Death Maiden

Chapter 03

She could feel something hot on her right cheek and her whole body felt so warm. She could feel a soft fabric on top of her. She tried to move but she couldn't. Of course, ano bang inaasahan niya. She's already dead.

Or.....is she? Why is she still feeling the heat on her cheeks and other parts of her body?

Is she in Hell? Is she burning in Hell? Pero hindi naman ganun ka init dito na mapapaso na siya.

She could hear the birds chirping and the smell the fresh air coming from somewhere. 'Surely, this isn't Heaven right? 'There's no way she'll be here!

She is not in Purgatory too, right? Since she is not under any punishment right now at tsaka hindi niya naman naalala kung anong parusa niya to atone for her earthly sins. She just couldn't move any muscles.

'Then, where the heck am I?' She's neither in Heaven nor in Hell. She's not in Purgatory, either. Wala namang iba pang lugar na mapupuntahan sa isang patay diba pwera sa tatlong 'yun ayon narin kay Dante?

Then it clicked her. 'No way! No way, right? Am I still......alive?'

She immediately opened her eyes. She looked on her right and saw a candle burning on the small table beside her and the fabric cloth she felt was a white blanket the covered her whole body from her neck down to her toes. Across the bed is an opened window probably where she could smell the fresh air and could hear the birds chirpping.

'So, I'm really alive but how?'

No matter how impossible it may seem but she actually lived. She escaped death. She asked so many times how did it happen? Ano nga bang nangyari pagkatapos 'nun? Hindi niya na maalala, wala siyang maalala.

Biglang bumukas ang pinto at bumulagta sa kanya ang isang batang lalaki na nasa edad 14 years old or less. He was holding a wooden platter with a bowl and a glass of water. Nung nakita niyang gising na siya, he jumped for joy. Napaatras siya at tumalikod ng bahagya para sumigaw, "Pa, gising na siya! Pa! Halika dito!" Then the boy turned towards her with a smile plastered on his face. 

She looked at him sternly and said, "Who are you and what the hell are you doing here?"

Napaatras ang bata bigla at halatang natakot siya sa sinabi niya. "Who are you!"

The boy was confused pero hindi pa rin siya umaabante papunta sa kaya. "I said, who are you!" Hindi niya na napigilang hindi mapasigaw paano kasi hindi sinasagot ng bata ang mga tanong niya. Mas lalo pa siyang napaatras ngayon and his on the verge of crying dahil sa takot.

"Tama na 'yan!" Sigaw ng isang matandang lalaki galing sa likod niya. At nung malinaw niya na niyang naaaninag ang dalawang estranghero sa tapat niya, napansin niyang nasa 4o to 50 na ang edad ng matanda. Malaki at malakas ang pangangatawan at medyo maputi na ang buhok niya.

"Who are you?" She asked again screaming. She pulled herself up, a little, para sana makatayo pero much to her dismay, she couldn't move the lower half of her body and even if she tries, sobrang sakit lang ang aabutin ng kanyang katawan. She cursed internally. Hindi ko na lang pinahalata ang sakit na naramdaman niya.

Kinuha ng matanda ang platter sa mga kamay ng bata tsaka sinabing, "Ako na dito, anak. Sa baba ka na lang mag-antay."

"O-opo." At mabilis ang batang umalis sa kwarto.

"Can't you hear what I just said? I said, WHO ARE YOU!" She asked again. This time mas pinakita pa niya sa kanyang ekspresyon ang galit. 'What the hell?! Hindi ba niya ako naiintindihan? Wala bang nakakaintindi sa kanila?'

Tumalikod ang matanda sa kanya para i-lock yung pintuan. "Ako si William at 'yung isa, anak ko, si Adrian. Medyo matagal-tagal na kaming naninirahan dito, isang taon na ata pero hindi 'to amin. Wala ngang nakatira dito kaya dito muna kami pansamantala." Naglakad si William papunta sa kanya at umupo sa pinakamalapit na upuan tsaka nilagay ang platter sa may lamesa.

'Pansamantala? One year? Pansamantala ba 'yun?' "I want you to get out of here right now!" She ordered him. Nakahiga parin siya pero nararamdaman niyang maigagalaw niya na pala ang upper part ng katawan niya pero hindi parin ganun ka lakas.

"Sorry pero di ko yan magagawa. Kailangan mo kami sa ayaw mo at sa gusto mo. Tingnan mo nga ang sarili mo? Kaya mo bang kumain mag-isa?" He said.

He's strange. She's emitting a deadly aura pero hindi parin ito natatakot sa kanya. He should already be scared of her. Pagkakita palang sa mga pasa ko, dapat na siyang matakot pero wala pa ring bakas ng pagkatakot ang nakikita sa mukha niya.

"Can't you see?" Pilit niyang ginalaw ang mga kamay niya sa harap ni William. 'f**k. That hurts.' "Kaya kong kumain mag-isa."

"Maybe but have you looked at yourself lately? I mean, earlier? I know that you know already that you can't move half of your body. Look at it. It's a mess. " Tiningnan siya ng matanda, maybe hoping that she would really look at it but no, she won't. She knew it already. She even thought she might become incapable because of it.

Tumayo na lang ang matanda at nilapag niya sa mesa ang isang bowl ng soup tsaka isang basong tubig at dinala ang platter. Sinundan niya ito ng tingin habang naglalakad si William papunta sa bintana. Tumingin ang matanda sa labas. "Ang lamig ng simoy ng hangin 'no? Malapit na kasi ang pasko."

"Hindi mo ba ako narinig or nagbingi-bingihan ka lang? I told you to get out of this house right now!" Habang tinuro niya sa matanda ang daan palabas. 'That f*****g hurts. Kahit sa simpleng pag-angat lang ng aking hintuturo, nararamdaman ko na ang sobrang sakit.' She tried really hard not to show that on her face.

He smirked and faced her, "Ang bata-bata mo pa kay talas na ng dila mo." Naglakad lang ang matanda papuntang pintuan.

"What!" Sigaw ko sa kanya.

He just continued to ignore her rants. "O nga pala, pagkatapos mong kumain ilagay mo lang diyan sa mesa tsaka siguraduin mong mauubos mo 'yan. Tatlong araw kang tulog kaya kailangan mo 'yan."

What? Tatlong araw na siyang tulog? Ganun ka grabe ang nangyari sa kanya? Bapo pa man siya tuluyang umalis may sinabi pa siyang, "Hindi kami pwedeng umalis. Sa ayaw at gusto mo, you'll need us more than we need you." He meaningfuly smiled at her before closing the door.

Who the hell does he think he is? He's definitely strange. He's not giving her the reactions that she wanted. Normally, a person would get scared if pinapalayas siya sa kanyang tinitirhan even if hindi yun sa kanya but he......he never showed that he scared of me. Never at all. Tsaka when he spoke, he had an accent. He's more than what he wanted her to see of him.

If may saktong lakas lang siya, matagal niya na silang napatahimik habangbuhay! May isa pa siyang pinagtatakahan. Bakit di man lang niya naramdaman ang presensya nilang dalawa sa bahay kahit nung pag-akyat nila papunta sa kwarto niya hindi niya rin naramdaman?

Is she limited when it comes to her senses now? Masyado ba siyang naapektuhan sa nangyari ng gabing yun? Ganun ba kalaki ang damage na nakuha niya? Is she having difficulties now?

She couldn't imagine her life getting normal. She couldn't even imagine herself living like a normal person. How can she live like that?

Umaga na nung nagising siya. 'So it wasn't at all a dream, huh? Buhay nga talaga ako.' Hindi niya parin alam kung anong dapat niyang maging reaksyon dahil sa nabuhay siya. Should she be happy or should she be worried?

'Ano na ngayon? Without the organization--wait! Hindi ko pa nga pala alam kung ano ng nangyari sa organization.' As far as she could remember that night, the whole 10-storey building was burnt down to the ground. Alam niyang imposibleng may mabuhay pa dun at alam niyang wala na silang makukuha o maiiayos dun. 'Ano na kaya ang nangyari sa organisasyon? ' Hanggang ngayon wala pa rin siyang nababalitaan tungkol sa kanila.

She looked around the house. She pulled herself up para medyo nakasandal ang likod niya sa headboard ng kama. This looked familiar to him. Walang pintura ang mga haligi ng silid pero halata namang may sunog na nangyari dito noon dahil sa black soots that covered half of the room, mostly at the side where the door is situated. The other half was okay. Walang masyadong gamit na nasa loob pwera na lang nitong kama, a smalle table beside it, isang wardrobe malapit sa pintuan and near the window, may isang study table doon with a chair. Above the table was a picture. A picture of a young girl dressed in white. The girl wore a black shoes with white socks. He held with her a boquet full of white roses and a wide innocent smile plastered in her face.

'Wait. What the- WHAT. THE. HELL? That girl looked like me when I was 4 years old! That's definitely me! Why was that in here? How did it came here?' She gasped.

Then it clicked her.

'No! No way! No way in hell! This is isn't....my room, right? No way! Am I......in our old house?'

Biglang may kumatok sa pinto that shun her off of her thoughts. Hindi niya na naman lang nadama ang presensya nito. Bakit?

"Papasok po ako," sabi ng isang boses bata. Pumasok siya na may dalang pagkain. "Sabi ni papa kainin mo daw po yan lahat." Nilapag na ng bata yung pagkain sa lamesa malapit sa kanya. He just stood there, waiting for something.

She looked at him sternly and tinaasan niya ito ng kilay.

"Ah eh. Wala lang." Nauutal pang sagot ng bata at hindi pa ito makatingin ng diretsyo sa kanya. Tumalikod na lang ito bigla at kumaripas na lumabas sa kwarto niya. 'Ano bang problema niya? Hindi ko pa din ini-acknowledge or ina-accept ang presensya at pagtulong nila sa akin pero as what I can see to myself now, hindi ko kayang gawin ang mga bagay na kayang kung gawin noon.' Hindi pa nga siya nakakalakad. Kailan ba siya babalik sa normal? She hate being served! Para siyang isang disabled person. She doesn't want this kind of life. Kailangan niya ng gumaling ng mabilis. Pagmagaling na siya ang mag-ama na ito ang una niyang poproblemahin. Ang rami niya ng nabuong mga plano kung paano niya sila papatayin. They'll see.

May kumatok na naman sa pintuan. Bakit hindi niya na naman napansin? Pumasok ang matanda at pumunta siya may bintana ng wala man lang sinabi kahit isang salita.

"Surely, you won't be here just to stand there looking idly from the window," she said to him as-a-matter-of-fact.

He chuckled. "But surely, this spot has the most beautiful view, right?" When he saw her not-so-pleased reaction, he changed from a goofy old man into a more serious with much authority-in-him look. "I know you have so much questions in your mind right now. Mind you, walang alam ang anak ko tungkol dito. Tsaka, how did I know ikaw ang nagmamay-ari ng bahay na 'to? Well, we'll get to that later. Ang akin lang ngayon ay," he paused for a moment looking deeply into her eyes before he continued, "don't ever touch my kid."

When he said the last sentence she can feel a much strong and fearful aura from him. "If you do that then, we'll be at peace. Mind you, right now, I'm much stronger than you are."

"Did you just threaten me?" She laughed a little in disbelief.

"Apparently, I did." The old man replied.

She smirked at him. 'This is enjoyable. An opponent, I see.' Nagsukatan pa sila ng tingin pero siya ang unang umiwas. He's challenging her.

"Aalis na ako. 'Yun lang naman talaga ang pakay ko dito eh." Lumabas na ito sa kwarto.

"Did he just threaten me? Huh. They're gonna be dead, that's for sure, with my own hands. He doesn't know who he's messing with," she breathed in disbelief but she just thought of something, he knew she was dangerous. He knew she could kill them but how? That man is more dangerous than she thought he was. What confused her more was, if he knew she was dangerous, he should've reported her to the authority, but he didn't or atleast bring her to the hospital. Instead, they took care of her.