"Y-you remember?" Di makapaniwalang tanong ni Pia.
"What do you remember? Lahat ba?" Tanong naman ni Sue saka lumapit saakin at hinawakan ang kamay ko.
"Hindi... pero alam ko na kung papaano napunta sa katawan ko ang droga." Ang kaninang nag-aaway na sina Vince at Pia ay natigil sa sinabi ko.
"Who?" Matalim ang titig na ibinigay sakin ni Leon. He looked so pissed.
"Yung manager ko... Si Demi." I answered as I looked down. Kahit ako ay hindi makapaniwalang magagawa saakin iyon ni Demi. I trusted her. But she betrayed me for money.
"What else do you remember?" Tanong muli ni Leon.
"I remember her talking to someone... saying that..... guys I'm sorry." I apologized again saka muling tumulo ang mga luha ko.
"Ba't ka nagsosorry? Ikaw ba may pakana nito?" Natatawang tanong ni Trix just to ease the tension but she got it right. Partly. Lahat sila natigilan nung tumango ako.
"Yung nangyari sakin... it's not my fault. Pero ung sainyo? The man told Demi that..... dinamay niya kayo para hindi kayo makasagabal sa plano niya saakin." I stated between my sobs.
And then the next thing I knew, I was slapped by Jenn.
"Ano ba ang ginawa mo dun sa mama at pati kami ay dinamay?!" Singhal niya saakin pero nanatili akong nakayuko. I didn't wanna talk back cause that would only make thing worse than it already is.
"Jenn! For god's sake! Nabaril siya!" Sita sakanya ni Leon.
"So may karapatan siyang-" Jenn's mean girls act got cutted when Trix slapped her too!
"That's for slapping her on her birthday." Malamig na tugon ni Trix kay Jenn na ngayo'y gulat na gulat.
"Jenn, magpapadaig ka sa galit? Hahayaan mo nalang bang matibag nito ang samahan natin?" Pia butted in. She looked like she was forcing herself to be calm.
"I can't believe this. I'm out." She stated, raising both her arms, she walked away from us.
"Sundan niyo siya-"
"Magpahinga ka na Eva. We'll talk about this again when you recover completely." Pagputol saakin ni Sue. All of them had these unreadable expression plastered on their faces. They looked like they were thinking.
"Oh? Ba't bumalik ka?" Tanong ni Trix sa hinihingal na si Jenn habang tumatakbo papunta sakin.
"Nandito nanaman sila!" As if on cue, lahat kami nataranta, pati ako ay napaupo bigla nang hindi nararamdaman ang hapdi. Adrenaline rush.
"Pa'no tayo natunton nun?!" Inis na bulong ni Vince.
"Dito tayo dumaan." Leon lead the way. Dumaan kami sa may likod ng gusali there were tall fences everywhere kaya kinailangan pa naming umakyat. Naunang akyatin nina Pia at Vince ang harang. Sumunod namam sina Jenn at Sue. Nung aakyat na kami ay biglamg may nagpaputok ng baril.
"Augh! They're already here! Kayo, umalis na kayo! Magkita nalang tayo sa may Rotonda doon sa Felicito Avenue!" Leon growled saka hinila kami ni Trix pabalik sa gusali. We heard the four protesting but we didn't bother on looking back.
"You all better be there when we arrive!" Rinig kong sigaw ni Vince bago kami tuluyang makapasok muli sa building.
"Leon what n- ah! Nagdurugo muli ang mga sugat mo Eva!" Ani Trix saka dinuro ang katawan ko. Blood was everywhere. Bigla ko lng naramdaman ang hapdi nung dumapo ang mga mata ko rito.
"Eva, stay here. Kayo ni Trix. Don't make a sound." Ipinaupo kami ni Leon sa may bandang mga barrel saka akmang tatabunan kami ng isang napakalaking luma na tarpaulin nang haramgin ko ito.
"Ikaw? Saan ka pupunta?" I asked him.
"I'll divert their attention. If I don't return with in 15 minutes, dumaan kayo dun sa dinaanan nina Vince." Leon stated and here I am, urging my eyes not to shed tears again.
"Be safe." Iyan lang ang tanging sagot ko sakanya. Tinapik rin ni Trix ang balikat nito saka sinabihan ng "mag iingat ka Leon."
He left us there. Mga pitong minuto na siguro ang lumipas nang makarinig kami ng sunod-sunod na paputok ng bala. I tried to stand and run outside to find Leon but Trix prevented me and pulled me towards the back.
"Wh-where are we going?!" I shouted at her.
"Aalis na tayo."
"What?! Ang sabi ni Leon, 15 min-"
"Wag kang magpaka-idealistic ngayon Eva! Do you really think that he would survive those shots?!" Sigaw niya pabalik saka nagsimulang akyatin ang harang. "Tiisin mo ang mga sugat mo. You need to escape for him." Saad niya saka nilahad ang kanang kamay niya saakin nung umabot siya sa tuktok nito. Labag man sa kalooban ko, I endured the pain and successfully climbed over the fence.
"Let's go Eva." Hinila muli ako ni Trix patakbo sa may gubat. Walang kailaw-ilaw rito. We were only dependent with the light that the moon gives. Wala rin kaming dalang cellphone o kung ano man.
"Ayun oh!" We heard someone shouted kasabay nito ang mga paputok ng baril.
"Aw!" Trix winced and immediately grabbed her arm. She's shot!
"Trix... Go. Ako na ang bahala rito." Tugon sakanya na ikinatigil niya.
"And you expect me to do that?!" Sigaw niya sakin. "Eva, sa ating magkakaibigan, we were the closest. Ni nunal nga ng isa't isa ay alam natin. Oo, may mga oras na sinisigawan kita, sinasabunotan, sinasampal, binabara, o di kaya ay sinasabihan ng masasamang salita pero...Eva..... Hindi yun sapat na rason para lang iwan ka rito ng basta basta!" She cried. "Eva... kung totoo man yung natandaan mo, I dont care if nadamay kami rito nang dahil sayo. No one cares. Marahil ay nasabi lang iyon ni Jenn dahil hindi pa niya napoproseso ang lahat ng mga nangyari! So no! I won't leave you!" Naiiyak man, tumango nalang ako. We held each other's hands and started running again.
"Eva! I hear something." She looked like a kid listening to her parents behind a door. "Talon!" She exclaimed kaya napatalon ako.
"What? No! I mean, talon! Water falls!" She once again dragged me with her until we saw a falls. "Maraming salamat!" Sigaw niya sa langit saka nagmadaling tumakbo papunta sa ilog nito saka uminom dun.
I also drank from the river and sat on the ground until I found myself staring at Trix who's also staring at me.
"Thank you." I told her. She only smiled and sat beside me, hugging me.
For a minute, we forgot that we are being chased.
For a minute, I forgot about Leon. "Leon!" Napatayo ako nung maalala si Leon kaso, nakalimutan kong may sugat pala ako kaya napangiwi ako sa kirot.
"Hoy! Mas malubha sugat mo sakin kaya wag kang nagpapaka-darna jan." She butted in as she stood slowly, not minding what I said about Leon.
"Sa tingin mo.... wala na ba talaga si Leon?" I asked her but she only hugged me tight.
"He loves you Eva. Kahit di man niya sabihin." We stayed like that until she out of the blue pushed me towards the river. Kaya muntikan na akong tangayin palayo ng alon. I was stunned while fighting against the strong waves coming from the falls through the river and looked at Trix who's smiling with her watered eyes. I was confused ba't niya ako tinulak nung biglang may tumulo na dugo mula sa dibdib niya followed by a group of men appearing from the forest.
My body went weak kaya di ko namalayan na tinatangay na pala ako ng alon. Those men probably did not see me cause if they did, dapat ay hinahabol nila ako sa sa gilid ng ilog. Hindi ko na nararamdaman ang sarili ko kahit na nabunggo ako sa mga bato-bato at sa kung ano ano pa habang tinatangay ng ilog. I felt like I died.
I got convicted. Separated from my friends. Leon died. Saw how blood gushed from Trix. I've been through hell.
How I wish I'd go back to the past. How I'd wish to relive the past.
I was thinking too much until I reached the end of the river.
Is this it?
I closed my eyes as I fell from the next waterfalls.
~
"Salamat naman at nagising ka na hija!" Isang matandang babae ang sumalubong saakin nung iminulat ko ang aking mga mata.
"S-saan po to?" I asked her and held my forehead when it stung like bee.
"Natagpuan ka namin ng anak ko na palutang-lutang sa ilog. Kaya inuwi ka namin." Sagot naman nito.
"Nasa Maynila pa ba ako?"
"Nasa probinsya ka namin. Rito sa Nueva Ecija. Bakit? Sa Manila ka ba galing?" Gulat na tanong niya kaya tumango ako. "Wag mong sabihing tinangay ka ng ilog hanggang dito?" She exclaimed once again.
"Kailangan ko na pong umalis." Hindi ko na pinansin ang huling tanong niya and tried to stand when a man, probably in his early 30s, went inside the same room I'm in.
"Wag ka munang umalis. Magpahinga ko muna at hintayin mo na ring humilom ang iyong mga sugat. Bakit may mga tama ka ng bala?" Mas madaldal pa pala to kay Vince. Vince! Kumusta na kaya sila? Si Leon? Si...Trix....
Nagsimula nang umalis sa kinaroroonan ko yung lalaki nang bigla itong magsalita ng nakatalikod.
"Usap tayo mamaya Eva Marie Salazar."