Stay Awake (ORIGINAL DRAFT)

Chapter Twenty-Four: A Vicious Pack

Dedicated to Kuya AkoSiIbarra (again) because I've finally met him yesterday!! Yay I'm so happy!

Chapter Twenty-Four: A Vicious Pack

The world is ending.

Or that's what I'm feeling now, at least.

The entire humanity is asleep, and there are only a few of us left awake. Hell, hindi nga namin alam kung anong state ng iba pang mga bansa. I just hope that there are others out there, like us. Others who are trying to find answers, who are trying to save this God-forsaken world.

Try.

That fucking word again.

Even when things were still normal, I was doing nothing but try. Trying to finish school, trying to get the girl that I like, trying to plan for my future, trying to survive.

Try, try, and try.

It gets so fucking annoying sometimes, you know? This repetitive life. It even gets to a point where surviving seems pointless. Like, why can't we all just let it go? Why do we keep striving? Why do we need to do something just to prove that we fucking exist?

Maybe this is for the best. Maybe the whole world deserves all of these shits. Maybe all of our destinies are intertwined, with only one outcome: destruction.

But maybe not.

Earlier, I was so eager to just lay down and fall asleep. Pero ngayong nakahiga na ako, hindi naman ako makatulog. What the hell is wrong with me?

Sinubukan kong pumikit at tinakpan ko rin ng jacket 'yung mukha ko. Pero pagkatapos ng ilang attempts para makatulog, napabangon rin ako. This is pointless. Even extreme exhaustion can't push me in the arms of sleep.

My heart almost jumped out of my chest nang lumingon ako sa bandang bintana. Masyado kasing madilim para maaninag ko kung sino 'yung nakaupo doon. Upon closer look, I found out na si Felicity pala iyon. Nasa harap niya 'yung isang kandila but it did nothing to illuminate her face. Dahan-dahan akong tumayo para hindi magising 'yung mga kasama namin.

"Hey," bati ko nang makalapit ako sa kanya.

She turns to me, startled. "Hey."

"Hindi ka rin makatulog?" I ask, then I sit beside her.

Tumango siya. "Oo. Masyadong maraming tumatakbo sa isip ko ngayon."

Pareho pala kami. The thought of trying to save the world terrifies me. It's like the faith of humanity rests entirely on our shoulders. It's a huge responsibility, one that must be taken seriously. And like every other teenager, I hate responsibilities.

It's still raining hard outside, making the road darker than it already is. Okay na rin siguro 'yung ganito. The howling wind and big droplets of rain hide us from the vicious animals prowling outside.

After a moment of silence, nagtanong ako kay Felicity. It is an extremely stupid question but I really want to keep our conversation going.

"Kung normal na gabi ngayon, what would you be doing?"

Hindi siya sumagot for a little while. Akala ko mananatili lang siya na nakadungaw sa bintana at iiwan na lang sa ere 'yung tanong ko kaya muntik na akong mapangiti nang bigla siyang sumagot.

"I would be in my bed, asleep," she says, finally looking at me. "Or I would be wrapped up in my blanket with a good paperback novel. Kung ano 'yung babagay sa mood ko ngayon, iyon 'yung gagawin ko."

She's not wearing her glasses, and the light coming from the candle is enough for me to see her eyes. They're beautiful, like the rest of her.

Now that I can finally remember that I've met her the night when everyone fell asleep, the way I feel for her is getting stronger. Alam ko na maikling panahon pa lang kaming nagkakasama, pero ito 'yung first time na makaramdam ako ng ganito. She's not just any other beautiful girl for me anymore. She's starting to earn her special place in my heart.

Cheesy, I know. I'm not this kind of guy. I never was. I define myself as manly. Hell, I don't even watch or read anything about romance. But it's the truth.

Is it possible to fall in love with someone in a span of two days?

"I miss them, you know," she says suddenly, getting me out of my thoughts. "My Mom, my Dad, even my annoying older brother. It's hard to accept the fact that they're trapped in a deep sleep. I'm not even sure if they'll ever be back in their normal state again."

She looks so sad, so worried, that it makes my heart break. I want to comfort her, but I don't know what to do. I don't want to make a move that might startle her.

"They'll be back in their normal state," I say softly. I want to reach out and hug her. Badly. But something keeps me from doing it. "Everything will be back to normal. We will save them, all of them."

She looks at me, her eyes misty and sad and breathtaking all at the same time. She's so beautiful and I want to protect her.

"You promise?" she asks me.

I nod. "I promise."

She scoots closer to me, leaning her head on my shoulder. I slowly put my arms around her.

"Everything will be okay," I whisper. "Just trust me."

"I do," she answers, her voice so weak I almost didn't hear it.

Thunder rumbles outside, robbing the silence from us for a second. The pitter-patter of the rain against the window gives us a feeling of tranquility, and after a moment, I finally feel relaxed enough to sleep.

Before I complety succumb myself to exhaustion, one thought remains on my mind.

I hope that all of the things that I have said will come true.

*****

When I wake up, nakasandal na ako sa bintana. My arms are still wrapped around Felicity, and her head is now leaning on my chest.

It's still dark outside, at paubos na rin 'yung wax ng kandila na ginagamit namin. I don't know why I have this feeling that something is off. Kaya rin siguro bigla akong nagising.

My companions are still fast asleep, and the only sound that I can hear is Andre snoring.

Wait. There's something else.

The rain had already stopped, long gone are the pitter-patters of it against the window. Replacing it is a low, rumbling sound.

No, not rumbling. Growling.

I slowly look outside the window, and what I saw almost made my heart stop.

There's a pack of dogs, and they're all staring at me.