Victoria

CHAPTER 16

"Good night, sweetie. Dream of me," parang nang-aakit na bulong ni Adrian habang nakakulong pa rin ako sa bisig nito.

Kikiligin na sana ako sa pahayag nito nang maalala kong sinaksak pala ako ng gago na 'to nung isang araw lang. I pinched his side playfully and gently pried his arms off me, smiling as I did so.

"Let's sleep na. We have a big day tomorrow," nakangiti pa ring saad ko dito.

Adrian genuinely looked reluctant to let me go but I know better.

I gently closed to door when he finally left and sighed in exasperation. Nakakapagod ring makipagplastikan ha. Ilang araw na ang nakalipas pero hindi pa rin gumagalaw si mokong.

But what can I do except wait for him to slip and make a mistake? None. I have to channel my inner fisherman skills and eagerly wait for that fish to take the bait.

So yeah...I guess I have to suffer for some time.

I just hope this guy messes up real soon though. Because then I can swoop in and whip his ass—

Aight, I gotta stop this before I say anything that will only get me misunderstood.

"Arf! Arf!"

My beautiful puppy barked and tried to get my attention. I smiled whilst happily caressing his little head.

"My puppy...sorry mommy hasn't been paying you attention kasi busy ako sa university at busy rin ako sa pagiging alert sa isang housemate natin dito sa bahay. Bumabawi naman ako kapag nakauwi na ako galing uni diba?"

He barked twice as a reply. My eyes turned to crescents when he nudged his little head to my hand and jumped in my embrace.

Ah...this guy is my only refuge for real. But I haven't been a good mommy. Hindi ko kasi siya masama sa university dahil hindi ko rin naman siya maaalagaan ng mabuti doon. So I left him with Lola all day until I'm done with my duties sa cafe.

Tapos eto pa...hindi ko pa rin siya nabibigyan ng pangalan.

I'm the worst mother ever.

While I was ruminating about how a failure of an owner I was, my eyes fluttered to a close and before I knew it, I was off to dreamland.

Siguro ay dahil sa pagod na naman kaya madali akong nakakatulog nitong nagdaang mga araw.

I'm not relaxing my guard though. Mahirap nang ma-sucker punch.

But it wasn't that long before I was awakened again.

I wasn't actually sure how much time passed but I knew before I opened my eyes that they were here again. I felt it in my gut.

Krrkkk...

Krrkkk...

Krrrkkkkkk...

Past experiences taught me to expect that they will always come back. And they did.

Two figures appeared at the edge of my bed.

Nakatitig nang hindi kumukurap. Naghihintay sa aking pagmulat ng mata.

One has it's head disturbingly bent sideways, almost like only a thread was keeping it connected to the rest of its body. The creature has no mouth but eyes that seemed to blaze like fire continued to stare at me, unblinking.

On the other hand, the second creature was too close.

So close that I could see how ghastly his empty sockets were.

But unlike the first one, this creature has a mouth. A mouth that was so wide I can see the back of its throat lodges with what seemed like black goo and foul stench.

It was smiling at me, its rows of sharp teeth pointed menacingly at me.

A shiver of terror went through me when it edged itself closer to where I lay.

"Hrghhhh..."

Seconds ticked by slowly. Sweat dripped to the side of my cheek to my chin. The two remained unmoving just like I was. Eyes stared unblinkingly and I did the same when I finally realized that all the two did was groan and nothing else.

Were they not the same as those creatures before...?

As if a reply to what I was thinking, the one closer to me approached even further, almost bringing its mouth closer to my head.

I was almost suffocated by the foul stench it emitted until a surprise came.

The creature barked. Like a dog. No, it was a dog's bark.

"Arf!"

Hindi ako makapaniwala sa narinig ko. Sa kanila ba talaga nanggaling ang tunog na iyon? O nagising lang ang tuta ko?

"Arf!"

There it was again. And it was really coming from the creature—!!

I blinked as sweat touched my eyes painfully and then the scene morphed. The creature towering over me was no more and instead, a person stood in its place.

The puppy was aggressively barking bloody murder. Taunting the intruder that was pinning my arms and legs.

I wasted no time to be shocked and kicked the person's groin.

Bullseye, gago!

I pushed him away from me and reversed our position. Sinipa ko ulit ang sentro ng kahinaan nito bago tinuhod ang tiyan nito.

"Arckkk!!" the guy cried, doubling in pain.

I gathered the strength in my right hand and sent a punch straight to his face. I was sure I landed a punch near his eye because my knuckle slid to the pillow throwing me off-balance.

The guy immediatelt pushed me off and rolled from the bed. He tried to escape through the window but my puppy dived in and bit his ankle. He tripped and hit his head squarely on the edge of my bedside table.

And then a thought suddenly popped into mind—this person is painfully clumsy.

"Fucking hell!"

I was a bit engrossed by the thought that it made me react slower. The person stood up again and ran to open the door.

I jumped to his side and grabbed his shirt, trying to drag him back before he could get out of the room.

"Stop pulling my shirt, you bitch!"

"Stop escaping, you asshole!"

We struggled for a while until finally, his shirt gave up and got ripped like it was nothing but paper. The force sent us in different directions—I stumbled back while his body flew outside and hit a wooden railing.

I already caught a glimpse of his face when he tried to get rid of my hands pulling on his shirt so I was not mistaken.

You won't get away this time, fucker.

Hindi ko alam kung sinong santo ang natawag ko pero bigla akong nagkaroon ng lakas para tumayo muli at habulin ito. Good timing naman na nadapa muli ito sa sahig kaya nakahabol ako sa kanya bago pa siya makababa ng hagdan.

I grabbed his shirt again, already torn in the middle, and slapped his back. Hard. Like slapping a volleyball.

"Ack!"

Chaos ensued. I clawed and pulled while he did the same.

He struggled to get away from me because I kept kicking his leg and missing his groin area. But he fought back and grabbed a handful of my hair, trying to shake me off.

"Stop pulling my shirt, you bitch! It's Balenciaga!!" sigaw nito sa akin.

"The fuck do I care? Bilan kita ng sampu sa tiangge sa biyernes!" I fired back.

Mas lalo ko pang winarak ang damit hanggang sa mahubad na ang kalahati nito sa kanya. Nang hindi pa rin ito bumibitaw sa buhok ko ay lumuhod ako at pinagdiskitahan naman ang pants niya.

"Arghh!!! Get your filthy hands away from me!"

"Tignan natin kung talagang may maipagmamalaki ka, gago!"

"You perve! What kind of a woman are you?"

"Don't say that when you're still grabbing my hair, prick!"

"Goddamn it, you warfreak woman!"

I tried to kick him again but I missed for the nth time. Sinubukan ko muling sipain ito pero nawalan ako ng balance. I fell backwards.

At dahil mahigpit ang hawak ko sa kanya ay kasama ko rin itong bumagsak.

Akala ko ay mahuhulog lang kami sa lapag ngunit hindi. Parang slow-mo ang sumunod na nagyari. Nag-flash sa harapan ko ang kanyang ekspresyon na mukhang hindi makapaniwala sa nagaganap.

Same feels, kuya.

Kung hindi lang siguro kami parehong nagpagulong-gulong sa hagdan ay baka pinagtawanan ko siya.

Two succedding thuds echoed in the living room followed by groans of pain.

Hindi ko alam kung saang bagay tumama ang ulo ko but I instantly felt nauseous. Liquid trickled to the side of my face and I didn't have to second guess what it was.

Umaaray rin sa sakit ang ang katabi ko. He was cussing over and over and whining how it feels painful blah blah....

Dumagdag naman sa sakit ng ulo ko ang walang tigil na pagtahol ni puppy. Alam ko na ang magiging kasunod ng sitwasyon na ito. Magigising si Lola at makikita kaming duguan sa hagdan.

This won't do. I have to get up and try to clean this mess—

The door next to the staircase opened. There was a clicking sound that followed soon after and then lights instantly flooded the room.

I closed my eyes in reflex and tried to adjust to the offensive light.

"Victoria, anong kaguluhan 'to-—ANONG NANGYARI SA INYONG DALAWA?!"

"L-Lola..." I stammered, fumbling with my words but I stumbled.

Oh shit, why is the room spinning?

I cleared my throat and tried again. "It's not as bad as you thought—"

"Your forehead is bleeding! VICTORIA—"

Ah shit. I fainted dead to the floor.
.
.
.

"Oh my god, amiga! You got four stitches! Ano bang klaseng laro ang ginagawa niyo at nahulog kayong pareho sa hagdan?" Trixie mused as she scanned the two people lying on the hospital beds.

"Hindi ko knows na mahilig ka pala sa rough play ha," she teased, her eyebrows wiggling as she tried to lighten the atmosphere between the three of us.

I shook my head and sighed. Sobrang sakit ng noo ko at nahihilo pa rin ako. Buti nalang at hindi ko nakita ang duguan kong sarili kung dahil kung hindi, baka double dead na ako ngayon.

"Nasa'n pala si Lola? Is she okay?" I asked instead, blatantly ignoring what she just said.

Trixie pouted in discontent but didn't push it further. Then, she at the edge of my bed and pulled the blankets to my chest.

"She's outside talking to the doctor. Alam mo bang muntik na akong himatayin nang tumawag ka sa akin dahil nagpapadala ka sa ospital? God, you could've called an ambulance and then call me after!"

True. But she was the first person I thought of--no second one. Krieg would be the first but I hesitated to call him and ended up contacting Trixie instead.

"Buti naman at may lakas ka pa na tawagan ako. Lola said you fainted for a minute before resurrecting to life again."

Hmm. Not bad.

I only shrugged at Trixie and replied, "good for me, I guess."

Sumimangot naman si Trixie sa sinabi ko.

"Anong good for you? Kung hindi ka lang pasyente ngayong ay baka nahambalos na kita! What're you guys thinking? Ikaw may stiches sa noo at si Adrian puno ng pasa sa katawan. And look at that dreadful blackeye!" she exclaimed, pointing at that magnificent blackeye I awarded him.

I smiled in secret when Trixie closed in and pinned her arms next to my sides.

"Tell me..."

I gulped nervously. My eyes wanted to shift left and right but I tried my best to stare straight into hers unfailingly.

"W-what?"

"Amiga, tell me honestly..."

"WHAT?"

Trixie suddenly grinned. "Where you guys sumo wrestling? Like a sexy foreplay or something—ouch! What was that for?!"

"That's what you get for thinking about stuff like that," I replied after flicking her forehead.

"Damn it! Nagtatanong lang naman ako ah! Malay ko ba kung anong ginagawa niyong dalawa sa dis-oras ng gabi..." she playfully said, an ambiguous nuance evident in her words.

I calmed myself before replying, "just shut it, Trixie. It was just an accident. Nagkabanggaan lang kaming dalawa pababa ng hagdan dahil madilim. And because we were sleepy, we didn't see each other and lost out balance. End of story."

Trixie rolled her eyes. Mukhang hindi ito naniniwala. At sino bang tanga ang maniniwala nga sa excuse ko? Unless tanga nalang talaga ang tao.

"If you say so...but the scratches on his back though...very kinky-looking ha. Hindi ko naman alam na may pagka-wild ka pala, amiga. Rawr!—OKAY I'M GOING OUT! PUNTAHAN KO LANG SI LOLA. DIYAN MUNA KAYONG DALAWA~~~"

I huffed in annoyance when Trixie finally left.

Fucking hell. This just got so messy, oh my god. Just pure dreadfulness.

"Stop acting and wake up. Wala na si Trixie."

"...."

No response. 

Aba hanggang dito ay maglolokohan pa rin kami kahit nahuli ko na siya?

"Wake the fuck up, asshole," kalmadong pahayag ko dito pero nanatili pa rin itong tahimik.

"If you don't wake the fuck up I swear I'll kick your family jewels again. Don't test me—"

"Calm down, lady. Jeez. Can't you give me a fucking break?" angil nito matapos humilig sa metal na headboard ng kama.

I ignored the sharp gazes he threw at me and rolled my eyes.

"Gigising rin naman pala, pinahirapan pa ako."

"I was planning to sleep but you guys were too noisy."

I scoffed at his remark. "And I, on the other hand, wasn't planning on letting you rest, Mister. We have some things to talk about so listen."

"At anong gagawin mo kung ayaw kong makinig, Victoria? You can't force me to," he muttered in contempt. He even had the nerve to click his tongue and scowl at me.

Haaaa, I sighed in wonder.

Talagang wala akong masabi sa attitude nito ngayon. Alam ko naman na gago si Adrian pero patago 'yon. But to actually witness him remove his mask and act the way he just did...

"Ano? Wala ka ngayong masabi? Or did you actually suffer brain damage when falling from the stairs?" he mocked, smiling wickedly, as if he triumped over me.

I gently shook my head and sighed.

"Baka ikaw ang nasiraan ng bait, Adrian."

"Whatever."

"Seriously...how can you act like a good person where you are not? Or baka naman talagang gago ka lang simula pagkapanganak mo?"

Adrian rolled his eyes and replied, "Are you stupid? Do you think I'll do for now reason at all?"

"Uhm, I don't know? Hindi naman talaga kita kilala. Dayo ka sa lugar namin, remember? Akala mo ata manghuhula ako ng personality traits ng isang tao."

"Just admit that you're an idiot, Victoria. Don't tell me you never studied how I behaved?"

"I did—"

"And you still failed to see my real self. Aren't you failing at your field, sweetie?" sarkastikong pahayag nito.

"At ikaw? hindi ka rin ba nag-fail sa kung anumang masamang balak mo sa akin?"

Natahimik si Adrian sa sinabi ko. That gave me life so I tried to test the waters again.

"But that day at the ferris wheel though...you really hurt me, Adrian. Did I mention to you how much I loathed getting hurt or injured?"

His eyes bulged. Napatayo ito sa kinahihigan niya at lumapit sa kama ko.

"You remember what happened at the ferris wheel? Impossible," hindi makapaniwalang pahayag nito.

"Oh dear, yes I do."

"Lies."

"At bakit naman ako magsisinungaling? Will it benefit me? No."

"....."

"At dahil nandito na rin naman tayo sa topic na ito—did you really think you can erase my memory just like that?"

Nanghihina na napaupo muli sa kama niya si Adrian. He was looking at the floor like his soul was taken away.

"How—how can you remember? I exhausted whatever power I had left just so you wouldn't be able to remember what happened. Mas lalo akong nanghina dahil sa ginawa ko na 'yon. And now, you're telling me I failed? How dare you remember, Victoria!"

I didn't miss that part when he mentioned, power. I guess I'm dealing something unnatural here again.

I did expect this before but hearing it straight from the horse's mouth is still strange. As if it doesn't sit well with me.

I guess I was still holding on to the idea that I was only hallucinating and that all this was just a misunderstanding.

Siguro ay kailangan ko nang bitawan ang paniniwala na hindi ito totoo. Because it is. And I had to accept that.

And now I have to put my skills into good use. I have to get information out of Adrian as much as I can.

"Aba malay ko. Siguro ay talagang wala ka lang kapangyarihan na magawa 'yon. It's understandable naman kung tatanungin ako. Wala tayong magagawa kung talagang mahina ka."

Mukhang nagpanting ang tenga nito sa sinabi ko. Adrian crossed his arms to his chest and sneered.

Yes, Adrian...get angry, get flustered. I need you to spill the beans now.

"At ano namang alam mo, Victoria? You're just the prey here," anas nito sa akin,

"Yes, she's just a prey and I'm the hunter. Ano naman kung naaalala niya ang nangyari? This won't change the fact that she still had to die."

And now he's even talking to himself. Good. I need him to spill more.

"I see. But you failed though. At kung hindi ako nagkakamali, may kinalaman ka rin sa mga panaginip. I even dare guess that you can actually control my dreams, Adrian. So tell me...were those created by you to haunt me?" direktang tanong ko dito.

"They were quite efficient, weren't they? Hindi ka makatulog nang matino nang dahil sa kanila."

"I sure didn't get any decent sleep. Pero hindi na 'yon mahalaga. The main point is why you're doing this to me?"

"And why should I answer that?"

"Because you messed up tonight?"

"I did not!"

"Uhm, you did, Adrian. No use denying it."

"Tsk. If only I possess my full powers, we wouldn't be talking about this right now."

"I know. That's why we're here. Because you failed big time, Adrian. Or most probably--you have been failing right from the start. Ilang beses mo na siguro akong pinagtangkaang patayin...but still...you failed. Is that all you amount to? A failure—"

My lips let out a smile when Adrian dashed to my bed and gripped my shoulders tightly as if he wanted to crush my being.

Finally, he snapped.

"Shut up! You should've lost your mind when you encountered the dreams! It should've broken your soul like a lifeless doll! And that's when I'll sweep in and save you. Then you'll worship me because I was your savior! Eventually, I'll poison your mind until you break apart into tiny pieces. That's how it should be. But you—you messed it all up. Kasalanan mo ang lahat ng ito, Victoria."