Never Have I Ever

Thirty-Ninth Shot

Kari

Ang sakit, puta.

Every part of me is screaming in pain. My head was throbbing as if someone was hammering a nail through each temple, the pain becoming unbearable which brings me close to tears. Walang iiyak, Karina Louise!

Holding back a groan and biting through the piece of cloth tied between my teeth, I tried to move the rest of my body which was aching like I'd been thrown all over the place. But I couldn't do much since my wrists were tied together on my back which is the same for my ankles. It was like my body was bent like a bow, every time I make an effort to do anything.

From what I can tell, I'm most probably lying down sideways on a dusty floor–kasi mabahong aligabok–with the scent of something rotten tickling my nose. There was also a slight chill in the air, triggering a bunch of goosebumps from my back to the rest of my legs.

After blinking a couple of times, my vision was still completely dark. So I moved my head a little from side to side, only to finally peek through a piece of silk cloth that was now only covering one eye. Asan ba ko?

As my eyesight adjusted to the dark space, I finally saw a small glass window by the furthest side where a ray of light was seeping through. Glancing up at the ceiling, which wasn't that tall, it was wooden and I can spot some holes in it. A few drops of water even dripped through those leaks. Only the sound of it falling into the wooden floor can be heard in this cramped location. Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.

How did I even get here? As far as I could remember, I woke up in a good mood to cook a late breakfast for Calix and me then I heard a doorbell. One of the female guards–the one who gave me those McQueen slippers before–told me that there was an emergency so before I could rationalize it, I stepped out of the door and it was pitch black from there on.

Tangina, ang tanga-tanga. I pretty much jumped into a trap and even if I regret my stupidity, there's really no point. I might as well come up with something so I can leave. Although that sounds easier said than done, I rolled off the floor to get somewhere. Instead of reaching for the door, I end up hitting a shelf of books.

Putik. I grunted under my breath because that hurt my ribs as the rest of my blindfold slipped through. Thankfully, the shelf didn't even budge nor did the books on them fall on top of me, or else, I'm really doomed. Pero laban pa rin.

Okay, here goes another try. After another body roll, I hit one leg of a single bed with my own leg. Aba't! I winced and almost shrieked in pain but I couldn't stop from doing something. Giving up would be easy but no way can I even consider that. I refuse to spend a second longer in this place, wherever this is. It's like an abandoned room but it's more like a secret chamber or something. I'm not even sure what time it was. Gutom pa naman ako.

The window seemed far from my current position and I can't tell if that light is from the sun or the moon. Biting hard on the gag in my mouth, I tried to move again because it was better than doing nothing.

But I stopped short when I heard a few shuffles close to me. It was something like a pair of heels clicking and a pair of dress shoes being stomped on the wood. No matter how much I try, I can't seem to locate the door until the dilemma solved itself when someone flicked the room's light on.

Gago. I squinted at the sudden brightness in the room which made my eyes burn since the bulb was directly above me and I was glancing up at the ceiling.

"Well, she's still alive." I flinched when I heard a familiar voice. No. No. Tangina, seryoso ba 'to?

Without having to find the owner of that voice, two pairs of blue eyes were staring down at me covering the light above us. One was in a light blue shade as her blond hair was covering more than half of her face and the other was an icy variation with that obnoxious fedora hat.