“Kirstie Ceres?” The man in front of me said surprisingly.
He knew me? How? So I squinted my eyes to see clearly through my spectacles. As my vision went on clearer, I saw the Filipino troops inside this timeworn warehouse.
Most of them were my friends back in high school. And the man who literally pointed a rifle at me and suspected me as a fiend was my brofriend. Not a boyfriend. But a bro. Nah, you’d get it.
I was so confused at the time I encountered them full squad. This warehouse was their hideout! The woman, Manang Mayana, was right all along. I should’ve done this long before when we’re still a thousand. I… could’ve saved them.
They didn’t have any choice but to welcome me here, and so I sat down.
“What brings you here? And how did you know this place?” He asked me.
“The number of our remaining citizens back there was already less than three-hundred. Every day, I can see dead bodies at the front of my porch and it gives me trauma. Even the smaller ones die of hunger, we only get limited food. And sooner or later, all of us will die of hunger… The woman, Manang Mayana, already knew this place. I heard the story of the Laguna tragedy and I just hoped that she’s telling the truth. That’s why I’m here.” I replied as I began to pull out loose thread upon my coat. “Why y’all staying here in this wretched place? We are all dying there. We are even unaware of your plans.”
“Ah, that lunatic… Always gets in the way. She’s right though, but you shouldn’t have come here. Your life will be at stake.” He tried to get a pair of scissors and handed it to me. He’s somehow trying to avoid the last question I asked them.
“I need to head to their general. I know what to do.” I said without hesitations, already trimmed the thread. “I should’ve known that y’all just hiding your asses here and letting us die there.”
“What?! Are you fucking serious? That plan of yours will get us all killed. And maybe we won’t be killed, but you will. What about you? You’re gonna risk your life going there for nothing?” He began sounding like Aaliyah being the ‘good friend’. Or was he?
I clenched my fist, I was getting furious again. They all had that same mindset. But I tried calming myself down for me to talk properly and not to turn into some sorta monster. I wanted to settle this shit long ago with them and finding out that they’re absolutely doing nothing enrages me.
“Reuel… They wanted a professional biologist, right? So, here I am. What’s the point of being alive by just relaxing my ass down on a couch and watching people die just because I’m too special and they are just normal people so I tend to get more guards than they do. What Efren commands them is fucking me up!” Still, I couldn’t resist myself from exploding like hell. Who would’ve wanted chaos?
“And you wanted me to command them all to make you bait? Is that how you think what my job is?” Efren, their commander, bulged in as if he knew everything.
“EXACTLY!” I replied in a way of mocking them. “What do you expect me to answer? ‘Oh Efren, you’re a good soldier to let the people die back there.”
“WHAT?!!” All of them yelled in chorus.
“What’s the point of hiding here anyway? I’m sorry to offend you Commander and the rest of your team but your warehouse party really sucks.” I blurted and crossed my arms like hell.
A sudden silence filled the place then lastly, I said, “Whatever happens tomorrow, I predict that they will soon find out we’re fucking hiding our asses in here. And no matter what circumstances, protect the people, not only Aaliyah and I… Because the townsfolk remaining are far more important than we are. Save ‘em as long as you can handle it.”
I snatched one sleeping bag and began snoozing myself out.
Things that could possibly happen next would be my fate. Maybe that’s really the way it is. It was gonna be a “do or die” situation.
