Saving Humanity

Chapter Forty-Five: Time to Wake Up, Part Three

Chapter Forty-Five: Time to Wake Up, Part Three

Holly

Pakiramdam ko, walang katapusan ang hagdan na binababaan namin. Sobrang dilim ng paligid at wala kaming makita kahit ang mga sarili naming mga katawan. The walls are our only guide to prevent ourselves from slipping to our deaths. Luckily, the steps are wide enough, ensuring our safety.

I walk side by side with Jared, his right hand holding my left. I know that Dr. Valdez is in front of us, though I can't see him. I can hear Felicity's heavy-breathing, indicating that she's just a step behind us. Kahit isa sa amin ay walang nagsasalita. Marahil dahil takot rin kami na alertuhin ang mga sundalo na tiyak na nagbabantay sa dulo ng hagdanan.

Our footsteps echo everywhere, creating a somewhat ethereal and peaceful sound. It feels as though I'm listening to a background noise that you can easily find in a music streaming platform. The terrible sounds of fighting are long gone. They're too far away now for us to hear.

"How long is this fucking stairwell?" I find myself muttering to myself. Jared squeezes my hand suddenly, as if he got alerted by my voice. I squeeze his hand back.

Cold air is blowing from below us, hitting our faces softly, as if reaching and beckoning us to go deeper. It isn't stale enough, so I know that it is coming from an air conditioning machine. Anong itinatago nila dito bukod sa antidote na nangangailangan ng ganito kalamig na hangin?

Suddenly, the wall I'm tracing using my right hand makes a sharp turn, then we see light in front of us. It illuminates a closed door, creating a square shape.

"This is it," I hear Dr. Valdez says in front of us. "This is where they keep the antidote."

"Nakarating ka na ba dito?" hindi ko napigilang itanong. I can see his silhouette now, walking closer and closer to the light.

"Hindi pa," sagot niya. "I didn't even know that there was an antidote. The only thing I know is the vaccine, which gives you an immunity to the virus."

Naaalala ko 'yung nabasa namin sa documents na natagpuan namin sa Malacanang. Kung paano nila ginawa ang antidote. I wish we still had those documents. Hindi namin natapos basahin ang mga iyon dahil sa biglang pagdating ng mga sundalo.

Muli kong ibinaling ang paningin ko kay Dr. Valdez. Marami akong gustong itanong sa kanya. Mga bagay na kailangan ng kasagutan, para maliwanagan ako sa kung ano ba talaga ang nangyayari. Pero hindi ngayon ang tamang panahon. We have an antidote to find.

Finally, we manage to reach the closed door without encountering any obstacles. I was bracing myself for some sort of trap earlier, but luckily there were none. Unless...

Nakita ko na hahawakan ni Dr. Valdez ang pinto. Mabuti na lamang at mabilis ko siyang napigilan.

"It might be rigged," I explain when he turns to look at me. "We need to check it first."

I don't trust this. This seems so easy compared to the things that we've been through.

Dahan-dahan kong nilapitan ang pinto. Naramdaman ko ang pagsunod ni Jared sa akin. It seems like a plain metal door without any knobs. It is grey in color, though I'm not sure because the only light source that we have is coming from behind it.

Tumingin ako kay Jared.

"What do you think?" tanong ko.

He's still looking at the door.

"There might be soldiers waiting inside," Ian says from behind us. I turn to look at him. "We need to be careful." He then walks towards us so that he can be in front of the door. Andre and Raf does the same.