God's Cage | WOTG #1

seventeen | the next step of humankind

BEATRIX
The Next Step of Humankind

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NEXT STOP: CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES STATION 3

The hologram flashed the bright letters in front of the bus for us, passengers, to see. Pagkatapos daanan ang ibang istasyon ay sa wakas ay ang susunod na stop na ay ang CUP. Nakatunganga lang ako sa buong biyahe at walang tumakbo sa isip ko kundi si Cade at ang mga hindi maipaliwanag na nangyari noong araw na pag-atake ng mga terorista.

Dahil sa lawak ng CUP, buti naman at naisipan nilang magtayo ng tatlong istasyon sa loob mismo ng campus—bukod pa ang apat sa labas na malapit lang sa university.

Sapphire District wasn't an exception to the terrorist bombing. I saw dilapidated buildings like a giant had taken bites of them and spat them out on the ground but not after chewing. The bombing had damaged the roads disrupting the traffic. Construction workers had begun to rebuild the ruined buildings and roads. They worked like ants building their new colony. The Philippines was no doubt swift at taking action, deploying workers to immediately reconstruct what was destroyed.

Pero ang mga buhay na nawala ay hindi na maibabalik pa. They were gone—their bodies crushed beneath the fallen debris—and could never be rebuilt.

Katulad nga ng sinabi ng presidente may nagkalat na mga pulis sa bawat sulok ng kalsda. Kahit saan ako lumingon ay may nakikita akong mga naglisawang mga pulis. Talagang pinahigpit ang seguridad pero kahit ganoon ay hindi pa rin ako kumbinsido na mapipigilan pa rin nila ang mga masasammang loob kung may balak ulit silang manggulo.

Napatingin ako sa orasan sa phone ko. Kailangan ko nang bilisan. Iilang minuto na lang ay papatak na ang alas-sais.

A moment had passed and the doors opened themselves and people swarmed out of the train car like bees flying out of their hives. Footsteps clanged on the floor and whispers and agitation filled the air. I stepped out of the bus and ran until I was out of the crowded station. Stations were not crowded like this before but since there has been a new prescribed curfew people were trying to get home faster. I shouldered my way through until I made out the huge one of the huge open fields of the university.

Katapat lang ng istasyon ang Aguinaldo Library ng university kaya naman kitang-kita ko ang mga garduate students na inaasikaso ang kanilang mga thesis na magsimulang maglisawan papalabas ng building. May mga lumilipad-lipad rin na mga light orbs na nagbibigay liwanag sa daan. Kahit gabi na ay medyo mainit pa rin ang hangin.

The Martial Law granted the military to have their presence permissible inside the campus. I noticed there were some city-camouflaged vehicles parked on the side of a university road. The campus police, looking inexperienced and infantilized beside these grown men, aided the military in securing the place.

Tumakbo ako papuntang faculty office ng College of Medicine na kung saan malakas ang kutob ko na matutunton ko si Professor Xeán. Kahit professor namin siya sa senior high mga college talaga ang tinuturuan niya. Pagkarating ko sa opisina ay wala nadatnan kong naka-lock ang pinto. Sinubukan kong kumatok pero walang sumagot. Inaasahan ko na hanggang ten o'clock ng gabi may tao dito—ang mga natitirang instructors at professors na tinatapos ang kanilang trabaho—pero nang dahil siguro sa bagong curfew ay maaga na silang umuuwi sa kanikaniyang mga university apartments sa Robredo Hall. Lumabas agad ako ng College of Medicine.

Five-storey buildings lined up a ghost-quiet street. Trees jutted out in the middle of the empty road and I could hear the swish of their leaves as the wind caressed them. The light orbs hovered over the trees making themselves look like glowing fruits. The buildings were mostly made of concrete and glass so I could tell if someone was or was not inside the units.