Stay Awake (ORIGINAL DRAFT)

Chapter Thirteen: Sixth

Chapter Thirteen: Sixth

The club is completely empty. Even the chairs and tables are gone. The floor, which was littered by sleeping folks yesterday, is now spotless. Parang may taong bigla na lang nag-decide na linisin 'yung buong lugar.

I grip the door handle to keep myself from collapsing on the floor. What the hell is happening?

"Holy mother of cows," Andre says behind me. Even if I'm not looking at him, I know that his jaw is now hanging open. This whole sleeping syndrome keeps surprising us.

"This is getting creepy," Felicity says, her voice small and etched with fear. "Kagagaling lang natin dito kahapon... Are you sure this is the right place?"

"Yes, it is," sagot ni Ian.

Like Felicity, I also want to think that this place isn't the right one... That this is just the universe playing a joke to mess with us. But, no. This is Oblivion...and someone had messed it up.

Wait, that sounds wrong. More like, cleaned it up.

"What are we going to do now?" Holly asks. "This place had been altered. Any evidences that we're looking for must be gone now."

"Kailangan pa rin nating ituloy 'yung plano natin," I say, steadying myself. Surely, there's still something left inside the club, right? Whoever did this cannot finish cleaning the whole place in less than a day. It's impossible. Unless may magical powers siya, which I don't believe.

But... if I told the last week's version of myself that the whole world will be put in a deep sleep and he will be one of those who will survive and try to save the entire humanity, I'm sure he won't believe me.

Everything's changing... I have to keep my mind open because right now, anything can be possible. Even magics and wizards and stuffs. Even aliens.

Wait... Aliens?

There's something about it.

Biglang may humawak sa balikat ko and I quickly turn around.

"Are you okay?" It was Ian.

"Yeah... I'm fine." I answer. I shrug off his hands from my shoulder and I take a deep breath. "Let's go inside."

Even with the sudden absence of sleeping humans, the atmosphere inside Oblivion is still the same: calm and eerie. A chill went down my spine, and my throat dries.

Something had been here.

I don't know how I can feel it, but I know that something, not someone, had been here just moments before we arrived. I can feel some lingering energy that I'm sure had come from that something.

Tumingin ako sa mga kasama ko. Magsasalita na sana ako pero bigla akong inunahan ni Andre.

"Can you guys feel that?"

Holly nods. "Yeah. It's like there's a negative energy here."

So I'm not the only one who can feel it. For a moment I thought that I had acquired some special ability. That would've been cool.

I walk towards the stage. Pati 'yung dugo ng babaeng namatay, nilinis na rin. I should be grateful about it, kaso napaka-mysterious naman nu'ng gumawa noon. Paano kung sila rin 'yung nagda-drive ng school bus na humabol sa amin kanina? Isa pa, I have a bad feeling about this. I can sense that something bad is about to happen.

Narating namin 'yung pinto papunta sa kitchen area. Lahat kami, biglang napatigil sa paglalakad. We're scared, and hesitating to go inside. What if there's another monster dog lurking in the darkness? I don't think I can pull off what I did again. That was tough luck. Cool and badass, yes, but only tough luck.

"Okay... Here we go," bulong ko sa sarili ko as I push the door open. Darkness, cold and terrifying, greets us with the loud banging of the door on the wall. Kinuha ko 'yung cellphone ko at binuksan ang flashlight.

Like the dance floor, the kitchen area is clean and spotless. Wala na 'yung mga basag na utensils na nagkalat sa sahig. Even the corpse of the dog is gone. The smell of acrid disinfectant is all over the place, making me wrinkle my nose.

I shine my flashlight ahead, and I see a plain, wooden door at the end of the kitchen area. We hadn't noticed it yesterday because we were too occupied of thinking ways to escape the rabid dog.

"Papasok ba tayo sa loob?" Andre asks, his voice full of doubt.

Hindi ako sumagot. Nagpatuloy lang ako sa paglalakad hanggang sa marating ko 'yung pinto.

This must lead to the owner's office. Baka makita namin dito kung ano man 'yung hinahanap namin.

Bubuksan ko na sana 'yung pinto but we suddenly heard a loud bang.

Natigilan kaming lahat at nagkatinginan.

"What the hell was that?" Andre whispers.

"I don't know," Ian answers. "It came from outside the kitchen."

We all look towards the kitchen's door. Bloody hell, is there another monster dog out there? I hope not. Oh, God, please just let it be a rabbit or a rat or something smaller. I don't think we can survive another rabid dog.

I swallow, willing myself to feel braver. Then I turn towards Ian.

"Are you sure?" I ask him.

He nodded. "Positive."

"Then let's go check it."

"Are you shitting me?" Andre asks incredulously. "What if isang monster nanaman 'yung nasa labas? I don't want to face another abomination again."

I feel my temper beginning to rise. Ugh. Why does he have to be so fucking scared? I mean, we all are. Pero ten times 'yung intensity ng kanya.

"Look, you can stay here if you want. I don't give a damn," I tell him. "I'm going to check what's outside that fucking door, and there's nothing you can do about it." I glare at him, then I quickly walk towards the door.

I hear Holly say "Man up, dude" before she goes to follow me.

Tumigil ako sa tapat ng pinto ng kitchen.

"So? Are we gonna go out or not?" Holly asks, her eyebrows raised.

"Wait," I say.

Idinikit ko yung tainga ko sa pinto. At first, there's nothing but silence. Then--something echoes. It sounds like a footstep.

A human footstep.

They must've noticed my expression, because Felicity asks me, "What is it?" I didn't answer her. Nanatili lang ako sa pwesto ko at patuloy na nakinig.

'Yung unang footstep, nasundan pa ng isa.

At ng isa pa.

At isa pa.

I start to count, and then it stops at fifteen.

Silence.

"Jared?" Felicity calls.

I hold my breath, waiting for another footstep. It was too late when I realized that the thing making those footsteps had already arrived.

The door opens with a bang. Dahil sa sobrang gulat, naging blangko 'yung isip ko at sinuntok ko 'yung nagbukas ng pinto. My fist connected with something, and I hear a loud thud.

"Oh my gosh," Felicity exclaims.

Tiningnan ko 'yung sinuntok ko na ngayon ay nakahandusay na sa sahig. Nanlaki 'yung mga mata ko nang makita ko kung ano iyon.

It is...

A girl.