"How are her vitals?" A baritone voice asked.
"Normal, Doc," a sweet female voice replied.
I slowly opened my eyes only to find myself looking up at a plain white ceiling with two familiar faces in front of me.
What am I doing here?
When I looked down at my clothes, which had been changed into a hospital gown, they were white, just like the colors in my surroundings. Oh, yes. I recall now.
"Welcome back, Nurse Gordon! Mabuti naman at nagising ka na," greeted a nurse on my left. When I finally recognized her, I just looked at her and nodded quickly. She smiled again and moved her gaze up to my right side. "I'm going to leave you here now, Doc and Nurse Gordon. Pagaling ka, Nurse!" She cheered me up again.
When she finally exits the room, I turn to face the man on my left. He's looking over my medications on my table.
"How's it going?" I asked in a low tone of voice. Medyo paos pa ako kaya hindi ko alam kung narinig niya ako.
He drew his brows together and looked down at my face.
"Case?" he asked, perplexed. I simply give him my bored expression, and when he realizes what I mean, he immediately scoffed and looked at me with his unbelievable expression. "Hindi ka rin ba tumitigil sa pag-iimbestiga mo?" he inquired.
"What do you think?" I replied to him with a question.
"Look, Ms. Gordon, your case was already closed 17 years ago, and they already proved that the dr-" he paused and gulped. He continued, but this time he was more careful with his words. "That the substance that was injected into you was proven to be unknown and unidentifiable; there is no way to know what was injected into you."
I know he has more to say, but he came to a halt and looked at me sympathetically.
"I'm sorry, Nurse Gordon; it's been a decade, and I think you should stop looking into your case that was dumped off years ago," he said again, and I glared at him. My reflexes were so quick that I didn't notice that I'm tightly holding his collar right now.
His eyes widen and the fear in his eyes was already reflected in mine.
"You don't know what you're saying, Doc Lazariel. You don't even know what this thing did to make me turn into a different person," I gritted to him.
Nang hindi na siya nagsalita pa ay mabilis ko na siyang binitawan kaya hindi niya inaasahan ang malakas na pagbagsak niya sa sahig. I breathed hard and started to control myself. This is what I'm talking about. The harder I control myself the greater it takes to conquer my body.
I have this extraordinary strength that nobody can beat.
I sighed deeply before biting my lower lip. I felt his gaze on me, so I quickly closed my eyes and gripped both sides of my sheet before he spoke.
"Leave."
He stood up and exited the room, leaving me alone. This isn't the first time someone has been scared because of me.
Ano pa bang bago?
This is me. This the curse I get when I get kidnapped and experimented by different chemicals and... dru--
When I heard my phone's ringtone, my gaze was drawn to the right. I stood up and sat on my white bed, returning my gaze to my phone, which was placed above the table beside me. When I saw the face, I gulped.
He's always updated on me, huh? It's just happened last night and now he's calling me too early in the morning. I put my finger on it and slide the answer button.
"Thank goodness you answered it! I called you earlier but you didn't pick up"
"I'm sleeping at that time, Kuya," I interrupted.
"Oh right. I'm sorry, AC. How are you--" naputol ulit ang sasabihin niya nang sabay naming marinig ang matinis na sigaw sa labas ng pinto ng kwarto ko.
"What was that?" he curiously asked me. So he heard it too. Tuluyan na akong napalingon sa pinto ko nang sunod-sunod na sigaw ang narinig ko mula sa magkakaibang boses ng tao. I assumed it was just another patient causing a commotion, but it sounds different.
What the hell is going on?
"F*ck!" My brows furrowed as I heard my brother gasp and curse several times over the phone. Nagsalubong ang mga kilay ko nang marinig ko rin ang sigaw sa kabilang linya na katulad ng naririnig ko ngayon.
"What is it? What the hell is going on, Kuya? Kuya Erros?!" I looked at my phone when I heard a beep and saw that the call had ended. Sh*t! What happened just now?
Someone yelled outside my door, "Tulong!" It is followed by a loud thud, which causes me to jump on my bed. I quickly locate the nurse call button above my head, but before I can press it, my hand comes to a halt in the middle when I notice the doorknob on my door slowly twisting.
My jaw dropped as my eyes followed the gentle opening of my door. My heartbeat began to palpitate.
"What the..." I mumbled when I realized who was entering my room. It's the nurse who had been assigned to me earlier. And...
"Oh god!" bulalas ko kasabay nang paglaki ng mga mata ko nang makita ko ang isang lalaki na kagat-kagat ang leeg ng nurse na patuloy naman akong inaabot.
"N-Nurse.. ack!" daing ng babae saka pilit na pinipigilan ng kamay niya ang lalaki na mas kagatin siya. Unti-unti silang lumalapit sa 'kin dahilan para umayos ako ng upo at ilang beses na napalunok habang inoobserbahan sila.
Is this some kind of prank? Why is this man biting her? Is he crazy?! Agad na nalipat ang tingin ko sa labas ng nakabukas na pinto at nakita ang mga tao na patuloy na nagkakagulo. Pero ang mas nagpagimbal sa 'kin ay ang mabibilis na pag-atake ng mga ito sa kapwa nila at walang awa nila itong sinunggaban sa leeg.
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang humandusay sa harapan ko ang nurse na nakasama ko na noon sa duty ko. Napadiin ang pagkakahawak ko sa cellphone ko nang makita ko ang dahang-dahang pag-angat ng ulo ng lalaking kumagat sa kanya papunta sa 'kin.
What the hell is the matter with this man?! Is he afflicted with a disease that causes him to be this way? So, why are the others behaving similarly to him? My eyes widen when my phone suddenly rings up.
"Sh*t!" He immediately attacked me with his filthy mouth, so I quickly threw out my phone in his face, causing him to retreat. I seize the opportunity to get out of bed and walk out of my room.
I stay still on the wall behind me, watching as people around me continue to be obstreperous in various parts of the hospital. Ilang beses akong napasinghap at nanlaki ang mata dahil sa nasaksihan.
I flinch on my left side when a nurse attempted to reach the pregnant woman in the wheelchair. I looked to my right and saw an elderly man struggling with a security guard who was biting... his collarbone. Sh*t! My gaze followed the entire group of colleagues in the hospital as they ran towards the groups of teenagers on my right.
What the hell is going on?!
I don't know what to do anymore. I was still speechless and oblivious to what was going on around me!
Agad akong napatakip sa magkabila kong tenga nang may isang nakakabinging putok ang biglang kumawala sa kaliwa ko. Gulat akong napatingin sa lalaki na umatake sa akin kanina at bulagta na ito ngayon sa sahig ng kwarto ko habang tumutulo ang dugo sa sentido nito.
Blood...
Mabilis kong iniwas ang paningin ko rito at hinanap ang pinanggalingan ng ingay ng baril. I was greeted by a group of uniformed men with guns in their hands. They are, without a doubt, a soldier group of people. I fixed my gaze on the blue-eyed man who was pointing his gun at me on my right.
"Umalis na kayo rito, Miss." The other man with them said, so I didn't waste time and dashed to the hospital's entrance. Hindi naging madali sa akin ang paglabas agad dahil patuloy pa ring nagkakagulo ang mga tao sa paligid ko, napaatras pa ako nang may isang security guard ang biglang humarang sa harapan ko.
He sniffed like a desperate dog looking for his prey. I noticed his white eyes and his dripping saliva. What kind of creatures is this? Does it infect by rabies?
Umatras ako nang dahan-dahan itong naglakad paabante. Pabilis na pabilis ang tibok ng puso ko, parang mamaya ay bigla na lang itong sasabog. Naguguluhan ako sa nangyayari sa paligid ko, parang pamilyar ang senaryong nakikita ko ngayon sa harap ko.
Napatalon ako sa gulat nang may biglang sumigaw sa likod ko. Mabilis akong napaatras nang biglang umatake sa akin ang lalaking nasa harap ko. Nahugot ko ang hininga ko nang nilagpasan lang ako nito at sa babaeng sumigaw lumapit saka walang awang kinagat ito sa leeg.
F*ck! Ano ba talaga ang nangyayari?
Napasabunot ako nang buhok at gulat na gulat na pinagmasdan ang mga nasa paligid ko. Unti-unti kong narealized na hindi na normal o isang biro ang mga nangyayari. This is true... no jokes, no pranks planted.
"H*ly sh*t!" I mumbled as I noticed everyone with blood on their mouths running to my side. Nagsimula akong tumakbo palabas ng hospital at hindi malaman kung saan dadaan dahil sa nagkalat at mga nagsalpukang mga sasakyan sa paligid ko.
What should I do now?
I have no choice then. Nang makita ko ang mga taong may rabies na papalapit na sa akin ay hindi na ako nagdalawang-isip na sumampa sa mga sasakyan na nasa harap ko para makadaan at makapunta sa sidewalk just a meters away. I need to find a car! Kailangan kong makalayo rito.
Nang makarating ako rito ay sumalubong na naman sa akin ang mga umataake katulad lang ng mga nasa loob ng hospital. This is not funny anymore. Habol-habol ko ang paghinga ko nang kumaliwa ako at nagsimula na namang tumakbo. May sumasalubong sa akin pero mabilis ako umiiwas dito at mas binilisan ang pagtakbo.
I eventually find a car at the restaurant next to it. But just as I was about to get in, a little girl in front of me came out holding a pink teddy bear.
"M-Mommy?" she mumbled, looking behind me. I turned my head slowly behind me and discovered a bloody woman sniffing like a dog. Dahan-dahan ako naatras sa kanila at nagpalipat-lipat ng tingin sa dalawa. She's her mother, after all... She's not going to hurt her daughter, right?
"Mommy--" Napasigaw ako nang makita ko kung paano dakmain ng babae ang batang babae. My eyes widened as I covered my mouth. Sh*t! W-What exactly did I do? D-Did I allow her to eat her daughter? I didn't save her...
Muntik na akong matumba pero agad akong napaayos ng tayo nang biglang nalipat ang tingin ng babae ang tingin sa akin. Suminghot ito sa harap niya at punong-puno pa ang ng dugo ang bibig niya kaya bago pa niya ako atakihin ay mabilis akong tumalikod at nagsimulang tumakbo dala-dala ang bigat sa loob ko.
She killed her daughter! Sh*t! Mukhang mababaliw na ako sa mga nangyayari.
Mabilis akong lumiko sa isang eskinita at agad doong nagtago. Nang makitang lumagpas na ang humahabol sa akin ay saka na ako nagsimulang tumakbo ulit pabalik sa pinanggalingan ko habang kinakapa ang sarili. Sh*t! My phone!
I need to find a phone. I need to call my brother. Napatigil ako sa isang tindahan na walang katao-katao. Nakita ko ang isang telepono sa loob nito saka napatingin ako sa paligid ko bago rito lumapit. I dialed his number, but before he could answer, my gaze was drawn to a man running in the middle of the highway.
Nagsisigaw ito sa gitna ng daan. Nabitawan ko ang teleponong hawak ko nang makita ang hindi mabilang na mga taong humahabol sa kanya. They're all the same... they're still like the others who attacked me.
Natulala ako nang ilang segundo bago ko narealized na sa harap ko mismo padaan ang lalaking hinahabol nila. Sh*t! They're coming on us. Bago pa makalapit sa akin ang nagpapanic na lalaki ay agad na akong tumalikod at pinangunahan siya sa pagtakbo.
I noticed the subdivision ahead of me. I have no choice but to enter there before the eaters reach me. I don't want to die just yet! I'm still looking forward to seeing my family! This is crazy! I'm currently being pursued by a swarm of whatever creatures that is!