CHAPTER 60: The Traitor
EVANGELYN FORBES
Pilit pa rin akong kumakawala sa lambat. But I knew that it was already too late when the men in red cloaks stood beside me. Their creepy cat-like faces staring down at me. Naramdaman ko ang panginginig ng katawan ko sa takot. I don't want to die, sabi ko sa sarili ko. I will fight these assholes if I have to.
"Fuck you! Fuck all of you!" I screamed at them. Nagtinginan sila sa isa't isa at mahinang tumawa. "Did I say something funny to you, huh? Coward bastards! Get me out of here and I'll fucking fight you!"
Sinubukan kong tumayo but to no fucking avail, hindi ko magawa. I was trapped unless I would get the tree off of my feet. I'm screwed, I realized.
Hindi ko na mapigilang hindi umiyak. Tears started falling down my bruised cheeks. Yumukod ang isa na nasa kanan ko. Pinasadahan niya ng tingin ang buong katawan ko. I felt naked in front of them, a prey amongst predators. Yes, that's right. I would have to admit it anytime soon. Mamamatay na rin naman ako, might as well die fighting.
Dinuraan ko siya pero hindi siya nag-iwas ng tingin. "Do you want to live?" his voice was muffled by the mask he's wearing but I heard the words clearly.
Gusto kong isigaw na, "Yes, I want to fucking live!" but it would also mean that I was admitting na hawak nila ang buhay, which was the truth.
"Say it," sabi niya na parang narinig ang nasa isip ko. "Say it!" he shouted at me. Inilapit niya pa ang mukha niya sa akin. Nangangatog na ang tuhod ko. I was scared as hell. Nagtawanan ang iba niyang kasama.
Inilabas niya mahabang espada niya at bahagya iyong inilapat sa leeg ko. I tried my best to stay still. I could feel the sharpness of the sword against my skin, cutting it delicately but not completely. "Say it," ulit niya.
Napalunok ako. "I-I…" I began, my voice was trembling. Tumatawa pa rin ang mga kasamahan niya. "I-I want to… I want to l-live," I said.
He looked at me one last time before standing up. "Good girl," aniya. He motioned for the others to lift the tree off my feet. Muli siyang sumenyas sa itaas kung saan naroon pa rin ang isang hovercraft. And slowly, I felt my body being lifted. Naramdaman ko ang sakit sa paa ko nang tuluyan na akong maitaas.
"HELP!" I shouted once more, hoping that someone would hear me. "HELP! HELP!"
But of course, no one came.
When I looked up, there was a dark hole staring back at me. Unti-unti iyong bumubuka para magkasya ako. And suddenly, I found myself in a white room. Narinig ko ang mahinang pagsara ng butas na pinasukan ko sa kinauupuan ko. Nasa loob pa rin ako ng net. I gave my surrounding a quick scan. There were paintings plastered on the white wall, a blinding chandelierin the middle of the room. Nang mapunta ang tingin ko sa harap, may mahabang itim na mesa. And behind the table was a man. Sa tingin ko, nasa bandang 40s na siya base sa hitsura niya at sa namumuti nang buhok. He was wearing an eyeglasses. Prente lang siyang nakaupo roon at mataman na nakatingin sa akin. And a smile slowly formed across his face.
"Evangelyn Lajara," aniya at tumayo mula sa upuan. How did this old guy knew my name? I tried remembering his face if I know him from somewhere pero hindi pamilyar ang mukha niya. "You made it hard for me to find you and your classmates."
Pumatong siya sa mesa. I didn't move an inch and just stared at him waiting for what he's going to say next.
The old man continued. "I'm going to ask you this, do you want to live? Do you want me to spare your life?"
Nag-aalangang tumango ako pero pinilit kong hindi pa rin magsalita.
"Hmm, good choice, Ms Evangelyn Lajara. You see, hindi naging masaya ang paghahanap ko sa Class 12-C. You are all good at hiding, I'll give you that. But here's the thing," he paced in front of me. "I want you to do something for me. Something small and then I'll grant you your freedom."
I looked at him suspiciously. Maybe he was lying but at this moment, I didn't care. Pero hindi rin ako tanga. "It depends. I want to know your name first."
"Oh, you're a smart girl," he chuckled. "I'm President Lee."
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa sinabi niya. That would only mean… he's the president of the Philippines. I was about to cover my mouth using my hand when I realized I was still inside the net. Mukhang na-realize din ito ni President Lee kaya pinagupit niya iyon sa mga tauhan niya na hindi ko namalayang nasa likod ko pala.
If the hovercraft was moving, I didn't know. Wala akong maramdaman kahit na ang pag-ugong ng makina. Hindi ko iyon maramdaman. It's as if we were just floating in the air.
He gave me a chair. Maayos akong umupo roon.
"What do you want me to do?" I finally asked him.
Muli siyang ngumiti sa akin. Bumalik siya sa kanyang mesa. Pinaikot-ikot niya sa kamay ang ballpen na hawak. "I want you to tell me where are your other classmates," simpleng sabi niya. "That's it. Kapag sinabi mo sa akin ang exact location nila, you're free."
Napalunok ako. And then I realized that it would be easy enough. It was my turn to smile at him. Bahagya siyang nagulat sa reaksyon ko.
"That's easy enough, Mr Lee," I said. "They're at a warehouse. Nandito sila sa loob ng gubat na 'to. I think given the technology of this hovercraft, you'll be able to find them in less that a minute."
Tumango-tango si President Lee sa akin. "Thank you, Ms Lajara," naglakad siya palapit sa akin. "Put her in one of the cells and lock her up."
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko sa narinig. What the fuck?
Sinubukan kong tumayo pero mabilis na tumalima ang mga tauhan niya at nahawakan ako agad sa magkabilang braso. "No, please! No! I gave you what you wanted!" pagpupumiglas ko. "You promised that I'll be free! You fucking promised!"
Muli lang tumawa si President Lee at umiling-iling. "Did I?"
I screamed at the top of my lungs. The next thing I knew, I was being carried into a hallway and then we entered a huge room with rows of cells—just like a prison cell. Binuksan nila ang isa sa mga iyon at marahas akong tinulak papasok. Ang tanging nakita ko lang ay papalayong pigura nila at ang pagsara ng pinto.
Ibinagsak ko ang katawan sa malamig na sahig. And once again, I was trapped.