The Lonesome Traveler

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Sebastian was the last person in her mind just before she slept. Then the morning came up, birds started chirping, lifting off. Finn opened her eyes, tilting on the ground’s coatings, head over the hump of her backpack, posterior at the trunk. Staring at the embers in front. Cold crept into her body until she noticed something not-too heavy on her physique that heated her up. Looked at herself and found out a sky blue blanket covering her. Finn called to her mind, she didn’t bring a blanket considering that she would never go to any places or to camp out in the midst of the woodland. Who was the person that draped her?

She recalled stories of such serial killers in Macabre and got alarmed, quickly raised up and searched for the finger knife in her bag.

“Hey!”

She gripped the knife in reverse, sensing the person standing behind. It’s a girl in a purple sleeveless shirt and white cargo pants and running shoes, clutching the strap of her camping bag.

“You can drop that, wala naman akong gagawing masama sa ’yo.”

Paano makakasiguro si Finn kung alam niyang kalat sa buong Macabre ang kidnapping, killing at murdering news. Mas malala ay nangyayari iyon sa masukal na kagubatan.

Tumawa sa ilalim ng hininga niya ang babae. “Come on, lady.”

Finn thought that she was the person blanketed her and the person camped on the exact spot where she was loitering that day before she came.

“So you are—”

Itinuro ni Finn ang kutsilyo sa babae pagkaikot niya.

“Oho!” she mumbles, raising her empty hands as if she surrendered, heart beats making twice as much because of shock.

Dahan-dahang tumayo si Finn nang hindi tinatanggal ang tingin sa babae, inilipat ang kutsilyo sa kabilang kamay.

“I swear to God, I am not a bad person.”

Ipinasada ni Finn ang mga titig sa balingkinitang pangangatawan at namamarak na kutis ng dalaga. Sandaling humangin kaya nahawi ang iilang hibla ng chin-length bangs ng babae na bumalangkas sa gilid ng mukha niya.

“I’m a friend.” Niyerbiyosong ngumiti ang babae kay Finn.

“How sure are you?”

“More than a hundred.”

Hindi pa rin nakumbinsi si Finn sa sinabi ng babae.

“I promise.” She dropped her left hand, brought her right hand’s fingers close to each other and smiled.

Mukha naman siyang inosente, mabait, nagsasabi ng totoo at mapapagkatiwalaan sa paningin ni Finn. Ibinaba ng dalaga ang kutsilyo at isinuksok sa bulsa sabay iwas tingin. “Sorry.” Wow, what a good word was that for Finn, after more than a year, she apologized again. “I thought you were some. . . you know.”

The lady sadly gleamed like at least, after all, she assured her. “I understand,” she said, slipped her hand.

“So, it was you?” Finn asked, four fingers of each of her hands were tucked in the rear patch pocket of her jeans, kept the thumb off.

“Me what?” Gusto niyang makasigurado kung ano ang tinutukoy ni Finn sa sinabi.

“’Yong nag-camp dito bago ako and. . . the blanket. . .” She threw her gazes at the blanket below and back to the girl. “Was it from you?”

“Yup!” sagot niya sabay kindat nang nakangiti.

Nakaginhawa si Finn. Akala niya walang posibilidad na ang taong kausap ang nagmanta sa kaniya noong gabing natutulog siya. Dahil sa sobrang himbing ng tulog buhat na rin ng sobrang pagod, wala na siyang naramdaman sa kaniyang paligid.

Nakagigimbal man ang unang tagpo nila sa eksenang iyon sa yugto ng buhay ni Finn, sa huli ay naging magkaibigan din sila ng babae na nagpakilala bilang si Claire Marietta Johnson na maaari niyang tawagin sa palayaw nitong Claire.

Si Claire ay nagmula sa East Skirt at isang photographer na mahilig maglakbay kahit wala pa siyang kasama. Noong gabing dumating si Finn sa woodland ay ang oras ng kaniyang pag-alis subali’t nang makita niya mula sa karimlang kinatatayuan si Finn na nagsiga sa dati nitong puwesto, naaawa siya sa dalaga