Saving Humanity

Chapter Forty: Pitter-Patter

Chapter Forty: Pitter-Patter

Felicity

I must've lost my consciousness for a few seconds, because when I open my eyes again Ian is already dragging me out of the military truck. I'm too numbed and shocked to feel the pain. I don't even know if I'm hurt or not.

I feel the cold night air against my skin, and it's enough to fully wake me up. Doon ko naramdaman ang dugong tumutulo mula sa sugat sa taas ng ulo ko. Strangely enough, I still can't feel the pain. It's as if I'm too full of adrenaline to feel something.

Also, I'm surprisingly calm. It feels as though nothing bad had happened. That somehow, our military truck flipping upside down is a normal occurrence.

I see Andre crawling out from the front seat. His head is bleeding as well, and it seems that his lips got busted. Tinulungan namin siya ni Ian na makalabas.

"Can you walk?" tanong ko sa kanya.

Tumango siya nang tinulungan namin siyang makatayo. "Masakit lang ang labi ko. Other than that, wala na." Hindi siya makapagsalita nang maayos dahil sa sugat sa labi niya, pero naiintindihan pa rin namin ang kanyang sinasabi.

"What happened?" tanong ni Ian. "Where's Jack?"

Sabay-sabay kaming sumilip sa nakabaligtad na military truck, at muntik na akong masuka nang makita namin ang kalagayan ni Jack.

All at once, panic hits me like a huge wave. Napaatras ako at napahawak sa bibig ko, habang ang puso ko ay mabilis na tumitibok.

Jack is dead, his head twisted at an odd angle. That's the only thing that I managed to see, and I don't want to look again to confirm.

"Something hit us," Andre explains. "It came out of nowhere. Bigla na lang sumulpot at binangga ang unahang bahagi ng truck."

"Nakita mo ba kung anong bumangga sa atin?" tanong ko.

Umiling siya bilang sagot. "Everything happened so fast, and it was too dark to see anything."

He's right. It's too dark. Umaasa lang kami sa liwanag na nanggagaling sa buwan para makakita. Lumingon ako kay Ian upang makita kung ayos lang ba siya.

Like me, his head is bleeding, and he's holding his left shoulder as if it hurts.

"Anong nangyari sa balikat mo?" I ask.

"It must've been dislocated," he answers. "Don't worry about me. I'm okay."

Ibinaling ko ang atensyon ko sa military truck. It won't be able to take us anywhere now, considering the damage it had taken. We're lucky we managed to survive with just some minor injuries, but Jack... Wala na siya.

He had his family taken from him because of a deranged psycho, and now...

At least he can finally be with them.

"Felicity."

I turn around quickly because of the urgency in Ian's voice. Then I see him standing with his entire body rigid, and a man behind him pointing a scary-looking knife at his neck. Andre's in the same position, except a gun is pointed at his temple instead of a knife.

"Move, or I'll slit your friend's throat," the man from behind Ian warns. He's wearing a surgical mask, that's why I can't see his face clearly. "Binabalaan kita."

Dahan-dahan akong tumango at itinaas ang pareho kong mga kamay. Ian is looking at me, panic written all over his face.

My heart almost jumps out of my chest when someone sneaks up from behind me. Hinawakan niya ang mga kamay ko at parehas na inilagay sa likod ko. Then I feel a cold, sharp metal digging at the left side of my neck.