CHAPTER 1 – The Midnight Mysteries
═══════════════
The faint sound of footsteps on the wooden floor creaked and echoed as if I was watching a horror film until it seized. Yet, after a moment, an endless ramming in the wooden door happened, making me grimace. I roamed my sight around and looked at my company with me, who was also watching the reason behind the noise, disturbing the serene night.
“Is he always like this? Every night?” I asked.
Niko nodded while looking at Spencer, “Yes, every night…”
“Bakit hindi mo agad sinabi sa ‘kin? Sa amin? Alam ba ‘to nina Principal Del Valle—”
“Hindi. At paano ko sasabihin sa’yo kung siya mismong nag-ssleeping walking ay hindi niya alam ang nangyayari sa kanya?”
Nagtatakha ko siyang tiningnan saka muling nagnakaw ng tingin kay Spencer. Sunod-sunod pa rin ang pag-untog niya sa kanyang ulo sa pinto papunta sa labas. Ginising lamang ako ni Niko kanina kaya’t nakita ko ang sitwasyon ni Spencer ngayon, ilang beses na rin namin siyang ginising, ngunit hindi siya magising-gising.
“Kailan pa?”
Dahan-dahan napapikit si Niko’t bumulong, “Last year—”
“What?! You waited for a year to tell me this?!”
“It was hard to talk to you! To any of you!” He glared at me. His eyes and words were like arrows, piercing through me and simply justifying the anger and anxiousness his feeling.
I let out a deep sigh. Niko was right, and I can never blame him for feeling frustrated with me, with everything right now. The bozos, my mother, Kelly, and the others may have vanished, but everything was far from normal. Everything. Cara, Tyler, and I may be physical with them, but in reality, we are far, miles away from them. Losing Alex, losing Chi… left a punctured deep in my heart.
And I know… everything will never be the same as before. Never.
“Niko, I’m sorry…” I mumbled.
I wanted to run away from them, from everything, yet… I also do not want to. This place was my nightmare, but this was also my home. Maybe, just maybe, it was one of the reasons why I agreed to babysit Niko, and Spencer in the first place, for me to stop myself from running away from, from running away in this place I called home.
“Niko,” I called. Lumingon siya sa ‘kin, ramdam ko pa rin ang pagka-badtrip niya sa akin ngunit hindi na ulit siya nagreklamo pa. “D’yan na rin ba gumigising si Spencer?”
He grimaced at me and looked at me with disbelief, “As I told you, he doesn’t know. Just wait for a few minutes, and you’ll find out.”
Nang pumatak ang alas-kuwarto ng madaling araw, bigla tumayo nang diretso sa pinto habang nakaharap pa rin sa pinto. Dahan-dahan siyang tumalikod do’n at nagmartsa paalis do’n. Tahimik lamang kaming sumunod sa kanya ni Niko hanggang sa makabalik si Spencer kanyang kuwarto at nakahiga sa kanyang kama.
“Why did you wait for me?” Tanong ko kay Niko habang pinagmamasdan ang ngayo’y mahimbing na natutulog na si Spencer. Nanliliit ang mga mata kong nilingon si Niko, ngunit tila hindi niya mawari kung saan siya mag-uumpisa. “Is it because you that something is wrong—definitely there is something wrong. But… you think is beyond wrong, am I right? Is that the reason why you waited for me?”
“Yes… I think this is a side effect.”
Niko looked at me worriedly. I sadly smiled at myself. I know. I know what you wanted to tell me. I get it. “Because he became infected… I know.”
“Are you to tell this to Kuya Parker and the others?”
“Not yet,” I calmly said and observed Spencer peacefully. “What happens whenever he sleepwalks outside?”
“That never happened. Hindi ko binubuksan ang pinto.”
“Bakit?”
Ngumiwi siya sa ‘kin na para bang napakatanga ng tanong ko. Bigwasan ko kaya ‘to? “Are really asking me that? Watching in his own was already disturbing. Paano pa kaya kung mangatok pa siya sa ibang bahay gamit ang ulo niya? Tsaka do you really expect me to follow him every fucking night?”
“Language!”
“Wala naman si Kuya rito. Magmumura ako hanggang magsawa ako.”
I looked at him with disbelief. I just can’t with this guy! Pinsan niya ako, mas matanda ako sa kanya pero bakit palagi na lang niya akong tina-trashtalk?! Ikina-cool niya ba ‘yon? Bad boy gano’n?
Tanginang puberty hits you ‘yan.
“Whatever. If you have nothing else to do, help me with the breakfast—”
Niko scowled. “Maliligo pa ako at mag-aayos ng gamit ko para sa school. Bahala ka d’yan mag-isa.” Gusto ko na lang magsabi nang masasamang words.
At pinandigan ni Niko ang sinabi niya. Pinabayaan niya akong mahirapan sa paghahanda ng pagkain naming tatlo. Like, hello? Napakabait niya kanina no’ng ginising niya pa lamang ako tapos nag-ala demonyo na naman siya nang maging ayos na si Spencer.
“Slow down with your food, Spencer. Hindi ka namin aagawan,” sambit ko sa kanya. Parang vacuum lang, lahat na nilagay sa bibig niya.
“I can’t! May morning practice kami nina Fake Daddy. Alam niyo na regular player things.”
Wala sa sarili akong napairap sa kanya. Makahulugan kong sinilip si Niko na mabilis lamang nagkibit-balikat sa akin. Niko was right. Spencer does not know a single thing about his sleep walking. Yet, I also can’t blame him, nor his parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Del Valle had been busy for a year since they had been working the Ramirez and my father as well as Tita Alleona, and Tito Tristan. They have been helping people and those who turned into bozos by treating them and putting them into rehabilitation centers. The worst part of this social recovery was the people, and the discrimination among those who had become bozos was a major problem.
And even though Tita Alleona and the others already cleared that those who became infected were hundred percent clear from any infection, some still treat them as threats or beings with contagious diseases.
“I’ll be going now! Bye, Niko! Bye, Fake Mommy! Mwaps!” Mabilis na umalis si Spencer habang may bitbit pang toasted bread sa kanyang bibig.
Isang malalim na buntong-hininga ang kumawala sa akin at nakasimangot na humarap kay Niko, “Bantayan mo si Spencer.”
“Ano ako babysitter?”
“May sinabi ba ako?”
“Wala,” bulong niya. “Pero hindi ako bobo para hindi ma-comprehend ang ibig sabihin no’n. Tch. Tch. Still the same stupid Amira.”
Anak ng!
Basta na lamang akong iniwan ni Niko dahilan upang pumunta na rin ako sa Laodicea High. Dahil under recovery pa halos lahat ng city, tanging Laodicea High at Kir University lamang ang available for learning kaya’t pinalawak at nagpatayo sila ng mga buildings do’n upang makapasok lahat ng mga students na natigil ang pag-aaral dahil sa apocalypse.
“Amira!” Napalingon ako sa babaeng tumawag sa ‘kin, si Tanya, isa siya sa mga kaklase ko ngayon na mula sa Besodeiah. Isa siya noon sa mga Apostles kaya’t nakaligtas din siya sa apocalypse. “Did you study for the recitation later?”
“Nagbasa-basa lang ako.”
Dumaan na naman ang isang boring na araw. Nang pumatak ang hapon, sinamahan lamang ako ni Niko sa bleachers kung saan pinapanood namin sina Parker at Spencer na naglalaro ng baseball. At syempre, dahil nandito si Parker, hindi mawawala ang epal na si Sierra na sumisigaw sa gilid. Ang sarap talagang dukutin ng mga mata niya.
Nang matapos ang practice nila ay mabilis na tumungo sina Parker at Spencer sa puwesto namin ni Niko.
“Hi, mommy…” I immediately handed Parker the bottled water and harshly wiped his sweaty head. “Gentle naman. Para kang badtrip na badtrip na naman sa ‘kin. Kailan ka ba hindi totopakin?”
“Pag hindi na nag-checheer si Sierra sa’yo.”
He chuckled and leaned on my shoulder, “You should stop acting cute. Bahala ka pag nanggigil ako sa’yo.”
“Are you seriously threatening—”
“Anong cute sa pag-iinarte ng pinsan ko?” Walang modong tanong ni Niko. Tumango-tango pa si Spencer sa kanya na para sang-ayon na sang-ayon siya sa sinasabi ng kaibigan niya. “Maarte kamo, hindi cute. Malalandi.”
“Pansin ko rin. Maarte nga si Fake Mommy—napakaarte pala,” sabi ni Spencer.
I grimaced at them, making Parker laugh. At matapos nila akong pagtulungan, agad kaming dumiretso sa bahay nina Spencer. Saglit naman na tumambay ro’n si Parker bago umalis dahil makikipagkita pa siya kayna Cara at Tyler.
“I’ll call you later, Mommy.” Parker quickly kissed my lips and left me with two kids whom I wanted to kill.
“Fake Mommy, I’m tired because of practice. Goodnight!”
And just like that, Spencer left. Because concerned about what will happen to him again, I chose to sleep on the couch in the living room. And at exactly 3:00 A.M., the endless ramming on the wooden door woke me again. Niko was already standing next to me, watching Spencer silently.
“Niko, let’s see what will happen if he goes outside,” I whispered.
Niko’s eyes widened and said, “No! Ayokong lumabas—”
“Let’s just watch!” I walked near Spencer and gently opened the door. Niko and I immediately put on our slippers and followed Spencer, but what we saw made us scream inside our heads.
Niko and I glanced at each other and carefully looked at the scene in front of us. It was not just Spencer. It was not only him. In front of us, a group of people was sleepwalking in the middle of the night, as if they were mindless beings.
As if they were bozos…
“Amira… look…” Niko mumbled.
My eyes wandered. The people began to line up as they simultaneously marched towards the city next to ours. Toward Macedonia City.
The city of the lost.
#