ACT 53: Fourth Round (Part 4)
BATTLE ROYALE (Part 4)
27 STUDENTS REMAINING...
BLAIR
Pinanood ko ang pagsikat ng araw sa silangan. The dark sky gradually turning into yellow hue until the stars and the moon was replaced by the glowing sun. Hindi ko magawang ipikit ang mga mata ko at matulog. Patrick's face and his friends still haunts me. Ang boses niya, ang tawanan ng mga kasama niya. I just couldn't bring myself to not think about it.
Tuluyan nang sumikat ang araw. Maliwanag na muli ang paligid. This was our second day on this island. Marami na ang namatay. Ayon kay Margaery, only 27 of us remains here. The thing is, hindi sinabi ng babaeng nagsalita sa speaker kung ilan kaming matitira dito. O kung ito na ang huling round. And only one of us will get out of here alive.
Napakaliit ng tsansa kong matirang mag-isa at magawang manalo sa larong ito. Kung may mga estudyante dito sa isla na katulad ni Margaery na asintado sa pagpana, mabilis akong mamamatay ng walang kalaban-laban. Wala akong ideya kung paano gumamit ng kahit na anong armas. Ang tanging naaalala ko lang na armas na nagamit ko ay espada noong ma-trap kami ni Jem ng mga nilalang na naka-roba. And that was a long time ago. That was before this game. Hindi ako sigurado kung babalik ba ulit ang determinasyon at tapang ko nang mga oras na 'yon. Maybe that was just luck.
Ipinilig ko ang ulo ko at pilit inisip na lang kung paano ako makaka-survive hanggang bukas. In this game, there is no assurance that you'll get to live to see another day. Ang tanging sigurado lang ay ang kamatayan mo. And you only have two options; kill or be killed.
I slowly removed the belt that was tied around me and the tree branch. Umupo ako sa malapat ng sangay ng puno. Bahagya akong tumingin sa ibaba ko at nakitang wala na pala roon si Margaery.
"Margaery?" anas ko.
I have to be careful here. Maaaring may mga estudyanteng nagkalat sa parteng ito. We are not alone here in this island, I reminded myself.
Naghintay ako ng ilang segundo saka nagpasyang bumaba ng puno. Nagawa ko namang makababa sa mga sangay hanggang sa lumapat ang mga paa ko sa lupa. I looked around me. Margaery was nowhere to be seen. Did she leave?
What was I thinking? Hindi niya ako responsibilidad. Hindi kami magkaibigan. Pero hindi ko napigil ang sarili kong magtiwala sa kanya kagabi. When she told me what happened to her family, I slowly trusted her. She seemed nice. At sinagip niya ako mula sa kamatayan ko. If not for her, I wouldn't be here today.
Napabuga ako ng hangin. Ngayon, kailangan ko nang makahanap ng tubig at pagkain. I literally have no idea where to start. Wala akong talento sa pangangaso o sa paghuli ng mga hayop na makakakain. Wala rin akong ideya kung alin sa mga dahoon na nakapaligid sa 'kin ang pwede at hindi pwedeng kainin. Ni hindi ko nga sigurado kung malinis ba ang tubig dito, kung magagawa ko mang makahanap niyon. Wala akong kahit na anong armas.
I stared at the rock a few inches away from my feet. May kalakihan iyon at may matulis na dulo. This is better than nothing. Yumukod ako at pinulot ko 'yon. When I tried to walk, my legs where trembling in pain. Masakit pa rin ang nasa pagitan ng hita ko. I bit my lower lip and forced myself to walk. I began in small steps and then picked up my pace from there.
Mula sa unahan ko, nakita ko ang pamilyar na pigura ni Margaery. I wasn't sure at first that it was Margaery, not until she was a few feet away from me. May hawak siyang nabalatang ibon. There was a wound on its neck. She gave me a small smile and held up the skinned bird. Hindi ko alam kung anong klaseng ibon 'yon. But my stomach growled as I looked at the bird.
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