December 5, 2019
Eastwood
7:42 p.m.
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"Whenever I see girls and boys
selling lanterns on the streets..."
It was the time of the year to start singing along to classic Christmas songs---not to be vomiting blood on your cream-colored carpet.
Sa kabila nito, hindi na naiproseso ng ginang ang nangyayari sa kanyang paligid. Hindi pa rin tumitigil ang pananakit ng ulo niya, at para bang lalong lumala ang kanyang panghihina. Nanginginig pa ang kanyang kamay na tuluyan nang namantsahan ng dugo.
Mrs. Taves stared in disbelief at the crimson mess she made in the living room.
'A-Ano bang nangyayari sa'kin?'
Hindi naman ganito kalala ang trangkaso, hindi ba?
No, a common flu definitely doesn't make you feel like you're about to collapse to everytime you get out of bed. At isa pa, higit isang linggo na siyang nilalagnat! Hindi na bago sa kanya ang magkasakit, pero ni minsan, hindi niya pa naranasan ang ganito katagal na masama ang kanyang pakiramdam.
And as much as she wanted to ignore her husband's advice to go see a doctor, Mrs. Taves knew something strange was happening to her body. But in the end, it was her decision to just act like everything is perfectly fine...
"Pero paano kung hindi?"
Marahan siyang napailing, sabay baling sa orasan.
7:45 p.m.
'Naku, tinatakot mo lang ang sarili mo, Marilyn! Pauwi na ang mga bata... Kailangan mo nang mag-ayos bago pa nila makita 'to,' isip-isip niya at huminga nang malalim. When the urge to vomit struck her again, she quickly covered her mouth. It was only a matter of time when she finally stumbled over.
Her body hummed with fatigue.
Her eyes were unfocused.
Her stomach ached.
Nanghihina siyang kumapit sa coffee table, pero hindi na nito nakayanan ang bigat niya. Dahil dito, nagkalat ang mga Christmas tree ornaments na isasabit pa sana nila mamaya, ang mug na naglalaman ng mainit pang tsokolate, at ang mangkok ng mga prutas.
Mrs. Taves laid helpless on the cream-colored carpet, now stained with her own blood.
'Ano bang...n-nangyayari sa'kin?'
Hindi na siya makahinga nang maayos. Hindi na siya makakilos sa kanyang pwesto, at mukhang wala na ring balak tumugon ang kanyang katawan.
Nahihilo na siya sa dami ng dugong nawawala sa kanya.
In her final moments, while she was bleeding to death for an unknown reason, Mrs. Taves angled her ghostly face towards the window.
Nahagip ng kanyang mga mata ang anino ng taong nakamasid sa kanya mula sa labas ng kanilang bintana.
'B-Bakit parang...pamilyar siya?'
O baka naman nagdedeliryo na siya?
But before she could even get a good glimpse of intruder, the virus inside her body made the final decision for her.
She died at 7:55 p.m.
Five minutes later, her children came home.
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BINABASA MO ANG
✔ 03 | Point of Exposure
Mystery / Thriller"Kailangan natin siyang pigilan bago pa ubusin ng virus ang populasyon ng Eastwood!" This time around, Detective Nico Yukishito and Detective Briannova Carlos are forced to face two enemies... One unseen. One vengeful. Both deadly. What happens when...
