She Didn't Break ✔️

Page 78 - The Real World Is On The Outside

Page 78 – The Real World Is On The Outside

“You are not allowed to interfere, De Silva.” babala ng Emperor kay Knidn. We were in a forest along with some masked men and two medics on white coat.

One of those medics approached me and grabbed my arm. Alarmed, I asked, “What are you doing?”

“Don’t fight her.” pilit kong sinunod ang utos ng Emperor. I didn’t flinch when the medic injected something on my arm. I’m way past flinching.

“Welcome to the final test, Zony Evviola.” masiglang bati ng Emperor. “You have thirty minutes before that poison injected in you end your life in a painful way.” I narrowed my eyes at him, doubting if it’s really a poison. “Oh, don’t worry. I'm not lying. This time, it’s real poison.”

“Why are you doing this? Akala ko ayaw mo akong mamatay?”

“Better die early than later.” seryosong saad niya. “Besides if you don’t win this, you won’t survive a day in the Mafia Famiglia world anyway.”

That’s how I found myself traversing the forest floor, silent except for the buzz of insects and the scrunch of dried leaves and twigs as I walked.

Narito ang kalaban ko. Ang taong kailangan kong patayin para manalo. Like me, that person was also injected with the poison. Our goal was to fight to death. But it could be avoided if one of us stumbled and drank the hidden vial of antidote located somewhere in this forest.

Kalamado ako. If this were me months ago, before I met the Emperor, Knidn, Roland, and Van Helsing, I would have flipped out. I couldn’t even imagine my past self doing this. Life was already difficult because of my anxiety disorder, partnered with the issues at the university. I chuckled because of disbelief na heto ako, on my last initiation right to enter the Mafia Famiglia.

I turned when I heard a hiss on my left. A brightly colored snake was there, about to attack. They've taught me bright colors denote poison. I didn’t need to confirm the species of this snake. Just by those intense coloring, I already knew it was poisonous.

I threw a knife and it directly pierce the snake on its head. The knife embedded on the wood, the head of snake still pierced on it. I didn’t have the time to care nor watch as its venomous blood dripped to the forest floor. I already wasted fifteen minutes.

Wala pa naman akong nararamdamang kakaiba but I didn’t doubt the Emperor when he said it’s real poison. Malaki rin ang chance na hahayaan niya lang akong mamatay. He's afraid to care more than he already is.

Papahakbang sana ako nang napatigil at dahan-dahang iniurong ang paa. They have taught me to be alert of my surroundings. Pwedeng mag isip pero huwag hayaan na ma-trap ka sa loob ng iyong utak. The real world is on the outside and not inside your head.

May manipis na nylon, kung hindi mo titingnan ng mabuti, hindi ito madaling makita. The thin string glittered when it reflected the light passing through the forest's canopies.

I lightly jumped over, careful I don't distress the string.

A trap. If I move that string even a bit, who knows kung anong naghihintay sa akin. Probably one of those blades that would popped from the ground to encase my foot, blade embedding around my skin. I still have the scar from that lesson. Hindi pa rin ito lubusang humihilom. If I didn’t manage to lift my foot, baka mas malalang injury pa ang naranasan ko.

Nagpatuloy ako sa paglalakad. Alert. Not bringing my guards down. Don’t stress on it. Move on. Thinking of what happened or what didn’t happen was a waste of time especially if survival was your ultimate goal. 

The path was clearing. Bumababa na ang damo. Kumokonti na ang puno. Hinawi ko ang isang dahon ng cypress nang tumambad sa akin ang isang trunk ng putol na puno. Sa gitna nito nakapatong ang isang vial.

Iniikot ko ang tingin sa paligid, nakiramdam kung may kaluskos o tunog na senyales na hindi ako nag iisa pero wala akong narinig o nakita.

This is it. My chance. Hindi ko na kailangang makipaglaban hanggang kamatayan. Once I drunk the contents of that vial, I would be declared as the winner. No one need to die.

Humakbang ako, revealing myself, at napatigil nang nakarinig ng yabag.

There on the other side facing me was a masked person.