The sun had just risen when Phoenix and Carlo's group of armed men gathered near the encampment's gates.
They were waiting for Janna.
The men will accompany them past the militarized zone of the mountains, and from there they will be on their own, acting for all purposes as just ordinary mountain climbers, and not someone who came back from the insurgents' hidden lair.
Time pased, but Janna didn't appear. Phoenix' face held back his thoughts as he shouldered his backpack and said curtly: "Tara na."
Carlo hesitated for a split second, and then signaled for the trek to begin.
There were no goodbyes.
Janna had made her decision. She will be staying in the mountains.
But they hadn't walked one hundred yards when Janna came running to catch up.
"Akala ko magpapaiwan ka na, Jang-jang!" Carlo fell in beside her.
"Nagpaalam lang ako. Sorry na-late ako!" She said, out of breath.
Janna glanced at Phoenix, who just looked at her with his stoic expression and continued walking.
Carlo and Janna began chatting while Phoenix walked behind them in silence.
"I-kumusta mo na lang ako sa mga magulang mo, Janna."
"Carlo... si Tatay... pasensiya na sa nangyari..."
"Hindi kasalanan ni Tatay, Jang-jang. Pinili ko ito."
The terrain became more and more difficult to traverse, and they fell back into silence to focus on the trail ahead.
They came out of the dense forest and into a small valley choked with knee-high grass. At the end of that valley was a small hill.
They were about to take the right side of the hill when a warning shout was heard. They had crossed paths with a military patrol unit!
Everyone immediately dropped to the levels of the grasses to hide. Phoenix pulled Janna down with him and was covering her body with his.
The military shouted for them to surrender. There was no response, and then the first gun shots were heard. The rebels returned fire.
"Janna, Phoenix! Kailangan niyo nang umalis. Dun sa mga punong yun. Hindi na kayo makikita ng mga militar kapag narating niyo yun. Ico-cover namin kayo." Carlo instructed urgently.
"Paano kayo?" Janna's voice was shaking in fear.
"Pag nakaalis na kayo, aatras na din kami."
"Carlo! Baka mapahamak kayo!" Janna argued.
"Janna, kaya namin 'to. Umalis na kayo!"
Janna hesitated.
"Araneta, ano! Umalis na kayo!" Carlo urged Phoenix.
He nodded and took Janna's hand in his.
"Ingat, bro. Hellcat, let's go!"
BINABASA MO ANG
Phoenix vs Janna
RomanceOpposites attract is a lie. He's alta. She's masa. He's insanely rich and powerful. She's barely middle-class. He's elitista. She's aktibista. He stood for everything she is fighting for. And she would never ever fit in. What happens to two people w...
