Play Hostage Taking

Chapter 4: Dog

"Batman, time for you to sleep." Binuhat ni Lance ang pusa out of the window dahil kanina pa ito nakatitig sa masamang panahon sa labas.

Matatapos na ang araw na nasa costody niya si Faith and that night turned out stormy. Malakas ang ihip ng hangin na pinaparegulate ng windmill na di kalayuan sa bahay. Nagsimulang umulan ng malakas at sinarado ni Lance ang mga bintana.

"Looks like it would be a freezing night." Bulong ni Lance sa sarili. "Go upstairs now, Batman or else I'll close the door and you'll end up sleeping here in the living room."

"Prrrr." Batman just responded with a purr and glanced at the staircase leading down to the basement.

"What are you implying now, you perverted cat?" Lance glared with his arms crossed.

Down in the basement...

*ffwwwoooooshhhh!!!!*

"Ano ba naman yan..." nanginginig na sabi ni Faith sa sarili habang yakap yakap ang mga braso at naka balot sa manipis niyang kumot na siya ding ginagamit na bedsheet sa hapag niya na nilagyan ng hey as cushion.

Lumalakas ang buhos ng ulan at ramdam niya ito mula sa bintana sa itaas.

Tumatagos pa rin ang lamig since manipis nga ang kumot at suot niya lang ang pajamas na hindi pa niya napapalitan mula kagabi. As if naman may ipapalit siya.

"M-mr. Kid—." Tatawagin sana niya si Lance pero nagdalawang isip ito dahil na rin baka ano na namang humiliation ang ibigay nito sa kanya.

"Magtiis ka, Faith. Have faith and you'll carry on." She told herself.

She kept on holding on with that thought at nakarinig siya ng mahina at hindi malinaw na boses sa taas. It is Lance's, that she is sure of. Wala namang ibang tao doon kundi sila lang diba? But who could he be talking to? Someone in the phone? The cignal must be bad considering the weather. Isa pa, it's hard for her to think that cignal can reach this isolated area. Ni langaw siguro nahihirapang pumasok dahil sa murderer na ito.

"Whatever." She shook that thought off again. "All I can do now is concentrate on regulating my body heat. Mahirap na kung magkasakit ako dito. That jerk won't care though. He'll happily watch me dying. I mean— he enjoys assassinating people right? It must be glorifying to him seing someone suffer. I don't get that way of thinking though. That guy is insane anyway."

....

"Iuwi mo siya!!" She saw a vague image of her parenrs fight when she was still little that she can barely remember it. Wala siyang ideya kung among pinag-aawayan nila pero alam niyang it was something relating to that picture which her mom hugs tightly habang iyak ng iyak.

"Mom?"

"Bakit hindi pa siya umuuwi?" Napahagulgol na sagot nito habang naghihingalo sa karamdaman.

"Please, Karen." Umalalay na ang dad niya. "This is making your health worser. Kailangan mo nang uminom ng gamot."