Opposite

Chapter 10

Waking up in another world and seeing unfamiliar persons wasn't a thing to be taken as a joke.

"What is Heallven?" Tyson asked.

Dukeh left the place already after he spoke to the two. He went at the back of the counter.

They didn't have any glimpse there so they didn't know what was inside.

Harlow looked at Tyson. "I don't know. Ewan ko ba diyan kay Dukeh kung bakit hindi niya ipaliwanag nang maayos sa'tin ang mga bagay-bagay. Paano natin malalaman kung anong gusto niyang sabihin?"

He gazed at the counter and held his chin. "What if he's hiding something from us?"

"You're right. Kaya niya siguro tayo iniiwanan ng mga nakakapagdudang bagay kasi meron talagang kakaiba."

"Tama! Kaya kailangan nating hanapin at buuin ang mga bagay-bagay."

The two made a thumbs up and promised they would help each other to find the clues. They had so many questions in their minds so they had to find answers by themselves because Dukeh wasn't responding right to them. Mukhang may itinatago talaga siya.

Minutes after, Dukeh came back, still holding his emotionless face. He went to the table where the two was still sitting. "Busog na ba kayo?" he asked the moment he sat down there. "Dahil kung oo, maaari na nating ituloy ang laro."

"Teka, wala bang pahinga?" Tyson complained.

"Hindi ko naman kayo pinipigilang magpahinga. Sige, magpahinga kayo hangga't kailan niyo gusto, ngunit mas lalo namang matatagalan ang pananatili niyo rito."

"Kung bakit ba naman kasi kami napadpad dito," Harlow sighed.

The two talked if they were going to have a rest for some time, nakakapagod din naman kasi talaga. But, it would take them longer to stay in Plesingko. Kung ang oras na gagamitin nila sa pagpapahinga ay ginamit nila sa paglalaro, mas mapapabilis ang pag-alis nila sa lugar na iyon.

In the middle of the conversation, Harlow yawned. Bakas na sa mukha niya ang pagod at puyat. The last thing she could remember was she was always staying up late at night due to overthinking. Hindi siya mapakali tuwing gabi kaiisip sa detective na nakita niya noon sa kanilang lunsod isang gabi.

Every night, she used to escape from their house to hunt some people with wrongdoings.

One day in the city...

Harlow got bored when she had seen nobody doing wrong. Iyon na yata ang pinaka-boring na hunting night niya.

Dahil wala siyang makitang kakaiba sa puwesto niya, naglakad-lakad ulit siya. She went to the dark area para siguradong may mahuhuli siya.

She couldn't help but to smile when she saw someone smoking. Hindi niya gaanong maaninag ang hitsura ng lalaki, but she was sure that the man was wearing a hat.

Dahan-dahan siyang lumapit sa lalaking iyon na parang may sinisilip-silip pa sa bandang kanan ng kalye. Nang makalapit na siya ay agad niyang kinuha ang sigarilyo na hawak-hawak nito.

"Don't you know that smoking in public areas is strictly prohibited?" she said.

Kahit nakaharap na sa kaniya ang lalaki ay hindi niya pa rin makita nang buo ang mukha nito dahil natatakpan ng sombrero ang mga mata nito.

"Don't you also know that interfering in the lives of others is unwholesome?"

Her eyes widen. Sa dinami-rami na ng nasuntok at nahuli niya, ngayon lang may nangahas na sumagot sa kaniya. It was good tho.

She dropped the cigarette she was holding, saka 'yon dinurog-durog gamit ang sapatos niya. "Oh. Look at this citizen of Quezon City who violates the order," she said, "is becoming hostile. What a good fight to start with."

She was about to punch the guy, nang pigilan siya nito. Sinubukan niyang kumawala sa mga kamay nito, pero masyado itong malakas. Parang bigla na lang naubos ang lahat ng energy na baon niya. Darn!

Because it looked like the man had no plans to release her, she lifted her right knee to kick his genitals, pero agad din siyang napigilan nito.

She grinned. "A good fighter, huh?"

"Wandering at night to hunt some people with wrongdoings, huh? So you think I am one of them?" he chuckled.

"Hindi ba obvious? You're a smoker in this City. So you think that's right?"

"Oh, I got it. So, it looks like you're trying to fulfill your mission," the guy said as he looked to the corner he was staring a while ago. Disappointment painted on his face. "Well, congrats! You just ruined my mission by accomplishing yours. What a wrong move you've done. Next time, check your target before you do an act."

Finally, he released Harlow's arms. Tinalikuran niya siya at naglakad papalayo.

"HEY!"

The guy just continued walking and pretended like he didn't hear Harlow calling.

"I SAID, HEY!"

She kept on shouting and following that man hanggang sa tuluyan na siyang makalapit dito. "Hindi ka ba titigil sa paglalakad?" naiinis na niyang sabi.

The man eventually stopped from walking. "Stop following me," he said.

"Sino ka ba para sabihan ako ng gano'n? In the first place, you're the one to be blamed for this because of you're disobedience."

He turned around. "You aren't asking for this, but I wanna assume that you're a policewoman walking at night and doing her duty, but it seems like-"

"I don't need your opinion. Stop examining me like a pro detective," she cut him off.

The man chuckled. "You got it. Nice one, lady. You're right, I'm a detective. If that satisfies you enough with your question: 'Sino ka ba para sabihan ako ng gano'n?', excuse me now."

She was left dumbfounded.

That was the last night she had seen the detective, after that she never met him again. Kaya nga kapag nakalabas siya sa Plesingko, she would do everything to find him.

Tyson on the other hand had decided they would take a rest after seeing her yawned.

But, Harlow disagreed with him since she really wanted to leave the place as soon as possible. Hindi bale na ang masasarap na pagkain basta makita niya lang ulit ang detective.

"Ang tigas ng ulo mo," he said. "Kapag hindi ka nakapag-focus sa paglalaro dahil sa puyat na 'yan, baka mas lalo lang tayong matagalan dito."

"Kaya ko 'to," she replied. "Eh, ikaw ba? Hindi ka ba nag-aalala na baka nabaliw na mga magulang mo kakahanap sa'yo? Walang pahi-pahinga dito."

"Para rin lang naman sa'yo, pero kung ayaw mo, edi huwag."

She looked at Dukeh who was still staring at them while listening. "I'm now ready for the second game," she said.

"The hell," Tyson whispered.

And because the decision was already final, Dukeh told them two the instructions for the next game. They would still be competitors. The winner would still receive a token, but the loser would receive a punishment. But then, he clarified things.

"Ipinahihintulot ko na mas galingan ninyo sa ikalawang laro sapagkat sa dulo nito ay ating bibilangin ang mga token na inyong naipon. Ang mas maraming nakuha ay makakalabas na sa Plesingko, ngunit ang mas kaunti ay maiiwan."

"ANO?" the two said in chorus.

So the tokens made sense, finally. Susi pala iyon upang makalabas sila sa Plesingko.

They looked at each other in disappointment. They didn't know each other, but they wouldn't accept the fact that one of them would be left behind. Ayaw nilang may maiwan, pero ayaw rin nilang magpaiwan. So, who would sacrifice?

"Naipaliwanag ko na nang maayos, hindi ko na kailangang ulitin." Dukeh stood up."

"Bakit kailangang may maiwan pa sa aming dalawa? Hindi naman namin kasalanan ang mapadpad dito, so why are we receiving threats like these?" Tyson said as he stood up as well.

"Nakakalimutan mo na ba? Magkalaban kayong dalawa."

"But you haven't told us that in the first place. Ang alam lang namin, makakatanggap ng token ang mananalo at makakatanggap naman ng parusa ang matatalo. Pero sa huli ay pareho kaming makakalabas dito!"

Harlow stood up and held Tyson on his shoulder, trying to calm him down, ngunit ayaw nitong paawat.

Masyadong nakakabigla ang sinabi ni Dukeh. Dahil doon ay patuloy pa rin siyang kinokompronta ni Tyson, but he wasn't talking back anyways.

He got tired from not receiving any feedback from him, so eventually he stopped complaining.

"Tapos ka na ba?" Dukeh asked. "Baka may kasunod pa?"

"Calm down, Tyson," Harlow said as she convinced him to get back in seat.

The atmosphere inside the Plesingko was intense for a minute. There was silence at panay hiyaw lamang ng nagngangalit na t***k ng mga puso ang maririnig.

Hindi rin mapakali si Harlow dahil sa inasal ni Tyson. Well he had the point, so he wasn't the one to be blamed for this. Kung mayroon mang dapat sisihin, si Dukeh iyon. Hindi naman nila ito kilala, pero bakit ganoon na lamang ito kung umasta?

Minutes after when the temperature inside the place was lowering down. In time, Dukeh spoke again. "Sa larong ito, kailangan n'yo ng matinding lakas sapagkat ang buhay ninyo ang nakataya rito," he said. "Ang tanong: handa na ba kayo?"