September's Escapade (Calendar Girls #9)

THIRTEEN (Eyes, No Lies II)

Warning: This chapter contains death that may not be suitable for sensitive readers.

"5 minutes left," mariing wika ng host kaya ako napatingin sa timer na nasa malaking screen.

Dahan-dahang itinakip nina Jeffrey at Master Ripper ang blindfold sa kanilang mga mata. Ang kanilang mga kagrupo ay nangangatog ang mga tuhod sa sobrang kaba lalo na nung gumalaw ang ring kung nasaan sila nakatayo. Hindi ko maiwasang maawa sa kanila lalo na't gustuhin man nilang pumagitna sa ring ay mayroong mataas na harang sa kanilang harapan, at isang maling galaw lang ay ang katakot-takot na asido sa ibaba ang naghihintay sa kanila.

"You shouldn't have picked the knife, dumbass," Master Ripper teased as he loaded the gun and pointed it at Jeffrey.

Mula sa screen ay kitang-kita ko ang pagngisi ni Jeffrey habang mahigpit na hawak ang kanyang balisong. His teammates yelled when Master Ripper fired the gun at Jeffrey, but he dodged, causing one of Jeffrey's teammates to be shot instead. I sucked my lower lip as I watched the man cling to his bloodied chest until he succumbed to the acid below.

"Fuck you, Jeffrey! H-how could you?" one of his teammates scoffed, disappointed.

Hindi naman sumagot si Jeffrey, imbes ay nangangapa itong humakbang palapit kay Master Ripper. Ang mga kagrupo ni Master Ripper ay binalaan siya tungkol kay Jeffrey kaya mabilis itong lumayo bago pa siya tuluyang madaplisan ng patalim.

"You really think you can win against me just because you have a gun?" Jeffrey chuckled evilly. "No one has ever defeated me, not even in my dreams."

Master Ripper reloads his gun and sways it in the air, trying to figure out which way he should shoot it. Jeffrey's teammates, on the other hand, keep warning him, but he doesn't seem to care. He's just standing there with his knife.

"Jeffrey!" sigaw ng isa niyang kagrupo nung muling nabawasan ang bala ng baril ni Master Ripper.

Kagaya kanina ay nakaiwas na naman si Jeffrey mula sa tama ng baril ngunit ang natamaan no'n ay isa sa kanyang mga kagrupo. My brows furrowed as I saw the man who had been shot screaming in agony. He was shot in the left shoulder, but he's still standing tall, so he won't fall out of the ring.

"That damn Jeffrey is doing it on purpose," bulong ko sa hangin.

Robert looked at me with interest. "D-don't tell me you're thinking the same thing..."

"Yes. Jeffrey has good senses, and he's using them to dodge at the perfect timing even before the bullet hits his body. He's standing directly behind every his teammate so they get shot instead of him," I casually said.

Samuel clenched his fist. "But why is he doing that? The ones catching those bullets are his teammates. His fucking teammates! How can his teammates help him on the next round if he keeps doing this?"

"You'll see," mahina kong sagot.

"2 minutes left!" paalala ng host kaya ako muling napatingin sa timer.

When I felt the ground shake again like an earthquake, I shrugged. The audience's loud gasps filled the venue as the ring shrank again. This game "Eyes, No Lies" isn't about which leader survives from the other, but rather about how many teammates you can save before the game ends.