AlterSeven

Chapter 29: Dilemma

JOSHUA`S POV

I opened my eyes as a soft familiar music was whispering in my ear. It was from somewhere near me yet I couldn`t pinpoint exactly its origin. The calming notes and melody felt as light as the feathers floating down around me. I looked around. Everything was white. Everything was at peace.

Where am I?

I tried to walk and thank God I can still move. I closed my eyes and realized that I was inside my own dream. This is not real. In a split second, darkness started to embrace everything around me. I just get on the flow. The next second I opened my eyes, the image that popped before me was an abandoned building, wrecked by time.

“Eri, bilisan mong tumakbo! Malapit na siya!” I looked at the young lad who was desperately running through the woods. He was with a young girl na mukhang pagod na sa pagtakbo.

“Pero p-pagod na ‘ko,” sabi ng batang babae. My heartbeats started to race.

“Gusto mo na bang mamatay?” pasigaw na tanong ng batang lalaki dito. I stepped another one to take a closer look with them. They both looked familiar.

Napalingon ako sa likod nang may marinig akong sunod-sunod na putok ng baril at makita ang isang malaking lalaking nakasuot ng itim. Someone’s after them.

“Tumakbo na kayo!” sigaw ko sa kanila. Iika-ikang nagpatuloy sa pagtakbo ang dalawang bata.

“Eri!” rinig ko pang sigaw ng batang lalaki nang madapa ang kasama nito.

Oh sh*t!

“I-iwan mo na ko! T-tumakas ka na!”

Don’t leave her…

“No!” inabot ng batang lalaki ang kamay nito sa batang babae.May kakaiba akong naramdaman sa puso ko nang makita ang magkadaupang palad nila.

Sa isang iglap ay biglang nagbago ang lahat. I was surprised to see the young girl in front of me. Her clothes were dirtied by blood and… I was holding her hand. Parehong may bakas ng dugo ang mga kamay namin. Mas lalong bumilis ang t***k ng puso ko.

Bago pa man ako nakapagreact ulit ay nakarinig na naman kami ng putok ng baril. Nagpatuloy kami sa pagtakbo sa madamong bahagi ng gubat pero ramdam kong malapit na sa likod namin ang kung sinumang humahabol. I felt so helpless yet seeing how desperate the young girl is to escape makes me want to protect her.

I will protect you…

Sa pagtakbo ay bigla ko na lang nabitawan ang kamay niya. Pagtalikod ko ay hindi ko na siya makita pa. I tried to run and go back pero wala akong makitang bakas niya. Nasaan na siya?

Ramdam ko ang paninikip ng dibdib ko sa sobrang hingal at pagod. Paulit-ulit, hinanap ko siya sa madilim na gubat pero hindi ko siya matagpuan. Napupuno na ng magkahalong takot at pag-aalala ang puso ko.

Hindi pwede ‘to. I need to find her. I need to protect her. Huminga ako ng malalim at saka ubod ng lakas akong sumigaw. I called her name so many times. I even heard my own voice as it echoed in the whole forest.

Then slowly, I was swallowed by the darkness again.

“Josh?” napadilat ang mga mata ko. I was running out of breath when I looked around and saw my brother beside me. Napabangon ako bigla.

“Are you having some nightmare?”

Napahawak ako sa ulo ko nang maramdaman ang bahagyang pagkirot nito.

Damn! What`s the meaning of that dream?

“Josh?”

“I-I’m okay. Pwede mo na kong iwan,” mahinang sabi ko sa kanya.

“Are you sure?” tumango na lang ako bilang sagot. Maya-maya ay narinig ko naman na ang pagbukas at pagsara ng pinto. Huminga ako ng malalim at saka patihayang ibinagsak ang katawan sa may kama.

Pilit kong inalalaa kung anong mga nangyari kahapon. Oh yeah, I was forced to let AJ take over my body para mas madali daw mahanap si Eri which was a great success. AJ saved Eri then they went to the police station kaya naman nagtake-over si Al.

Si Al…

I looked at my bed side table and found my laptop with a note sticked on it. Bumangon ako at saka binasa ang nakasulat dito.

I saved a file in your laptop. Kindly watch it, ASAP. -AL

I opened my laptop and saw the only file saved in the desktop.

From AL.flv

I immediately opened the file and found Al, recording himself while he was taking over my body.

“Oh yeah, it feels really awkward to watch yourself explaining something you can`t totally remember and understand so perhaps, it`ll be better to face the camera here,” Itinutok nito ang camera sa mga papel na nasa harap nito. “Satisfied now?” tumigil ito saglit at pagkatapos ay narinig ko ang malalim ng paghinga nito.

“Two days ago, nakatanggap ka ng message from an unkown sender. Inutusan ka niyang pumunta sa abandonadong building malapit sa Street No. 13 kung saan ka sinundan ni Ms. Ericka. Upon entering the room, I deduced that you were knocked out by someone from behind base na rin sa narinig kong sinabi ni Ms.Ericka. Third take over that time pero saglit lang yun. When the police suddenly came, I was forced to take over your body and solve the murder case that has appeared before me.”

May sinulat itong kung ano sa isang papel at saka nagpatuloy. “Ericka’s kidnapper and the one who called you before was inside that building that time. But no one noticed. I told Ericka that I deduced the killer`s location based on the pattern of footprints going inside the cabinet but I never told her that there was another set of footprints. Footprints that belonged to someone other than the people who was visible at the moment,” Napakunot ang noo ko sa sinabi niya.

“I was thinking of possible solutions on how to leave that room without anyone noticing and so I began to place myself in the kidnapper`s shoe. If I were him, why would I choose that building? Why would I choose specifically that room? So ayun. In order to get the answers to my own questions, I decided to go back on that building and guess what? Tama ang hinala ko. There was a hidden door. Kita mula sa loob nito ang lahat ng nangyayari sa labas.”

So he was really there…

“I`m not sure about his real attention but, I think… he was aware of your sickness,” he let out a sarcastic laugh. “He was aware that you have multiple personalities, that you were not normal. I mean, us—we were not normal.” Tumigil ito saglit at saka isinulat sa papel ang petsa kahapon.

“Yesterday, Ericka was kidnapped by that guy. And it looks like it was not his first time involvement with her.  I went back on the crime scene a while ago and the police told me about this tape recorder,” ipinakita nito sa video ang sinasabi niyang tape recorder. “I tried to listen what’s on it but it’s just a classical music.”

Classical music? Hindi kaya kapareho yun ng napakinggan ko sa caller ko before?

“I can’t figure out his real intention why he has to leave this behind but I thought of one possibility,” tumigil ito saglit at saka nagpatuloy. “It’s about you Josh.”

Tiningnan ko ang tape recorder na ngayon ay nasa tabi na ng laptop ko.

“I’m not sure of what might possibly happen if ever matapos mong mapakinggan ang laman ng tape recorder na ‘to. Something might be changed, I can feel that. Now you have the choice to either listen to this recorder to find his real intention or to stay in your comfort zone forever. It’s up to you Josh. It’s up  to you,” matapos niyang sabihin yun ay natapos na ang nirecord nitong video. I looked at the tape recorder again.

Should I play it?

I closed my eyes and a thought of Eri occurred in my head. I should text her first. Kung anuman ang mangyari sa’kin ay dapat lang na malaman din niya. I took my phone from my bed and started to compose a message.

To: Eri

Can you please come here? I wanna tell you about something.

I hit the ‘send’ button then wait for the ‘Message sent!’confirmation to appear.

Nothing will change if I won’t do something big like this. I let out a deep sigh as I stretched my arms to reach for the tape recorder. And as soon as I grab the cold device, I knew that we’re now beginning to paint a nearing end.

ERICKA’S POV

‘Can you please come here? I wanna tell you about something,’ basa ko sa text ni Josh. Hinayaan ko lang mahulog mula sa kamay ko ang cellphone ko at saka ibinalik ang tingin sa puting kisame. For the nth time, I let out a deep sigh.

Josh wanted to see me but…

“I came back for Josh. He’s my first love.”

I bit my lower lip as I remembered those words. Lumipas na pala ang magdamag nang hindi ko namamalayan. Halos hindi kasi ako nakatulog sa dami ng pumapasok sa isip ko. Paulit-ulit, nag-eecho sa diwa ko ang sinabi ni Annika. Ang sinabi ng bestfriend ko.

Kung bakit naman kasi sa dinami-dami ng mga gwapong nilalang sa mundo, bakit si Josh pa ang naging first love niya? Pwede namang yung classmate namin before na si Alex na naging crush niya dahil bukod sa matalino ay may pagka-gentleman din. O kaya yung kababata naming si Bryan na childhood sweetheart niya! O kaya yung kapit-bahay namin dating si Ralfh na may gusto sa kanya? Bakit si Josh? Bakit si Josh pa?

Nagpagulong-gulong ako sa kama ko at saka nagtakip ng unan bago tumili ng ubod ng lakas. Asar!

Ericka, puntahan mo na si Josh. Hinihintay ka niya di ba? Nakakahiya naman kung paghihintayin mo ng matagal yun gayong mukhang importante ang gusto niyang sabihin! Malay mo… magtapat na siya sa’yo? Napadilat ako bigla at napatangu-tango.

Pero imposible! Di ba nga sabi niya sa babaeng nagconfess sa kanya before, friends lang ang turing niya sa’yo at may iba siyang babaeng gusto? Teka, paano kung yung tinutukoy niya palang babae ay si…

“NO!” sigaw ko at saka pabalikwas na bumangon. Pati ba naman ang konsensya ko ay hindi na din umaayon sa’kin?

Inis na nilingon ko ang cellphone kong bigla na lang tumunog. And speaking of the devil, she’s calling me now. Ugh, she’s not a devil though. Wala namang mabait na devil na katulad niya.

“Hello Annika?” walang kasigla-sigla kong sagot. Parang nagi-guilty tuloy ako sa nararamdaman ko ngayon. Naiinis ako sa bestfriend ko dahil pareho kaming may gusto sa iisang lalaki.

“May gagawin ka ba ngayon?” halata sa boses nito ang excitement. Buti pa siya.

“Wala kong klase and I’m not planning to go out the whole day. Bakit?”

“P-Pwede mo ba samahan papunta kina Josh?”

“Ha?” malakas na tanong ko sa kanya. Pakiramdam ko ay may dugong agad naumakyat sa ulo ko dahil sa narinig ko.

“Sobrang kinakabahan kasi ako! You know, it’s been a while since I last saw him and… since medyo close naman kayo, you can give me some moral supports, right?”

I bit my lower lip so as to stop myself from cussing. Chill Ericka, she’s your bestfriend for Pete’s sake!

“F-Fine,” pakiramdam ko ay may bumikig sa lalamunan na sagot ko pa sa kanya.

“Talaga? Yehey! Daanan kita diyan after 30 minutes okay? Thanks Ericka! You’re really the best!” tuwang-tuwa pa nitong sabi at saka pinutol ang tawag.

The best? Nah, I’m the worst.