Saving Humanity

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Trust No One, Part Three

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Trust No One, Part Three

Andre

I'm worried about Pauline.

Sure, she has always been distant. Hindi mo siya makakausap unless importante ang sasabihin mo sa kanya. But ever since Jack's entire family had been butchered, it seems like she's always preoccupied. Like she's thinking about something important. Something that might happen in the near future.

Gusto ko siyang tulungan. I want to do something to take some of the burden that she's currently experiencing. Pero... I can't get past her barriers. Those huge, impenetrable set of walls, looming in front of me, casting shadows in my face. I've never been this interested to get to know a girl before. But then again, Pauline isn't just a normal girl.

She's beautiful, unconventionally so. Her sharp features might seem too intimidating to others, but for me, they are her best assets. Aside from that, her aloof and mysterious aura makes me want to get to know her more. I know, deep down, that she's also like me. Vulnerable, but trying our best to hide it. Me with my funny antics, and her indifference.

"We'll leave at 6 PM," Jack informs us as soon as we're done packing our things. There isn't much to pack, aside from spare clothes and weapons. Natagalan lang kami dahil ilang beses tumigil si Jack para umiyak.

He seems okay now, though. Pero halatang-halata pa rin ang matinding kalungkutan sa kanyang mga mata. It must be really hard, seeing your family dead in front of you. When we set off to find Felicity last night, none of us expected that it would get this bad, especially Jack. Naaalala ko, last night he was even telling me his plans for today. He's supposed to cook kare-kare for his entire family, because it is his specialty. Sinabi niya na matagal-tagal na rin siyang hindi nakakaluto dahil palagi siyang walang gana. But for some strange reasons, he felt inspired enough to go back to his hobby.

Little did he know, he won't be able to catch his family alive.

My heart breaks for him. Sa lahat ng miyembro ng kanilang pamilya, siya ang pinakamalapit sa akin. He taught me everything I need to know about guns and physical combat. Tony wasn't an effective teacher, because he was too impatient. He wanted to get things done his way, and his way only. He wanted to see results instantly. But, Jack...he's different.

He taught me patiently, never giving me a hard time or making me feel horrible about my lack of skills. Other than his occasional disapproving stare and tongue-clicking, all he ever gave me was praise. Especially whenever I learned something new.

Seeing him earlier, crying his heart out in front of his dead family, ignited something inside me. It was something that I've never felt before. Siguro ganito ang nararamdaman ni Jared sa tuwing nalalagay kami sa panganib, ay mayroon lang siyang ilang segundo para mag-isip ng paraan kung paano kami makakaligtas. It was the will to live for myself, and for the people around me.

Gone were the days of me being afraid of everything. Gone were the moments where I depend on others for my survival. Gone were the seconds where I let my emotions get the best of me, putting everyone around me in danger.

Gone was the old Andre. This is me now, and I promise to be more brave.

Of course, I still have a lot to work on. My heart still pounds like crazy whenever we encounter something dangerous, but I'm trying my best to put on a straight face and calm myself down, lest I do something that will put us in jeopardy. Someone told me that it's okay to be terrified, as long as you don't let it get the best of you.

"We still have a lot of hours to spare," Pauline says, replying to Jack's statement. "Bakit kailangan pa nating maghintay? We should leave now."

"Hindi pa pwede," pagtanggi ni Jack. "Masyado pang delikado. Hindi tayo pwedeng magpadalos-dalos, lalo pa't hindi natin alam kung sino ang mga kalaban natin. Besides, we can't travel in broad daylight. It's like lighting a fire in a pitch-black environment. We'll just be a beacon for our enemies."

"Jack's right," Ian agrees. He leans back in his chair and focuses his gaze at Pauline. "We can't risk it. It's much better to travel at night, with our headlights off. We'll be safer that way."

We're in the kitchen, seated around the dining table. It is almost time for lunch, but none of us wants to eat. Masyado kaming abala sa pag-iisip sa mga posibleng mangyari mamaya. After our encounter with Edward, we realized that we need to be extra careful to not let our enemies infiltrate us again.

"That's a good plan. It will greatly diminish our chances of meeting a sketchy human being on the road," Felicity adds. "We don't want another Edward."

Minabuti ko na rin na makisama sa usapan at maglabas ng opinyon ko. There's something bothering me, ever since Felicity told us everything she discovered about our enemy in sheep's clothing. Something's not adding up. I'm pretty sure that they're asking themselves the same questions as well, but no one is bothering to speak it out.

So I'll do it.

I lean against the table, putting my elbows on the surface and my hands on both sides of my cheeks.

"Don't you think that it's a little weird for everything to be a coincidence?"

Felicity turns her attention to me in an instant. "What do you mean?" she asks, though I could tell that she knows exactly what I mean.

Nagsalita pa rin ako upang marinig ng lahat kung ano ang tumatakbo sa isip ko.

"I mean... Isn't it strange that Edward ended up in this house, kung nasaan din tayo? Isa pa, you all heard what Felicity said. Pinag-eksperimentuhan tayo ng mga aliens na iyon. They need us for something. To them, we are nothing but vessels--vessels for their leaders to use."

"And your point is?" Pauline interjects, making me feel a flash of annoyance. Sasagot na sana ako pero naunahan ako ni Ian.

"His point is, there must be something that we missed--something that is helping them to track us down. Most likely, if they managed to find us before, they will find us again."

"Useless pala kahit anong oras tayo bumiyahe." Pauline nods, finally piecing everything together. "They'll find us if they want to."

But how? Did they do something to us, imprinted some sort of tracking device inside our bodies? How will we be able to remove whatever they've put inside us without putting ourselves in mortal danger?

"Wala na tayong magagawa," Jack sighs. "Kung mahahanap at mahahanap nila kayo, the only thing we could do is to be extra careful."

He's right. There's no getting out of this. Unless we managed to beat them. But that would be like travelling from the earth to the sun without using a spaceship.

What can a group of teenagers do against a race that is far more advanced than us, technology and strategy-wise?

Ian gives each of us a look of determination. "In order for us to survive, the only thing that we could do is to never let anyone in our circle again. No matter what happens, whoever we meet on the way, we can't trust anyone. No questions asked."

A/N: The last chapter of Part II will be divided into three (or four) parts. First part will be posted this week. Stay tuned and thank you for reading!