Depression Plutus (Curse #4)

CHAPTER 61 Underground

OTTILIE VIRSES POV 
 
 
Sinadya ni Plutus na iparada ang sinasakyan namin ilang metro ang layo mula sa school. Bitbit ang mga backpack sa likod, tahimik naming binaybay ang tahimik na daan. Tanging ang mga lamp post lamang ang nagsisilbi naming ilaw sa madilim na gabi. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang naghihintay sa'min sa dulo ng sekretong underground na 'yon, pero umaasa ako na may mapapala kami sa gagawin namin ngayong gabi. 
 
Nasa malalim akong pag-iisip ng hawakan ni Plutus ang kamay ko. Kanina ko pa napapansin ang pagiging tahimik nito. Ang hindi ko lang inaasahan ay kung ano nasa isip nito.
 
"Don't overthink it, witch," he murmured. "Whatever's inside of that shit underground, I've got your back." 
 
Kagat-labi kong pinigilan ang namumuong luha sa mga mata ko. Simple lamang ang sinabi nito pero agad itong nagdulot ng epekto sa'kin.

"Sa totoo lang, hindi ko alam ang gagawin ko kung wala ka sa tabi ko," mahina kong mutawi. 
 
Naramdaman ko ang paghigpit ng hawak ni Plutus sa kamay ko. "If you’re that grateful, a kiss would do," he scoffed.

Now, a sly grin tugging at his lips as he said, "I’d really appreciate it, you know."
 
"Ngayon na?" Natatawa kong tanong sa kan'ya nang huminto kami sa paglalakad.
 
Para itong bata na tumango habang napapakamot sa batok nito. Sabihin niyo nga sa'kin, sinong babae ang makakatanggi sa asungot na prinsipe na 'to? Kaya hindi na 'ko nagdalawang isip pa. Tinawid ko ang natitirang distansya namin, saka ako tumingkayad upang hawakan ang mga pisngi nito. 
 
Kumikinang ang mga mata ni Plutus sa ilalim ng sinag ng buwan habang nakatuon ang atensyon nito sa'kin. Matamis na ngiti ang isinukli ko sa mga titig na iyon bago ko inilapat ang labi ko sa kan'ya. Siniil ko ng halik si Plutus, iyong tipo ng halik na mararamdaman niya kung gaano ko siya kamahal, at kung gaano ako nagpapasalamat na karamay ko siya. Nang maghiwalay ang mga labi namin, kapwa kami nakatitig sa mga mata ng bawat isa.

"Not bad, witch," he grinned. "Can I have one more, please?" 
 
"Tama na 'yan, abuso kana," biro ko sabay labas ng dila. "Tara na, naghihintay na sila Jenna sa'tin." 
 
"Not fair!" He grumbled, clearly having a tantrum by stomping his feet. "I want more! More!" 
 
Napaikot na lang ang mata ko sa pagmamaktol nito. Daig pa niya si Triogen na behave lang. Hindi naman 'to titigil hanggat hindi napagbibigyan ang gusto kaya pinagbigyan ko na. Isang mabilis na halik lang naman.
 
"Ano, okay na?" Naiinis kong tanong sa kan'ya. 
 
Ngumisi lang ang asungot na prinsipe. "Much better," he smirked. "I love you, witch." 
 
"I love you, more," tugon ko sa kan'ya at saka hinila na ang kamay nito. "Bilisan na natin, malapit na mag alas-dose." 
 
~~~
 
Inip na inip na naghihintay ang dalawa ng makarating kami ni Plutus sa meeting place namin. Jenna had her arms crossed and was frowning as she tapped her foot impatiently.
 
"Bakit ang tagal niyo?" Jenna accused while glaring at us.
 
Hindi nakatakas sa paningin ko ang pagngisi ni Plutus, kaya pinanlakihan ko agad ito ng mata. Sige, subukan niya na magsalita, hihilain ko talaga ang dila niya. Napapakamot ako sa ulo ng ibaling kong muli ang tingin kay Jenna. 
 
"Sorry, medyo may kalayuan kasi ang napag-parkingan ni Plutus," hinging paumanhin ko dito. 
 
Habang ito naman si Dylan ay parang walang paki lang. "Alright, enough chit-chat. Get your flashlights. It’s time to begin our mission," nakangisi nitong turan. 
 
As we rummaged through our bags for the flashlights, I couldn’t help but notice how excited Dylan looked. Basta sa mga ganitong bagay, buhay na buhay ang dugo ng isang 'to. 
 
"Follow me. Stay quiet and don’t draw attention," he said confidently as he adjusted his flashlight and led the way.
 
The four of us took a narrow grassy path behind the campus. Tinataasan ako ng balahibo dahil sa sobrang dilim ng paligid, idagdag pa na mapuno sa bandang parte na ito. 
 
"Omg! I swear I stepped on something squishy," Jenna complained while wringkling her nose in disgust. 
 
"Ang ingay mo!" Saway ni Dylan. "Kapag tayo nahuli, iiwanan ka talaga namin dito." 
 
Habang binabaybay namin ang masukal na daan, naramdam ko ang paghawak ni Plutus sa kamay ko. As usual, Plutus looked as uninterested as ever. Pasimpleng da-moves din 'to eh. 
 
After a few minutes, we arrived at a tall brick wall covered in crawling plants and vines. Pinakatitigan ko ang mataas na pader na nasa harapan namin. Inaalam kung paano namin ito lalampasan. 
 
"Don't tell me, aakyatin natin ang pader na 'yan?" Nakangangang tanong ko kay Dylan.
 
Dylan just grinned. "Nope. Watch this."
 
He stepped forward and carefully pulled aside the plants like a curtain, revealing a small hole in the wall, just big enough for one person to crawl through. Sabay tuloy kaming napapalakpak ni Jenna dahil sa pagkamangha. 
 
"That’s brilliant!" Jenna exclaimed.
 
Plutus, on the other hand, just rolled his eyes. "How very dramatic," he muttered.
 
"Pasok na, guys," muwestra ni Dylan.
 
Jenna went first, crawling through the hole with ease. I followed next, trying not to let the damp soil bother me. Dylan came after me, and finally, Plutus squeezed through with a muttered complaint about the dirt.
 
"Fuck these germs," Plutus groaned. 
 
Nang makapasok na kaming apat, bumungad sa'min ang garden ng school. May secret passage pala dito, hindi naman kasi ito madalas puntahan ng mga estudyante dahil sa tago na ito masyado. 
 
"Tara dito," Dylan whispered, pointing toward the back of the school cathedral. "Turn off your flashlights and stick close."
 
Tahimik naming binaybay ang madamong daan habang sinusundan si Dylan. When we reached the back door of the cathedral, Dylan tried the knob, but it didn’t budge.
 
"It’s locked," he muttered, frowning.
 
Jenna didn’t waste a second, though. She pulled off her bag, took out a pair of hairpins, and crouched down by the lock. Mukhang alam ko ang gagawin ni Jenna, kaya mabilis kong tinakpan ang bibig ko para itago ang ngiti ko. 
 
"Of course, Jenna’s got it covered," Dylan teased. "Nakikinita ko na ang hinaharap mo, a legendary thief in the making."
 
"Totally," Plutus said with a grin. "Maybe you can open a school for aspiring burglars."
 
Hindi ko na napigilan ang tawa ko sa sinabi ni Plutus bago ibinaling ang tingin kay Jenna, "Hindi mo naman sinabi na may tinatago kang talent."
 
"Tigilan niyo nga ako!" Jenna snapped, glaring at us but still focused on the lock.
 
After a few tense moments, we heard a soft click. Bukas na ang pintuan, finally! Wala kaming sinayang na oras at nagmamadaling pinasok ang loob cathedral. We moved quietly until we reached the altar. Without second hesitation, Jenna pressed the tile and pulled the lever, opening the entrance to the underground. 
 
Then, the four of us exchanged glances. This is it, malalaman na namin kung ano ang itinatago ng cathedral na ito. 
 
"I’ll lead the way," Plutus said confidently as he descending the stairs. 
 
I followed behind Plutus, then Dylan gestured for Jenna to go next, habang si Dylan naman ang nasa huli. The air grew damp and chilly as we descended the narrow staircase. Each step echoed faintly, and the deeper we went, the more the light from the moon faded, replaced by an eerie darkness that our flashlights barely seemed to penetrate.
 
When we reached the bottom, the tunnel stretched before us like something out of a horror movie. The walls were rough stone, coated with patches of moss, and the floor was uneven, scattered with broken stones and debris. The smell was damp, mixed with the faint metallic tang of rust. 
 
"Omg, this place is so creepy," Jenna whispered.
 
"This is exciting. Parang kailan lang nababasa ko lang 'to sa mga mystery books," nakangising turan ni Dylan. 
 
"Yeah, sure with a side of claustrophobia," Jenna shot back, her flashlight beam jerking nervously as she glanced around.
 
I chuckled softly, "Kung natatakot ka, pwede ko naman hawakan ang kamay mo," pang-aasar ko dito.
 
"I'm not scared, Ottilie. So, no thanks," she snapped, making me breathe a laugh.
 
Binaybay namin ang madilim na tunnel for about 15 minutes. Pakiramdam ko, wala nang katapusan ang tunnel na 'to. And just when I thought we might actually be lost, we came to an abrupt dead end: a solid stone wall blocking the way.
 
"Seriously? We walked all this way for this? Talk about killing the mood!" Jenna groaned loudly.
 
"Tahimik," Dylan hissed, holding up a hand. His eyes narrowed as he examined the wall. "This doesn’t feel right. I bet there’s a hidden door or passage here."
 
Pinaningkitan naman ni Jenna itong si Dylan, "Paano ka nakakasiguro? Ano basehan mo?" 
 
"My extensive knowledge of mystery books," Dylan said confidently. "Trust me, there’s always a secret button or lever in places like this. Let’s find it."
 
Napapatango naman ako sa sinabi ni Dylan, "Sabagay, may tama ka do'n. It wouldn’t make sense to build a staircase leading to a dead end."
 
"I suggest you start poking random things instead of bickering, yes?" Plutus said flatly. 
 
I turned to face Plutus, "And what about you? 'Wag mo sabihin na takot kana naman sa germs?" 
 
Plutus raised an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest, "I forgot to bring my disinfectant spray and I run out of alcohol, so no can do, witch." 
 
Napapa-iling na lang kaming tatlo sa kaartihan niya. No choice, the three of us spread out, each of us examining the wall with our flashlights. I ran my fingers over the rough surface, hoping to find some sort of clue. After a few minutes, my light caught something unusual, a torch holder mounted on the wall.
 
"Ugh, guys?" Tawag ko sa kanila habang hindi inaalis ang tingin sa pader. "Pansin ko lang, nag-iisa lang ang torch holder na 'to." 
 
Everyone turned toward me as I twisted the torch holder out of curiosity. To my surprise, it moved easily, and a soft rumbling sound filled the tunnel.
 
"Whoa!" Jenna shouted, stepping back as the ground shook slightly.
 
We all froze, watching as the stone wall began to slide to the left, revealing another tunnel branching off to the right.
 
Dylan grinned. "Sabi sa inyo, eh." 
 
 

 
To be continued...

A/N: Pasensya na guys. Hindi na kaya ni ottor mag-update araw-araw due to my busy sched. But I'll promise na tatapusin ko itong story ni Plutus and of course, sa tatlo pa nating prinsipe na mga single. Hahaha! So, I hope you'll keep supporting curse series until the end.

Lovelots!