Published under 8Letters Publishing House
"Sino ang tunay na may sala sa pagkamatay mo? Sino? Sino ba sila?"
Five years ago, Eury Genehuges' sister went missing and was brutally murdered. After a storm of devastation, she began to investigate about...
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“What? S-Severino Mualde is dead!” pagtatakang sambit ni Desiree dahilan upang mapatingin si Eury sa kanyang direksyon.
“A-ano, ’Ma? Sinong Severino Mualde, po?” gulat namang utas ni Eury sa ina nang maalala niya ang kaganapan kagabi.
Napatitig ito sa kanya. “Severino Mualde is the fourth member of the seven capital vices; he is also known as Glutton’s Dilemma. He’s one of the board members in Eastern Visayas and is also known for his influential role in local governance. His sudden death sent shockwaves through the community.”
Eury was really puzzled; her thoughts are confusing her with disbelief. The news about Severino Mualde’s sudden death and his connection to the seven capital vices left her with lots of unanswered questions.
“Paano mo nalaman na isa siya sa seven capital vices, ’Ma? You even told me that infos about them is limited, right? So, how can it be?”
“It just showed up here, ’nak. Nagtataka nga rin ako, bastang lumabas na lang ang tungkol kay Severino Mualde. Nagising na lang ako nang may biglang nag-send sa akin ng isang link, it’s anonymous. Well, out of curiosity, I immediately opened it.”
Napatingala na lamang si Eury sa kisame at napapikit. “Someone must’ve played a trick on us, ’Ma.”
“I don’t know... Hindi ko rin alam, ’nak. Here, look at the link,” sambit ni Desiree habang pinapakita ang link na senend sa kanya.
As they opened the mysterious link, a sense of fear crept over them, realizing that the link was not just a simple one.
“Uh, hindi mo po ba ma-trace kung sino ang nag-send?” ani Eury.
Napalingo-lingo ito. “Unfortunately, hindi, ’nak. Right after I opened the link, the user blocked me.” Dismayadong sambit nito, kasabay ng pag-aalinlangan.
Eury looks confused. “Uh?” She furrows her brows, glancing at Desiree.
“Is there a problem? What’s bothering your mind? You can tell me, ’nak.”
“Last night, something happened, ’Ma. Ginabi na rin kasi ako umuwi no’n and you’re tightly sleeping, so I didn’t bother to wake you up, but...”
“But? Go on, ’nak.”
“I really thought it was Rio who texted me that night. Ang sabi pa sa text, maghihintay raw siya sa labas dahil may sasabihin siyang importante kuno. Pero nagtataka talaga ako sa text niya, tipong hindi naman kasi gano’n ang paraan niya kung paano siya mag-text sa akin. I had no other option but to call him, ’Ma, but I was surprised when he told me that it was not him who texted me.”
“Bakit hindi mo ako ginising? That could be dangerous, ’nak,” nag-aalalang wika nito.
“Nothing happened, ’Ma. Wala namang masamang nangyari sa akin. In fact, Rio helped me.”
“Si Rio Sentimiento? Legit ba ’yan na siya ang tumulong? Para kasing ang hirap maniwala, ’nak. Pero mag-ingat ka pa rin. Huwag ka kaagad magtiwala, kasi baka plano niya lang ’yan lahat.” Lumapit si Desiree sa anak at tinititigan nang masinsinan na may pag-aalala sa mga mata.
“Opo, ’Ma, pero hindi ko alam kung tama bang pagkatiwalaan ko siya o hindi. Sobra na akong naguguluhan.”
Desiree senses Eury’s confusion, but she reassures her, “Anak, huwag kang mag-alala. Basta huwag muna tayong magtiwala nang basta-basta sa ibang tao. Hindi natin kilala ang mga nakakasalamuha natin. All are deceiving; all are pretentious. We should be careful, okay?”
Tumango lamang si Eury. “Pero may napansin ka ba sa note, ’Ma?” “Anong ibig mong sabihin, ’nak? Bukod sa banta, wala na akong ibang napansin.”
“Hindi mo ba nakita ang verse do’n?” mahinang sambit nito.
Eury seemed so unsure; she couldn’t shake off the uncertainty that lingered in her mind. Fear was all over her. The more she dwells on it, the more questions she’ll have.
“I didn’t notice,” napalabi lamang ito.
“Ang tanga ko lang kasi, ’Ma. Ang akala ko ang magiging target niya ay ang mga Sentimiento. I didn’t notice the verse; it’s too late when I knew it was purposely a warning for Glutton’s dilemma,” punong-puno ng pagsisising sambit ni Eury, halos mapaluha na siya nang sabihin niya iyon sa harapan ng ina. “I just couldn’t save Severino Mualde. If I just told you, ’Ma. Buhay pa siya ngayon.”
“No, it’s not your fault.” Pagpapagaan ng loob ni Desiree kay Eury.
“But it’s haunting me. Sobra akong nagsisisi.”
She knew deep down that she couldn’t simply brush it aside. She is very determined to find the truth and has decided to know the situation and what’s behind it, as the verse keeps running through her mind.
Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.
