Gambit of Hearts: Chasing Black UNO

Prologue

The moon shined brightly in the sky above while its silver light covered the streets below like a gentle blanket on a cool night. 

But the silence of the night was shattered by the roar of an engine. Isang itim na sasakyan na umaandar ng sobrang bilis. Hearts pounding in terror and fear, inside the speeding car was a family of four.

The man took a deep breath before gripping the steering wheel tightly. Ang puting polo na suot ng lalaki ay nagsisimula nang maging kulay pula dahil sa mga dugo na nagkalat doon. The woman, who's in their mid 30's, was also sweating in fear.

Napalunok ng madiin at dilat ang mata nito habang papalit-palit ang tingin nya sa asawa at sa rearview mirror ng sasakyan. Beads of sweat formed on their forehead, tracing a path down to their temples.

On the back of the seat there sat two children. Ang mata ng nakakatanda na palaging napupuno ng kislap, ay napalitan ng pagkatakot habang mahigpit na hinahawakan ang nakababatang kapatid nito. With a teary eye, the child looked up to her mother, "Mama..why are there bad guys in our house?" Kapagkuwan ay napahikbi ito bago bumaling sa kanyang ama na nababalot ng dugo, "And Papa..he is hurt, Mama. We should go to the hospital."

The child's lips quivered in fear while her tears kept on streaming down her face, "I'm so s-scared Mama..I w-want to go home M-Mama.." lumakas ang hikbi nito, "I'm so s-scared..B-Bad guys are c-chasing us..And P-Papa is bleeding, Mama I'm so scared.."

Mahigpit na napahawak ang bata sa seatbelt nya, "W-Why are they c-chasing us, P-Papa..?" bumaling ito sa ina nya, "M-Mama? D-Did we do something b-bad to them, M-Mama..?"

The woman looked at them, her hands clutching the armrest so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She forced herself to breathe evenly, to remain calm for the sake of her children. Even with a fear boiling inside, the woman managed to smile sweetly at her children.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered,  "We'll be fine." Umiling ang babae, "And no..we didn't do something wrong. So don't worry, okay? We'll be safe soon."

"But...P-Papa is.."

"I am okay, love. Papa is okay, I am not hurt. So be brave for me, hmm? Lalayo tayo sa mga bad guys." the man managed to smile while looking at them through the rearview mirror, "Now, be a brave oneesan and hold Ichigo for Papa. Would that be okay, my love?"

The kid wiped her tears as she nodded, "Y-Yes, Papa..I will h-hold Ichigo so the bad guys won't h-hurt us."

Bumaling ito sa nakababatang kapatid na yakap-yakap ang maliit na strawberry stuff toy habang umiiyak. Nanginginig at takot na takot ang bata at paminsan-minsang napapahagulhol kapag gumigiwang ang sasakyan nila.

Their car has a more than a hundred bullet hit outside. Their car was made with a thick metal and is bulletproof but that wasn't enough to calm all of them, especially the young kids. They have been chased for almost an hour now and they could not even count on their fingers how many times they have been fired at.

Umiiyak, natatakot, naguguluhan. Iyon ang naramdaman ng bunso nila. She was crying and her tiny body would tremble everytime they can hear a loud thud, a gunshot.

"Protect your sister for me, love." anang ama nito na kaagad namang sinunod ng bata.

Bumaling ito sa nakababatang kapatid nya at tsaka ito niyakap ng mahigpit. Despite being scared, the child managed to whisper to her sister, "It's okay, Ichigo. We w-will be o-okay. The b-bad guys won't hurt us. Papa ang Mama will p-protect us." humihikbi na sabi nito.

The child clung to her tightly, "Oneesan...I am scared. Takot ako, ate. T-Takot ako.."

"Hush, don't be. B-Big sister is here and Mama ang Papa is here." Then she looked at her in the eye after wiping her own tears, "After this, we will b-buy lots of s-strawberries, okay?" umiiyak man pero nakuha pa rin nitong magsalita ng diretso.

Napahikbi ang nakababata nyang kapatid kapagkuwan ay napatango, "O-Okay.."

The woman looked at her children with a tight feeling in her heart. Her children doesn't deserve this. They are too young. Way too young to experience this.

At ganoon rin ang naramdaman ng ama ng mga ito. Anger, pain, and guilt are consuming him at the same time every time his eyes would land on his children. He swore to give them a normal life. He swore to live like a normal citizen but here they are, getting chased by someone they don't know just because of the life that he left long ago.

They heard another gunshot making the man pressed harder on the accelerator, urging the car to go faster, to outrun the danger. The speedometer climbed, the needle quivering as it approached its limit. His breathing was ragged, each breath a struggle as adrenaline coursed through his veins.

He can't risk the life of his wife. He can't risk the life of his children. Hindi pwede. Kailangan nyang matago ang mga ito. Kailangan nyang makapunta sa isang ligtas na lugar.

"Hold on," he muttered through his gritted teeth, his voice barely audible over the roar of the engine. "Just hold on."

The woman reached out to hold her husband's arms. Mahina nitong pinisil ang braso nito habang may mga luha na namumuo sa mga mata nya. The man looked back at her. Nangungusap ang mga mata nito na para bang nanghihingi iyon ng tawad sa kanya kaya naman mariin nyang kinagat ang pang-ibabang labi para hindi sya mapahikbi.

They only wanted a normal and simple life. Iyon lang. Iyon lang ang hinihingi nila. Is it really hard to give?

She could feel the tension in his muscles, the fear that gripped him as tightly as it did her. She tried to calm her racing heart, to focus on the here and now, but it was difficult.

The children huddled closer together in the backseat, their breaths coming in short, panicked gasps. The eldest tried to comfort her sister, whispering soothing words even as tears streamed down her own face. She could feel her tiny body shaking, her fear was rising, and so was hers. But she needed to be strong. She is the eldest. And she promised her Papa that she will protect her sister.

The woman looked at the backseat of the car and the sight of her trembling children almost killed her. She sobbed, "It's okay," she said, her voice shaking. "Mommy and Daddy will keep us safe. They always do."

Patuloy at mas lalong bumilis ang pag-andar ng sinasakyan nila at patuloy rin silang hinabol ng mga armadong lalaki na hindi nila kilala. That goes on for another ten minutes before the parents eyes widen, their mouth parted in shock.

There was another car at the front. Malayo-layo pa ito pero sa lakas ng takbo ng dalawang sasakyan, alam nilang dalawa na may mapait na mangyayari sa kanila.

The man tried to press the brake harder, tried to stop the car but due to how much they are speeding, he cannot control the movement of the car now.

Ang takot nila ay kaagad na napalitan ng matinding gulat at mabilis namang tinanggal ng babae ang pagkakalagay ng seatbelt nya.

Without thinking twice, she faced her two children and pulled them both to a tight embrace to protect them from the crash.

As she closed her eyes, a loud crash was heard the same time their car veered off the road, tumbling down on the street.

Ears ringing and even though her body felt weak, she never let her two unconscious children go and remained embracing them. Kahit na ramdam na ramdam nito ang pagkabali ng paa nya, hindi nya binitawan ang dalawa nyang anak. She risked her life for her children.

She gazed weakly at her children one last time, a lone tear slipping from her eye before the world around her faded into darkness.