Sound of Dead

The Siren's Signal (2015)

All we know so far: We're still alive. 

They're not.

How can you imitate the sound of death? Can we replicate it as a band? Or maybe this instruments would never be used the same way again. For we all we know, this could be the last night of our lives. 

When Gary opened the church's pull-up door earlier, around 8:15pm, the street lights were bright. We didn't bother enjoy the beautiful scenery of fast car lights passing by, for we were late.

We failed to realize, we should have. For we will never see them again. We would have focused on the absence of light that suddenly enveloped the city this midnight. But we were more concerned about - the sound.

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By 9:00pm, we we're trying working our way towards our second fast song "My Heart is Alive - Planetshakers", when strange things started occuring. The secondary still door beyong the Worship hall's glass door suddenly moved on its own. "Hindi nga Kuya Johans, nakita ko talagang gumalaw", Edreen blurted out. 

"Wala lang yan, baka hangin". Yet, such a strong wind, I thought to myself. 

Weird. It was suddenly obvious that winds were blowing strongly outside. With our worship hall located at the third floor, it was more apparent.

"Guys sorry I'm late", Dean was the last one to arrive, coming from his work at Makati. 

"Grabe yung traffic, parang may comosyon banda dun sa Coastal road. Ang daming tao naglalakad na sa gitna ng kalsada. Buti na lang humarurot na yung bus namin kaya nakaabot pa ko". 

We Just laughed at it, teased Dean a bit for being late and proceeded to our practice. "Happy birthday Dean!" We sang our surprise greeting to him before Edreen counted with his heavy duty drum stick and we proceeded to the third song line up.

WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT WERE ABOUT TO HAPPEN NEXT.

We were wrapping up the last song for the night when we heard an ambulance siren. It was louder than usual. We could have ignored it but as fast as the first sound left the scene, seemingly rushing, another one overtook it.

"Kala ko ba bawal na yung Wang-wang (Siren)", Jyryx commented/shouted in the middle of Edreen still hitting the cymbals hard. "Baka my nasagasaan lang", Edreen commented. But still we just shrugged it off, thinking it's just another NORMAL practice night.

Until another ambulance sound came rushing to the vicinity. We thought it is just about to end, but then, the fourth rushing siren sound, never left the scene, as it was succeeded by the sound of collisions and horns of group of vehicles seemingly affected by it.

We we were about to unplug and check, yet Meralco did that ahead of us. The electricity were suddenly out. We brought out our phone to serve as flashlights.

Instincts seem to guide us, for we didn't bother putting down our musical instruments rushed to the closest open window. The one close the worship hall door.

Our jaw dropped at the scene.

"Garry na lock mo ba yung baba...." I absentmindedly asked. Coming from the highway towards coastal road were swarms and swarms of... dead. They flocked on every car, every store, every... soul. Little by little every sign of life viewable at our 3rd floor window disappeared. As fewer lights became visible, we stepped back and back from the window. 

We gain insight that they are attracted to light as they rushed into and exterminated every remaining light source on the street. Until all we can sense was their groaning sound.

As lights little by little disappeared from our window view, we absentmindedly stepped back and back from the window. "Turn off your phones, pad lock mo now na Garry!", we shouted in unison. And we waited for death.

"Kuya Joh, di ko na lock yung baba...." Garry even made our fears worst.

"What's new, ikaw ang papatay satin Gar"

"May iba bang daan?", asked Dean.

"Kung may daan, saan tayo pupunta", commented Jyryx

"Guys nadidinig niyo ba yun!" Edreen shouted as dozen steps echoed from the stairs.

"Shhhhh, kill - all - the - lights"

We waited for our doom. But our plan seemed to work. They were attracted to light and we turned off every source. They stopped right at the front door. About to leave. Our plan really worked.

Or so we thought.

****Cherry mobile TEXT MESSAGE sound beeping****

I wisphered angrily to the source: "Garry!!!!!"

"Good thing nasa bulsa mo" Stay down.

That's when a light flashed to my face. Garry.

"Papatayin ko na sana..."

"Too late!". 

And it was too late, the flash of light made the dead suddenly push against the steal door where we are. 

At ang tagal pa mag off ng Phone ni Gar.

We prepared our instruments to hit as hard as we can for our lives.

They were faster than the movies but  slower than us seemingly driven mainly by a certain hunger. Their eyes are blank. Moving mindlessly towards their next target. That - being us.

The door is about to break.

When the first zombie rushed in, I hit it with my red guitar in the head as hard as my arms can swing. It was the first time I saw such a darker red. 

In my peripheral vision, I can see Edreen cutting one head using a cymbal and Dean crushing another one with his heavy piano swing. Jyryx with his longest base guitar weapon, pendulum swinged two heads at one time. "Hit the head! Hit the head!" he shouted. We got that the first time. The brain has always been the command center of every activity - well whatever remains in them. We swing and spaaatttt!.

You'll never know your ready for apocalypse until you're in it. As the number of zombie became less and less we pushed our ranks towards the stairs, down to the first floor. Like on cue, we hit and synchronized like we were playing a song. Like a trained army we defended our lives. With near death experience instinct, we rocked zombie killing. When we reached the first floor, Garry immediately slammed down the steel door towards the last zombie head crawling in and keylocked the main door.

We are safe for now. But, it's gonna be the start of the longest night we'll ever have. 

Talk about, a cover of the previous year's overnight prayer - with just a harshly darker tune.