26. Slaying the Snake
MAGDALENE
BRITTANY'S SMILING FACE greeted me the moment I opened my eyes. I shut my eyes right away then try recalling what just happened.
"Fuck you!" mura ko nang bumalik sa isipan ko ang mga nangyari.
I tried wiggling off my seat but the straps from my wrists and legs were just tightening. Nakaupo ako sa isang metallic chair at may nakakabit na metal na helmet sa ulo ko. Nakasuot din ako ng hospital gown. Until now, my body felt burnt out and exhausted. Maybe the substance from that syringe still had some effects on me.
"You slept for six hours," simpleng sagot ni Brittany at bahagyang lumayo sa'kin.
"I don't fucking care! Palayain mo ako dito! Let's do fistfight, bitch! Stop being a coward!" nanggagalaiti kong sigaw.
Brittany laughed. Gustong-gusto kong bugbugin ang mukha niya. I wanted to erase her smirk with my knuckles. This wasn't fair! She couldn't just tie me here and do the insulting.
"You're not here to fight. You're here to be observed."
I screamed, expectorating my own saliva. Every moment passed just kept on infuriating me. Her words and her presence had enraged the bitch out of me. God knows how much I wanted to get freed and kill her with my bare hands.
"Why did you do that? Why did you kill my parents? You are an evil! Wala kang puso!" naiiyak kong sigaw. Napakasakit para sa'kin na hindi ko agad napagtantong kasama ko lang ang taong sanhi ng pagiging miserable ko. Was I that dumb enough to notice the truth?
"Exactly, Maggie!" she said in an upbeat tone. "Evils kill for no particular reason. They are heartless. They can feel no remorse and guilt."
The hell with her! That's it? She killed my parents just because she was an evil? It didn't even make sense.
"W-why me? Bakit kailangang pamilya ko pa ang pakialaman mo? Bakit kailangang ako pa ang magdusa? You could have just let us live our own lives!" my voice broke because of the extreme feeling inside me.
Brittany smiled innocently as if she didn't do anything wrong. "You are too pure for this world, Maggie. You were once an almost perfectly good girl until we intervened. The organization saw an opportunity to save you from the wickedness of the world. Evils win all the time so we made you one."
Pagak akong natawa. Hindi ako makapaniwalang may mga taong magagawang manira ng buhay dahil sa mga bulok nilang paniniwala. They ruined my life and my family just because we chose to be good? Who are they to give their fuck about us?
"Why do you care? So what if I was too innocent for this cruel world? You killed my parents for fucking sake! Pagbabayarin kitang hayop ka!"
Sinubukan kong magpumiglas sa upuan ko ngunit mas lalong humihigpit ang ang straps sa katawan ko. Nagsusugat na ang mga pulso't binti ko dahil sa pagpupumilit na makalaya.
"Enough with these shits. Let's start the revival. I have to reboot you before presenting to Professor."
Sa isang iglap at bigla nalang lumapit si Brittany sa isang makina at may ibinabang lever. Namalayan ko nalang ang sarili kong nangingisay dahil sa bolta-boltaheng kuryente na tila dumudurog sa ulo ko. I screamed in pain as I tightened my grip from my seat. The electricity seemed to burn every fiber of my insides.
Natigil lang ako sa pagsigaw nang itaas ulit ni Brittany ang lever. My body stopped from shaking. I could feel the steaming burns on my skin. Nanghihina kong tiningnan si Brittany. Her lips were moving but I couldn't hear what she was saying. She slapped my face and that's when I revived my hearing ability.
"You are an evil, Maggie. This betrayal, defiance, feistiness and all that, show signs of our success. The organization succeeded. You are Project Maddox, another successful creation of Professor Challenger."
I wanted to retaliate but I was too weak to even move my lips. I just stared at her blankly. Muli siyang lumapit sa makina at humawak sa lever. I looked at her pleadingly but she just smiled at me.
"This is the last round."
Sa isang iglap ay muling kinain ng kuryente ang buo kong katawan. Ngayon ay mas matagal at mas masakit. Pakiramdam ko ay puputok na ang ulo ko sa sobrang sakit. My body was shaking violently as high voltage of electricity took over it. Kinakain ang bawat sigaw ko ng mga halakhak ni Brittany.
Soon as Brittany pulled up the lever, pool of blood spewed out my mouth. I coughed hard and all I could spit was blood.
"You survived because you're an evil. There's still a fragment of retaliation inside of you that saved you from this torment. You wanted to survive and kill us all. Evils are born avengers. You are an evil."
Naramdaman ko nalang ang pagluwag ng strap sa mga pulso't binti ko. Brittany lifted me up and put me in a wheelchair.
"You did a good job, Maggie."
I wanted to return her insults but I was too weak. Blood was continuously spewing out my mouth. Mas lalong nanakit ang buo kong katawan.
Naramdaman ko nalang ang pag-andar ng wheelchair. Napalingon ako sa paligid. Brittany was trying to get me out of this room. I took a glance of a table with a tray on it. Nasa tray ang ilang kagamitan sa pag-eeksperimento.
Nang tumapat kami sa lamesa ay mabilis kong hinablot ang syringe. I didn't know what's gotten into me that I made it possible to rose up from the wheelchair and grabbed the syringe. Nang makuha ang syringe ay agad kong sinaksak any mata ni Brittany. She didn't see my actions coming, making her lost her composure. Bumagsak siya sa sahig habang sapo ang duguang mata.
Brittany's screams filled the room as she tried taking the syringe from her left eye. I took the opportunity to get the scalpel from the table and crawled into her. I tightened my grip from the scalpel and jumped into her. With great force, I constantly stabbed her face with the scalpel. Nagsisigaw si Brittany habang sinusubukang magpumiglas.
Kalat na ang dugo niya sa sahig. Ang iba ay tumalsik sa mukha at damit ko.
"S-stop it, bitch!" nanghihina niyang sigaw.
"You'll pay for everything, you bitch!" madiin kong sigaw at mas diniinan ang pagsaksak ng mukha niya.
I couldn't feel any remorse as I watched how her face got ruined. Butas-butas na ang mukha niya ngunit tila may sariling buhay ang kamay ko. I didn't stop stabbing her face as I cursed her soul.
Tumigil nalang ako nang mamalayan kong hindi na gumagalaw si Brittany. Halos hindi na siya makilala. Butas-butas ang mukha niya at nagsilabasan din ang iba niyang ngipin. Hingal akong humiga sa tabi niya. I could feel the warmth of her fresh blood on my back but I didn't budge.
I couldn't describe what I was feeling right now. I somehow felt satisfied after killing the person who killed my parents yet I was confused because I couldn't grasp any remorse from what I did.
"Now that I have slain the snake, what's next?"
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