The Last Quarantine

Season 2: Episode 14

Author's Note:

2 0 💙

×××

"Change of plan." Kuya Seiya started as he made us  walk near him. Sa labas ay rinig namin ang pag-alagwang muli ng mga zombies. They are running as if their life depends on it.

Kuya Seiya sat on the swivel chair beside him. Samantalang ang iba sa amin ay nakaupo rin sa ibang swivel chairs, Santhy and I decided to just stood up. Ngayon ay nakasandal na lang kami sa pader.

"Obviously, we can't just go outside of this damn office at any moment now. It's dangerous." Kuya Seiya rest his back on the back rest, he is roaming his eyes around us like a General who is up for a battle cry of winning. "We will leave when it's get dark. Mas madali tayong makakagalaw kung hindi nila tayo nakikita. Mas madali natin silang mauutakan kung gagamitin natin ang kahinaan nila."

Kuya Seiya turned his eyes on the large windows of the office. Orange sky are being flashed there. "Alas-singko na naman ng hapon. Ilang oras na lang ay magdidilim na. We should just wait and save some energy because it's going to be a deadly one."

All of us agreed with him. Santhy and I are the living testimony of how hard it is to move outside kapag may liwanag. Zombies are dangerous whenever their eye sight are being succumbed by light. Mas mabuti pa nga talaga ang maghintay ng dilim keysa sa lumaban kasama ang liwanag.

"Hello!" Came by the girl with long curly hair. Siya ay isa doon sa tatlong unknown girls. About her looks, she looks like an office staff. He corporate attire are evident that she is an office professional. "I am Wendelle pala, and these are my sisters."

Ate Wendelle pointed her index finger to the two girls beside her. Hindi katulad niya, mukhang kasing edaran lang namin sila ni Santhy. Ngayon ko lang din napansin na magkamukha pala sila. They are twins.

"This is Rio," Ate Wendelle pointed the girl with a natural poker face. Mukha siyang masungit. Iyong tipong suplada.

"And this is Riece." The other girl is a total opposite of Rio. She is my own definition of self happiness.

"Hello!" And then she laughed at us. Iyong wala namang nakakatawa pero tawa siya nang tawa. Baliw ba 'to?

"Pagpasensyahan mo na, mayroon kasi siyang kondisyon na kung tawagin ay pseudobulbar affect." Ate Wendelle told us as Rio pointed her poker face at Riece. Halatang hindi siya natutuwa sa pagtawa ni Riece.

"Ano po iyon?" Santhy asked.

"Isa iyong kondisyon na kung saan ay hindi mo mapigilan ang matawa o maiyak. Iyong tipong pagtawa lang ang emosyon na mayroon ka. Iyong kahit malungkot ka, matatawa ka nang walang dahilan."

"Oh, I want that too." Santhy joked and I had to fight a lot of courage for me not to smack his head infront of them. Riece has serious mental illness and it is not something to wish for.

"H'wag mo nang pangarapin," Riece is laughing hard, iyong para bang ang benta noong joke na sinabi sa kanya, "napakahirap nito! Nakaka-stress kaya iyong hindi mo maipakita ang tunay mong nararamdaman!" She continued laughing as if there is no tomorrow. At hindi ko mapigilan ang mapangiwi.

Tumaltak si Rio, matapos ay naiiling siyang hinila papalayo ang tawa nang tawa pa rin na si Riece.

"That girl," Ate Wendelle said as she watched her sisters, "Rio is so protective of her twin. Hindi niya lang iyon pinapahalata."

"Yes, I can feel it too po." I politely said as I threw her a smile.

"Anyway, mag-jowa ba kayong dalawa?"

Nabilaukan talaga ako sa sarili kong laway! Noong mapatingin naman ako kay Santhy ay ngingiti-ngiti siya. Para bang gustong-gusto ang narinig.

"Ah, hindi po--"

Santhy cut me off, "Soon po, Ate Wendelle."

That made me turn a poker face at him. He only give me a shrug as I heard Ate Wendelle to say, "Why not? Bagay naman kayo."

***

"We should go now." Kuya Seiya told us the moment the sky turned black. Ngayon ay tanging buwan at mga bituin na lang ang makikita sa langit.

Lahat kami ay nagsitanguan habang tumatayo sa kanya-kanyang inuupuan.

Madilim ang buong office noong magsimula kaming lumabas ng pintuan. Nakagawa man iyon ng mahinang tunog ay hindi iyon naging rason para makuha namin ang atensyon ng mga zombies.

One by one, we started to set our foot out of the office. Pinangunahan iyon ni Kuya Seiya. Then it was followed by the girls, huling lumabas si Santhy.

Right now, we are facing the wall which was planned by Kuya Seiya. Katulad ng plano ni Kuya Brylle kanina, iyong pader ang gagawin naming landas para marating ang hagdan.

We started moving.

No one dares to speak up.

Lahat kami ay walang balak na magsalita.

Sa paligid namin ay may mga zombie ang animo nagmamasid. Like hungry animals, they are sniffing us. Hindi na sila tumatakbo ngayon. Dahan-dahan silang gumagalaw at nangangapa sa kadiliman.

I am fighting the urge of throwing up. Nakakasulasok ang amoy nila. Mas tumindi pa ito ngayon. Bulok na bulok ang kanilang amoy. Iyong tipong patay na hayop na ilang araw nang naaagnas sa daan.

Kasabay iyon ng kabang nadarama ko nang unti-unting lumapit sa direksyon namin iyong zombie na may nakaluwang laman loob. May nakasaksak ding malaking kutsilyo sa kanyang ulo. Nakaluwa ang kanyang mga mata na para bang dinukot.

I felt my heart on my throat when little by little, he is moving towards us. Inch by inch, he is on his way of offering death for us.

Lahat kami ay natigilan nang ilang agwat na lang ang layo niya sa katawan ni Ate Bianca. Nanlalaki ang mga mata, gusto ko na lang talagang tumakbo sa sobrang kilabot.

Pero . . .

Pero mabilis ang ginawa kong paglingon sa direksyon ng office na pinagmulan namin. May naaninag kaming liwanag mula doon.

Someone opened the lights there. At doon, sabay-sabay na humini ang mga zombies. Lahat sila ay makabasag-taingang nag-sigawan na para bang wala nang bukas. And before I knew it, all of them are running towards that door.

At mabilis ang pangyayari, sa dami nila ay mabilis nilang nabasag iyong glass door. Then we heard the painful scream from the people inside of that office. My heart is breaking to the idea of Loie. I found myself letting out my tears as Santhy forcedfully pulled me-- obviously taking the unfortunate chance to our advantage.

We are now running away from that office.

We are using their death as our medium to live more.

We are going to survive with my heart breaking with the painful thoughts of Loie.