Dangerous Gentlemen II: The Damned

PACT WITH THE DEVIL

"I am listening to you, Krystina," For unknown reason ay sunod-sunod na tumulo ang mga luha sa mga mata ko habang nakatingin ako sa kaniya. Is it because his presence made me feel like I am saved?

I don't even know. All I know is the aching pain in my heart while looking at him.

"I hear you, child."

"I hear you, child." my eyes widened when I noticed that his lips didn't part but I heard his voice in my mind.

Pinahid ko ang luha na tumulo sa mga mata ko at kinusot ang mga mata ko. "Nasisiraan na yata ako ng bait." Muli akong lumingon sa direksyon kung saan nakatayo ang lalaki kanina ngunit wala na siya. Napasinghap ako nang muli ko na namang naramdaman ang presensya niya ngunit mas malakas iyon ngayon at nanggagaling sa likod ko.

Bago pa man ako makaharap ay narinig ko ang malamig niyang boses. "I can fulfill whatever you want to happen right at this moment." He whispered right into my ear.

Matigas akong lumunok ang tried to find my voice. "S-Sino ka? A-Anong kailangan mo? Anong ginagawa mo dito?" marahas akong humarap sa kaniya na ngayon ay nakatayo na ng isang metro mula sa akin. "Bakit mo ako kilala?" matigas ang boses na tanong ko sa kaniya. Pilit ko lamang na tinatago ang takot at kaba na nararamdaman ko. I don't know him but I am 100% sure that he is not an ordinary person. An ordinary person wouldn't be able to stop time like this and kept on disappearing like he did.

"I heard your cry and I listened," tipid na sagot niya habang malamig na nakatingin lamang sa akin. His eyes are still glowing red.

"I know what you are and you are not the one that I called," kuyom ang kamao na sagot ko.

I saw the corner of his rose. "What am I then?" nanghahamon na tanong niya sa akin.

Bigla kong naramdaman ang pagtindi ng tension sa pagitan naming dalawa. Sa likod ng isip ko ay paulit-ulit ko nang sinasabi kung ano siya pero tila hirap na hirap akong sambitin iyon.

"Say it." I almost lost my balance nang ilang boses ang sabay-sabay na nagsalita ang narinig ko sa sinabi niya. I can feel my knees shaking with fear and I am afraid that I am close to beg for my life to be spared by him. Bakit ba ako ganito? simula pagkabata ko ay hindi ko naman naranasan na makakita ng mga ganitong uri pero bakit ngayon pa? kung saan malaki na ako at nasa tamang pag-iisip na para hindi maniwala na ang mga nilalang na kagaya niya ay hindi totoo. Na nasa isip ko lamang sila.

'Pero alam ko sa sarili ko na hindi ito gawa-gawa lamang ng isip ko. Alam ko na ang lalaking nakatayo ngayon sa harap ko ay hindi produkto lamang ng kathang-isip ko. Kundi isang patunay na may mga bagay na totoo na higit pa sa ating imahinasyon.'

"Demon."

Darkness loomed all over him as soon as I said those words. His figure was covered with smoke and I swear I saw a different creature with a big horn on his head.

"I'm glad you know what I am." malapad ang ngisi na sabi niya. At unti-unting naglakad papunta sa direksyon ko. I took a step back in fear pero sa isang kisap lang ng mata ko ay nakatayo na siya sa harap ko.

"And did you so called god came when you called for him?" tanong niya habang ang mukha ay ilang hibla na lang ang layo sa akin. I couldn't nod nor speak. I am afraid that what he is saying is the truth. I have been abandoned right at this moment by what I thought would be my salvation.

He grinned when he realized that I am starting to get the idea. "I thought so."

Bigla akong nanghina when he suddenly pulled away. Sinapo ko ang lalamunan ko at hinabol ang hininga ko na hindi ko napansin ay kanina ko pa pala pinipigilan. Ang hirap huminga dahil parang ang bigat ng hangin na pumapasok sa lalamunan ko.

"Poor humans. Unable to do anything to save themselves."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang makita ko siyang nakatayo sa tabi ni Lolo Danilo. "Lumayo ka sa kaniya!" mariing sabi ko.

Imbis na pansinin ako ay niyuko niya si Tatay at tinignan ang mga mata nito. Lolo Danilo's eyes glowed red like him as soon as their eyes met. "Anong ginagawa mo?"

"Lucky for this man, Nirvana is what awaits his. But he still have to spend years and years of waiting in the Limbo for the regret that he have in his heart while his dead wife is waiting for him."

I tried to understand what he is trying to say pero wala akong maintindihan sa pinagsasabi niya. He looked at me and grinned. I stopped myself from blinking and there I saw it. I saw how he turned into smoke and teleported from one direction into another.

"While these poor kids have to go to hell." I felt my heart sank with what I heard habang nakatingin sa magkapatid na umiiyak habang magkayakap. Fear and regret is evident on both of their eyes.

"A-Anong ibig mong sabihin?" nanginginig ang boses na tanong ko at lumapit sa kaniya. "Bakit mo sinabi na pupunta sila sa impyerno?"

The man laughed hysterically. "These two kids right here killed their Mother. That's murder for you," masayang sabi nito.

Hindi makapaniwalang sinuri ko ng tingin ang dalawang bata. "Hindi. H-Hindi totoo iyang sinabi mo. They are a good kids! They wouldn-"

"But they did." putol niya sa sinasabi ko.

The man waved his hand in thin air and a smoke came out. Mula sa itim na usok ay naglaro ang isang eksena kung saan si Paolo ay pinagsasaksak ang isang babae na sa tingin ko ay Nanay nila. Duguan na ang babae at wala nang buhay pero patuloy pa rin ito sa paulit-ulit na pagsaksak.

"You see?" malapad ang ngising tanong sa akin ng lalaki.

"H-Hindi!" umiiling na sagot ko habang umaatras. I shouldn't let him get in my mind! He is a demon and this is what demon do! They get into your mind, your weakness and you. They will do everything to make you do what they want. "Hindi totoo iyan!"

"Believe whatever you want. I don't care. That is not the reason why I am here anyway," walang gana na sagot niya at nagsimulang maglakad habang nililibot ang tingin sa mga tao sa paligid namin na tila estatwa dahil hindi gumagalaw.

"I am here to offer you a deal." He said and looked at me.

"I told you! Kahit ano man ang sasabihin mo ay hindi ako maniniwala. Hindi ikaw ang kailangan-"

Natigilan ako nang tinaas niya ang kamay niya. "What are you doing?" kabadong tanong ko at nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin ko sa mukha niya at sa kamay niya.

"Do you want to know?"

He snapped his fingers and in an instant, the time on the bomb started ticking again. "STOP! PLEASE STOP!" I screamed from the top of my lungs. Begging with fear of my life and of everyone else in here. "PLEASE STOP!" mariing sabi ko at tinakpan ang mga mata ko.

I heard the man snapped his fingers one more time. Sa takot ko ay ilang segundo pa bago ako sumilip. Mangiyak-ngiyak na tinignan ko ang bomba at natigilan nang mapansin ko na hindi nag-iba ang numero na nakalagay doon.

I swear I saw the numbers went down on that bomb! I am sure that it started ticking again! Unless...

"Y-You tricked me!"

"I didn't." kalmadong sagot niya sa akin at pinagsalikop ang kamay niya. "I simply showed you what is bound to happen. You should be glad I didn't make the time move," nang-aasar na sabi niya sabay ngisi.

Mariing nagkuyom ang kamao ko sa pinaghalong inis at galit. Gusto kong burahin ang ngisi sa labi niya dahil mas lalo akong naasar sa tuwing nakikita ko iyon. Ang kaninag sakit na naramdaman ko sa dibdib ko nang makita ko siya ay napalitan ng pagkamuhi.

'Why did I even felt that pain in the first place?' Ngayon ko lang naramdaman ang ganoong uri ng sakit sa tanang buhay ko. Higit pa iyon sa sakit na naramdaman ko noong nawala ang lalaking mahal ko. It's the kind of pain that seems to be inside me for so long pero hindi ko maalala.

"The faith of these people around you depends on you." napabalik ako sa kasalukuyan nang narinig ko siya na magsalita muli.

"A-Anong ibig mong sabihin?" kunot-noong tanong ko. "Stop speaking ni riddles and tell me directly what do you want!"

"What I want? or what you want?" napasinghap ako when he suddenly turned into smoke and appeared right behind me again. "Unlike you, I have no desires. It is you who want something and only I can give it you." I shivered when his cold lips touched my ear.

Agad akong lumayo sa kaniya habang sapo ang tenga ko. "Think, Krystina. I appeared because I heard your cry. I stopped the moment but the future depends on your decision."

Nilibot ko ang tingin ko sa paligid. Hindi ko mabilang kung ilan pa kaming natira na nandito sa loob but there is approximately more than a hundred of us who are still stuck inside. Sa bawat tao na tinignan ko ay pare-pareho ang emosyon na nasa mukha nila. They all have the same look of fear on their faces while some have this look on their face that seems like they have already accepted their faith.

'Their lives, depend on me and the decision that I will make...'

"What do you want?" malamig na tanong ko. Kahit hindi ko siya lingunin ay alam kong napangisi siya sa sinabi ko.

"I guess we are talking now."

Walang emosyon na nakatingin lang ako sa kaniya na naglakad papunta sa harap ko. "I will save you and everyone else left in this room. I also guarantee your safety until you escape this place. Sounds good, right?" excited na tanong nito sa akin.

I felt hope inside me but I know that this wouldn't last long. He is a demon and a demon don't do things without anything in return. "In exchange of what?"

"You know me so well," tuwang-tuwa na sabi niya habang tumatango. "Not bad."

"On second thought. You won't have to tell me what I have to lose in exchange."

He suddenly frowned with what I said. "Why not?"

Bakit ko pa ngaba kailangan malaman kung ano ang mangayayari sa akin if I make a deal with him? Making a pact with the devil doesn't sound good. Hindi ko na rin naman kailangan pang pag-isipan kung dapat ko ngabang gawin dahil wala akong choice. It's either we all die or I sacrifice myself. And I choose the latter because I want to save the greater quantity.

"Because there is nothing good in making a pact with a devil like you. Better yet make this quick so we all can leave this place."

"Feisty. Now I see why they are interested in you," I heard him murmured to himself but I couldn't full understand what he just said dahil sobrang hina niyon.

"Huh? Anong sinabi mo?"

His eyes glowed darker even more and a paper suddenly appeared in front of me. There are words written on it pero hindi ko iyon maintindihan dahil nakasulat sa ibang lenguahe. "Hindi ko alam na uso rin pala sa inyo ang kontrata." Wala sa sariling sabi ko.

'That was so unnecessary, Krystina!' parang gusto ko tuloy sapukin ang sarili ko sa sinabi ko. Hindi ko naman sinasadya na punain iyon.

"Contracts seal agreement." Tipid na sabi niya. "Sign it."

I was about to touch the paper nang bigla na lamang natigil iyon sa ere dahil pinigilan niya ako. Napasinghap ako nang maramdaman ko ang malamig niyang kamay na nakapaikot sa maliit kong palapulsuhan. "Anong ginagawa mo?" nanlalaki ang matang tanong ko habang nakatingin sa kaniya pero hindi niya ako sinagot.

I felt like my soul is being sucked while he is just staring at me dead in the eyes. I felt his hand moved and touched my hand. I flinched when he dug his nail into my finger. Napunta ang tingin ko sa kamay ko na masakit at nakita na merong dugo na tumutulo doon.

"State your name." Malamig na sabi niya while still holding my hand.

"K-Krystina Vera,"

The paper glowed in a pulsating manner. "Krystina Vera, your soul is mine from now forth until the day I collect it. Let your blood bind this agreement."

I felt a burning pain on my back as soon as he wiped my blood on the paper. "AGHHH!" I screamed and reached for my nape. He let go of my hand and I fell on my knees, shaking while feeling the pain. I feel like my nape is being burned and it hurts so much.

"NO!" I heard another man's voice screamed. Nagtaas ako ng tingin at tinignan kung saan nanggaling ang boses na iyon at nakita ang sobrang puting ilaw. Then, I saw a man's figure rushing towards me pero hindi ko na nakita ko sino iyon dahil tuluyan na ako nawalan ng malay.