BACK ALLEY

CHAPTER 1

It's been raining nonstop for how many days.I can even barely see the surrounding while inside a slow moving police mobile.Malimit na lamang ang mga taong naglalakad sa labas.Ilan sa mga ito ay pawang mga walang magawa sa buhay na tumatambay lamang sa labas upang may mapagkaabalahan.

“Tumigil muna tayo dito.”Ani ni Sir Rai habang nakatingin sa labas ng windshield.He's scanning the whole area while trying to figure out how to go back to the station without suffering an accident.Dahil sa ganitong malakas ang ulan ay maraming aksidenting nangyayari sa kalsada.And we don't want that to happen to ourselves.Lalo pa at kami ay nasa oras ng trabaho.

“Mukhang minamalas tayo ngayon sir sa night patrol.”Komento ko at natawa.

Sir Rai laughed also and nodded his head.

“Dito muna tayo.Maghintay tayo ng ilang minuto bago bumalik sa station.”Ani niya.Isinandal niya ang kanyang ulo sa kanyang upuan at ipinikit ang kanyang mga mata.

“Don't go anywhere without telling me.”Dagdag niya at tuluyang natulog.

Napailing na lamang ako.I open my phone and randomly clicked a song from it.Mahina lamang ito upang hindi magising ang kasama ko.

Mahina kong sinabayan ang kanta habang nakatingin sa labas.At first I was just singing and then suddenly somewhere around the corner of the road,a man collapsed infront of the mobile.I know for sure that it's a man because of the built.I grab my gun and was about to open the door of the car when an another shadow emerged from somewhere.Kung gaano kabilis ang pagsulpot nito ay siyang bilis ng pagkawala nito sa harapan.

Tiningnan ko ang natutulog na si Sir Rai bago madaling lumabas sa kotse.I'm immediately soaked with rain upon going out.Mabilis at maingat kong tiningnan ang  harapan ng kotse habang nakahawak sa aking baril.To my surprised,the man infront earlier was gone but there are traces of blood that was slowly being wash by the rain.

Tiningnan ko kong saan patungo ang dugo na nasa kalsada.Patungo ito sa isang eskinita.I started walking towards it with careful measures.Tinalasan ko ang aking pandinig at paningin kahit na abot dibdib na aking kaba.

Hindi gaanong madilim sa eskinita dahil sa patay sinding ilaw na nagkalat sa tabi.Ngunit Hindi parin ito sapat para makita ng malinaw ang nasa paligid.Bukod sa madilim na bahaging ito ng kalye ay malakas rin ang ulan na siyang nagpapalala ng sitwasyon.

I hurriedly and silently followed the blood trail and then I heard a faint grunt noise.Hindi ito malakas ngunit alam kong hindi maganda ang lagay ng may-ari ng boses na iyon.I can clearly hear the pain of a dying person at iyon ang ikinatayo ng aking balahibo.For one year of service in the law enforcement,I never encountered this kind of situation.

I gulped the lump in my throat.Mahigpit kong hinawakan ang baril ko at sinimulang tahakin ang daan kong saan ko narinig ang boses.

Tumigil ako sa tabi ng pader at sinilip ang sitwasyon.There,I saw a tall silhouette and I don't know whether its a she or he infront of a lying severely beaten dude in his thirties.

“Freeze,stop moving and drop your weapon.”Malakas kong sabi habang nakatutok ang baril sa nakatayo.

I was about to leap my right feet when suddenly without a blink of an eye,the silhouette appears infront of me.It disarm my gun that left me dumbfounded.

What shocked me more is when the rain slowly stop pouring and the lights from the streetlights began to steady.She is very tall and she is a female.

But there's something wrong.

There's something wrong with her.

She is staring at me without blinking and her eyes are looking maniacally dangerous.Natutop ko ang aking hininga ng makita ang hawak niya sa kanyang kamay.She's been holding the heart of that man for a long time.The last breath that I heard from that man was his dying inhale.

“You—”She uttered a word and I lost my strength to speak.She stretched her vacant long fingers infront of my breast.

Napigil ko ang aking hininga ng dumikit ang kanyang daliri sa aking dibdib but she stopped.Akala ko ay kukunin niya rin ang aking puso,literally.

“You're small.How disappointing!”She said in dismay.

Umatras siya at tiningnan ako bago nawala sa aking paningin.That's the moment that my breathing went back to normal.Hindi ko napansin na nakalimutan ko na palang huminga.

I inhaled a deep breath before going to the man she left without a heart.

Upon checking him,I confirmed that he is dead.

Hindi na ako nag-abala pang kunin ang waterproof kong cellphone sa bulsa ng mapansin si Sir Rai sa kinatatayuan ko kanina lamang.

“I told you to report to me before going anywhere.Mabuti na lamang at walang nangyari sayong masama.”He tsk-ed.

“Im sorry.”Hinging paumanhin ko.

“You should be but this is not a good timing to say that.Mali ka ng nakita.”Ani niya.

“Anong ibig mong sabihin sir?”Taka kong tanong.

“Sajahitra's scum are always everywhere.”Napatingin ako sa kadadating lang na lalaki.I have seen him together with Sir Rai but he never went inside the police station.

“Anong ginagawa mo dito?”Sir Rai seems irritated with the new comer.

“Nothing.Just checking some transactions.”Kibit-balikat na sagot ng lalaki.

“Nakita mo ang may gawa nito?”Diretsahang tanong ni Sir Rai.

“Trade me anything and I'll tell you.”

“The f*ck Q.Tigilan mo ako.”

The man laughed before answering.“Steyr Sauer.Sajahitra mafia member.Not a simple enemy and never been a good ally.”

The hair at the back of my neck stands,it was as if my body didn't like what I heard.I don't want to meet that kind of people again because it will be the death of me.