Eclipse

Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Abducted

I'm silently mourning because of their horrible sudden death in their own house. Our own house. With my trembling hands, I hugged their lifeless bodies while my uncontrollable tears were flowing in my cheeks, not bothered by the blood that will stain in my uniform.

Patuloy lang ako pagluha, na matagal ko nang hindi nagagawa. Kailangan nga ba ako huling lumuha dahil sa matinding kalungkutan at pagluluksa? Hindi ko na matandaan. O baka niloloko ko lang ang sarili ko, pinaniniwalang hindi ko na natatandaan kung kailan ang huli.

Crying isn't just a sign of vulnerability. Sometimes we cry because we couldn't take the pain and sadness anymore, showing how brave we are to reveal what we really feel, instead of keeping it all inside us to act tough infront of everyone. We can act, pretend that we are not affected but at the end of the day, we were the only ones who will suffer.

I continued to mourn, to cry for them while remembering all those times we are together that will forever be engraved in my heart.

Because who would do that other than me? None. It's the reality of being dead. Some will mourn for you, cry their heart's out until there's no tears left but after some time, you will be forgotten.

You were like an ashes of a burnt firewood. Once the wind takes away the ashes, your remnants will also be gone, forgetting about your memories, that you once exist in their lives.

In this cruel world, many wanted to disappear, to be forgotten. They wanted to end their miseries by ending their lives but what they really need is to be found. They are lost souls who are wandering around, searching for the reasons to live their lives while waiting to be found.

Kusang umangat ang ulo ko mula sa pagkakayuko buhat sa pagyakap sa kanilang mga katawan nang may marinig akong mga yabag ng mga paa patungo sa kinaroroonan ko.

Kung ganoon ay narito pa rin sila. Ang mga salarin sa krimen na ito.

Tumayo ako mula sa pagkakalugmok sa sahig, nababahidan na ng dugo ang dating malinis kong uniporme pati na ang braso, binti, kamay at maging sa puti kong buhok na nagkukulay pula na ang dulo. Sinalubong ko sila sa pagpasok nila sa kabahayan ng mga matang walang emosyon ngunit nagliliyab sa matinding pagkamuhi. Samantalang ang mga bagong dating naman ay nagpapakita lang ng iisang ekspresyon, pagkauhaw.

Uhaw sa kamatayan ko.

"Masaya na ba kayo? Nagawa na naman ninyo ang nais nyo. Ano pa bang gusto nyo?" mapait kong wika. Patuloy lang itong mangyayari kung hindi pa ito matatapos agad.

Humakbang ng isang beses palapit saakin ang isang lalaki na syang nasisiguro kong lider ng grupo na ito. "Kailangan mo nang mamatay. Hindi ka nararapat mabuhay dahil gulo lang ang tanging dala mo."

Sarkastiko akong napatawa dahil sa sinabi nya. "Ilang beses na ba ninyong pinagtangkaan ang buhay ko? Pero ni isang beses, hindi kayo nagtagumpay. Mamamatay? Ako? Sigurado ba kayo? Dahil mauuna muna kayo bago ako sumunod," nanunuya kong sagot sa kanila dahilan para tutukan nila ako ng mga pana nilang dala.

Kahit pa na tutukan nila ako ng mga pana, ramdam ko ang pamumuo ng takot sa katawan nila dahil sa sinabi ko. Nakapalibot sila saakin habang patuloy pa ring nakatutok ang mga pana sa direksyon ko. Matagal nilang inobserbahan ang kilos ko, kung gagawa ba ako ng maling galaw ay siguradong higit pa sa sampu ang tatamang pana sa katawan ko.

Gagawa na sana ako ng hakbang ng biglang isa-isang bumagsak ang ilan sa kanila habang mayroong mga palasong nakabaon sa likuran na nasisiguro kong may lason. Naging alerto naman ang lahat at papanain na sana ako ng isa nang may biglang humila sa kamay ko upang makaiwas.

May isa pang grupo ang lumabas mula sa kakahuyang malapit sa mga kabahayan at sinimulang tirahin ang kabilang grupo.

"What the fuck? Do you really want to be dead?" Ang lalaking humila saakin ay kasalukuyan akong prinoprotektahan na para bang isa akong babasaging bagay na hindi maaaring magalusan man lang. Napairap ako sa ginawang pakikialam ng mga bagong dating.

Ang grupo nila Lune, kasama sina Rianne at Ainslee.

"Isa kang traydor! Traydor sa ating lahi! Dapat kang parusahan! Makakarating ito sa iyong ama!" Napantig ang tenga ko sa nanggagalaiting sigaw ng lider ng kabilang grupo kay Lune na kasalukuyang nakaharap dito at nakababa na ang takip sa mukha. Seryoso lang ang tingin ni Lune na tila hindi man lang naapektuhan sa sinabi nya dahilan upang mapaatras ang lalaki.

"Go ahead and tell him. Tell him that I betrayed him. Tell him I'm a traitor, that I'm not following his orders and choose to disobey him. I'm so sick with his greediness for power that he even let my mother die just because of his foolishness. I would rather die in choosing the right thing than to live with guilt by choosing to follow him," mahina ngunit madiing sagot ni Lune sa kanya na talagang ipinaparinig nya lang sa kausap nya ngunit naririnig ko pa rin. I scoffed.

Greediness. A sin. A temptation to be the dominant one. Fueled by envy and extreme desire, it could be destructive to every beings. It could destroy someone, a family, a friendship bond and all. It was something I didn't want to come  but happpened anyway.

Unconsciously, I was killing the other group by an unknown power coming from me. I just snap out of it when I almost lost my consciousness and my balance.

Luckily, Lune caught me in his arms while I'm drained with no reason. Everyone were already down except for his group, standing where we are while catching their breaths and staring at me with concern and relief in their eyes.

"Finally, we already found her," they murmured.

Lumapit saakin si Rianne. For the past few weeks I didn't saw her, it feels so unusual to see her again so close to me.

Napapikit nalang ako sa sobrang panghihina habang mabibigat ang bawat hiningang binibitawan. I can't even lift my finger. And I hated it when someone sees my vulnerable side. "Are you okay? Eclipse?" she softly said to me, worried and unsure how to talk to me. Napahugot ako ng hininga.

That name again. "I.....I-i'm not E-eclipse," I said, almost a whisper.

There was a silence between us and before they could even utter a word again, somebody knocked them down using a gas bomb. A sleeping gas.

While everybody was coughing and surrendering with the drowsiness, silhouettes of people came in my blurry sight. Someone grabbed me from the sleeping Lune and carried me away from the scene.

•••