Taste of Hell

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Sorry, I wasn't looking..." nagtuloy-tuloy lang ang lalaking nabangga ko at pumasok siya sa restroom ng mga lalaki, he's wearing a black cap and a jacket. He kinda looks like he's hiding or spying, ipinagkibit-balikat ko na lang iyon at bumalik na sa table namin ni Nikka.

Dumaan kami sa isang coffee shop ni Nikka na nadaan namin on our way home, we stop by here to have coffee.

"Ate Nevaeh, ayos ka lang ba?" Nikka asked as she looks at me full of concern.

"Y-Yeah." tumango ako at saka naupo. I'm still bothered of the man earlier. But I guess I'm just worrying for nothing.

The place is full of people, everyone around us is happily chitchatting while drinking their coffee and everything happens in just a blink of an eye.

Isang malakas na pagsabog ang yumanig sa coffee shop. Nang magmulat ako ng mga mata ang kaninang maganda at puno ng mga taong nagtatawanan ay napalitan ng lugar na halos hindi ko na makilala ang ayos, there are people lying at the ground hindi ko alam kung humihinga pa ba sila.

Agad pumasok sa isip ko si Nikka kaya kahit iika-ika akong tumayo ay nilakad at hinanap ko pa din si Nikka.

Sa lakas ng pagsabog ay tumalsik kami mula sa kinauupuan namin. The place is totally ruined.

"N-Nikka..." I've search for every places and I found her somewhere almost near the entrance.

"Nikka!" I hurried went to her, I slightly tap her cheeks and thank God she's conscious now.

"A-Ate..." she called. "W-What happened?"

May mga iilang taon na din ang nagkamalay at nakaligtas sa pagsabog na nangyari.

"I...I don't know, Nikka but we have to get out of here." I told her, she nodded and I help her to stand up.

"Ate Nevaeh!" then her eyes widened in horror and she gasped loudly.

"B-Bakit?"

"Y-your l-legs..." she trembled when she pointed out my legs.

Ang unang ginawa ko ng magkamalay ako ay hanapin agad si Nikka nakalimutan ko na ang hita ko na nanakit at parang namamanhid.

I slightly bend to look at my left leg and all I see is my leg covered in blood, a piece of thin metal stuck in it.

And as if on cue the pain imerge in my whole being.

We heard the sirens of a police car a minutes after that's when we remember to get out the messy place.

"M-My bodyguard..." I said to Nikka. "We have a bodyguard while your brother is not around." I added.

"I don't think he survived." she answered, her face sadden as she looks at a particular spot something and when I followed her gaze I see a lifeless man in uniform, the uniform of ISPS. He's outside of the entrance. I think he's going to get inside when the explosion happened.

Agad na nilapitan ang mga survivors ng mga medic at ng mga pulis para i-assist kami.

Thankfully Nikka is fine and didn't get any injuries.

"Nevaeh..."

A strong pair of hands grab me and hug me. He is tall and well build, Nikov.

"Nikka is fine, Nikov. She was there." itinuro ko pa ang puwesto na kinaroroonan ni Nikka kung saan nasa may ambulance car ang babae at may mga medic na kumakausap dito.

"Fuck!" maingat niya akong binuhat at agad na dinala sa isa sa ambulance car.

"She's hurt badly...please help her." nangungusap ang tono ni Nikov habang kaharap ang isang babae.

"Hold on, baby. I'm here I promise everything's going to be alright." pag-aalo ni Nikov sa akin at hinawakan niya ang kamay ko.

Marahan akong ngumiti sa kaniya at tumango.

I wasn't coping up with what just happened. But I know I am badly hurt, it hurts but I don't know why I'm being calm at the moment. I mean it hurts but not really hurt that much.

"Nevaeh..." Nikov called me. "Does it hurt much?" he suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"Your leg..." aniya at bumaba ang tingin sa hita ko.

"Ah, masakit pero hindi naman sobrang sakit." inosenteng sagot ko at sumulyap ako sa hita ko.

"It doesn't hurt much?" he asked, nangunot ang noo niya ng tumitig sa akin.

Nahihiwagaan naman akong tumango sa kaniya.

When I woke up I was in a hospital bed. Nikov is the first one I saw when I wake up.

"Hey," he softly touch cheek.

"What happened?" nalilitong tanong ko. Did I passed out?

"You were in so much pain that you passed out." he told me.

"Huh? B-But I was okay. It didn't really hurt that much." I said.

He just stare at me for a seconds before giving me a slight nod and a look on his face as if he was sad of something.

"Si Nikka?" I asked him.

"She's fine. She don't have any injuries and she's perfectly fine so I told my men to bring her home. You don't have to worry about her." He answered.

"Mabuti naman kung ganoon." I sigh in relief.

"Yeah..." he nodded, still his eyes are never leaving mine. "Nevaeh..."

"Hmm?"

"The doctor said you need to stay here for a couple of days."

"Okay."

"Luckily it wasn't that fatal but the doctor advice you not to carelessly walk around. You have to rest." He informed me.

"Okay." I nodded and blinked.

A flash of memory suddenly corrupts my vision, am I hallucinating?

I saw a metal stick pierced on my leg by that man. It hurts, I was so much in pain but he told me not to cry or else he'll pierce another metal stick on any parts of my body that he wants.

"Nevaeh?"  Isang marahan na alog ang nagpabalik sa akin sa realidad.

What was just I saw awhile ago? Is it me? Is that my younger version tortured?

"A metal stick was pierced on your left leg, it hit some nerve but it wasn't fatal."

I couldn't comprehend what was he is saying.

H-How can I forget? I could never run. I could never hide.

"You have a records in this hospital...13 years ago."

That made me stilled.

13 years ago? I was send to this hospital, a hopeless and dying 13 years old little girl, that was me.

"Y-Yeah." nahirapan bumuka ang bibig ko at pakiramdam ko bumabalik ako sa araw na iyon. I can still feel it. It feel so real that I shivered.

I almost forgot about my past because I have Nikov now. I have them. But it won't leave me. The past will continue to haunt me even though 13 years had passed.

That man who make my whole life like a living hell, my father who killed my mother and tortured me.

Harbinger Astof