Saving Humanity

Chapter Forty-Four: The Great Escape, Part Four

Chapter Forty-Four: The Great Escape, Part Four

Holly

I'm back inside my cell when I wake up.

I can't remember what happened at first, but once I sit up, everything comes rushing back. Napabalikwas kaagad ako ng bangon. Sumilip ako sa butas ng pinto, at tinawag ang pangalan ni Jared.

Hindi ko matatanggap kung may nangyaring masama sa kanya. I have no idea what those soldiers did and where they brought us, but if something bad happened to Jared, I'm going to wreak havoc in this place.

Muli kong tinawag ang pangalan ni Jared. Lumipas ang ilang segundo nang walang sumasagot sa akin. Then--

"Holly? Ayos ka lang ba?"

Relief floods through me like a tidal wave. Jared is alive.

"Mabuti naman at gising na kayong dalawa," narinig kong wika ni Raf. "You made us worried for a few hours."

Ian agrees. "They brought you back here unconscious, so we thought that the both of you are already dead. If Kris hadn't confirmed that you're still alive, we'd probably be bawling right now."

"What happened?" tanong ni Felicity. "Saan kayo dinala ng mga sundalong iyon?"

"I don't know," I admit. "I was unconscious before I even got out of here. Nagising na lang ako ulit na nasa selda na ako."

Tiningnan ko ang katawan ko. Through the limited light source, I confirmed that there are no significant wounds on my arms, chest and legs. I don't feel any pain, aside from where the barrel of the rifle hit me on the right side of my forehead. I raise my hands to touch it, only to feel the rough texture of a gauze.

I also feel icky and disgusted, as if my body was violated.

"We were taken into a makeshift lab," Jared confirms, his voice grim. "Hindi ko alam kung anong ginawa nila sa amin. As soon as we got there, they injected me with something and I lost my consciousness. But... "

"But?" Felicity prompts.

"I don't know if I imagined it... But right before I lost consciousness, I think I saw the President looking down at me."

I take an unconscious breath. If what Jared saw was true, then that explains why my body feels violated.

"Do you think they experimented on us again?" I ask him.

It takes a few moments for Jared to respond, as if he's thinking carefully about what he's going to say.

"Most likely. We have to be prepared, nevertheless. We don't want to be caught off-guard by them again."

He's right. As long as we're here, we need to be on high-alert all the time. The President is basically holding our necks, and anytime he chooses to, he can snuff the lives out of us without so much as a flicker of his fingers.

Naudlot ang pag-uusap namin nang biglang bumukas ang pinto sa hallway at pumasok si Kris. She looks as if she'd just ran a marathon, with her sweaty face and deep breathing.

"Okay," she says, composing herself. "I want y'all to focus on me, and listen to what I'm about to say."

She looks flushed, and authoritative. Somehow, that's a nice look on her, compared to how she usually looks when she's Max. That asshole is the only thing getting in the way of this girl's success. He needs to be eliminated.

"In one hour, Ephraim, Kenji and some of the members of the Institute will conduct a rally in an attempt to free you." Kris looks at the cells, eyeing us to make sure that we're listening. "The rally will be huge and noísy, pretty much everyone will be too preoccupied by the event that they won't pay attention to the things happening outside of it."

Mukhang alam ko na kung anong patutunguhan ng sinasabi niya. My heart is racing with anticipation as I wait for her to speak again. This might be it, the moment we've all been waiting for.

"I want you to be prepared. Because in one hour, I'll be back... and give you your freedom."

It takes all of my willpower not to cheer out loud. It's too early for that, I know. We are still imprisoned and we don't know what will happen once we get out of here. But right now, with the pure bliss that I'm feeling, we might as well have our freedom back.

Hindi na naghintay pa si Kris ng magiging tugon namin. She steps out of the hallway, the door closing after her.

It's a hasty plan. Everything will be messy and dangerous. All of our lives will be put in mortal danger. But this might be our one and only chance to escape. They already did something to Jared and me, who knows what they'll do to our friends? We have to take this chance.

Also, my promise to myself is still up. I won't let anything happen to my friends. I'd rather sacrifice myself and die than to let them get hurt. I don't want to witness another death of someone important to me in this lifetime.

Walang nagsasalita sa amin ngayon. It seems that all of us are too tense to even utter a single word. We have nothing to pack, so we can't do anything but to think of a million ways that this plan could go wrong, and one chance that it might go right.

I hope it will turn out to be the latter.

We waited for Kris for almost two hours, contrary to the time frame that she'd given us earlier. Just when we thought that she wouldn't come, the door bursts open and there she is, in her soldier uniform. Her long hair is untied, framing her sharp face. She's holding the same metal object that the soldier used to open my cell.

"It's time," she says. Then she moves.

In less than one minute, all of us are out of our cells. It feels good to step into the hallway again, this time without any soldiers forcing me to do anything. As soon as Felicity sees me, she rushes towards me and puts her arms around my shoulder.

"I'm glad you're okay, Holly," she breathes into my neck.

"What now?" Jared asks Kris. Our eyes meet for a brief second, and I can see relief there.

Kumalas ako mula sa pagkakayakap kay Felicity. My eyes lands on Dr. Valdez, and for a moment I'm taken aback by how his daughter looks so much like him. Dr. Bartolome, on the other hand, looks younger compared to his colleague. I think he's just in his late 20s. Despite his thin frame, he manages to stand upright with his chin up. He flashes me a smile when he sees me looking at him. I smile back.

Then I turn to Kris.

"Tell us what to do, Kris," I say.

Kris takes a deep breath before responding.

"Okay. There is an ongoing protest at the front of the main building right now. Most of the soldiers are there to control the situation, so most likely this place will be empty aside from us. We have about ten minutes to escape."

"Let's go, then," Andre says. "Huwag na tayong mag-aksaya ng panahon."

Kris nods. "Just a little warning, don't stay too far away from me. We have to stick together to get out of here. We'll meet Ephraim by the gate, and then we'll escape."

"Wait, wait." Itinaas ko ang kamay ko para patigilin siya sa pagsasalita. "Paano si Kenji? Sina James at Sandy? Hindi ba sila sasama?"

"Kenji decided to stay here. Said he'll serve as a spy once you're able to reach the Sanctuary."

Kenji knows about the Sanctuary? Kris, too, apparently. Maybe Ephraim told them about it.

"How about you?" I ask.

She looks at me for a few moments before answering.

"Of course I'd go with you. Wala na akong mapapala kung mananatili lang ako dito."

Her eyes drift towards Ian, and when I turn around I see him staring back at her, too.

"It's nice to see you again, Kris," he says with a smile.

Hindi siya sinagot ni Kris. She instead turns to us and asks if we're ready to go.

"We're ready," we answer in unison.

Kris puts her hand on the knob, twists it, then pushes the door open.

Only to find Max standing outside, with six other soldiers behind him.