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
I ARRIVED just in time before the hound could tear off Morrie's arm. Mabuti na lang, may ibinigay na bakal na walking cane si Sir Dred sa akin kaya meron akong panlaban sa higanteng aso na 'to. It was twice the size of a regular dog and its glowing body would make our knees tremble in fear.
Despite our not so good relationship, I still came to this Moriartard's rescue. Pwede ko namang hintayin na lapain muna siya ng hound bago ako magpakita at iligtas ang mga kasama ko. But that wasn't honorable. In a life and death situation where your enemy isn't the current threat, you can set aside your personal differences and save the other.
Aiden and Mina were too shocked to see me spring before them. Kung inakala nilang hihiga ako buong hapon habang sila'y nagpapakahirap dito, nagkakamali sila. I am their leader and it's my duty to lead them.
"Ano, hihiga ka na lang ba riyan hanggang mamaya?" tanong ko kay Morrie na nag-enjoy yata sa kakaupo. I kept my eyes straight, watching the hound's movement closely. It could leap anytime and aim at any part of my body, hence I shouldn't be careless. Sapat na ang walking cane na 'to para maprotektahan ko ang grupo namin.
Morrie rose to his feet, dusted off his pants and took a few step backwards. I was not expecting the words "thank you" to escape his lips because that would hurt his pride. A Moriartian being saved by a Holmesian? Because of our House rivalry, magiging malaking issue 'yan.
"Paano mo nalamang nandito kami?" tanong ni Aiden.
"Coincidence na napadaan ako rito at natiyempuhan kong inaatake na kayo ng asong 'to," I answered, shooting a sideward glace at him. "I saw two flashes of light kanina kaya naisip ko na baka nandoon kayo."
To be honest, I did not have any idea on what's going on. Sir Dred told me that the forest would turn into a battleground so I needed to be extra careful.
Ngunit pinagtatakahan ko kung bakit muling nagpakita ang hound. I thought we would not encounter it again after our first meeting earlier. Our professor made it clear that they did not set loose a hound as a challenge for us.
Someone else was interfering with the teambuilding activities. The question was: to what end?
The hound bared its fangs, saliva dripping off its filthy mouth. Dahan-dahan akong umurong habang naka-ready ang aking pamalo. My teammates did the same. Being on the defensive gave me an advantage. I could defend myself from any point of attack. The hound was on the offensive. Once it attacked me, I could hit him in his most vulnerable parts.
And it did. Tumalon sa akin ang aso, nakahanda ang mga pangil nito na ibaon sa aking katawan. I swang the steel rod, aiming it at the jaw. Once it hit, the hound flinched and whimpered in pain.
"Takbo!" sigaw ko sa aking mga kasama.
We ran as fast as we could while the huge dog was recovering from my assault. Nagpahuli ako sa aming apat, palingon-lingon sa likuran sakaling nakakahabol na ang aso.
