The new semester opens with a bang that shocks the four Houses of QED University, an exclusive school for promising students of the science of deduction and art of detection.
The Holmesian Harriet Harrison never thought that the day would come when...
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HARRIET
DAHAN-DAHAN kong iminulat ang aking mga mata. I could hear the sounds of birds chirping outside. The afternoon light blinded me as it pierced through the curtainless windows.
"Gising ka na pala?" tanong ng babaeng naka-facemask at nakatalikod sa akin. Based on her white uniform and skirt, she must be a nurse.
My eyes roamed around, searching for clues on where I was brought to. Ano bang nangyari sa akin kanina? As far as I could remember... I was bitten by a snake after Aiden and I had fallen into a man-made hole... then he helped me out of that misery with the help of Morrie and Mina. Hindi ko man sila nakita kanina, I heard their voices very well.
Thanks to them, I survived. Ayaw ko pang mamatay. Marami pa akong pangarap na dapat tuparin. And a true Holmesian is never defeated too easily.
Sinubukan kong igalaw ang paa ko. The numbness was still there. Parang mabigat nang subukan kong iangat. They must have injected me with some sort of antidote the moment I got here.
"Nasaan na ho ang mga kasama ko?" tanong ko sa nurse na inaayos ang mga bote sa medicine cabinet.
"Lumabas sila para mag-participate sa mga teambuilding activity," sagot niya nang hindi lumilingon sa akin. "Baka gabi na sila makabalik dito. Maraming pasabog na inihanda si Professor Dred para sa kanila."
"Ano?!" Halos mapatayo ako sa kama. I tried moving my hands but I noticed that my wrists were tied.
How dare they leave me here alone! Malakas ang kutob kong si Morrie ang nag-suggest na tumuloy sila kahit wala ako. He would never miss an opportunity para ungusan ako sa mga ganitong activity. We should be acting as allies but he couldn't put down the thought of competition!
Teka, bakit nga ba nakatali ang mga kamay ko rito? I did not need to be restrained dahil hindi naman ako napo-possess ng masamang espiritu. So why?
"Excuse me? Can you remove these, please? Nangangati na kasi ang ilong ko," palusot ko sa nurse. Ngunit hindi niya ako pinansin. Patuloy lang siya sa pagsasaayos sa mga bote.
Doon na ako biglang kinabahan. Bumilis ang pagtibok ng puso ko. I pulled my arms with all my strength kahit hindi pa tuluyang nanunumbalik ang lakas ko. But my efforts were in vain.
What's going on here?
"Did you know that there are three drugs used in lethal injection?" Hinarap ako ng nurse na may hawak-hawak na syringe. Napalunok ako ng laway habang tinititigan ang dulo ng karayom. Pilit akong nagpumiglas but my hands were still strapped on the bed.
"Una, kailangan mo munang gawing unconscious ang target mo." She pressed the plunger slowly, some drops of liquid oozed out of it. "Sunod, kailangan mong i-paralyze ang kanyang muscles. At panghuli, patigilin ang kanyang puso. Simple lang, 'di ba?"
