Immortality (English)

Cruelty

        Would it be possible to be alive when  you know to yourself that you've passed the phase of dying? Like feeling the burning sensation of your lungs because you're drowning in your own blood combined with water? Honestly it felt like your lungs are being incinerated as you try to breath. And would it be possible to consciously know that your heart is pumping its best just to try to compensate? Until it got tired as you know in the state of dying that it'll slowly go to arrhythmia, it would  eventually stop. I know I died. So, what am I now? In dying you should be able to see your past life just like the movies...but I was just there stranded floating in the murky water of the Pasig River now stained with my blood as I slowly sink underneath.  I am dead. My body is convulsing struggling to stay alive with no hope. I am dead...as my heart finally stopped to its defeat. I am...dead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~⊙°⊙~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Few hour ago.

        The mission went smoothly just like how we discussed inside the shelter. But it was too smooth for me not to notice something odd. It's always in my nature to doubt the slightest possibility of being safe. Being safe in a bat territory is nonexistent in my scale. We reached the Malacañang palace without anyone or anything noticing us mid afternoon. I mean for a highly sensitive creatures, wouldn't that be doubtful? Even at the peak of the sun they wouldn't let themselves be vulnerable. I know because I fought them face to face. The girls was acting so smug of being right under their noses but my intuition was kicking my balls, if I had them. 

        There was something wrong about the whole scenario. We are not like those people in the movies for Pete's sake, someone must have noticed. I was surveying the landmark where we were about to land, in the northern part of the palace. Nothing was there...not even chimeras they'd use to be their watch dog. Chelsea was pretty much confident that the plane we used was so silent babies would sleep soundly at us being rascally passing by. They don't see dead people all the time. They haven't fought these things head on...I did...so us arriving safe and sound near the inner circle of the high emperor smells so nasty I think I'll puke ambush.

        We circled the rooftop slowly and stopped seeing the view. We didn't know why the heck a trench is in the middle of the city. It was at the edge of the palace. Like they were building something deep under ground. When you try looking at it from the side you'll think that those things made a man made cliff on the side of the presidential palace. And if the sun would be setting and I had my camera, I am pretty much sure that it'll be dramatic. What the heck is Xed doing with this? Digging up dead people and making a zombie army? I've had my fair share of killing thanks very much.

       "Guys I don't like this...I swear my gut is never wrong when it come to dying." I said readying my rope as we chartered the rooftop aiming for the elevator duct.

        "Are you sure about that? You almost died like two times already." Quenncie said in her know it all voice readying her elbow pads. "We can do this boss just relax and let's kill some bats. If I remember correctly that elevator goes straight to the Presidential suites. So, maybe their king is there." pointing at the duct we are nearing.

        "Honestly, I'm just worried if I don't get you guys home to your mommas." I said grinning nervously. "They'll kill me if any of you don't come home alive you know. So please try not to die on me, okay?"  I checked my line one last time before jumping out the plane clinging to a rope. I opened the vent which was surprisingly unscrewed, like it was left there for us. Alarm bells once again rang in my head but I couldn't do anything to stop the girls because they are already on the roof deck checking the perimeters. 

        Mushka, Noelle and Queencie came down with me, while Chealsea went up high in the sky to scan infrared signatures of the building. Of course she wouldn't get anything from bats because they are unbelievably cold. Our dead give away are the chimeras, because seeing pets means masters are nearby. We wore glasses which feeds us the sensor in each floor. "Roof deck clear," I heard them say one by one. And I signal them to shut their trap up because bats can hear the slightest murmur. I signaled them that we are entering the vent so we hide our riffles inside our backpacks and took our blades out. Of course I'll be the first to go in, Yay!

        We started crawling inside the vent seeing the every living being with pulse in our scanner. Rats, insects and chimeras lurking below the vent confused of our scents because our uniform as injected with mice pheromones just in case we encounter sniffers. Sniffers don't have eyes but a scent can  let them know what you had for breakfast. "Fran, the end of this vent leads to the bathroom of the presidential suite." I heard Queencie murmured in our intercom. I just nodded and gave her a thumbs up to save me from saying anything. I don't want my own voice to mute my sense of hearing. I was so in sync with the surrounding when I heard laughing sound. It blew my concentration off. I was hearing giggling women coming from our destination. It's the usual sound of a female when being flattered by a male, which made my blood boil all of a sudden.

        How can they act so humanly when they are heartless monsters living off because of our blood? I slowly picked up the pace wanting to see what awaited us in the bathroom of the presidential suite. It was pissing me off, like being that jealous wife. It was irritating to think that I am still that much affected by him even if he is an immortals guy who tried changing me. Or the fact that we cuddled even of he's already the high emperor. I could hear him laughing with them, which irritated me more. It was as if holding myself back as I watch him flirt with those vampire girls. Wait. Hold on. They aren't vampires. They are humans. "Oh, hell." I lost my temper right then. And all my military instincts went down the drain as I burst out of the vent landing in the very foamy Jacuzzi in which Xed is enjoying with the company of two very teen looking human girls. He can control his blood lust with them and ended up biting me during our fight? And he was saying that he loves me.  

        The girls shrieked as they hurriedly jump out of their bath. Immediately I impaled my bolo on his shoulder cracking the tile behind him and started shooting at him with my hand gun. I was furious and I couldn't believe the reason why. Jealousy. With each bullet I delivered in his gut I shout a curse because I couldn't handle seeing him hurt. I love him so much but by doing so I'm already hurting myself. The burden in my heart was so heavy that I couldn't ease it by just mere crying. I have to kill him for the good of humanity. I pulled the trigger nonstop until all my load was up. What now? His wounds are slowly healing, the bullets I shot at him are one by one dropping at the soapy water. While thinking of ways to behead him he started laughing. It wasn't a normal one, it was a laugh of a deranged person. A very haunting laugh. A laugh of victory. No, I couldn't let him win. Not. This. Time. 

        I hurriedly took my other bolo and and started chopping, but as fast as I collided my blade with his flesh his healing would start. "When will you realize that this is a trap, love?" He said after I pulled my bolo out of his healing neck,  "You can't kill me. I can grow a new head if that's what you--" I cut what he was about to say sinking my bolo on the middle of his neck severing his larynx. His face was so bloody, he can be good as dead, but his amusement never left his eyes. Eyes that I shot because I knew I was about to lose against him yet again. Everything was in slow motion as looked around, Queencie and Mushka was running towards the window calling for Chealsea's help. Our intercom buzzed with jumbled words I couldn't comprehend. All I could understand was how Noelle betrayed us. They were shouting and shooting at chimeras trying to corner them. Noelle wasn't in sight because I realized then that she was about to sink her knife behind my back to aid her Master.

        "Fran, you have to die now okay? You've done enough damage to him already. " I could hear the enthusiasm in her voice, as she stabbed me yet again. I couldn't feel anything with the adrenaline rush of the moment. What was running in my mind that moment was getting Queencie and Mushka the hell out of s**t hole Noelle had brought us into. So I hold the mini shotgun located on the back of waist with my free hand and shot straight into her abdomen. The impact made her fly off me.

        "f**k you." I said without remorse. I started a dead run toward the two seeing the open passenger side of the plain Chealsea was flying just outside the window. Chealsea and I had a back up plan in case all hell breaks on us. I have to activate the life line of the team, that way the plain could get them out of the area. The only problem was the plain we are using now only has two life line cables available. And she can only get the other two with a minimum of three minutes interval. In three minutes I can kill myself, the only option I have was to save the two. Lifeline badges are always located in the middle of the back and they are activated with a button in the chest to the individual.  "Cheal, activate lifeline now!" I roared at our intercom as I grabbed Queencie and Mushka, activating their badges whilst turning in midair to break the  window glass. With the last of my strength I throw them both up high enough to be caught by the cable. And when I thought I was about to fall into my death a hand grabbed me.

        "Fran!!!" Queencie shouted, "hold on!!" Her voice was strained with tears trickling on her face. I could hear her lifeline creaking, it would break with our weight  combined. Chealsea was flying away from the palace now dragging us dangling in midair. 

        "You know the rules of this machines, you made them." I said to her smiling. "It's okay to let go kiddo." Hands are slowly slipping from her because of Xed's blood.

        "No! I won't,  Fran! Gimme your other hand! " she said coaxing me. "Please. Please!" She was crying. Her tears were dripping on my face.

        "Quenncie,  it's okay." I said looking deep into her eyes. "It's okay to live." Those were my last words to her as my hand finally slipped from hers. Immediately the lifeline pulled her into the plane and I fell into the the waters of Pasig river.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        I know I'm dead...and that was my life...being a hero sucks because you know sooner or later you'll be the one to end up in the edge of life and death. 

        I am dead. My vitals had flatten out and my sight has been darkened. They say hearing will be your last sense. Well, I heard my heart stopped beating a while ago. All I could hear now are the sound of the rivers current washing me towards its deep floor. All I could do was to remember everything. 

        Xed and I are the same, as we grew. Never getting that sick when others are sent to hospice care, clever in our studies that we end up competing with one another and both of us know that we are drawn to each other. We were the same miracle to our mothers as they say, but while I have my brother and he grew alone. He was special everyone said, that was why he grew away from everyone except me. We were best friends. He was a my company when my mom has to buy some groceries. Mother would always leave me with Xed's grand mother because when I was a little girl my father would always leave my mom and I for many days. He was working with Queencie's grand father, Lolo Ben. They were scientists mastering genetical engineering. I remembered that Xed's parents were on another team of scientist as well. But they died. I was too young to understand what Dad once told me about his job. He said all of his work was caused by one desire, one so powerful it could cause immortality. But in all of it came greed, causing only death.