The sound of the dripping water along with a faint stream of waves slowly woke me up, and as soon as I opened my eyes, the dimness within the vicinity welcomed me. And wherever I look, the shallow and darkness wouldn’t suffice.

And the faint smell of a medicine lingered to my nose, which was buried to someone’s neck; it was a late realization that occurred to me that someone was carrying me. He was limping until he halted and breathed heavily.

“Wow, you really took your sweet time, huh?” He sounded sarcastic, which made my mouth twisted.

Nang nilapag n’ya ako sa gilid ay agad siyang sumalampak sa sahig. Hindi naman basang-basa ang sahig at wala rin akong karapatan mag-inarte kahit sobra ang kagandahan ko.

At isa pa, hanggang ngayon ay hindi ko pa rin kilala ang kinginang kasama ko. Muntik na kaming mamamatay pero hindi ko pa rin siya kilala.

“Oy, anong pangalan mo?” Tanong ko. Isang nagtatakhang tingin lamang ang binato niya sa akin bago niya ako literal na binato ng kung ano man na nakuha niya sa bulsa n’ya.

Sarap niyang lunurin sa kanal.

I looked at the thing he threw at me, and it was Parker’s gloves that were supposed to be in my pocket. And it was now my turn to give him a puzzled look.

“It seems that you’ve already met the stupid one.”

“Excuse me?”

“The name is Peter,” he mumbled and turned his head. I slowly pursed my lips, trying my best not to laugh, “Yeah, yeah. I’m the older one and the coolest among the spider dudes,”

Napahagalpak na lamang ako ng tawa na siyang nag-echo sa buong underground sewage. Hindi ko na kailangan pang itanong kung sino ang tinutukoy niyang nauna kong nakilala. Dahan-dahan kong pinunasan ang butil ng luha na kumawala sa mata ko dahil sa pagpapakilala niya.

At kusang tumiklop ang mga labi ko ng tiningnan n’ya ako nang masama. Sabi ko nga hindi funny.

“Do you think you can walk?” He asked.

I shrugged and tried to lift my body, but a sudden pang within my leg upsurge, making me fall back. Tears began to slowly escape my eyes as the sudden reality started to reappear in my mind.

I slowly looked at Peter and realized that it was a good thing that he brought me with him. How will I be able to face them without Chi? How can I tell them that I was the one who killed Chi?

“This is about the infected you’ve killed.” It was a statement, and he was not asking nor guessing.

Habang inaalala ko ang mga panahon na magkasama kami ni Chi ay mas lalong sumisikip ang dibdib ko. Maybe it will be less hurtful if we are just strangers that have met during the apocalypse, but we aren’t. I considered her best friend, and if it is painful for me— paano pa kaya kay Cara?

For all I know, she’s just enduring her pain about knowing Chi’s condition in the past. Cara constantly deals with her problems silently because after what happened to Alex, after she truthfully tells me about she feels, Cara never speaks about it again. Because Cara disappeared from my life, and I don’t want that to happen again.

“It's okay to feel bad. They are huma—”

“I know...” Another tear slips through my eyes as I diverted my glance to him, “The one I’ve killed was my best friend and Dr. Ramirez’s daughter.”

He was left dumbfounded after I’ve said that. Peter suddenly hushed me, and somehow I felt something moving above like a vehicle, but besides that, I inhaled an unbearable smell, but it was not coming from the canal.

“This is bad,” he mumbled and carried me suddenly without precautions.

Para bang nawala ‘yong pagiging ika-ika n’ya kanina nang buhati niya ulit ako. Nang tumigil kami sa isang kantuhan ng underground sewage ay may tinulak siyang isang brick at bungad sa amin ang isang hideout na agad niyang sinaraduhan.

“Whatever you hear, don’t make any sounds,” he whispered, and I nodded.

On the other side of the wall, the underground sewage we were in earlier, faint sounds of footsteps echoed. Peter forcefully shut his eyes while still clueless about why we are hiding and how the heck he knew about this hideout.

“I don’t want to get killed once we go back to Besodeiah.” It was a voice of an unfamiliar woman, but she sounded scared as if whatever she just spoke might happen.

“I know. But we only have two days left before the capsule within us explodes that will infect our body. I mean, we already search the entire Laodicea, but we failed to found her,” Another woman replied.

“Do you think she’s alive? She came from the Nakamura Clan, which means she can fight.”

“At saan naman natin hahapin ang batang ‘yon? May I remind you that we’ve lost an entire troupe yesterday while dealing with a bunch of kids in a stupid RV.” My eyes widened after hearing her last words. It must be Parker and the others, “Kids as the same age of Amira, but she’s not with them.”

They are looking for me?

Nang dahan-dahan akong lumingon kay Peter ay seryoso na siyang nakatingin sa akin hanggang sa unti-unting humihina ang boses ng dalawang babae dahil sa pag-abante nila.

“Why...”

“I heard the infected one mumbling your name before she died. I only knew you by your name, but it didn’t occur to me that you are the ‘Amira,’”

“What was that supposed to mean?” I asked. He shrugged his shoulder and opened a drawer in front, and he was searching for clothes until he found his match. But before getting out of my sight, he threw a bunch of clothes from the other drawer.

“You smell awful than the canal.”

Umalis ang walanghiya pagkatapos n’ya akong laitin. He is really nothing like Parker, this dimwit is like his nirvana.

Basta lang s’ya siguro humugot ng damit kaya’t tumungo ako sa drawer upang pumili ng mas maayos na mga damit. Tangina, ang cute ko talagang gumapang. I think, this clothes belong to the woman named Kelly. OMG! Are they living? My virgin mind!

Nang matapos ako mag-bihis ay bumalik siya makalipas ang ilang minuto. At pinilit ko naman na maupo sa nag-iisang sofa.

“Who are they?” I asked, referring to the two women talking at the other side earlier. He heaved a sigh and looked at me.

“They are cavities.”

“Ha?”

“Ang sakit nila sa panga e,”

“Tangina...” Panga? Hindi ba sa ngipin ‘yon? Itong tangang ‘to ang sarap sakalin nang paulit-ulit, “Kindly enlighten me about them. Besides, I think the kids they are talking about are Parker and the others,”

He nodded, “Then Kelly must be with them. If not, then they should have been naive about the existence of the cavities.”

Tanginang cavities talaga ‘yan.

But he is right. If they are not aware of their existence, they will most likely seek for their help.

“Anyway, the cavities call themselves as the apostles, the servants of their so-called God.”

“I don’t get it...”

He heaved a sigh as if he doesn’t say another word, “Let me show you, but I don’t I can carry abo—”

“I can walk!”

Nauna s’yang maglakad kaysa sa akin pero agad din siyang lumingon sa akin at tumabi nang tumayo ako. Nilapat n’ya ang kamay ko sa balikat niya upang maging silbing alalay sa paglalakad ko. Nang makarating kami sa isang gilid ay may isang hadgan do’n pataas na siyang inakyat namin.

Kagat-labi ko siyang nilingon nang hindi na Gethsemane ang bumungad sa amin.

“Where are we?”

“Ethiopia,” he whispered. My eyes widened, and I looked at him with disbelief, “Yes, I was lumpily carrying you for a day while you are sleeping peacefully at my back.”

“My bad...”

“It’s too late. Masakit na nga ang balikat ko, ang sakit pa ng sugat ko.”

Napangiwi na lamang ako dahil sa mga sinasabi n’ya. Hindi ko alam kung sadyang kinokosensya niya ako o nag-rarant lamang s’ya sa akin.

Tumungo kami sa sky tower ng Ethiopia, pansin ko rin na tila wala kaming nakikitang mga bozos sa paligid dahilan upang luminga-linga ako sa paligid.

“Don’t worry, tuwing gabi active ang mga infected sa lugar na ‘to.” Nang makarating kami sa pinakatuktok ng sky tower ay ginawi niya ako sa isang built-in binoculars.

“Do you remember what they are talking about earlier?” He asked.

“Do you mean the reason they are looking for me?” I asked, and he nodded. I weakly nodded at him, and they were talking about the capsule that will explode within them if they failed to find me.

“Ah, my colleagues are hiding underneath the Besodeiah. The reason that there are hideouts in the underground is that we are building it because of the existence of the Apostles. But the one in Besodeiah was built years ago.”

“Why?”

“Because Dr. Ramirez’s and the others knew that someone in their circle would betray them.” He gestured me to look in the binoculars, and my eyes were suddenly filled with fears and terrors until I slowly back away.

“Fuck... There are... There are no escapes...” I whispered in terror. My hands are shaking non-stop, and as I slowly look again in the binoculars, the nightmare that I didn’t think about began to lurk within.

The wall that was supposed to be the haven of the survivors has already become a den of the infected. Through the glass windows built in the wall, the bozos of different types were on a rampage— unlike the bozos in each city, they are attacking each other, devouring and feeding them with the flesh of their kinds.

“How about the Visayas and Mindanao? Hindi sila magiging safe kung—”

“They are already building a much thicker and higher wall that will divide them from our chaotic world. And the only thing we can do is either find a cure or look for an isolated island above our country.”

Hindi ko alam kung ano ba ang dapat kong sabihin, ngayong mas marami akong nalalaman ay pakiramdam ko mas lalong nagiging miserable ang buhay ko. But all I need is to stick with him; knowing that he is Parker’s older brother means I am safe.

“Amira...”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t know if you can handle knowing the truth on how fucked up is happening in your family, but...”

“But?”

“It was your father who betrayed his friends, and it was your father who abducted your mother to experiment on her non-stop. And it was your father who is leading the Apostles...”

My mind went blank as he continues to speak. He was so serious while I left anxious.

“It was Augustus Fernandez; it was your father who was our enemy since the beginning.”

#