Saving Humanity

Chapter Thirty-Three: Clash

Chapter Thirty-Three: Clash

Holly

I feel Jared's grip tighten, and when I look up his jaw is already clenched. I have no idea what's going on inside his mind right now, and I wish I do.

Sgt. Agustin continues her speech. "Instead of pairing you off, why don't we spice things up a little?"

Bulungan sa paligid. All of the participants are extremely curious about what's in store for them. They are expecting the usual rules, and they trained hard to measure up to the expectations. Now that everything will be uncertain, the unmistakable stench of fear covers the air.

"I might have an idea what they're planning," Raf tells me quietly, leaning into my ear so that only I can hear what he's saying. "It's barbaric, but it completely makes sense. At least for them."

Bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko. An idea starts forming in my brain, one that will surely end in bloodbath. I've seen too many post-apocalyptic movies to guess what they want to do with the remaining participants.

"There won't be a third match," Sgt. Agustin explains. "We will only choose two victors today. The participants who won't be able to will be assigned to janitorial duties."

Anim na lang ang natitirang participants. Si Jared, Rico, Ephraim, Nico and two other guys that I've already forgotten the names of. From the looks of it, aside from Jared, Rico has a huge chance of winning because of his massive build. Pero masyado pang maaga para hulaan ang mga mananalo, lalo pa't hindi pa sinasabi kung ano ang magiging challenge.

Some of the soldiers that are watching with us have eager looks on their faces, as if what's about to happen will serve as an entertainment for them. These are the people who are already soldiers when this place was established, so they were not required to participate in the matches anymore.

Nandidiri ako sa kanila. If seeing people fighting for their lives is entertainment to them, they must really have fucked-up brains. It disgusts me to even be in the same room with them.

"I want all of the participants inside the boxing ring now." Sgt. Agustin's voice booms across the room, and all of the participants immediately start moving. All, except for Jared, who is still holding my hand tightly. When I look up at him, I notice that he's staring at me.

"Are you okay?" tanong ko sa kanya.

He nods. "I just feel like something bad is about to happen."

Natigilan ako. We have experienced so many bad things that we have learned to never disregard our hunches. If we feel that something bad is about to happen, chances are, something bad will really happen.

"Do you still want to continue?" I ask. "There might be a way out of this. Mas gugustuhin ko pa na maging janitor ka kaysa mapahamak ka dito."

Tumitig siya sa akin ng ilang segundo. Pagkatapos ay umiling siya.

"No," he says firmly. "I have trained hard everyday. I can't just give up. Kailangan kong gawin ito."

Huminga ako nang malalim. At dahan-dahan, binitiwan ko ang kamay niya.

"Naiintindihan ko," I say. "Just take care of yourself. Kung anong klaseng challenge man ang ipagawa nila sa'yo, make sure to do your best."

Tumango siya, pagkatapos ay kaagad na siyang nagtungo sa boxing ring. Wala na akong nagawa kundi ang panoorin siya na maglakad palayo.

"Sigurado ako na kakayanin niyang talunin ang ibang participants," Raf comments. Muntik ko ng makalimutan na nakatayo siya sa tabi ko. "Just look at the determination in his face."

"I won't be worried if determination alone can help him get out of there unscathed," sagot ko. "But we all know that's not the case."

He shrugs. "Still. Have some faith. Kaya 'yan ng boyfriend mo."

Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin. "Hindi ko siya boyfriend," I snap.

He lets out a chuckle. "Yet."

Hindi ko na siya pinansin, pero lumingon ako palayo upang maitago ang ngiti ko. There's something about how he said the word "yet" that made me feel giddy all of a sudden. This is completely out of my usual set of emotions.

I've been really unusual these past few days. Not only in terms of my gestures, but the way I think, the way I process things. I'm finally learning to see everything not only from my perspective, but from others, as well.

I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

"Hindi na namin kayo paglalabanin isa-isa." Col. Agustin's voice booms through the classroom. My heart jumps slightly as soon as the first word leaves his mouth. He really has a distinct voice, too far from his sister's composed one.

Bago pa man lumabas ang mga susunod na salita sa kanyang bibig, alam ko na agad kung anong pinaplano nilang gawin sa mga participants.

Tama nga ang hinala ko kanina.

It's an all-out battle. Sabay-sabay silang makikipaglaban sa boxing ring, at kung sinong dalawa ang matitira ay hihirangin na panalo.

Raf curses under his breath, confirming that we were thinking about the same thing. Tama nga ang sinabi niya kanina. It's barbaric.

If one-on-one combats are already dangerous, just imagine how damaging a clash would be.

This is unacceptable.

Kaagad akong nakaramdam ng matinding kaba para sa kaligtasan ni Jared. Most of his opponents are Max's minions, with the exception of Ephraim. But I'm not so sure about that anymore.

"There are no rules," Sgt. Agustin declares. "Except for the standard one: attack to disarm, not to kill. Since this is a combat battle, no weapons will be allowed. You may choose to attack one opponent at a time, or you may attack all of them at once. Your choice."

I try to meet Jared's eyes, but he's not even looking in my direction. His gaze is focused on Sgt. Agustin's face as she rolls out the mechanics of the challenge.

"There will be no time limit. You can finish the fight within the hour, or you can fight until the end of the day. It depends on how well you fight, and how far you can endure."

This is bad, this is really bad. Jared already made a point earlier that he will do it, that he will win no matter what. I'm worried about the injuries and the long-term damage it'll cause to his body. I have to find a way to stop this.

I look at Raf, and he immediately realizes what I want to do.

"No," he says, firmly and with a tone of finality. "You can't be planning something reckless right now, Holly."

"We have to stop the match," I tell him, almost pleading.

"Are you kidding?" he replies incredulously. "Do you have a death wish? We're talking about the Agustin siblings here, not just some rookie soldiers."

I can feel the panic gripping my chest, traveling to cover the rest of my body. I'm not usually like this. I used to be able to control my emotions, keep them in check until I have a solid plan. But right now... I can't think properly anymore. All I know is that I have to get Jared out of this place.

Before everything goes awfully wrong.