When Philippines hit its lowest point in history because of an epidemic caused by a failed experiment, Zaina Alcantara and the rest of the group tries to make a living while keeping their sanity at ease. And while the goal is to survive the catastro...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Chapter 1 The Rat - Part I
"Haru-dyusko! Anong petsa na, iho? Hindi pa ba tayo aalis rito at wala na tayong makain?" asked Lara, arms crossed while looking at the person beside me. The old woman is standing in front of the bonfire, the exact opposite of where I am currently sitting.
As the night engulfs us without electricity over the whole country, the only source of light that we can rely on is coming from the bonfire. I never knew that it could be that valuable since people usually think about lighting bonfires in seashores at nightꟷ throwing love confessions, sharing moments with friends, or making your vacation more romantic.
However, it has quite a few cons. Making bonfires take a lot of resources, so the odds of having one is sporadic. And since we'll stay here for two to three days, and Clyde still hasn't come up with a plan yet, we decided to use the rest of the resources to light up the four walls of this house.
The old woman walks back and forth continuously, throwing fit in front of us. "Para kang pako na kapag hindi pinukpok, hindi kikilos," she muttered.
I looked at Clyde, sitting right beside me, waiting for his response to the old woman. He finishes his dinner by engulfing the last piece of luncheon meat he tore into pieces to suffice for what he called 'his dietary plan,' which is just his way of coping up from hunger.
He coughed and mumbled, "We'll stay here until I have a more concrete plan."
Irritation grew on the old woman's face as she did not happen to hear what Clyde said. "Iho, kung bubulong-bulong ka lang d'yan, wala tayong mahihita rito," she said as she swings her index finger in the air to exclaim her sentiments.
Clyde heaved a sigh, dispirited. He seems like he ran out of ideas on how to deal with the problem. We were asking him about this matter days ago, but we still get the same response.
The man clears his throat and speaks with such authority, but it seems like the old woman did not fret. He said, "Ang sabi ko ho, we'll stay here until I have a plan."
"Pordyos, porsanto! Anong gusto mong gawin natin dito, iho? Tumihaya na lang para lapain ng mga tarantadong halimaw na yan?" she said, as she points towards the four corners of the room where gnawings can be heard coming from the other side.
"Hindi ho gano'n ang gusto kong iparating. Ang sa akin lang, let's be patient because all of us here know how hard it is to look for a place to stay."
The conversation continues. Clyde tried his best to explain to the old woman why he hasn't come up with a concrete plan yet, but the old woman can't seem to comprehend what he says. The old woman kept blabbering words that are very far from the argument and is not that relevant. The whole conversation is a complete mess.
The last words that I heard from Lara before silence finally took place were "Biyayaan ka nawa ng poong maykapal ng malinaw na pag-iisip..." and the rest are all just pain in the ear.
