Past In The Spotlight (SUNSET TRILOGY #1)

Chapter 19

[Capítulo Diecinueve: Realization]

In an instant, I found myself with Marianne, escaping the uncertainties, but now, we were once again separated from each other.

This situation resembled an amorphous solid. Everything changed with entropy. I had no choice but to go with the flow of this situation, with no definite shape.

Even though I should have felt relief for being away from that woman who never failed to annoy me, a persistent feeling of worry continued to consume me.

In this perplexing dream, she stood by my side, and together we would unravel its mysteries. Leaving her behind was not an option.

"Matulog ka ng mahimbing (Sleep well)," the man spoke as he tied a white handkerchief around my head with pressure, covering my eyes.

"You'll pay for this!" The cloth tightened around the back of my head, securing two knots. The force then shifted to both of my hands, feeling him grab them. Swiftly, I evaded his grasp, especially my left hand holding the camera.

"Don't touch me!" I shouted.

"Try to struggle, and your girl gets it," he retorted, irritation evident in his voice.

"Go ahead!" I replied. "I don't even like that Marianne!"

I persisted in swaying my hand from left to right, charged with kinetic energy. However, it shifted into potential as he seized it and swiftly pulled both hands behind my back, liberating the camera from my grasp.

"Did I say the name Marianne?" I heard his voice closer on my ears as he tightened my hands together. "I could never hurt Marianne."

Those words triggered a rush of endorphins in my nerve cells. "Then, why should I be worried? I could kick you like a soccer ball at any moment!" I grinned. "And give me back that camera!"

"Kick me, huh? You really have no idea about the situation," he replied, grinning.

"What do you mean?" Receiving a push towards my back, he took my arm and held it tight. We were finally moving, probably going back to the place where they first took me here.

"You see, a woman close to you is a member of a group opposing the Spanish government. If I surrendered her to them, I could get a reward," he stated. "She, on the other hand, will be interrogated, and once she didn't say anything about their organization, she will be tortured and could suffer the same faith as yours when tomorrow comes."

Up the stairs, we went, then into the hallways. "Are you talking about Clara?"

"Finally, you got it! May laman naman pala ang utak ng taong ito (This man's brain has something in it after all)," he spoke before I noticed his movement slowing down.

"Don't you dare do anything bad to Clara! She's innocent!"

"I will not if you face your destiny tomorrow without any more unnecessary words coming out of your mouth." A force coming from my back pushed me in front, making me almost lose my balance.

"YOU-" I couldn't find the right words to describe him. His actions spoke louder than any label.

"A!" he shushed. "No more unnecessary words, remember?"

Emptiness filled my heart. Being responsible for two people, which was challenging enough, became even more daunting in that moment.

"당신은 그 대가를 지불할 것입니다Dangsin-eun geu daegaleul jibulhal geos-ibnida (You will pay for that)!" Anger surged through my veins, eager to escape, but I had to resist its desire.

"I didn't know what that is, but at least none of these people do as well," he spoke. His presence felt closer, sending shivers down my spine. "You'll need sleep. Tomorrow will be your big day!"

The fabric that had temporarily blinded me finally left my skin as he untied it and placed it on the bed beside me. Horror gripped me as I saw Marianne lying there, still unconscious.

"Remember, no more opposition! No more escaping!" he warned before shutting the door up.

"Bantayan niyo sila (Guard them)! Huwag mong patatakasin (Don't let him escape)!" I heard his voice echoing from the hallway outside the new room where he took me. I could hear his footsteps until it finally faded away.

It was just me inside the room, waiting hopelessly for what might happen the next day.

"Lleva al mestizo de regreso a la prisión. La chica se queda conmigo (Take the mestizo back to prison. The girl stays with me)." I could still hear his voice echoing inside my mind.

If he was not talking about Marianne, then is it Clara that she wants to be with him? She might be in danger!

A few moments after he left, my anxiety finally crept back into my heart with all the pressure consuming it completely. I felt my body fall down the bed, paralyzed.

I could hear my breath going in and out of my mouth just like I ran on marathon. My heart was racing with it while my mind was filled with chaos.

"I... I would definitely die!" I yelled in agony as I caught my breath. "We... We might..."

Tears began to fall down my eyes as I felt that I couldn't control it anymore. "It's hopeless!"

He had the camera, Marianne was unconscious, that evil man had Clara, and we're stuck inside this house. I had nothing to do anymore but to accept the fact that we could never come back to reality.

I felt my eyes closing itself, accepting everything that would happen next. At least a dream could make me feel better before everything disappears.

"Jong!"

"Am I now dreaming?" I spoke as I heard someone calling my name.

"Jong, hey!" My heart jumped for a second when I felt someone shaking my shoulders from where I lay. "Jong, wake up!"

Before I could even open my eyes completely, I immediately felt someone tugged me into his or her arms. When I finally went back to reality, I saw the woman I was with.

"Marianne?" She immediately let go afterward, pulling herself back into her sitting position. There she was, her eyes glittering with the tears that covered it.

"Are you... Are you alright?" I pulled myself upwards as well, taking the same position as hers.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" she cried, collapsing back towards my body to lay down on my shoulder. "Jong, I'm scared."

My anxiety lessened and was replaced with mixed emotions. In front of me was a rare self of the woman who always smiles. Finally, I was beginning to understand.

"I don't want to die, Jong! I want to see my Papa again. Gusto ko pang makauwi (I still wants to go home)," she continued in her shivering voice, longing for saving.

That scene gave my heart a metal coating. Bravery entered my mind as a way to solve the puzzle pieces once and for all. I don't want to lose anyone anymore even if my life is in exchange.

"Don't worry!" I spoke in valor, hiding my fear towards the armor she gave me. "We will not die! I can assure you that!"