CADE
Migraine
—
Startled shrieks of panic came out of my sister's and the other students' mouths as a short burst of terror nudged at them. I waited until my eyes adjusted to the darkness. The pale blue glow of the emergency lights on the four corners of the box lit up seconds after the elevator had stopped working.
Habang may nnamumuong takot sa paligid ay may isang boses na nagsalita mula sa mga speakers sa loob ng elevator.
"Everyone please stay calm and wait for the repair. We are currently experiencing minor malfunctions. Everything is being taken care of as we speak," it said. "Apologies for the inconvenience."
But it didn't calm us.
Habang tumatagal ay mas lalonng lumalala ang sakit sa aking ulo. Para bang may dalawang invisible na kamao na kumakalabog sa aking bungo at pimipiga sa aking utak. Kaya ko namang tiisin ang sakit pero hindi ibig sabihin no'n ay komportable na siya sa pakiramdam. Sinubukan kong masahihin ang mmagkabila kong sentido pero wala pa ring nangyari.
Tinitigan lang ako ng kapatid ko. Ang mahinang kinang ng ilaw ay lumapat sa kaniyang mukha.
"Are you okay?" sambit niya sabay alalay sa likod ko.
"Yeah. Just some headache," I replied dismissively. "Siguro dahil kulang sa tulog or stress sa school. Nothing much."
"Sabi ko kasi sa 'yo tumigil ka na sa kaiinom ng kape," she scolded. "Tingnan ko 'yan pagkarating nation sa unit mo."
"Okay."
The elevator trembled once again and I thought we'd fall to the ground floor and have our body crushed. At the same moment, the beating of my head became more prominent.
Panic thickened in the air. I could hear the shallow breathing of the other students stuck with us. I looked at their faces and didn't see anything but the shadows the pale blue glow created.
"Apologies," the voice attempted to calm us. "The repair will be completed soon."
"Bilisan niyo naman!" sigaw ni Zike.
"Ayoko pang mamatay," bulong ng isa sa sarili, boses ay nanginginig.
Unti-unting nawawala ang sakit. Nagpatuloy ako sa pagmamasahe sa mga sentido ko at huminga-hinga rin nang malalim umaasa na mawawala nang tuluyan ang pagtibok ng utak ko.
Iilang minuto lang ang nakalipas ay bumukas na ulit ang mga maliliwanag na ilaw at narinig namin ugong ng makina ng elevator. Nagbuntung-hinga silang lahat habang kami'y papakayat.
"Thank you for your patience," the voice said, starting to annoy me.
The elevator doors opened when we reached our floor. We stepped out and faced the blue hallway with a handful of students littering it. Paintings adorned the walls and tables with huge vases hovered below the artwork.
"Bye na," sambit ni Zike at binigyan ako ng bro hug. "Thanks, Ate Trina. I owe you." With that, he parted ways from us and jogged straight to his unit.
My vision was a little bit blurry and the pain in my head was still there. I think it will not leave anytime soon.
Tumayo lang ako sa harapan ng pinto ng aking dorm para sa biometrics. Ini-scan into ang buo kong katawan mula ulo hanggang paa. Minsan natatawa na lang ako dahil ako mismo ang susi sa dorm ko. It made me a literal walking key. I stepped aside to let the door scan my sister and with a chime, the door opened.
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