Let's welcome another Point of Views.
Jabba's POV
AS WHAT I had observed in the bus' window, the main road have flooded by a surging red tide of students. They are ZSU students like us. We are currently on our seat while the bus swayed and scourged torridly by their rage.
What an earthquake feels.
"KYAAAAAHHH!"
The bus got tilt much worse by the billow of impact. All of the people went out to the doorway, mostly of them are students, yet we still remain on our seat patiently. Some of us are left stranded in the midst of traffic.
I, with my batchmates Ezebel and Usthero, was stuck on our butt sitting at right-lane seat while looking at the window to see such horrendous event. The road was massively paint by red.
"Jab-jab, I think we should run like the others too. Nagkakagulo na sila." Ezebel terribly whispered me as she start to panic like the others.
"That's not a good idea."
"What if there's something bad happening out there?! Hindi natin alam ang nangyayari!" She insisted.
"Kailangan na yata nating tumakbo sa labas, pre. Mayroon yata silang tinatakbuhan." Usthero anxiously suggested. "O baka naman mayroon silang bagay na hinahabol."
My two companions had worrisome. I rested my chin on the back of my hand and lifted my rectangular glasses.
"We will drown in the running apocalypse if we swim right through it. Kailangan nating manatili sa kinauupuan natin."
"Gusto mo bang sabihin, we have to wait here until they're gone?" Nababahalang tanong ni Usthero sa akin.
I gaze unto him.
Usthero is my bestfriend. He is tall, tan-skinned, and has army cut hair. He is a tank-built guy who always devoted himself from danger. His complexities urging him to risk himself, likely wanted to jump out from the window by submerging into the bustling crowd.
"I already have an idea of what was happening." I presumed.
Idinilat ko ang mga mata ko at may mga lumabas na mga numero sa paligid. My eyes filled with datas and analytical configuration as I forecasted the right basis of the current event. Those two shifted their gaze at me who had the initiative to ask.
"Is it some sort of natural disaster? Or a massacre?" Tanong ni Ezebel na napayakap sa bag niya dahil sa takot.
Ezebel is a fragile girl with a pleasing remarkable face. She has a curly hair tied up into a ponytail. She is our flower, a sensitive one which we needed to guarantee her safety away from those venturesome bugs.
"Running is for some individuals who have a life at stake. Hindi tayo katulad nila na nasa bingit ng peligro." I simply stated.
"Do you mean they are all in danger?!"
I nodded my head at her.
"We do not belong to the profession they choose to pursue so it is none of our business to endanger ourselves and join to the pool of people. Because after all, they were the ones who opted to choose this narrow path."
I rested my head upon my upholstered back seat and crossed my arms and shut my eyes.
"Mayroon bang magagawa ang ZSU para maisaayos itong gulo? Kawawa naman sila." Usisa ni Ezebel. She is sympathizing all the students who suffer from the mass stampede.
Sumagot si Usthero.
"Sa tingin ko, wala na rin silang magagawa sa bagay na ito, Bel. The school will take it as it is. Even the students will put themselves into harm, no one can stop them. They already chose this path."
Sumang-ayon ako.
"Right. Hindi na dapat tayo makielam pa sa kanila. It's their personal choices after all. Sumabak sila sa gulong ito by desire for their careers to happen. Lahat tayo may pinagdadaanan at lahat tayo may pinaghihirapang makamit. Kaya hayaan natin silang abutin ang mga pangarap nila dahil karapatan nila iyon bilang estudyante. All we can do is to watch them succeed or failed. Die or alive."
"Ang ibig mo bang sabihin, uupo na lang tayo rito at papanoorin silang mamatay isa-isa sa harapan natin para lang sa strand?" Walang emosyon na tanong ni Ezebel habang nakamasid sa window glass at pinapanood magsitumbahan at malunod ang mga estudyante sa agos ng mga tao.
Natahimik si Usthero sa isang tabi.
"Yep, that's part of life. All we need to do now is to wait until the flag ceremony ended." I simplified.
Sahee's POV
KASALUKUYANG nagsasalita ang emcee sa harap ng flag for welcoming us dito sa university. Tapos na ang flag ceremony at hindi namin naabutan. Nasa bandang sulok kami kung saan may puno na malilim dahil nagsiksikan kaming lahat sa wide space area. Hindi namin siya marinig dahil ang lakas ng ingay sa paligid at mukhang low-budget sila sa speaker.
"Mga bes, anong strand ang pipiliin niyo?" Nababahalang tanong ko sa kanila.
"HUMSS."
"Ikaw, Bhea?"
"HUMSS din."
"Bakit kayo magha-HUMSS?!" Bulalas ko.
"Walang Math daw dun eh."
"Mamatay?!"
"Naman! Itampal mo pa sa akin iyang napkin mo kapag meron!" Confident na sabi ni Ehseng.
"Ikaw, Yshie?" Baling ko sa kaniya.
"I am not qualified sa STEM and ABM e so I make pili the third option na lang. Kaya HUMSS ako. How about you, gurl? Did you isip na of what strand you're going to kuha?" She simply decided. I realized that all of my friends are pursuing to academics rather than vocational.
"Hindi ko pa alam, Yshie! I'm still hesitated. Wala pa ako sa tamang pagiisip para magdesisyon ngayon!" Nababahala kong tugon.
Kapag nasa senior high school ka na, kailangan meron kang strand. Iba na ang curriculum ng Grade 11-12 (senior year) kumpara sa Grade 7-10 (junior year). When it comes to strand, dapat naka-inline ito sa kukuhanin mo na kurso sa college. As a junior high pa lang, dapat alam na namin ang academic path na tatahakin namin or else maliligaw kami.
I felt so sick as hell to pick a strand and I envied them because they fully planned their life early ahead of time as opposed to mine. I wanted to excel at a higher level of learning yet my NCAE shows that I am not qualified to reach it and I didn't tell to my father about this. He will be scolding me for not aiming high enough. Failing to pass STEM standards will be a disappointment to my father because I have a family of teachers and we have a high reputation for our middle name. Maybe, that is why I am pressured by now to choose what my strand should be.
"We graduated all along in junior high and still you cannot make isip-isip until today, gurl!" Conyong tanong ni Yshie.
"Hala ka, bes! Nasabi mo na ba sa Papa mo?" Tanong ni Bhea. They knew my situation.
"Hindi pa e."
"Pa'no 'yan bes-"
"Hindi kasi ganito 'ya-"
"So ano 'yung-"
"'Di ba dapat-"
"Boyset! Ako muna magsasalita, mga dzai! Mga epal kayo!" Durdor ni Ehseng sa kanila dahil hindi siya makabuwelo sa usapan at hinampas pa silang dalawa. Natatawa na lang ako sa kanila at the same time natataranta pa rin.
Hinawakan ako ni Ehseng sa magkabilaang-braso for paying attention to her inspirational advice.
"Sahee, listen to me. Kung ano ang magpapasaya sa iyo, iyon ang kunin mo. Sa huli ang kasiyahan mo ang siyang mahalaga kaysa sa pasya ng ibang tao sa 'yo. Kaya believe me, dzai, mag-asawa ka na lang! Boynas na 'yan."
Kinutos ko ang noo niya. Wala talaga akong mapapala sa gurang na ito.
"Tulungan niyo naman ako, guys! Hindi ko na alam ang gagawin ko e." Pagmamakaawa ko sa kanila. Gusto ko nang umiyak sa kalagayan ko.
"Ano bang talent mo, Sahee?" Tanong ni Bhea.
"Kumain."
"Geh, magpakabusog ka na lang. Syempre, ayusin mo 'yung sagot mo, gagi!"
"Ganito kasi 'yan, gurl. What do you kita in yourself after mong mag-college?" Singit ni Yshie.
Napaisip tuloy ako.
"I see my future self as a sexy young woman pursuing my fullest belly appetite and having determination to mukbang all I can without prejudice and conviction."
"Really?!" She asked in doubt as she pressed her chest in shocked.
"Oo." I said poutly.
"Are you making this seryoso talaga?!"
"Oo nga!"
Tumikhim si Yshie.
"Congratulation, gurl. Graduate ka na!"
Pinalakpakan nila akong tatlo at nag-cheer pa sila kaya nakisabay ang lahat ng mga estudyante rito na ang akala ay pinapalakpakan 'yung taong nagsasalita sa harapan. Punyemas. Napaupo na lang ako sa hiya. Lakas naman kasi nilang mang-asar eh!
"I supposed all the students were agreeing to the program provided in the memorandum due to their warmth applause." Sabi nung emcee.
Hala, ano raw?!
Napatigil kaming apat at napatingin sa harap.
"In this program, the senior high department will be handling now in paperwork. We just need patience to cover this for us to settle down everything by the committee. We are going to assured you that the campus state is rested in your hand. Good luck, ZSU students."
And then suddenly, biglang bumukas ang front gate at iniluwa nito ang pagbuhos ng mga estudyanteng nagkukumahog sa pagpasok. Kawawa ang mga natabunan at naipit. Everything turned into a beautiful mess nang rumagasa sila rito. Bakit kailangan pang mangyari ito sa amin? Nagkakaroon tuloy ako ng masamang kutob. Ngayon lang nila binuksan ang front gate. For what reason? Is there something I have to know?
"This is the very historical day of ZSU to become flexible and daring for embracing the vast peril of this batch. Let yourself be prepared for the imminent post-enrollment because we will all going to endure the worst, unbearable, and disarray event today!" Sabi nung emcee.
My brain got spaced out.
I really need to finalize my decision quick or else...I'll be so dead!
Zuleen's POV
"I CALL you later, Zuleen."
"Sige."
I hung up the line and viewed the place while I'm standing on the fully seated Victory bus. There was a mass stampede of student surging its entire path along the main road like a tremendous wave of tsunami collision. By their vibrancy of their red uniforms, they flooded every corners of the streets as likely shedding of a fresh red blood.
They were heading towards ZSU.
Zambales Summit University, the private highland university in the provincial area. It is also acknowledge for high education, high-caliber students, and receiving top recognitions and achievements.
ZSU is the only top-rated school in history by producing outstanding students that will resource the vast unemployment rate in the Philippines.
This is the main reason why students in general wanted to stepped on this institution. ZSU had four campuses on different location within the peak of the large highland of Mount Tapulao:
-Elementary school campus;
-Junior high school campus;
-Senior High School campus, and;
-College campus.
Papunta kaming lahat ngayon sa SHS campus ng ZSU.
The crowd surge was uprising. They were clustering to one another that turns them into a whole. Marami nang nahimatay at nakaratay sa daan. The road got traffic due to the student invasion in every spaces. Several police patrollers and road keepers cannot stand the chance to fix this.
We are in a war after all.
I grinned mischievously when the excitement feeling embrace me.
Nagkakagulo na ang mga tao rito sa Victory bus dahil hindi nila mapagtanto ang nangyayari at hindi umaabante ang bus. The bus can't move forward as it may crushed all those corpses lying lifeless on the main road. Nag-unahang bumaba ang mga pasahero kaya bumaba na rin ako.
"What kind of commotion is this?!!!"
"May nagaganap na rally yata."
"Imbes na mag-aral nang matino ang mga estudyante, nandito sila sa labas at umaaktong mga komunista!"
"Tulungan natin 'yung iba, may humihinga pa!"
"911, quick!"
"We have to call an ambulance!"
Nakalabas na ako sa bus at pinagmasdan ang paligid. It was reddish, bloody, and hell.
I decided to walk behind right after the huge wave of the crowd. Everything got into their places as a tantamount to what I mentally calculated. Well, I just expected that the freshmen will be so excited to go to school and they scattered the whole place like a blood rush. I was still known as innocent though, in the means that I did not intently cause this phenomenon. It's just the natural occurence and my hypothesis who did it. Anything can happen in a good or bad way but this turned out amazingly the worst.
Should I have the right to be honored by disseminating an awareness of the current issue? They should be complimenting and thanking me for being such a kind and considerate person.
Ako lang naman ang isang mabuting tao ang nagpakalat ng totoong tsismis.
The big issue is all about the incapability of ZSU in which they cannot accumulate 100,000 students registered in pre-enlistment. Hence, the available slots will eliminated the whole by 97% approximately, grabbing 3,000 students only. It's just a little portion in the humungous crowd to be taken. By just looking at them now, they are like horrible creatures chasing after the last prey for survival.
"How pathetic." I uttered contemptuously.
In the midst of my enthusiasm, I was caught off guard when a stranger bumped me from behind. I fell near to other corpses and deteriorated people in the middle of the road. Nahulog ang optical glasses ko. My sight turned blurry and all I can see was the fuzziness of a red hue.
"You're blocking my way, minions!"
Napadapa ako at nasugatan ang magkabilaang tuhod ko sa gravel. My blood rushed down as I felt the pain.
"Arggghh!" I screamed.
The intense pain I received, cannot be measured by a dolorimeter. I pointed my forehead with my two fingers as I control my mind to minus all the suffering I have endured. I needed to disrupt my consciousness, otherwise it may not help me reduced the physical pain and recover my mentality. Sinulyapan ko ang pigura ng taong bumangga sa akin. I don't usually fight back but I will find a good chance to open up for a revenge to them.
"F*ck him to the 'nth power!"
I managed to look up and see the students climbing up to the campus.
ZSU is currently civilized and infested by warthogs. I presumed all of them are entering now the campus because it seems the ceremony ended at this point.
Kukunin ko na sana ang bag ko nang may naramdaman akong panginginig ng lupa. Isa itong hudyat na may paparating at wala na akong takas para makaalis pa sa kinaroroonan ko.
I fisted my hand for cursing myself as an idiot.
I always had the confidence on my answers. My brain were fully exposed in mathematical sentences and unsolvable problems. I possibly knew the unexpected reaction it might bring in any operation I solved. I used math in my entire life. I used it in every situation that I have been through in a couple of years. It helped me see myself as a rational value. I stepped up high enough as I calculated my probability in getting closer enough to my dream.
Math save me from this cruel world. However, I lost the count.
There's a second wave.
Napapikit na lang ako at hinanda ang aking sarili sa mangyayari. As I tasted the bitterness of my fate, I was suddenly swallowed by deep darkness.
My reputation cannot accept that I served myself as a red carpet by those scandalous batch.
Farewell, ZSU.
__(=_=)__
Some of the readers don't know what is strand all about? Like, what is HUMSS strand? What is ABM or STEM? Or the existence of K-12?
Gladly, the next chapter will helped them to acknowledge all of the offered strands of SHS!