Saving Humanity

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Terrors of the Night, Part One

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Terrors of the Night

Felicity

Or at least, that's what it looks like. Until I see the cellphone that he's holding with his right hand.

Hindi pa rin niya napapansin na nakatayo ako sa likod niya, kaya't patuloy pa rin siya sa pagsasalita.

"Yes, they're here," he whispers. "Ilang linggo na silang nandito."

Napahawak ako sa bibig ko. It doesn't take long for me to realize that he's talking about us. Sino ang kausap niya? And, more importantly, where in the hell did he get a working cellphone?

Due to the electromagnetic pulse released by the extra-terrestrial beings a while back, most of the electronic gadgets are no longer working. Unless, of course, if it is a military equipment.

This guy... Mukhang tama ang suspetsa namin. Hindi siya mapagkakatiwalaan.

"Anong ginagawa mo dito?"

Nagulat ako at napatingin kay Edward. Wala na ang cellphone na hawak niya at seryoso siyang nakatingin sa akin ngayon.

Biglang bumilis ang tibok ng puso.

Hindi na ako nag-aksaya pa ng panahon. Dali-dali akong kumilos para manakbo. Ngunit hindi pa man ako nakaka-dalawang hakbang, biglang hinila ni Edward ang buhok ko.

Before I can scream, he covers my mouth with his hand. I thrash, trying my best to get away from him. But he tightens his grip on my hair, and, with all of his strength, smashes my head in the door frame.

Nakaramdam ako ng matinding hilo. Binitiwan niya ako, dahilan para sumalampak ako sa sahig. With my remaining strength, I turn my head to look at the house's main door. I can see Ian's back from here. I try to shout his name, but I'm too dizzy to conjure up the energy to open my mouth.

Then, all of a sudden, Edward's hand is on my hair again, yanking my head back.

"You should've ran away when you still had the chance," he whispers into my ear.

Biglang may tumusok na kung ano sa leeg ko. Pagkatapos ay tuluyan na akong nawalan ng malay.

*****

The first thing I see when I wake up is Edward's face while he's looking at me.

I'm in a standing position, but I can't move anything except for my fingers because my entire body is covered with ropes. Ramdam ko ang matigas na poste sa likod ko kung saan ako nakatali.

Nginitian ako ni Edward nang makita niya na nagkamalay na ako.

"Hello, Felicity," bati niya sa akin.

Gusto ko siyang sigawan, pero siniguro niyang hindi ako makakapagsalita. I can feel the velvety cloth that he put inside my mouth, and aside from that, he also used a masking tape to cover it out.

"You must be wondering why I'm doing this. Well, to satiate your curiosity, I'm going to answer the questions that has been running through your mind."

He starts pacing in front of me. His hair is messy, and there's an unnerving glint in his eyes. He looks like a predator who's getting ready to devour his victim.

"Let's start with the simplest one: I'm not a human being. Or, atleast, I'm no longer one."

I look around, racking my brain for any survival knowledge. I need to know where I am first, then I'll figure out a way to get out of here.

Nagpatuloy si Edward sa pagsasalita.

"Gusto ko sanang i-explain ang buong process sa iyo, but it would take me the entire night. So, I'm going to just put it in the simplest way."

He stops pacing, then looks at me directly.

"You see, our race has a far more advanced technology than you have. We are capable of doing so many things that you can only imagine. One of them, is transferring our consciousness to another being."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. Bago pa ulit siya magsalita ay napagtanto ko na kaagad ang ibig niyang sabihin.

"That's right," he exclaims. "The owner of this body is no longer with us. I already killed his consciousness and took over his body."

With what he revealed just now, I'm now realizing what we're really dealing with.

They're more powerful than we suspected.

How the hell will we be able to defeat them?

"Ikaw, at ang mga kasama mo, ay may importanteng parte para tuluyan na naming makuha ang mundo ninyo."

I hold my breath, waiting for what he's about to say.

"We've been preparing your bodies, so that our leaders would take over and remove your consciousness," he states. His smile suddenly disappears, replaced by a look of hatred. "Pero may mga traydor na nanggulo at pinalaya kayo."

That explains the numbers tattooed on our bodies. They performed some sort of experiments on us, because they chose us to be the hosts of their leaders.

But why?

"It doesn't matter now," Edward continues. "We're going to collect you one by one to finish what we've started."

He suddenly tilts his head, as if he's hearing something that my ears couldn't pick up. After a few seconds, he looks back at me.

"Stay here," he instructs. Then he walks away. It's too dark to see where he's going, but I can hear his footsteps receding, like he's climbing up a set of stairs.

I hold my breath. Pagkatapos ng ilang segundo ay nakarinig ako ng pagbukas at pagsara ng pinto.

I look around, but it's too dark to see. Isang kandila na nakalagay sa baso lamang ang nagsisilbi kong ilaw.

Sinubukan kong igalaw ang mga kamay at paa ko, pero masyadong mahigpit ang pagkakatali sa akin.

Panic starts to grip me. I have to warn Ian and the others before Edward gets to them. But how? I can't even get out of here.

Nagsimulang tumulo ang mga luha ko. Kahit masakit, patuloy akong pumipiglas para subukan na paluwagin ang pagkakatali sa akin. Pagkatapos lamang ng ilang segundo ay napansin kong tumutulo na ang dugo mula sa mga braso ko. Ngunit hindi pa rin ako tumigil.

I continue to struggle against the binds, my tears flowing as the pain from where the ropes meet my skin intensifies. Then, after what seemed like hours, I hear a snap.

With one last struggle, I'm finally able to break free.

Without the ropes supporting me, I slide down to the ground. Nanghihina pa rin ako dahil sa kung anong itinurok ni Edward sa akin kanina. Tinanggal ko ang busal sa bibig ko.

Kahit nanginginig ang tuhod ko ay pinilit ko pa ring makatayo. Dinampot ko ang baso na may lamang kandila at iginala ko iyon sa paligid.

I'm in the house's basement. I've been here once, when Tony instructed me to get some extra plates.

Huminga ako nang malalim at dahan-dahang naglakad papunta sa hagdan.

My first ascending step almost shoots me back towards unconsciousness. I grit my teeth, trying to conjure up the energy to keep climbing. My companions might be in danger now, and I need to get to them as fast as I could.

I let out an exhausted breath as soon as I reach the last step. Hindi na ako nag-aksaya pa ng panahon. With my heart hammering inside my chest, I push the door open.

And see Tony lying on the ground, blood still oozing from his slashed throat.