+++
Bullet seventeen
Then I stopped calling his name.
Dahan-dahang humina ang mga putok ng mga baril. Hindi tumila ang putukan—humina lamang ang tunog. It seemed like I was being slowly swallowed by a large bubble—leaving me half aware of the hell outside. Kapalit ng paghina ng ingay ng mga bala ay ang tunog ng puso. I heard a heart beating. This happened before, and it was clear now that it happens when I am the cause of that heartbeat to stop.
I remembered how I maneuvered the car I was driving that deadly curve. I remembered how the heartbeat of the child made me choose falling in the river. But Cole didn’t give me time to choose. He fvck’n didn’t. I knew and hated the fact that what I was hearing was not his life thuds but mine. I was inside this bubble, alive, holding a lifeless… friend. Ilang buwan ko na ba siya kilala? How dare he opt saving me! He was just new to my life and now he was gone.
Namatay na talaga lahat ng aking emosyon maliban sa pagsisisi. Even my cognitive capacity had stopped. Regret was suffocating me; I could feel it withering my heart bit by bit—beat by beat. Oh, how I wished it would kill me, if that’s what it takes to keep his heart beating! Cole could take my life… all of it. I will gladly take his place and give him no chance to refuse. He was lying here for my odds; I should have told him that life was unfair; it will seduce you to bet on odds that will never be in your favor.
Walang pitik ng buhay ang mararamdaman sa kanyang mga pulsuhan. His wrists felt cold on my fingers. Binitawan ko ang kanyang mga kamay at marahang inilagay sa kanyang mga tagiliran. Halos wala na akong makita dahil hindi na matigil ang pag-agos ng aking mga luha. This was a cry of regret, nararamdaman kong walang anumang emosyon sa aking mukha. I was like a stone… a crying stone. I intended to touch his chest, to feel his heart—for the last time, but whatshername said something that almost shattered the bubble.
“We’re dead. Ang magpinsan at ang sugatang babae nanonood lang,” isinatinig niya. Her voice was hushed. “Sampung magazine lang dala ko. Kung sinabi mo sanang susugod ka, nagdala ako ng isang karton. At asahan mo uubusin ko lahat ng bala… irereserba ko rin ang huling magazine sa ulo mo.” Sumandal siya sa nakatagilid na lamesa at nagpalit ng magazine ng baril. I wiped my tears.
No one should die for me. Even this b!tch-tongued girl beside me can’t die for me.
Rather putting my palm on Cole’s chest I seized the gun beside his body. Ito ang baril na ginamit niya kanina.
No one taught me to do it but I’d seen it in movies and read it on books. Ikinasa ko ang baril. Naramdaman ko ang mga mata ng aking guwardiya sa akin. “I’ll save ample time of my lifetime to punish your mouth. So let’s get out of here alive,” I said. My voice sounded hushed, too… I was still inside the bubble.
“Mula ngayon ako na ang sandigan mo.” I heard Cole’s voice. Iyon lang ang malinaw kong naririnig… lahat na parang bulong lang.
“Ha ha! Em sorry for my bad mouth but you deserve it,” sarkastiko niyang sagot bago niya ikasa ang isang baril niya. “I’m just in-character. I’m holding two guns so I have to be a double badass.”
“Well played, you deserve a spot in a memorial park.” I had notice it. Hindi ganito kasama ang pananalita niya noong una kaming nag-usap. Maybe she was telling the truth that she was like this when holding a gun. Can I be like her, too, now that I was holding a gun?
Ikinasa niya ang isa pang baril niya at sumilip siya sa kabila ng lamesa. “A deadly storm is coming, Venice. Dalawang tagapaslang ang papalapit na sa pwesto natin,” bulong niya. I should be trembling in fear now but my regret clouded any other emotions. Lumipat siya ng pwesto sa tabi ko. Ngayon ay magkadikit na ang aming mga likuran. Cole’s head was still on my lap. With a deep breath of regret I hold his nape and took off his head from my legs.
As soon as I placed his head on the floor the storm came.
The bubble broke and…
I found myself again at the epicenter of hell.
Dylan appeared in thin air, if that was possible and then kicked the table from us. He was too fast, for crying out loud! Bumunggo ang sinipa ni Dylan na lamesa sa dingding. Sinipa niya lamang ang mahabang bakal na parang isang papel! Wala nang nagtatago sa amin sa mga halimaw. Before I knew it whatshername was firing her guns at him. “Aaargggg! Die!!!” sigaw ng kasama ko, mas dumikit ang likod niya sa likuran ko.
I saw Dorothy heading at my point, he was looking at me and I swear he looked like a bearer of death—my death. He was wearing a bullet proof vest. Bloody hell. Where will I shoot him if he had an armor?!
“Shoot-to-kill! Venice!” whatshername shouted as she fired another wave of bullets at Dylan. Nanginginig-kamay kong hinila ang gatilyo.
Bang.
The pressure even pushed me back. Mas nadikit ako sa kasama ko. But what the h-- fvck?! Dorothy just avoided the bullet with one graceful head bend to his right. He sneered as he watched my frightened face.
“Yow crazhed mah minion. You blew offh mah kitch’n. Naw you destrowyed mah TV’s! Yow ain’t leav’n hur alive!” He roared.
Narinig kong tumawa si Dylan. “That’s one acceptable reason to kill the heiress, Dorothy,”ani Dylan na nagtatago sa isang pader.
“Hindi ko akaling kayo’y magtatagal sa pagpaslang sa kanila, Dorothy, Dylan,” tinig naman ni Dexter. Lumingon ako sa kinauupuan niya at nasilayan kong muli ang pinakanakakatakot na mga mata. Diretso lamang siyang nakatingin sa akin, nasa kanyang kanlungan ang ulo ni Dana. I was not sure but I had a strong guess that it was him who shut the life out of Cole—ganti sa sugat na dulot niya kay Dana.
Not far from Dexter and Dana was Devin who was playing a gun on his index finger. His gun had a silencer on the nose—I didn’t see why that got my attention. Bumalik ang aking mata kay Dexter, he was playing a lock of hair of Dana. Unmistakably these demons were mocking us. They were just playing around while we desperately fought for our lives. Ganito rin ang naisip ng aking guwardiya dahil narinig kong umungol siya sa galit.
Dorothy, now standing just meters away from us, directed the belt-fed rifle at me. Then I felt two arms rested on my shoulders. “You’ve got to remember my name, Fronda. Canary. Canary Gates,” bulong niya sa likuran ko. I really hated hearing words that had convictions that figuratively means they will die for you. Damn it! Tinalikuran niya si Dylan para harapin si Dorothy. She was facing my back, her arms on my shoulders and I could clearly see her guns forward. Screw her! She’s protecting me in a way that made me feel regret. Ngayon ay pareho na kaming nakatutok ng baril kay Dorothy.
Bang.
"That’s for Dana.” Narinig kong bulong ni Dylan pagkatapos ng putok. I felt the impact on my back. Nakikita kong unti-unting bumabagsak ang mga kamay ni Canary. This time I really wanted to beg them to stop catching bullets for me.
“NO!!!!!!!” I cried. “Don’t you dare die, b!tch!!!”
I fired the bullet at Dorothy. As if my shout stirred Canary, she fired her bullets at him, too. Nagtago si Dorothy sa poste kung saan nagtago si Cole kanina. “Arggg!” sigaw ni Canary habang pinapaulanan ng bala ang poste. Ang bilis ng paghila niya sa gatilyo. Halos walang distansiya ang mga tunog ng putok mula sa baril niya. I felt her rested her head on my shoulder.
“He’s late, as always…” bulong niya. I didn’t understand her. Nadarama ko ang mabibigat na hatak niya ng hangin habang nasa aking balikat ang kanyang noo. She was shot. I wanted to face her but I couldn’t because Dorothy was now pointing his rifle at me. Hindi ko ibinaba ang aking baril. If I die now kuntento na akong masugatan man lang ang kahit na sino sa mga halimaw.
I closed my eyes and waited for death… Kung narinig ko na ang bala na para sa akin I'll pull my trigger.
Para saan nga ba lahat ng ito? Right. For Margareth. The woman I loathed... Very unfair.
When I die the first thing I will do is to look for Cole to punch him straight his face. I’ll make sure he will feel the pain. Then I’ll stab him on his chest—make him feel how it felt. I’ll visit Dana next… I’m going to make her scream from fear and beg fo--
“Doro.” I heard Devin, halting my after-death-to-do-list. I thought the voice was only in my head--a little part of me wanted him to spare my life from his co-killers. Will it be possible for a killer to spare a life? That will only happen in fiction where there were lovely endings, this was reality.
“I called dibs on her," dagdag na mga salita mula sa boses. What? He called what? Agad kong binuksan ang aking mga mata para tingnan siya. This was reality, the devil was sparing my life. Nagulat ako na nasa tabi na siya ni Dorothy at nakaturo na sa sentido ng kasama niya ang kanyang baril. His face was so damn serious that, I swear, made Dorothy gulped.
“She’s mine to kill." Okay... the devil was sparing my life from them for him to kill. My gadd, this man is wicked! Ano bang klaseng saya ang makukuha niya sa pagtapos sa buhay ko? At bakit ba niya pinapatagal?
Then it happened. May isang nakakabinging pagsabog ang nangyari sa hindi kalayuan at mas dumilim pa sa loob ng kuta ng mga halimaw. Kung kanina ay may mga streetlights na nagbibigay ng kaunting liwanag, ngayo’y purong kadiliman na ang tanging makikita. Pagkatapos ng pagsabog ay naging tahimik ang lahat maliban kay Canary.
“The king of Greece…” bulong niya.
Zeus!
BOOM
My eyes went wide. Tumingin ako kung saan nanggaling ang tunog.
BOOM
Lumiliwanag ang paligid at yumayanig ang sahig sa bawat pagsabog. What’s going on?!
“Ha ha,” mahinang tawa ni Canary habang umaalis siya sa pagkakasandal sa akin. “He always does it with style.”
Palapit nang palapit ang tunog ng pagsabog… hanggang sa ang isang pader ay nagiba at nagumpisa na masunog ang mga kahoy na parte ng bahay. At naroon si Zeus—sa gitna ng pagsabog. Dahan-dahan siyang naglalakad papasok sa gumuhong pader.
BOOM
The explosion lit the house. The house was literally burning—like hell. Hindi ko na kailangan mamatay pa para makakita ng ganito. Ang isipin pa lang na nasa isang bahay ang grupo nila Devin at ng kay Zeus ay sapat na upang ako ay maniwalang totoo na may diyablo. Well, I was here, at the center, with these bloodstained souls. It’s a living proof that a place for eternal damnation is true.
Para siyang naglalakad na isang ‘armas’. Ang dami niyang armas! And his face… His face was… dare I say it? Like a maniac. Para siyang isang baliw na gigil pumaslang. His eyes flickered on me then at Cole. He grinned but it didn’t touch his dark eyes. “Eh eh? May kasama ka? Hindi ka nagtiwala sa akin ngunit may iba kang kasama?” he asked, shaking his head like he was really disappointed.
Sabay-sabay na mga kasa ng baril ang nagpalingon sa amin sa kinalalagyan nila Dexter. Kasabay nito ay isang kamay ang humawak sa aking kamay. Napatingin agad ako at halos lumabas na sa katawan ko ang aking puso. My heart literally leaped. It was Cole’s hand. I was too shocked that I was left open mouthed. Hinila niya ang aking kamay palapit pa lalo sa kanya at kusang sumunod ako. He stopped pulling me when my hand landed on his chest—on his heart.
“’still… bea--t-ting… for-r y-you,” putul-putol niyang isinatinig. I was about to tell something but my brain stopped functioning. I couldn’t think sensibly. He was dead! Wala na siyang pulso kanina! But I could now feel his erratic heartbeats on my palm. “..c-can’t stop… b-beating… f-for yo-u.”
“Cole?” I finally said. Binitawan ko ang baril sa isang kamay ko at hinawakan ang kanyang pulsuhan. It was not beating! Inilipat ko ang aking mga kamay sa kanyang mga pisngi. His eyes were closed. I needed to see his eyes. “Look at me, Cole…” I whispered as I gently lifted his head to my lap.
Bang.
Isang putok ng baril ang nagpaatras sa akin mula sa kanya, isa sa maraming putok na narinig ko sa gabing ito. And this bullet was the closest to kill me. Naramdaman ko pa ang pwersa at hangin na dumaan sa aking mukha. The bullet passed through between my face and Cole’s face.
The sound was different; it was the gun with a silencer. It was Devin’s.
Lumiwanag ang buong paligid pagkatapos ng putok na iyon. Kaso ibang liwanag ito. Red strikes of light conquered the darkness and invaded the room. And all the red light was aiming one target… Devin. Napatingin ako sa mga bintana kung saan nanggagaling ang pulang ilaw and I saw pairs of eyes. Kung ilang pares ay hindi ako sigurado ngunit sigurado ako, dahil sa dami ng pulang ilaw, na kaya nila pabagsakin ang isang batalyon sa isang hila lamang sa kani-kanilang gatilyo.
The red deadly lights were their cue. All the rest of the assassins were on their feet, including Dana. Nakatutok na ang kanilang armas kay Zeus.
“You brought the Tombs. Ganoon na ba kalala ang galit mo sa amin, Dion? Bakit mo inuulit ang nakaraan?” tanong ni Dexter. He was looking at Dion--Zeus.
“Sariwa pa sa akin… Kung sugat ang galit, hindi na ito hihilom. I still remember how you chose your cousin’s life over the innocent, pure, girl who happened to be my sister. Gusto na kita paslangin sa bawat pagdaan ng alaalang iyon… ngunit mas gusto kong buhayin ka. At habang buhay ka pa ay asahan mong nasa tabi mo lang ako…maghahatid ng impyerno sa buhay mo. The Tombs are on my side, this time. Yet, I am not here to harm you, Dex… I am not here to harm you. But… one bullet on that girl—“ Zeus let it hanging, but I knew what he was pointing out.
Tombs? Maybe he was referring to those men outside these windows. What he had said was the history I didn't know. So his sister was killed by the Tombs? And now the Tombs are on his side. Holy crap, that was so logical! But one thing was certain. Devin's life book was on the last page.
Kalahati ng mga pulang ilaw na nakatutok sa ulo ni Devin ay sabay-sabay gumalaw patungo sa iisang direksyon. Lahat ng nasa loob ng bahay, maliban kay Zeus ay nagantay kung kanino dadapo ang mga ilaw. My heartbeat speed up as the lights moved. Suddenly, I felt Cole holding my shaking hand. Kasabay ng paghawak sa akin ni Cole ay ang pagtigil ng mga ilaw kay Dana.
“Shit,” I hissed. “Zeus…”
“Eh eh.” Umiling siya sa akin. “You’ve done another brave stunt. Allow me to have the curtain call…”
Lumingon ako kay Dana. She was staring at Dexter. Dexter was staring back at her, too. Just by the way they looked at each other I could tell that they were having a private conversation.
Tumawa nang nakakatakot si Zeus. “Kayong magpinsan, ang kahinaan niyo talaga ay ang mga babae. Una, ang kapatid ko kay Devin. At ikaw, Dexter, kay Dana… Nakakatuwa… Nakakatawa…” wika niya.
I frowned. What the hell? What’s wrong with my facial muscles?
“It all comes with an end, Zeus…” tinig ni Dana. “ What do you want? Lagi kang ganito. You are like a kid who is so fond of deals, bets… games. So what game do you want to play this time? By the way, nice entrance… para kang tanga.”
Tumawa ulit si Zeus. Narinig kong nagmura si Canary na nakahiga sa sahig.
“Gusto ko lang ulitin ang nakaraan…” malinaw na sagot ni Zeus. “Now, Dexter, … choose… Dana or Devin? Choose who is going to live.”
My ears stung. My breathing quickened. My heart skipped five beats. Without knowing, I was on my feet.
+++
That's the whiter version of TaB banner by Intoxicated_by_YOU.