Chapter 20

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"The moment we left Springdale alive, naging tinik na tayo sa lalamunan ng gobyerno. Same goes with this old man and his student," paliwanag naman ni Roger. Napatingin ako kay Zoe at maging siya ay mukhang wala ring alam.

"Proof?" I asked, still not convinced by their words. "Kung sinasabi niyo 'yan, ibig bang sabihin. . . may koneksyon ba kayo sa gobyerno? Kaya niyo ba alam?"

"The answer is no. We don't have any connections with the government," si Dale naman ang sumagot. "Remember the project they planned after COVID-19? Their goal was to end the virus and accomplish its goal, which I think was killing people—and who knows? Baka ito 'yong project na 'yon?"

"COVID-19 ended, then a new virus started?" naguguluhang tanong ko naman. "Yeah, that makes sense, but it's just. . . it's too cruel, damn it! Mas malala pa nga 'to sa COVID, e!"

"And how sure are you about that?" tanong naman ni Logan. He looked dead serious right now, and it made me feel anxious.

"A hunch—"

"Well, screw your hunch with respect, Dale!" hindi ko na napigilan na mapasigaw dahil sa inis. The dining room was wrapped in silence. "I refuse to believe anything you just said."

"But it just makes sense, Jami. . ." bulong naman ni Drake, kahit na ayaw niya rin namang maniwala. "Remember what happened to us back at Springdale? 'Yong tinangka tayong patayin ng nga militaries?"

"As much as I don't also want to believe it, I almost died in the hands of that military," Logan said, staring directly into my eyes. "'Yon ang mga rason kung bakit kapani-paniwala ang mga sinabi ng dalawa. The government wants us dead. They want to annihilate all human beings by making their own virus."

Napatakbo si Luna papunta sa lababo. Narinig na lang namin siyang nagsusuka. Wala sa sarili akong napaupo sa isang upuan at napatitig na lang sa kawalan. I felt Drake's hand on my shoulder and pressed it gently, trying to comfort me.

Napakagat na lang ako sa labi ko. "Why the fuck would they do that? Kung tungkol na naman 'to sa mga political bullshits, do they really have to go this far?"

Hindi naman sila nakasagot. I wept in silence when those thoughts flooded my mind. Ramdam ko ang paninikip ng dibdib ko, kaya napatakip na lang ako sa mukha ko.

"So, what's your plan?" kunot-noong tanong naman ni Logan kay Dale.

"What do you mean by that?" tanong naman sa kaniya ni Drake. "Bakit parang pinaparating mo sa 'min na kailangan na nating umaksyon bago pa tayo maunahan ng mga gagong 'yon?"

"We can hide from them and fly from one place to another, but we all know that we can't do that forever. Matutungtong at matutungtong din nila tayo," sagot naman ni Logan, making much more sense.

"Then, you're saying that we should fight them?" hindi makapaniwalang tanong ko, kaya napatingin sa akin ang lahat. "No, we can't! Kung gano'n ang gagawin natin, hindi rin tayo nalalayo sa mga halimaw na ginawa nila!"

"You're overthinking, woman. Hindi 'yan 'yong ibig kong sabihin," buntong-hininga ni Logan at sumandal sa malamig na pader ng mansion. "I'm just saying that we should find a way to deal with them, kasi hindi naman natin sila matatakasan hanggang sa dulo. Dadating din ang oras na makahaharap natin sila."

"Side with them." Lahat kami ay napatingin kay Drake dahil sa sinabi nito. His eyes were gloomy, and his voice was flat. "Dalawa lang din naman 'yan, e. It's either we side with them or making them our enemy."

"Paano naman natin gagawin 'yon?" seryosong tanong naman ni Casper sa kaniya. I almost forgot that he's still not at the right age for this because his eyes were so sure about dealing with this shit.

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