Chapter 7
1818 Words
Because of the heat inside the apartment, I took off my mask and sunglasses. What's with the reporters? Can’t they just wait for my statement? I am just a witness, and I might disappoint them when they find out I didn’t see the killer’s face. I held my face in frustration and decided to take a rest.
I was about to enter my room when my phone rang. It was my Auntie, the landlady.
I answered, "Auntie."
"I saw you passing by earlier. I didn't just call you because the reporters might hear and when they find out that you're already here they'll enter the apartment. If you leave, use the back door and go through there when you need to go to your work." She offered and my heart felt warmth because of it.
"Thank you so much, Auntie." I thanked her.
"No problem. Your dad also called me to look after you, so better tell me if you need anything." She sweetly said over the phone.
She just gave me more reminders until she decided to hang up the call. No wonder why kindness runs in our blood. My dad was also kind to our neighbors back in Mindoro. Suddenly, I was thinking of visiting my dad in Mindoro, but I think I should ask for a week's leave first.
I went to my room to rest and relax because there is work tomorrow. I was about to lay down when I saw the trash can. I remembered the book, so I stood up to pick up the trash and found the book I had thrown away.
I opened it once again and the words were still the same until I reached the list of names. Just like what I saw when I first opened it, in just a few seconds, the other names started to fade and the one who was still alive remained.
I carried it to the bed while flipping the pages until I reached the last one. As expected, the words ‘LOOK FOR THE LAST ONE AND HIDE" were still there. I don’t know, but I seem to be nervous about my decision.
I wanted to help him. I have been overthinking these past few days. What if I wanted to help seek explanations? What if I found out they still exist in this world? What if this causes my job to boom? All those questions can only be answered when I have already talked to the last giant.
I nodded at that thought, yes. I should look for him, and after I hear his explanation, I’ll think about whether I should help him or not. I closed the book and placed it on my side table and decided to take a nap.
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I woke up because of my alarm. I have work today, so I needed to get up early. I went straight to the bathroom to take a shower and got dressed in my office attire. I texted Zoelle that I’d be done preparing in 10 minutes.
I saw that she replied that she was already on her way. I also told her to wait for me at the back door because I received a text from my aunt that there were reporters waiting for me outside.
I don’t usually eat breakfast in my apartment because I’m used to being in the office in the morning. Five minutes before meeting time, Zoelle told me that she was already there, so I picked up my bag and wore my shades.
I saw Auntie waiting for me downstairs, so I gave her a smile. She showed me the way to the back door, and I was so happy to see that no one was waiting for me there except Zoelle.
"Thank you, Auntie." I thanked her and gave her a hug.
"I'll leave this door unlocked so that when you come home you can go through here as well." She told me, so I smiled even wider.
"I owe you a lot, Auntie. I’ll get going, I’ll bring you dinner too. "I bid goodbye to her.
"Hello," Zoelle said as soon as I stepped into her car.
"Good morning," I said as I buckled up my seatbelts.
"Have you eaten?" She asked as she started the engine.
"I’ll just buy my favorite sandwich from the company," I answered, and she just nodded.
She already knew my routine every morning. Sometimes when she woke up late, she just bought a sandwich from our company and ate it while working. I put my blazers on as soon as we reached the company’s parking lot.
I waited for Zoelle to get ready before we stepped out of her car. We went straight to the elevator and pressed the 8th floor because our office was there.
"Get ready, they’ll be showering you with a lot of questions," Zoelle warned, and I nodded.
As soon as the elevator opened, my coworkers’ eyes were on us, on mine. I gave them a smile as I took off my sunglasses. It was so embarrassing, but I still managed to walk out of the elevator.
"Theia! Oh my gosh!" A girl shouted.
It was like a cue for them, and they started to run towards me. They looked at my body like they were looking for bruises or wounds.
"Are you okay? Tell us if that killer did something to you. "I can’t tell who said that, but their eyes were full of concern and care for me.
"I passed by your apartment, and I saw a lot of reporters. How did you manage to get out?"
"Are you sure that you’re, okay? I heard they brought you to the hospital too? "
"The killer is not yet found, so they really need your statement to find out what he looks like."
I couldn’t answer their questions, so I just showed my palm, telling them to stop. They immediately followed me like kids and were expecting something from me.
"I didn’t get harmed, and the killer didn’t see me. I was brought to the hospital to help me clean up the blood on my hands. Lastly, I’ll be writing an article about the crime because I don’t want to be exposed in the media. " I informed them, and they sighed in chorus.
"Thank God, you’re safe. Starting from now on, please be careful and don’t walk from here to your house, "they advised, so I just nodded in response.
They were giving me reminders and advice when the bell chimed, telling us that it was time to work. I went into my office and placed my bag on the couch. I also opened my PC so I could start my work. I have been a journalist for 3 years and I usually do the reports and new articles, and I also proofread them.
I was about to start typing the article when Mr. Demeco entered my office. He’s a journalist with a higher position than mine. I smiled at him as he reached my table.
He greeted me formally, so I looked at him.
"Good morning, what’s with a sudden visit?" I asked and offered him a seat.
I nodded. "I heard you will write an article about the crime you witnessed." he started, and I nodded.
"Yes, sir. I don’t have much to say in the article since I wasn’t able to describe the killer’s face because of the darkness of the street. "I informed him, and he nodded while I was saying that.
"Your article would be nothing if you didn’t put a description of the killer in it. You know that reporters' target is to identify the killer." I nodded at what he said.
"What should I do, sir?" I asked him.
"Make a little lie so that they will be able to imagine him," he told me, and my brows furrowed.
"What? So, you’re telling me to make a false description?" I exclaimed and he immediately answered ‘no’
He persuaded, "not really, but if you do what I said and if your article will be successful, you may be promoted to the same position as mine."
I shook my head continuously, which made his face become firmer. I won’t do what he wants. This is wrong. Making false news may lead us to demotion, and I don’t want that to happen because I worked hard with my good profile and for this position.
His movements became more suspicious, so I simply put on the voice recorder. I might get him caught up in his wrongdoings.
"You wanted me to lie in my article so I could have a position which is the same as yours? You’re unbelievable, Mr. Demeco, "I raised my brows at him.
"I was just giving you good advice, Ms. Zabala, and I’ll tell you about my secret on how I got into this position." He sat properly and even crossed his leg.
I smirked. Spill it and you’ll be demoted.
So, I looked at him with a serious face.
"When I was still in your position, I was blinded by the salary in a higher position and the only thing to get promoted is to make the best article," he said so I looked at him with a serious face.
So, all this time, he was doing dirty work for money? FOR MONEY? Is the news he writes not true? Does the news he wrote have wrong information?
"You’re making a mistake, Mr. Demeco," I told him, sternly.
"I am but look at me now. I am successful and in a higher position than you. My articles might have false information, but still, the readers believed them. So, I repeat. I was just giving you advice. Nothing will happen if you don’t get caught," he continuously said as he stood up.
"You were giving false information for money? Mr. Demeco you will be demoted if you get caught" I acted like I was concerned to him, but I was smirking inside.
"I did. I’m telling you this because I also wanted you to get promoted so we could do news together. If you do what I said, we will be successful journalists."
I looked at him with amusement on my face. I didn’t give him any replies, so he grabbed the chance to leave my office. I sat on my seat and turned off the record.
I studied hard and even graduated with a bachelor’s degree. In just one click, he could ruin what I had built for myself, so I totally disagreed with his offer. I earned people's and my co-workers' trust, and I won’t break it just for money.
I held my phone with a smirk on my face.
"You’re such a disappointment, Mr. Demeco. Enjoy the last day of your work and start looking for a company that will accept you," I whispered to myself.
- Writer
