Tracheon: Master Plan

Chapter 14

"Maybe this was part of her master plan."

"What master plan, Gyllia?" Kathaleen asked.

Naupo naman kami saglit at iniwan namin muna saglit ang ginagawa naming pagtakas. Masyado lang din kasing nakakapagtaka na ang dami naming nangyayari na hindi namin masagot. Hindi namin makuha kasi hindi namin alam kung paano nangyayari 'yon. Pati iyong lugar na ito. Hindi naman namin alam na may ganito palang lugar na nag-e-exist. Ang dami ko gustong malaman pero kahit ang mga kasama ko ay limitado lang din naman ang alam sa nangyayari sa amin.

"Before we came to this place, I saw her—"

"Who's her?"

"The doctor—I don't remember her name, I forget it." I said. "And that's because the six of us survive. They rebuild a new game which they called master plan, I don't know why they call it like that but we're in this situation. We are their master plan."

"Then we should get rid of them." Kathaleen said. "I know I've been scared so much pero hindi ko na hahayaan pang matalo tayo dito. Death is the barrier of how we can survive. And if we pass it, we could break the game."

"We can't." naintriga naman kami bigla sa sinabi ni Marco. "You know it's impossible to do that. Hindi nga natin kung paano tayo nakarating dito eh. Ibigsabihin din niyan ay hindi natin alam kung paano tayo makakabalik."

"It just that because we doesn't know where we came from, Marco hindi na natin alam kung paano tayo makakatakas. See this, kung kinaya natin noon—"

Marco interrupt her, "Yeah, Kathaleen, I get your point. Iyon ay dahil may way talaga para makaalis tayo sa islang iyon but this place is different. Something that doesn't existed."

"Anong sabi mo, Marco?" takang tanong ko kay Marco.

He took a deep breath, "okay," he washed his hands on his faced. "Ngayon ko lang sasabihin 'to, I don't care I wouldn't believe it or not pero this was really happened. In this place we do not know."

"Spill it, Marco." Usal ko.

Naubo naman si Kathaleen at umayos naman ng pagkakaupo. Huminga rin naman ako ng malalim dahil medyo sumisikip na ang dibdib ko sa usapan namin.

"Gyllia, remember the time na niligtas kita?" aniya at tumango naman ako. "When I killed Maryel and Steph, they're gone pixelated. Hindi ko alam kung paano nangyari 'yon pero hindi sila totoo. They were dead and they're coming for us. They could harm us pero kapag sila ang sinaktan natin ay parang wala lang sa kanila. They just had gone."

Hindi ko naman ma-imagine 'yong sinabi ni Marco but if it's true, kaya ba ligtas kaming nakatakas mula kila Maryel at Steph noon? Kailangan kong maintindihan kung anong nangyayari sa amin ngayon. This world must not be real or in simply manipulated by them.

"Guys..." napakapit naman si Kathaleen sa akin. "I can't breathe."

Ramdam ko rin naman ang pagsikip ng dibdib ko. Hindi rin ako makagalaw ng maayos dahil feeling ko ay nauubusan kami ng hininga. Gano'n din ang nararamdaman ni Marco. Nang balingan ko muli si Kathaleen ay namumutla na ito.

"Kathaleen, don't, please, stay strong..."

"I can't..." she said, shooking her head. "I can't bear any longer..."

"No, you can!" sigaw ko sa kanya. "Kathaleen, listen!"

"Live, Gyllia..."

"Don't give up, Kath." Marco said, makikita mo rin sa kanilang mukha na nahihirapan siya sa paghinga. "I won't let you do it."

"I'm strong..." she said, almost a whisper. "I'm strong..."

"Yes, you are Kathaleen! So don't give up, this isn't the right thing to do."

"Help..." she begged. We can't do anything.

"Inhale, Kathaleen, trust me." usal ko, ginawa naman niya ang sinasabi ko. "Exhale... repeat it! Inhale..."

Pero bumagsak din ang katawan ko dahil hindi ko na kinaya. Lumapit naman si Marco sa akin para alalayan ako. Pinilit niya ang sarili niyang makalapit sa akin at niyakap ako. Mayamaya lamang ay lumitaw mula ang doctor na iyon.

"The oxygen will be gone for last one minute..." she said, "one shall die to retrieve the oxygen."

"I'll do it..." Kathaleen said as she reach the gun.

Dinambahan ko naman siya at pinigilang gawin iyon. "Don't do it, Kathaleen, if you die, we die together."

"I won't let that happen, Gyllia." She said.

"30 seconds... you still have seconds."

"Please no..." I begged her, "don't do it."

"I'll crash you Kathaleen if you do it!" Marco said.

But she didn't listen to us as she get the gun and pointed it into her head.

"See you soon..." she smiles as she pulls the trigger.

"Very well done." The doctor said then gone.

Kathaleen Ayana Wamerson has been terminated.

Agad namang bumalik ang oxygen at nakahinga kami ng maayos. Doon ko lang nabawi ang lakas ko at naibuhos ang bugso ng damdamin. Hindi ako makapaniwala na binigay niya ang karapatan niyang mabuhay para sa amin ni Marco.

"Sorry Kathaleen..." hagulgol ko pa.

Niyakap naman ako ni Marco, "everything will be just fine, Gyl..."

And an alarm goes on the room, "an outbreak has rise."