And worse, no one wanted to talk.
The police called it a missing person case. Told me to wait. Told me they'd contact me if there were updates. But no updates ever came. No calls. No progress. No answers.
At some point, I stopped expecting anything from them. The frustration built up slowly until it turned into something heavier, something colder. If they wouldn't find her... Then I would. Months later, I stood in front of the mirror and barely recognized myself. Payat. Tahimik. Matigas ang tingin. Hindi na ako yung dating Elena. And maybe that was
necessary. Because the old me wouldn't survive this.
Hinawakan ko yung lumang litrato naming dalawa. She was smiling there, like nothing in the world could ever touch her. "I'll find you," I whispered. This time, walang luha. Walang panginginig. Just certainty. I was done waiting. No matter where she was. No matter who was involved. I would find her.
I placed the photo down slowly and looked at myself again. That was the moment I made my decision. Hahanapin ko kung saan siya nagtrabaho. I'd trace every connection, every person she interacted with, every place she went.
And if I had to step into a world that
wasn't meant for me... I would. Kahit magsinungaling pa ako. Kahit mawala ako sa proseso. Because this wasn't just a disappearance. Hindi ito aksidente. There was a reason. And I would find it.
Whether I find her... or the truth behind everything. Either way hindi ako titigil.
