Shorts (Short stories)

Unholy Motive

(A/N): Ewan ko. Hahaha I just wanna write. Pero waley inspiration mga bes. Pasensya na dito. hahahaa

It was one of those usual nights.

Magkikita ang barkada sa isang club or bar sa BGC. Inom-inom. Sayaw-sayaw. Konting flirtation sa mga nandun sa club tapos uuwi na ko. Like I said, this is our usual night. Usual Saturday night. We do this almost every Saturday because,dare I say this, our lives are so empty. Let's just say na kami nga siguro yung cliche na millenials. We complain too much on social media but we don't work our ass off. Not yet anyway. I have one more year until graduation. Hello, bago ako magpa-alipin sa adult world, magpapakasaya muna ako. Yun nga lang, ang definition ng kasiyahan namin, bar hopping lang. Yes, I say "lang" kasi minsan nagsasawa rin ako.

I have been to every bar or club in the metro. I have met every type of person na nagpupunta ng bar. That's why sometimes, it gets a little boring. That's why tonight, I decide to call it a night kahit ba 1 am pa lang. Yes, maaga pa yang 1 am. Usually, 4 or 5 am na kami nakakauwi.

"Claire, you sure you can drive?" Sigaw ng friend ko. The music's too loud, we have to shout.
"Yes, I'm sure! I didn't drink that much!" Sagot ko naman.

Nag-beso kami. I waved to some guy na nakilala ko tonight. Of course, I did not expect him to offer me a ride home. That's a rare case here. Well, except kung iuuwi ka nila sa sarili nilang condo para alam mo na.......

Well, even my friends didn't care enough if I go home alone. If I can drive or am I too drunk. i got used to it. We're all here for the fun and the thrill. Not all those dramatic, sappy shits that 'friends' do.

I go for the road less taken. In other words, hindi sa EDSA. Kasi kahit 1 am na, traffic pa rin. Lecheng gobyerno hindi magawaan ng paraan---

See, what I said being a millenial? Complaining too much...

As I drive down the dark road, I hear a rumbling from back of the my black Subaru. Nung una, hindi ko pa pinansin kung ano yung tunog sa likod. Kaso lumalakas yung sounds tapos bigla-bigla na lang bumagal yung takbo ng car.

Because of the alcohol in my system, I was alert. Or paranoid. I parked the car at the curb. I turned on the lights inside my car to search for an umbrella. As luck would have it, wala akong payong. Because duh, who knew would this happen. Who brings an umbrella when you have a car?

I braved the rain and got out of my car. I checked the wheels. Hindi naman flat. That's when I noticed that the inside of the hood of my car is smoking.

Shit.

Binuksan ko agad ang hood. I tried to fan away the smoke but it's a bit useless because of the rain. Using my handy dandy mini flashlight, I checked what's wrong. Wala akong ma-identify bukod sa telltale signs ng usok. I tried to call my friends pero siyempre, walang sumasagot. I really wish we have 911 here. I tried to call the hotline for my car pero wala rin.

Ayan kasi, bibili ng kotse pero hindi alam ng parts. How do I diagnose what's wrong? How can you fix something when you don't know what's broken?

Then I hear a motorcycle coming. I tried to hide inside my car. I locked every door. Siyempre, dito sa Pilipinas, yun yung instinct mo. Pag may naka-motor at madilim na, magtago ka na. I tried to crouch inside my car and pretend that I'm asleep. Then the rider, a guy, calls out.

"Hello? Do you need help?"

I tried to see if he's with somebody. I try to mutter a few prayers pero kanino ba ko nagpi-pray eh I don't believe in religion. Or ewan ko. Di pa ko sigurado sa beliefs ko. And shit, it's cold. I'm wet from the rain.