Five Lives Left

Episode Four: The Desperate, the Greedy, and the Deviant Minded

A darkroom. Several women battered and unclothed. What's all these? Why was I here?

The massive sense of vertigo began aching now; that impact from my fall a while ago might have caused it, as well as my left arm felt too weak to be moved. Although I'm certain enough that it's not as bad as a fracture. Or maybe it had a simple fracture by my drop a while ago, or I'm just making a dramatic scenery of myself like some damsel in distress.

I could hear the rain pouring outside from this abandoned library I am in — serene and comforting regardless of the fact that I might be a battered woman like the others with me. The broken glass window at the very end of the panels started to induce its crack even more, where I remembered getting a cut from it during our high school clean drive.

Realizing that my journey went a long way, I've thought of all the messed up events before being dropped here: from a dying town of helpless refugees, down a majestic river with spies following us, to a freaky warehouse party and self-centered ex-colleagues, and up until this chaotic base they've made. Now there's this storm hitting the domains of Manila, but despite that, the bloodshed of these revolutionary weirdos continues.

It's pretty much a great idea to stick around here because I now have a better chance to get ahold of that hunk kidnapper — obviously the one who got the leads for the death of my family and the massacre of the late refugees.

Once he enter the boundaries of this room, I'll drop kick him–

"What the, where's my revolver? And... My antidote samples?!" My thoughts were interrupted by the realization that my essentials went missing, in order to save my own life even for a short while. After all, I was told that the vials weren't as effective as the original one, so I better make use of the time to seek revenge before I die.

...

"He must've taken it." A groan from a woman near me, I heard her speak. She sat at the far side corner of the worn library, trying to cover every inch of her skin from the harmful cold room temperature; or could also be in a state of shame for missing proper clothing.

"Huh?" I was startled knowing that it's indeed a fact that I was with a cluster of unclothed women. My eyes were aware that I wasn't alone in the room, yet the oblivion caught up to me, erasing my memory of their image in a short span.

"He's got you, sissy. You will have no exits here. He'll just make you his fucking buddy until he's had enough." The young one about my age told me in tears. Her youthful demeanor was exchanged with a battered appearance which saddened me. She could've been having fun in her young age yet ended up here in a hellhole of a lightless library.

"How did you all... end up here?" I questioned them with caution and noticeable concern. Better not trigger their trauma that much with the questions I have in mind, they've already been through rough times.

"He treats us as his plaything. We were brought here after their raids on finding the missing female biologist. I didn't get a gist of her name, all I could remember was that she's half Hispanic... Wait... you–" Same person answered and her final sentence left me feeling sick in the stomach. Their expressions changed as if I was a threat, immediately backing out from me. "They were finding you, am I right?"

"I am that person. I... I'm sorry–"

Something just flew towards me, bruising my already injured arm: a large hardbound encyclopedia. At the time I had no idea how to retaliate, instead let them throw things at me until they're done.

"YOU'RE THE FUCKING REASON WE'RE HERE, YOU BITCH!" One yelled and the rest followed, expressing all of their anger at me rather than the person who tormented them.