Huling Segundo

Chapter 2 - Hans

The sun was about to set, clouds forming on the horizon, setting a panorama of sadness. Rain started pouring on G. Orda street.

The rain poured and pattered around him and on his pale face, he was starting to gain consciousness.

Ken's lying sideways on the street-knees bent, his hands still gripped to his necklace. His eyes opened little by little.

"T-Teejay?" he whispered.

He tried hard to sit up but he was just too weak. He put his left hand and leaned his right elbow on the cemented road he was lying on.

He's still disoriented, his head swayed a little.

As he looked around him, he noticed the familiarity of the neighborhood. He was lying in front of their house, he was sure, but one thing didn't add up: the unused Ford Everest in the garage looked new, its engine was just turned off. He could smell the diesel spills.

Familiar voices echoed inside his house. They were not shouting but he could hear everything, even their breathing. It was as if he's tuned in to what they were saying and nothing else. Even the patterings of the rain on the roof turned silent.

"Alam kong mahirap para sayo, pero napagusapan na natin 'to noon." said by a man in the house.

"Ako na lang.." a woman spoke. She was crying.

Ken realized from the voice, that the woman inside was his mom.

"Ma? Ma.. Tulong!" he cried for help but no one could hear him. He's too weak to even raise his voice.

"Ako na lang ang babalik para sa anak natin."

"What?" Ken was confused. He clearly couldn't understand what his mom was talking about and who the man was.

"Mas kailangan ka ni Ken. I've made my decision."

Ken's body was weak but his senses were working fine. He noticed the silhouettes through the curtain. He could see the shadow of Esther and the unknown man. The man's hand raised and gently placed it on her face. Esther whimpering.

"Sige, pinapangako ko na I will keep him safe," Esther mumbled with an obvious sad tone to her voice. "pangako 'yan, Hans."

Ken heard everything but suddenly his back's fallen to the ground. His eyelids began to nictate rapidly.

"Ken?" said by a voice he knew. "No, what have you done?" The words were inaudible to Ken as his mind shut off.

Ken's face slowly turned sideways touching the road and lost consciousness.

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"Paging Doctor Dela Cruz, code pink, please proceed to the ER." the voice of a woman in the intercom echoed outside the room-followed by a series of melodic notes.

Beeping sounds, from an EKG heart monitor, can be heard in the background as two women have a conversation.

"Okay lang naman po 'yon misis, pero kailangan n'ya po ng madaming tubig." said by the woman in scrub suit while she eyed the IV bag. "He might experience a few episodes of migraine pero once na may discomfort sa stomach area n'ya or difficulty breathing," beeping in the background continued "take him to the hospital agad".

"Salamat, Doctor?" Esther asked.

"Infante po, Misis. But Doc Jane will do."

"Alright, tha.." Esther stopped when the boy in the bed flinched. "I'm sorry, Doc Jane." she moved closer to him as she walked past the woman in the scrub suit. "Ken, anak?"