MARKUS SANDATA

Chapter 10 - Delivery Boy

I had called Velarde's number so many times, but he wasn't answering. When my cellphone's dead, and there was no power for me to charge the thing, I had decided to go out to feed myself. I was also having trouble sleeping, but I could deal with it...because I was like this when I was young...no one else to talk to, and no one to look for.

Days passed, I had no more money. I couldn't think of Enrich as my ally because she was not supposed to be helping me to begin with. All I ever wanted was to keep her safe; but I had a strange feeling that I shouldn't had to worry about her anymore because she had hated me for a reason that I had not yet realized.

I had totally lost hope, until I had decided to go on my own, without caring too much of my face to be an attraction because my face was everywhere and tried to find this Jason Tuazon person in Quezon City. My rule was very simple...when a woman or a man looked at me for a short period of time, I walked away. So it took me three days just to reach Quezon City. Yes, I just walked. I slept in a dark alley where no one would be around. By night, I continued my journey. It was easy for me because I used to be like that as a kid. Anyway, I had nothing in my mind to trade with him, nor any ideas to convince him to help me, but still I went to his place...filled with hope.

When I was about to reach Jason Tuazon's shop, I saw a man sitting beside its door, reading a newspaper with a pen in his right hand. He was wearing a polo shirt tucked inside his pants, just like Velarde. When I approached the man, I got surprised...it was him.

"Velarde!" I yelled.

He stared at me, "Markus?!"

"Oh my God! You're here all along?!"

"Shit! Markus! What the hell happened?!" He stood up and hug me like I was his son.

I stared at him, "Where the hell is Hermosa?"

"I don't know. Last time I saw him, we were in the apartment."

"What was he doing?"

"I don't really know. He was working with his technology. He was like...controlling a flying camera or something. He called it 'the eyewitness.' He was developing it...until we heard some noise. It was the neighbors...and I heard that you're wanted by the cops. I didn't have time to call Hermosa because he was inside of the kitchen...so I ran away through the window to save myself from being interrogated by the cops."

"'Eye witness?'" He nodded. "Son of a bitch...he was trying to record your death."

"Huh? M--my death?"

I held his arm, "Velarde, Hermosa was using us all along! He wanted to kill you so he could prove to Ching-Chong III that he is worthy to be his right hand. I learned this from his now-dead-best-friend by the name of Glenn Marko."

"Really? FUCK!!!" Velarde walked in circles, "So THAT was why he was in the kitchen...he--he--he was trying to look for a knife, he told me. He said he was going to cook me dinner. Fuck!"

"Fucking Hermosa. If I ever see him again...I will stab him to death."

"How did you know that the cops were looking for you?"

"I saw a wanted poster of myself so I hurried to Velarde Drugs Corporation."

"I see."

"Hey...I was thinking of you, Velarde. I thought the cops had captured you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, boss. I'm like--I live to serve you...thing, Velarde." I smirked.

"Thank you, Markus. Finally, you're here. Our plan will move."