Mighty has Fallen (on hiatus)

03

Sky

I heard a honk outside and I opened the gate for him. Chandler Reece Corpuz welcomed my sight. I showed him my middle finger and he just flashed his irritating smirk. He opened the back seat of his Black Sedan and pulled out a duffle bag and a paper bag.

"What's up future yorme?!"

"f**k you."

"Dito ka ba napadpad? Bagay na bagay sayo ang Pink ah. Lakas makabeki ah!" Tiningnan pa nya ako mula ulo hanggang paa at nginisian. "Bagay sayo ang suot mo kaya lang bakat."

"Gago! Pumasok ka na baka hindi kita matantya."

Humalakhak pa ang kumag. Pinapasok ko na si Dice sa loob. We call him Dice in our circle. Namangha pa sya sa liit ng Apartment ni Riley.

"Wow! Ang galing naman, dito palang sa pinto kita mo na lahat. Kwarto, banyo, kusina, at sala." Isa-isa pa nyang tinuro. "Where is your savior Dude?"

"She's off to work. She's a singer. In a Bar."

"Oh. She huh? Singer huh?"

"Shut up dumbass. Asan mga gamit ko?"

Inihagis nya sakin ang dala nyang duffle bag. Binuksan ko at nakita ko ang tshirt, pants, boxer at medyas. Napatingin ako sa may gilid ng pinto at nakita ko dun ang sapatos na suot ko kagabi.

"Nandyan din ang phone saka wallet na may cash. Laki ng utang mo sakin ah. Bayad bayad din pag may time." Nakangisi nyang sabi.

"Tangna mo. Baka nakakalimutan mo yung mga violations mo nung nakaraan."

"Practice lang Hehe. Di ka naman mabiro future yorme."

Inilapag din ni Dice ang dala nyang malaking paperbag na may containers ng mga pagkain.

"Sayang wala si Chef Nix eh, libre sana pagkain natin." Naiiling na sabi nya. Kaibigan din namin si Nix or Raven Phoenix Villaflor.

Binuksan din nya ang mini ref at mas lalo syang namangha sa nakita.

"Pota wala man lang softdrinks? Puro tubig ah. Mas mahirap pa yata sa daga ang nakatira dito." Reklamo nito. "May isang itlog pa dito oh saka tuyong kalamansi."

Isa-isa nyang binuksan ang mga cabinet at nakita nya ang ilang pancit canton, 2 cup noodles, 2 Purefoods Corned Beef saka 2 Pork and Beans. Tiningnan din nya ang kaldero at kaserola na parehong walang laman. Nakita din nya ang paubos na Chiz Whiz na palaman tapos maliit pa. 2 pirasong Great Taste White Coffee, 3 yun kanina kinape ko na kanina yung isa. Napailing nalang ako sa mga pinagagawa ni Dice, napakapakialamero akala mo hindi teacher eh.

"Tangina ang swerte mo naman dito Dude, busog na busog ka dito ah." Naiiling na sabi ni Dice. "Anong oras ang balik ng Savior mo?"

"Mamaya pang madaling araw."

"Good." Inilabas nya ang phone nya.

"V, maggrocery ka nga at dalhin mo sa address na isesend ko. Groceries, mga pagkain at kung ano-ano pa. Hindi ka ba nagogrocery? f**k you Dude! Samahan mo na din ng Beer saka Softdrinks, malulunod kasi ako sa tubig dito. Bili ka pala ng Blue Berry Cheesecake. Dami mo reklamo! Bye Fucker!"

"Sa tingin mo ba magkakasya sa MINI REF na yan ang mga pinabili mo kay V?"

Napatingin si Dice sa Mini Ref sa may kusina. Pumorma pa syang nagiisip kahit napakaobvious nga sagot.

"Pota! Oo nga noh." Kinuha nya ulit ang phone nya. "V, bumili ka din pala ng Refrigerator. Oo you heard me. Bumili ka nalang! Wait! Wag pala 2 door, hindi kasya dito sa kusina. Yeah! Yeah! Pwede na yan. Geh."

"Problem solved." Ngumisi pa ang gago.

Pareho na kaming nakaupo sa sofa. I noticed that her place is too small for me but spacious enough for her because she lives alone. I stared at her TV and to her electric fan.

I yanked my phone. Their numbers are already stored.

"V."

Napatingin sakin si Dice na nakakunot ang noo.

"Buy me a 55 inches Smart TV and a split type AC. A laptop and smart phone too. Just do it! Send it to the address that Dice gave you. I'll pay for it. Yeah! Fucker!"

"Baka magulat yung nakatira dito pag umuwi na sya mamaya dito. Hahaha!"

"She deserves more of those."

"Anyway. Can you tell me what exactly happened to you Dude?"

"I was ambushed. I managed to escape from them."

"Any idea who's the mastermind?"

I just shrugged my shoulder. Sa dami kasi ng kalaban ng pamilya ko sa politika hindi ko na mabilang at maturo kung sino ang may kagagawan.

"Naiwan ko ang Motor ko sa may España. I can barely remember how I ended up in here. Pasalamat ako kasi bukas ang gate ng Apartment na to kaya nakapasok ako."

"Let's figure out who sent those mother fuckers to ambush you. V can track and trace them."

"Do your thing. Nagugutom na ako."

"Tss. Nagnoodles ka sana, ang dami pa naman nun sa Cabinet. Hahaha!"

"Yun nga kinain ko kanina kasi walang pagkain si Riley dito. Kawawang nilalang."

"Riley pala ang pangalan ng nakatira dito. Hmmn, is she pretty?"

"Back off asshole."

"Whoaah. Mukhang maganda to ah, binabakuran na agad ni Yorme."

"Shut up Motherfucker!" Tinawanan lang ako ng gago. Akala nya siguro nagbibiro ako.

"Kelan ka ba uuwi sa inyo? Magwawala na naman si Tito kapag nalaman nya itong nangyari sayo."

"I'll come home soon. Linisin ko lang muna ang kalat ko dito." Seryoso ko syang tiningnan at tiningnan din nya ako pabalik.

"Guns blazing but no f*****g dying!!" He blurted out.

Sabay kaming napatingin sa pinto ng may kumatok sa labas. Binuksan ko ang gate at tumambad sa harap namin ang isang delivery truck at mukha ni V.

Niklaus Blaine Vergara or V, kaibigan din namin ang taong bato na to.

"Mind helping me with those groceries?" Nakataas kilay pa nyang tanong.

"Buti hindi ka naligaw V!!" Tinapik sya sa balikat ni Dice.

"Kanino ba tong address nato? Dami nyong utos eh."

"Yorme's girl."

"Huhh?" Kitang-kita sa mukha nya ang pagtataka.

"Wala, chismoso mo. Pumasok na kayo sa loob at ayusin ang dapat ayusin."

Pinagtulungan ng mga delivery boy at ni Dice ang Ref. Dalawa kami ni V sa TV. Pinawall mount ko pa para mas maganda. Inilagay nadin ni Dice at ni V ang mga groceries sa Ref. Inilagay ko naman ang iba sa kabinet.

Nakatayo ako ngayon sa harap ng pinto ng kwarto ni Riley. And to my dismay and no shocking effect on me, she forgot to lock her room. Was it her behavior leaving her room unlocked? Napailing nalang ako pero pumasok padin ako sa loob.

Her room is too small for me. It's just her small bed, tiny study table and her mini drawer. I can smell her scent and I felt something from it. Damn.

Inilapag ko sa kama nya ang laptop at smart phone na binili ni V. Lumabas na ako at inilock ang kwarto nya.

Nakita ko ang dalawa na lumalamon sa may kusina. I joined them coz I'm starving. I just ate a cup of noodles earlier.

"Good Heavens!" I exclaimed. Finally, I ate a real food.

Nginisian ako ni Dice. "Gutom na gutom ah."

"Mabubusog ka ba naman sa cup noodles?" Sarkastiko kong tanong sa kanya.

"Matutuwa yung Riley mo pag-uwi nya mamaya kasi punong puno ng pagkain ang ref nya. At syempre mas magugulat sya sa bago nyang Ref." Humalakhak pa si Dice.

"Riley who?" Tanong ni V. "The owner of this tiny room?"

"Yeah." Natawa ako sa description nya sa Apartment ni Riley pero totoo naman. "She treated my wound and gave me TSB."

"TSB?" Duet pa ang dalawa.

Nginisian ko ang dalawang kumag. "Tepid Sponge Bath dumbasses."

Nagkatinginan silang dalawa na parehong nakakunot ang noo.

"What the f**k is TSB?" V asked.

"USB lang alam ko eh." Nakangising kumento ng nakapagagong si Dice.

"Igoogle nyo mga gago." Singhal ko sa kanila.

We settled everything and cleaned her place first. I purposely left my things with her.

"Hindi mo na sya hihintayin umuwi para magpaalam?" Tanong ni Dice.

"It's better this way. I don't want to involve her with my life."

"What if she look for you?" V asked.

"She shouldn't. It's for her safety." I looked at her apartment for the last time. Hindi naman na kami magkikita. "I need to do something before leaving."

"Fire away Dude."

Sixteen Hours Earlier...

I'm on my way to Dice Condo when I noticed that 2 cars were following me. I'm riding my Ducati V4 in Matte Black when I noticed them tailing me. I tried to mislead them but I was caught when I bumped into a concrete barrier. I barely managed to escape but I gathered my strength to run as quick as possible from them.

At first I thought I lost them but my mind went black when I felt something hard hit me on the back of my head. I stumble and fall, I even lost my strength because the hit made me dizzy.

I'm in the brink of losing my conscioussness but loosing over for someone like them, it will never be my prerogative. So again, I gathered my strength and fought for my life until I find my way to escape. I ran. I even rode a jeepney and when it stopped when the traffic light hits red, I went off. I knew I lost them.

"f**k!"

My sight is getting blurry and the pain in my head intensifies. And just when I thought that luck abandoned me, It started to rain. How lucky I am. My motorbike is crashed. I dropped my phone and wallet somewhere. And I'm losing my strength.

I continued to walk, I was leaning and aiming for support with every walls that I touched. I'm exhausting the last piece of strength that I have when the gate of someone's place accidentally opened. I took the chance and went inside.

And when luck favored me this time. I saw the woman who came outside to close the gate not minding the rain. She took a glimpse on the road before locking the gate.

And when she's about to turn around, that's the time I appeared in front of her. I saw how shocked she is when she saw me and when she's about to yell I immediately covered her mouth with my hand.

"Help."

That's the last piece of my strength that I'm barely holding on. And then my mind went shut down.

I woke up feeling light headed and my stomach is growling. I can still feel the pain in the back of my head but it feels a lot better now. I looked at my surroundings and I'm trying to find in my memory last night how I ended in someone else house.

I get off from the sofa where I was laying when I noticed that I'm naked below.

"What the hell?"

Though I'm wearing a fitted shirt. I laughed with the thought of waking up naked in someone else house. My eyes landed on a jersey short on the small center table. I grab and wear it of course. I don't want to flaunt my General in a place I'm not familiar with.

I have no idea what time is it but looking outside with a ray of sunshine sneaking from the small window, the sun is up and I'm f*****g starving.

I went to the kitchen and looked for food. To my dismay, I found an empty pot. I checked the miniref and all I can see are bottles of water. Tss.

I opened the cabinet and found some cup noodles. I grabbed one. Good thing the owner owns an electric kettle. Why doesn't she have a coffee maker? Damn.

I made myself a coffee, I found 3 pieces of Great Taste White 3-1 coffee. A cup of noodle won't satisfy my hunger but I should get a hold of myself not to munch the food that was left. I should wait for the owner to wake up.

I opened a door that led me to a bathroom. I found my shirt, pants and jacket hanging on the wall and still dripping wet.

A couple of hours passed but the owner is still not awake. I'm dead hungry and I just want to meet her first before bolting out.

I felt thirsty so I grabbed a drink in the Mini Ref when the door opened and a woman came outside. She is holding a towel, messy hair in a bun. She is wearing an oversized shirt and a pajama. When she saw me she was stunned. Shock is registered on her pretty face.

I had this chance of staring at her while she is still froze on her place. She is beautiful. Small pointed nose, reddish lips, tantalizing eyes and a face of an angel. f**k! My eyes went down and noticed something on her shirt. f*****g f**k! She is not wearing a bra. Her n*****s are waving at me. I felt my General slightly moved. I should stopped myself before he became obvious, I'm not wearing anything aside from this jersey short for f**k sake!

"Wag kang magkakamaling lumapit sakin! Hahampasin kita nito!"

I find her cute when she grabbed that walis tambo and pointed it at me. As if it will do something for her.

"S-sino ka? Bakit ka nandito sa Aparment ko?"

"Aren't you the one who brought me inside your aparment?"

"Ako nga, hinila kita papasok dito sa loob!!"

"What?? Hinila mo ako?"

"Oo, ang bigat mo kaya. Struggle kaya ako sa pagbubuhat sayo."

I tried to suppress a smile when I heard that. I poke my inside cheek with my tongue. I find her cute with her expressions. And I tried harder to keep my eyes from looking at her breast. It is really obvious on her shirt and my General is slowly coming to life. This is torture.

She asked a lot of questions which is understandable on her part. And whenever she calls me Mister, my body is reacting what more if she calls me Mayor? Damn.

Naaaliw ako sa kanya, her gestures are amusing. Kinwento pa nya kung pano nya ako nahila hanggang makapasok kami sa loob ng Apartment na to. Pati ang pagpalit nya sa basa kong damit. Nagustuhan nya pa yata ang abs ko. Damn! Mas naaliw pa ako sa kanya ng sabihin nya kung pano nya hinubad ang pants at boxer ko and left me wearing nothing below. Kaya pala fitted ang suot kong tshirt kasi damit nya to pati nadin ang Jersey short na muntik ng maging boxer.

I was disappointed when she told me she's leaving because of her job. She is a singer in a Bar. Was it a decent place? Maayos kaya ang lugar na yun?

I wanted to ask if why she lives alone at kung nasan ang pamilya nya but those are too personal questions. I'm a stranger. Wala akong karapatang magtanong.

Nagawa ko pa syang titigan bago sya umalis. Wag ko daw kakalimutan ilock ang pinto bago ako umalis. Gusto ko sana syang pigilan umalis kanina pero wala na naman akong karapatan. I watched her leave with a heavy heart.

"Tara let's?" Tanong ni Dice.

"Yeah. Let's go." Isang sulyap pa ang ginawa ko bago ko talikuran ang Pink nyang Apartment.

"See you around, Riley."