30 Doors

20th Door

"Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard
Some do it with a bitter look
Some with a flattering word
The coward does it with a kiss
The brave man with a sword"
― Oscar Wilde, The Ballad of Reading Gaol

***

MINALYN

That riddle back there before that shitty Andreas threw Vlad's laptop. It was terrifying. Really... really terrifying.

People may see me as a fighter but in reality, every death makes me weaker. I am scared. No. Not scared. I am totally terrified. I hate seeing people die. I hate seeing those I love, die. Like my parents.

Noong una akala ko pakulo na naman ito ng mga walang magawa sa buhay na mga taga-Employee Engagement Team. Like what they usually do, pretend like every effin' working day is a wonderful day to be inspired and be productive.

Like the shit, I care? We're at the MOS to work and not to pay their games as dumb as rock. A few fries are short of a happy meal for me. I hate it. I hate the employee engagement team!

I just thought their existence was the worse creation on earth, but I was damn wrong. The serial killer or the terrorist or the alien or whatever thing is killing us is real! Kung pwede lang na sumali ako sa korning pa-games ng EE Team, ginawa ko na huwag lang 'to.

I have never been scared in my whole life!

This game from an unidentified email addict is killing us all! One-by-one! It killed everyone. It killed Nyl, my friend Nyl. And it might kill Rielle or even me. It's killing my friends and the thought terrifies me.

Habang tumatakbo ako papuntang elevator kasama ang iba pang empleyado, lumilipad sa isip ko ang mga posibeng mangyari dahil sa riddle na 'yon. 'Hold your friends.' The next floors might break our friendship. It might break several circles of friends.

Naabutan naming nag-aaway sina Andreas at Maddie kasama si Thrina sa harap ng elevator. That Andreas is getting annoying. He's quite a good-looking man but he's as annoying as a screaming bitch. Sakto ang dating namin ni Rielle nang sampalin ni Maddie si Andreas.

Malutong. Malakas. Labis kong ikinatuwa. Tangina mong Andreas ka!

"Kung hindi ka ba naman kasi gagong Andreas ka, eh di sana alam natin ang ginagawa natin ngayon! Now tell me, tell us kung anong ang gagawin sa elevator na 'yan?" Galit na galit na sambit ni Maddie. Nanlilisik ang mga mata nito habang nakaharap sa nakangising lalaki.

"Kung type lang kita, hinalikan na kita dahil sa ginawa mo." Panunudyo ng asong si Andreas na tila napakatigas ng mukha dahil hindi man lang natinag sa ginawa ni Maddie. Hinimas-himas nito ang nasampal na bahagi ng matigas na mukha saka muling nagsalita. "Natatakot ka na baka hindi na tayo kausapin ng killer o natatakot ka na mahihirapan kang kausapin si Vlad dahil sira na ang laptop niya?"

"Pinagbibintangan mo ba si Maddie?" mataray na singit ni Thrina na humakbang na rin para sugurin si Andreas pero naharang siya ni Simond, ang dakilang alalay ni Andreas. Napansin kong nanggagalaiti ang mga mata nitong halos tabingan ng makapal niyang bangs. Burado na rin ang makapal na lipstick nito na lagi niyang suot kapag nasa duty.

"Ikaw lang naman ang kaduda-duda dito Mads!" Singhal ni Simond sa babae. Nakakatawa pa rin ang pangkomedyante nitong mukha kahit na seryoso na. Sinamaan nito ng tingin ang babae. "Bakit ka may infinity tattoo sa batok? At bakit ikaw ang pinakaapektado sa pagkasira ng laptop ni Vlad? Dahil mahihirapan kang bigyan kami ng riddles at puzzles at maths na pwede mong pang-uto saamin!"