We arrived exactly 8 minutes nang makaalis kami sa food bazarre. Mabilis kasing nagmaneho si Nate. We made our way through the crowd. Halos di na ako makahinga dahil sa sobrang daming tao. Huminto ako saglit sa paglalakad dahil di na ako makasingit sa mga taong nagsasayawan. Tumingin ako sa paligid ko. Wala na si Nate at si Alex sa paligid. I sighed. I made my way patungo sa may hagdan na malapit sa receiving area kung nasaan ako ngayon, unlike sa unang palapag ng frat house di ganun kadami ang tao sa pangalawang palapag kaya napagdesisyunan kong pumunta dun.
Nang makalapit ako sa may hagdan, may pamilyar akong taong nakita na umakyat sa pangalawang palapag.
He's wearing a maroon hoodie pero ganun pa man, nakilala ko agad siya dahil may nabangga siya sa may hagdan causing him to face my direction, nakita ko ang mukha niya at dun ko siya tuluyang nakilala. Si Vince. He looks tensed at nagmamadali din siyang tumaas kung kaya't di niya ako napansin.
At dahil na curious ako sa mga kinilos niya. Sinundan ko siya.
Dahan dahan ko siyang sinundan. I still kept my distance from him upang di niya ako mahalata. He made his way through the hallways and managed to made his way sa isa sa mga kwarto. I recognized the room na pinasok niya, kwarto yun ni Alex. Now what would Vince want to do in Alex's room?
I grabbed my phone and texted Alex.
To: Alex Asungot
Alex. Where are you? I just saw Vince na pumasok sa kwarto mo. Go here as soon as you can.
I waited for his reply. Pero masyadong matagal. Kaya napagdesisyunan ko na pumasok na sa kwarto ni Alex to confront Vince.
I sighed heavily as I opened the door. I turned the lights on, pero wala akong naabutang Vince. Namalik mata lang ba ako? Pero hindi eh kitang kita ng dalawang mata ko na dito siya pumasok. Tuluyan na akong pumasok sa kwarto at naglakad patungo sa study table sa kabilang dulo ng kwarto. May napansin akong white envelope na nakaipit sa ilalim ng librong nakapatong sa lamesa kaya kinuha ko ito. Pinagmasdan kong mabuti yung puting envelope, at napansin ang isang pamilyar na symbol.
Red rose stamp na katulad ng stamp na nakalagay sa mga threat letters ni Chloe. Napahawak ako sa bibig ko ng marealize ang mga pangyayari. All this time, lagi lang palang kasama nila Nate ang tunay na kalaban. But why would Vince do such a thing? Dali dali kong dinukot ang cellphone ko sa bulsa to call and warn Alex. Pero natigilan ako at tila ba tumaas ang mga balahibo ko sa katawan ng marinig ang boses na galing sa bandang likod ko.
"I wouldnt do that if I were you." pagbabanta ni Vince
Dali dali akong tumingin sa likod ko at nakita ko si Vince na nakasandal sa may pintuan.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. I honestly think you wouldnt be stupid enough to go here." Sabi niya and then he laughed evily.
Im still in shock kaya di ako makapagsalita. Im still trying to figure out ways kung pano ko siya matatakasan.
Naglakad siya papalapit sakin. "Now tell me, what should I do to you? Should I kill you now?"
I gulped nang marinig ko yung sinabi niya. Alam kong delikado siya pero di ko naisip na kaya niyang pumatay. I mean what kind of a person is he? Wala ba siyang konsensya? Bakit nya to nagagawa?
I tried to stop the tears na nagbabadyang tumulo mula sa aking mga mata. I just cant give him the satisfaction of seeing me weak.
"Why are you doing this?" Buong tapang na tanong ko kahit ang totoo gusto ko nang manginig sa takot.
He chuckled. "Still playing brave aren't we Mr. Smith?"
"Answer the damn question Vince! Why are you doing this?" Sigaw ko sakanya
"Tsk. Tsk. You should keep your voice down little Blue or I'll just have to shut you up my self." Sabi niya sabay kuha ng baril sa hoodie niya.
Napakapit ako ng mahigpit sa lamesa na nasaking likudan. "What do you want?" Sabi ko trying to keep my voice down
He smirked. At saka niya pinatong ang baril sa bookshelf na katabi ng pintuan.
"Madali ka lang palang kausap eh." Sabi niya sabay upo sa may kama
"Since you already know about my big secret. I will let you choose. Live or die? When you choose to live offcourse, you will have to play your part in my little game and you will have no choice but to do whatever I say. But if you dont want to, madali lang naman akong kausap." Sabi niya sabay form ng daliri niya ng baril at itinutok sakin.
"Youre a psycho." Sabi ko sakanya with disgust and anger
He chuckled. "Oh trust me little Blue, Im more than that."
"Why are you even doing this? Nate considered you as a brother!"
He smiled bitterly. "I know. But that will definitely change dahil okay na sila uli ni Alex. You dont know how much I would love to kill that jerk. But offcourse, mas gusto ko siyang makitang mahirapan muna." Sabi ni Vince with a shaky voice
"When I was in middle school I was always number one at my class I was adored and my dad was so proud of me but then that stupid Alex transferred at my school and ruined it all. He suddenly became number one. And no matter how much I tried to reclaim that position, I just cant beat the shit out of him. My dad didnt like the idea that Im not the top student anymore so everynight kinailangan kong pagdaanan lahat ng parusa niya. He locked me up everynight sa library, he didnt bother if hindi pa ako kumakain. I did my best para maging number one uli so that my dad would be proud of me again, but it never happened. I transferred school and I did make it there as a top student. I was finally happy again, until his family bankrupted mine. We didnt go totally broke, but weve lost so much money, weve lost our company na inalagaan ng husto ni dad. Hindi niya kinaya ang nangyari and he had a heart attack. We lost him, and thats when I promised my self that Im going to bring the Craids down even if it cost my life. And well, it seems like pinagtatagpo talaga kami ni Alex. Akalain mo yun? Parehas pa kami ng University na pinasukan. The advantage was all mine, dahil hindi naman niya ako kilala. I watched him everyday, pinagaralan ko ng mabuti kung ano ang weakness niya. And oh boy, it was easy. When I saw how head over heels he is with Chloe, I just knew what I had to do. I befriended Nate who was his bestfriend back then. Doon ko din napansin kung pano niya titigan si Chloe, napansin ko agad na may gusto si Nate kay Chloe. Gumawa agad ako ng paraan upang palabasin na may relasyon si Chloe at Nate, and it broke him. You dont know how fullfilling that moment was for me. Seeing Alex Craid fall apart for the first time in his life. Umalis siya at pumunta siya ng greece and it gave me time to ask a favor from one of my dad's friend to talk to Nate's dad to set Nate and Chloe up for marriage. Nakumbinsi namin ang tatay ni Nate na magpropose ng company merging sa company ng mga Garfield. Since both of their families has telecommunication companies, naging madali ang paguusap leaving Nate and Chloe no control over things.
Sinigurado ko na wala nang babalikan pa si Alex, I didnt even stop there. I sent Chloe threats, na pinagmukha kong galing kay Alex. At doon tuluyan lumayo ang loob ni Chloe kay Alex and she started to fall in love with Nate. Kaya nung bumalik na si Alex dito, I was more determined to destroy him knowing that he's still broken I can easily tear him apart again hanggang sa wala nang matira sakanya, upang wala nang matira sa tagapagmana ng mga Craid. Pero, things didnt turn out exactly as planned." Pagkwekwento ni Vince with anger in his voice
Vince got up from his seat at saka lumapit sakin.
Mabilis ang pagtibok ng puso ko habang papalapit siya ng papalapit sakin.
"Things didnt turn out as planned because YOU HAVE TO INTERFERE AND RUIN IT!!" sigaw niya sabay sakal sa leeg ko
I tried to escape from him pero masyado mahigpit ang pagkakahawak niya sa leeg ko. I tried to breath some air but I cant.
"Why do you care about Alex so much?! Why do you have to ruin ny plans?!" Sigaw niya sabay bato sakin sa lapag
Dahil sa lakas ng pagkabato sakin ni Vince tumama ang batok ko sa bed side table causing my vision to blur.
Inalalayan ko ang sarili ko upang makatayo ngunit muli akong natumba dahil sa pagsipa sakin ni Vince sa tagiliran.
"Please stop!" Umiiyak na tugon ko. I didnt want to sound weak but Im afraid for my life.
"Hmm, I like you begging." Sabi niya sabay suntok sa tagiliran ko
I was crying out in pain, I was too afraid. Oh please someone help me. Help me Alex.
"Please. You dont have to do this. Dont be consumed by your anger."
Vince laughed. "I live for my anger."
Pasuntok na sana muli si Vince nang makakuha ako ng tiyempo, sinipa ko si Vince sa male organ niya at napatiklop siya sa sakit. Kahit nanghihina at nangingig ang aking katawan pinilit kong tumayo at maglakad papunta sa may pintuan nguni ng malapit ko nang mahawakan yung door knob hinila ni Vince yung damit ko at muli akong initsa sa sahig. Nilapitan niya ako para suntukin muli ngunit di na niya natuloy dahil bumukas ang pinto.
"You leave him alone!" Galit na tugon ni Alex sabay sugod kay Vince at saka ito pinaliguan ng suntok ngunit agad din namang bumawi si Vince na ngayoy nasa ibabaw na ni Alex
Hindi ko alam ang gagawin kaya kinuha ko yung silya sa may study table at inihampas ito sa ulo ni Vince. Nawasak yung silya, at tingnan ako ng masama ni Vince.
Oh no. Di siya tinablan. What should I do now? Lumapit sakin si Vince ngunit sinuntok muli siya ni Alex kung kayat pinagtuunan muli niya ng pansin si Alex. Habang nagsusuntukan sila binuksan ko ang pintuan at sumigaw ng tulong. Ngunit dahil maingay ang paligid wala din halos nakarinig sakin. Wala din masyadong tao sa bahaging ito ng bahay. Tumakbo ako papunta sa hallway kung saan mayroong mga tao sa sobrang pagkaaligaga ko may nabangga akong tao.
"Blue? Wh-what happened to you?" Nagaalalang tanong ni Arch sakin
Nang marealize ko na si Arch yung nabangga ko agad ko siyang niyakap.
"Please help Alex. Please call for help." Sabi ko sakanya habang umiiyak
Pinunasan niya yung luha ko. "Calm down liv. Tell me what happened. And why do you have these bruises?" Nagaalalang tanong ni Arch
"Vince's trying to kill me and then Alex came to help me. But I dont know kung hanggang san niya pa kakayanin--" natigilan ako ng maalala ang isang bagay
"Baril! Fuck yung baril hindi ko nakuha yung baril. Baka kung anong mangyari kay Alex." Aligagang sabi ko ko
"What?! I cant understand what youre saying? Why would Vince want to kill you?"
"Because he's the one who's been sending threats Arch! Ive found out and he's trying to kill both me and Alex. I have to get back to Alex please call for help." Sabi ko sabay takbo pabalik
Narinig ko ang pagpigil ni Arch ngunit nagpatuloy ako sa pagtakbo, hindi ko hahayaang may mangyaring masama kay Alex. I wont let it happen. I cant lose him. Not without letting him know how much I love him.
Nang makarating ako sa kwarto ni Alex nadatnan ko na nakapatong si Vince kay Alex habang sinasakal niya ito. Nagmadali kong kinuha yung baril sa may bookshelf at itinutok ito kay Vince.
"Bitiwan mo siya." Utos ko kay Vince
Napabaling ang tingin niya sakin at saka tumayo. I saw Alex catch his breath. Lumakad si Vince papunta sakin causing me to step back wards.
"Dont get anywhere near me or I swear I'll shoot you!" Pagbabanta ko kay Vince
He chuckled. "Do it. Shoot me. I dare you."
I gulped at mas hingpitan pa ang paghawak sa baril.
He smirked. "Thats what I thought. You cant. Cause you dont have the balls to do it."
Lumapit siya sakin at muli akong humakbang patalikod ngunit tumama lang ang likod ko sa pader.
"Look at yourself, you look like a scared little girl." Vince mocked me
"I swear. I'll shoot you!" Sigaw ko, my voice shaking
Nilapit niya yung baril sa noo niya.
"Shoot!" Utos nito sakin
I felt tears running down my cheeks, kahit anong tapang ko I just cant shoot him. I cant kill him kahit na sobrang sama niya. Its just not me.
Tumawa ng malakas si Vince. "Fucking gay." Sabi niya sabay agaw sa baril. Ngunit di ko padin ito binitiwan kung kayat itinutok ni Vince yung baril sakin. With all of my strength pinilit kong iliko yung baril.
"You fucking asshole! Stop th--" rinig kong may sumigaw sa pintuan ngunit naputol ang pagsasalita niya kasabay ng pagputok ng baril.
Napabaling ang tingin ko sa may pintuan at napatakip sa bibig ko, tears suddenly falls down my eyes nang makita si Nate na nakahandusay sa sahig. Blood was all over the place. And it felt like everything slowed down.
I ran towards Nate an Icupped his face.
"Nate. Wake up. Please." I said, crying my heart out.
Agad namang kumaripas ng takbo si Alex papunta samin ni Nate.
I saw tears running down his cheeks as he held Nate's hands. I turn my gaze to Vince, na napaluhod at nanginginig na binitiwan ang baril. He's also crying.
"Why do you have to do this? He considered you as his brother you stupid asshole!! Why?!!!" Galit na galit na sigaw ko
"I-I didnt mean to. I-I accidentally pulled the trigger. I wouldnt if I have known that it was Nate." Vince said sobbing
I didnt pay attention to what Vince was saying and I tried to find Nate's pulse. Nabuhayan ako ng loob ng maramdamang may pulso pa siya.
"Alex call for help. Nate's still alive but he's losing alot of blood."
Mabilis na kinuha ni Alex ang telepono niya upang humingi ng tulong.
"Oh my gosh! Nate! What happened?!" Rinig kong sigaw ni Chloe na tumatakbo papunta samin. Kasama niya si Arch, Reggie at Thomas na tila ba namutla sa kanilang nasaksihan.
Kumaripas ng takbo si Arch at Chloe papunta samin. They're both crying.
"You did this! You son of a bitch!" Sabi ni Arch sabay sugod kay Vince at pinagsusuntok niya ito
"Arch! Stop! We need to bring Nate to the hospital now!"
Mukhang ayaw pang tigilan ni Arch ang pangbubugbog kay Vince ngunit tumigil padin siya upang tumulong buhatin ang kapatid. Thomas called the rest of the guys para maiwang magbantay kay Vince habang wala pa ang mga pulis.
Alex, Arch, Chloe, Reggie and I went to the hospital with Nate.
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