Two heated arrows that felt like it's melting my flesh pierced my body. I'm sure that happened to me, It wasn't just a nightmare. Even if an adult gets struck by normal arrows that passed to their guts it's not normal to even just wake up. Yet me a kid with underdeveloped muscles was walking in a river hand to hand with my mother.
Her other handheld Alya who I knew for sure had been sliced in the back by a long sword. Both of us received blows that will surely end our life. So why?
It's not like I don't want to, but it just felt strange. How come I'm alive and well? Though I still felt that arrow in my body there is nothing strange in it. No pain or even scar. The only reminder was the whole in my clothes.
Those two people, who are they? What did they mean by they needed to kill me in order to save their world?
"It is a little deep here. Wait for us to cross so I can carry one of the children across."
Elena, my father's secretary carried her daughter as she lead us to cross the river.
"Okay." My mother responded.
She crossed the river and put down her daughter on the other side. She carried Alya next while I was with my mother.
When I woke up earlier I was traumatized that I pushed my mother away and shouted. Even Alya was speechless and trembling. But we got back to our senses when she hugged both of us. I always ignored all of the things she's done to me and kept being a brat but at that moment I realized how important my mother is.
I am always close to my father cause he spoils me so much. But I'm glad that I learned this early on so I can appreciate her even more.
Wait… father?
"Mother, where's father?"
My mother continued to cross the river without saying a single word. When we crossed the river I tugged her shirt once again. She stopped for a while before she face me and touched my cheeks.
"He'll follow after us. Just have faith in him."
She smiles. A smile without a wrinkle on her eye, her hands are trembling as well. She told me to have faith, but my heart started to race.
I have this strange feeling but I just shook my head.
She's right my father's smart. It'll all be fine.
We climbed up to the sandy way into the top. There are few houses nearby, most of it is already burned black and reduced to rubble. We sneaked at the back of the houses, those creatures spread everywhere, especially in places where there are more people, cities, and barangays.
Except for the dripping of overflowing water and our steps, there is no other sound in here. That is until the sound of a rumbling engine resonated. We searched for the origin of the sound which lead us to the Barangay Hall. A black Toyota Vios parked in front of it. The window slowly goes down then a man peeked out of it. This man's a friend of my father and also a business partner.
"What's wrong?" Elena asked.
"No gas." The man responded. He knocked his head on the stirring wheel and knocked his head. "By the situation we were in right now, I doubt that we can find any."
Elena put down her daughter. "We won't find any if we won't search."
"Wait, I know where we can get." my mother spoke up and pointed at the motorcycles.
Elena's mouth half-opened when she looked at the motorcycle before she smiled at my mother.
They run towards the crashed motorcycle at the side of the road.
They emptied a litter of bottled water dry before cutting a tube from the motorcycle. The gasoline flowed out of it, into the bottle.
I never think that you can get fuel this way. But this is still robbery, right? My mother that used to be strict and well-mannered shouldn't be able to think this way.
"Mother, there are parked motorcycles over there. Let me help you."
I caught a glimpse of the motorcycle parked in the front yard of a chapel.
"No! We don't know if it's safe in there!"
"But I just…"
My mother forbids me. I wanted to retort but I already cast so much trouble. I don't want to add more.
"I think it's safe in this area. Those creatures have sharp senses they would've heard the engine earlier if they are here. Besides this road is just a few kilometers away from the building we should make this quick as possible."
"If that's the case… but be careful okay!"
I nodded and run off towards the chapel. Alya followed behind me.
"Why did you come with me?"
"I wanted to help too."
Even I'm still mad at her after what she did earlier. I didn't argue with her anymore.
We reached the gate of the chapel, where a foul smell reached our nostrils. We slowly opened the gate of the chapel. I copied what my mother and Elena were doing. Alya pinch her noses while she covered my nose with a handkerchief.
"What is this smell?" she asked.
I'm wondering the same thing. It's unbearable I might puke any minute now.
After we get all the fuel on the motorcycle. I walked towards the chapel.
"Where are you going? We shouldn't go far."
"I'm just going to take a look at the inside of the chapel."
With the handkerchief covered my nose, my feet started moving. I think that this smell came inside the building. As I drew nearer to the chapel the strong became stronger. As I reached the door what spread before my eyes was a scene you'll never expect to see in a holy place like this. I fell on my knees and vomited. Not even a baby had been spared upon all those rotting body inside.
When I saw this, a shiver run through my spine. Terror, despair, this feeling of hopelessness that anyone who has in the same faith as I am would feel. That there's no saving us, not even the—
Someone at my back covered my eyes as she hugged me.
"Don't look!" It's my mother's voice.
She's also quavering, as she held her Hands on top of my eyes.
"When this whole thing started. Some people took shelter in churches and sacred places believing that they're going to be safe there. But…" Elena came with my mother. " Don't let it disheartened you. We already gather enough to make that car run again. We should be able to reach a gasoline station near here. Let's go."
"okay."
My mother hold me by the hand as we walked away from the chapel.
When we get back to the car. Elena poured the gasoline into the fuel tank. Me, Alya and Elena's daughter entered the car while mother was helping Elena. The driver stayed inside. His nerves are marked on his hands as he gripped on the stirring wheel. The woman beside him didn't have any reaction at all and just sit quietly.
When they almost poured all the gasoline, something clashed in the house on our backs that made Elena dropped the bottle. It was a bus that's down and on fire. Then from the window came out a black creature with a mist like body, droopy eyes and a wide grinning face.
"That's the bus from earlier. Does this mean that were not too far from them."
The man on the driver's seat tremble when he looked at the mirror.
Elena had been taken a back as well but she continued pouring in the gasoline.
"You can get in the car Odette, I'll handle this."
"Are you sure?"
Elena nodded.
My mother stood but before she could step. She suddenly stopped on her feet. I looked back, then there's one of those creatures staring to our direction. Mostly to my mother. Looking at her in the eye the creature's smile enlarged as it run towards us.
"AH!" We yelled in unison.
I looked back to my mother who were frozen in fear.
"Mother! Hurry up! Get inside!"
Elena's daughter stood up and peek on the window at the driver seat.
"Mama! Mama!" she cried.
"Go back to your seat kid!"
The man pushed her back and reached for the door to close it. He immediately go back to the driver's seat to start the engine.
Elena bang the window over and over while yelling without her voice reaching us.
"Hey! They're still outside!" I gripped the man's shirt an pulled it. He looked at me and punched me in the face.
He stepped on the gas then the car started moving. The noise created by the car got the attention of the rest of the creatures. They started sprinting towards us. I stood up and bit the arm of the man.
"Ah! Stop it! Stop that brat!"
He pushed my head away, but it didn't break me from him. He pushed the break that stopped the car on the side.
"Damn it! Just be grateful that I'm saving you!"
When he said that a loud bang shattered the window on the driver's seat.
A big rock on Elena's hand broke it. She peek inside and glare at the man.
"Open it!"
"I can't! The gas is leaking on this car! If we add more weight it's only a matter of time before it will run out again!"
Elena's eyes widened so as my mother's whose behind her. They bent their bodies to take a look at the bottom of the car. Elena stood back.
"Why didn't you said it sooner?!"
"I thought that we could still use it even for only few kilometers if we drive at normal speed. But now that we were being chase by those creatures we need to speed up or we'll get caught by them. Besides…" he put back his hand to the stirring. He glanced sideways to Elena. "...If the two of you stay behind, you can give us enough time if they get busy killing you."
"Huh?"
"I know it's crazy! But it's the most realistic way I can think of to survive!" the man started crying. "It's cruel of me to do this especially with this children watching. But I really want to survive!"
He wanted to sacrifice my mother and Elena because of his desperation to survive. As a child my words probably won't change anything. But my mother was the wife of the man who kept them safe for all this time. This ingrate!
The man was about to drive the car once again.
"Wait…" Elena grabbed his hand. "Could you… could you please let Odette in." she tightened her grip. "Please."
The man looked back. The creatures we were wary of was running fast towards us. The man hurried to open the door. "Make it quick!"
She gave my mother a glimpse.
"Please, don't talk me out of it."
As she said that she take a look at her daughter. Her daughter run towards her and tried to pull hr by her clothes.
"No! I don't want mama to be gone!"
The girl cried as she continued to pull her inside but Elena hugged her before she pulled her hands off and kissed her in the forehead with tears flowing out of her eyes.
No matter how you look at it she deserved to live. She and her husband did so much to help us. Her husband even died protecting my father. It's not fair for her to also end up the same.
I squeezed my shorts and look away from into my mother.
"Hurry up! Damn it!" The driver shouted.
Elena pushed her daughter away.
"Odette… please take care of, my daughter—"
When her tears shattered as they fall. My mother pushed her inside.
"What are you doing?!" Elena shouted.
But my mother act like she didn't hear it. Tears overflowed in her eyes as they crossed with mine. My chest tightened as the fear and sadness she was feeling reached me.
"I love you."
I was speechless as those words reached my ear. The only thing I can do is to stare as she shut the door.
I stood up and tried to reach her hand in the mirror but the driver pressed to the pedal which made me lose balance and fall. I looked at her at the glass window at the back.
"Mother! Mother! No! Mother!"
I screamed, banged the window, and screamed again.
She held her heart as she cried out the pain and fear before she fell to her knees. She closed her eyes and cover her mouth as the creatures of doom stood in front of her.
Elena pulled up but before she could cover my eye my mother's body had been ripped like an old rag. Elena failed to cover my eyes and fell as she witnessed it.
The creature that holds her grinned widely as it sucked a white smoke out of my mother's body. Before I knew it, my cheeks are already wet, the cruel demise of my mother burnt into my eyes.
Someone behind me hugged me tightly.
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."
The car drove off fast enough that we lost sight of those creatures on our back.
We reached a bumpy road which made the car shaky. Alya was just looking at me with watery eyes. Elena's daughter can't look at me directly. While the two in the front seat didn't give much of a reaction.
As we drove off to the rocky road the woman beside the driver leaned and leaned to the left. Then one huge bump hit us that made the woman's body fall.
The driver's eye's widened.
"Come on honey don't sleep while were still on the road." he said as he forcefully get her back to her seat. He used his left hand to drive while using the other to push the woman back. Just when he finally put her back to her seat, something fall and clatter in the floor of the car.
A shinny gold with a red ruby necklace revealed. The man clamped and instantly picked up the necklace.
"Come on honey woke up. Your accessories are falling."
The man keep on giving us a gaze. Elena let go of me.
"That necklace looks familiar."
"Really?" the man smiled forcefully. "Its probably because—"
When he's about to said that the woman shifted her head. Her face is pale and her lips are almost violet but what stands out the most was the five earings on her ears. Three silver and two gold, some of it have blood on it that indicates that it had been forcefully peirced into.
When Elena saw that he grabbed the woman's arm and pull off the sleeve of her jacket showing the bracelet on it. There are also three rings and one of it has diamond.
"These are from the company wasn't it?"
"The man gritted his teeth. "don't just cassually touch my wife like that!" he yelled.
He wa about to grab his wife's hand but Elena fling it away.
She touched the woman somewhere and the neck. My chest become heavy. Elena shot a glare at the man.
"What the… she's already dead?!" Elena gritted his teeth and grabbed his collar. "Explain this!"
"I have nothing to explain to you!" before his mouth could close Elena punched him.
The man's mouth bleed.
"The wife of the man who protected you had been brutally killed while their child witnessed it just because this corpse that you used for robbery. And your saying you have nothing to explain!"
"Rob? Its just my share—"
before she could finish Elena punched him again. Without giving the chance to talk she beat him over and over. The man's blood splattered and his face were all swelled and wound up.
Because of this the car bumped into an electric post. We all fell down, I even bumped my head but when I recovered. Even though with wound on her head, Elena kept on knocking the man's head on the stirring.
I wonder how she felt right now. Was it satisfying? If I were to do that, will it ease the pain in my heart?
I averted my eyes int the ground.
Why would my mother die like that? Did she even do something to deserve that? That baby at the chapel, the only fault it have is being week, I'm sure that it didn't given time to do to deserve it's fate. For those who survive, us. Did we really deserve it?
You. My mother told me that your always listening to us. But right now could you please let us listen to your answer.
I'm dizzy. I must've knocked my head earlier. But isn't this great, if I die right now I would be together with my mother. But if I did, the sacrifice my mother did will be wasted. Ah I'm so confused.
Huh? A light? It is. It's warm and too bright it's blinding me. Was I'm being sent to heaven? Did the god hear what I said? No way. Why I'm so delighted right now?