Saving Humanity

Chapter Thirty-One: The Secret Basement

Chapter Thirty-One: The Secret Basement

Holly

It takes all of my willpower not to scream. Fortunately, Raf has the same way of thinking. He grips both of my shoulders, trying to pull me away from the pair of hands that are currently choking me, all without making any noise.

Pero iba ang nasa isip ng sumasakal sa akin.

"Pakawalan ninyo ako dito! Pakawalan ninyo ako dito!" sigaw niya. It's definitely the voice of a man, middle-aged. "Pakawalan ninyo ako!"

Tila matagal na niyang hindi ginagamit ang boses niya, base sa kakaibang gaspang nito. Because the room where he's in is shrouded in complete darkness, I can't see his face.

That's when I realize that my supply of air hasn't been cut off, because his grip isn't tight enough. I try to remove his hands from my neck and I'm surprised to see how easy it is.

"Shut up," I snap at him, quickly realizing that my voice sounds too commanding. He shouts louder in return.

"Be quiet," I try again, this time my voice firm but gentle. "Maririnig ka nila kapag nag-ingay ka, at hindi ka na makakaalis dito kailanman."

Mukhang napagtanto naman kaagad ng lalaki ang ibig kong sabihin, dahil kaagad siyang tumahimik. Itinigil din niya ang pagtatangka niyang muli akong abutin. Tumingin ako kay Raf at sumenyas sa kanya na tingnan kung may nakarinig na iba sa mga sigaw ng lalaki. Dahan-dahan niyang binuksan ang pinto at sumilip sa labas. As soon as he gives me the clear signal, I return my focus to the man inside the cell.

"Sino kayo?" tanong niya sa amin.

"Hindi na importante iyon," mabilis kong sagot. Pagkatapos ay ako naman ang nagtanong. "Bakit ka nandito?"

"I was captured by the soldiers," he replies.

"Bakit ka nila hinuli?"

"Mahabang kwento." I can hear the exasperation in his voice. "Now, can you help me escape or not? I need to find my daughter."

Based on the way he speaks, he seems like a really intelligent person. And if my speculations are right, he will understand the next words that I'm about to say to him.

"I can't help you right now," I say slowly, making sure that he'll understand me. "Pero tutulungan kitang makalabas dito kapag nakahanap ako ng tamang pagkakataon."

I wait for his response. Nang hindi siya magsalita ay nagpatuloy ako. "My name is Holly. I'm your ally. Sa ngayon, hintayin mo muna ang susunod na pagbisita ko rito."

"I understand," is his response. Tama nga ang hinala ko. He's a highly-intelligent person.

"Now, I have a few questions for you." Huminga ako nang malalim bago muling magsalita. "Anong pangalan mo at bakit ka nandito?"

There's a moment of silence, and then--"Ako si Albert Valdez. Isa ako sa mga scientists na unang nakatuklas sa existence ng mga extra-terrestrial beings. Hinuli ako ng mga sundalo ng Presidente dahil tumiwalag ako sa kanila kasama ng iba pang mga scientists."

"At nasaan ang mga scientists na sinasabi mo?"

"They are in a place called the Sanctuary. Kasama nila pati ang mga pamilya nila doon."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. Pauline's telling the truth. There really is a place called the Sanctuary. Tatanungin ko sana ang lalaki kung saan matatagpuan ang lugar na iyon nang bigla akong kalabitin ni Raf.

"We need to get out of here," he says. "It's not safe. Baka may makakita sa atin dito."

I give him a curt nod. Then I turn my attention back to the scientist.

"Kailangan na namin umalis," I inform him. "Don't tell anyone that we've been here. Or else, you won't be able to get out."

Sumenyas ako kay Raf, at kaagad naman siyang tumugon upang buksan ang pinto. Bago ako makalabas, muling nagsalita ang lalaki.

"Sandali lang," he pleads. Hinintay ko ang mga susunod niyang sasabihin. "If you see my daughter, please tell her I'm alive. Her name is Pauline Valdez."

I stop mid-step. I quickly turn around to face him--or the cell door that separates us, rather.

"Anong pangalan ng anak mo?" I ask to confirm if I heard him right.

I hear him take a sharp breath. "Pauline Valdez."

Pauline Valdez. Hindi ako sigurado kung iisang tao lang ang nasa isip namin. Hindi ko matandaan kung binanggit ba sa amin ni Pauline ang surname niya. I want to confirm it with this man, but we don't have much time. So instead of bombarding him with questions, I decide to keep it to myself for the meantime.

"Aalis na kami," I tell him. "We'll go back as soon as we can."

Hindi ko na hinintay pa ang magiging sagot niya. Kaagad kaming lumabas sa lugar na iyon. We find ourselves in the hallway we were in earlier. The place is empty now, not a single soldier in sight.

"We should explore this place," suhestiyon ko kay Raf. He gives me an are-you-crazy look.

"Nakalimutan mo na ba kaagad kung paano tayo muntik mahuli kanina?" he asks, full of sarcasm. "You must have a very short-term memory."

I roll my eyes at him. Bakit ba kasi nakita pa niya ako kanina. Ako na lang sanang mag-isa ang pumasok dito.

"You can leave if you want to," I tell him. "I need to explore this place. This might be the only chance we're going to get."

He sighs, exasperated. "It's too dangerous. Kailangan muna nating manmanan ang mga sundalo para malaman natin ang schedule nila. We can't just barge in here and expect not to get caught."

Mangangatwiran sana ako pabalik, pero pinigilan niya ako.

"Holly, we'll have many chances to explore this place. Trust me."

I stare at him. Dapat ko ba talagang pagkatiwalaan ang taong ito? He seems like a pretty harmless guy, but harmless-looking guys tend to be more evil than suspicious looking ones. Still, I have to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Also, he's kind of right. It's not like Jared and I will leave this place any time soon. It's also dangerous to explore this kind of place without having any prior knowledge about it.

"Okay," I say, giving up. "Let's get out of here."

Siniguro muna namin na walang tao sa labas bago namin tuluyang iniwan ang sikretong basement. Pinilit ko si Raf na ipangako sa akin na hindi niya sasabihin kahit kanino ang tungkol sa lugar na ito, at kung ano ang mga nakita namin doon.

I'm not sure if he'll stay true to his promise, so I'm going to keep a close eye on him from now on.

I can't wait to tell Jared about this. This might be our only way to know the future plans of the extra-terrestrial beings, and how we can defeat them. But I have to wait for a little longer, though. Tomorrow is the second match, and Jared is participating. I need him to focus his full-attention to his upcoming event.

Si Kenneth. Kailangan ko rin siyang makausap. Dapat niyang malaman kung gaano ka-delikado ang lugar na iyon para hindi na siya magtangka pa na pumasok doon. Baka kung ano pa ang mangyari sa kanya.

As I continue with tonight's shift, the air seems to be colder, the darkness darker. I can't help but feel that something big is coming, and we have to be prepared.

A/N:

I changed my mind. Instead of doing M-W-F, I'll do everyday updates instead. We're almost done with the second book, y'all! I can't wait!