Sarang

Chapter 10

Third Person's POV

"Mierda (s**t)," mahinang mura niya ng makitang tumilapon ang dalawang lalaki. Kating-kati na ang mga paa niyang lapitan ang mga ito para makita kung ayos lang ba sila. Nakakunot lamang ang noo nito habang nakatingin sa lalaking mukhang tangang nagtatago sa likod noong babae.

"Sinabi ko naman sa 'yong hindi ka magtatagumpay sa binabalak mo. Hindi na siya ang dati mong kilala."

Napairap ito bago tumingin sa katabi niyang biglang nagsalita. Alam niyang bawat galaw nito ay binabantayan niya ngunit ang ipinagtataka niya lamang ay kung hindi siya nito pinapakailaman sa tuwing ginagawa na niya ang balak niya.

"Vete a la mierda." (f**k off) Bakas ang inis sa boses ng babae at tuluyan ng naglakad palapit doon sa dalawang lalaki noong nakaalis na 'yung dalawa. "Molesto ya." (Nakakainis na)

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"Saan ka galing?" Asher asked me when I got back to his condo.

"I helped someone outside. Do you have alcohol?" I asked him. I forgot my alcohol at home. Damn it.

He got up and went into his room. When he returned he was already holding alcohol. I took it and immediately put some in my hand. He was just looking at me. I closed my eyes firmly before finally giving up the alcohol when I almost pour everything on my hand.

"Sinong tinulungan mo, Wonder Woman?"

I immediately looked at him because of the name he called me. "Wonder Woman your face," I told him before sitting down. "What did you cook for breakfast?"

"Ah!" he quickly gets what he had cooked and placed it in front of me. "Omelette with chestnut mushrooms for you! Kumakain ka ba ng itlog?"

"I guess so," I just answered. I eat eggs sometimes.

"Pancakes with maple syrup and bacon," he said as he got back from the kitchen. "Teka, meron pa!" he ran back to the kitchen and took something before going back. "Cauliflower pasta for you! Paborito mo ang pasta diba?" he asked me while smiling.

"How did you know?" I asked him.

"That's what you always order," he replied. "Kain na."

I nodded to him and started eating. As expected, the food is so delicious. I still ate all the pasta even though I ate rice. He even kept teasing me that I would get fat next week.

"Pwede magtanong?" he suddenly said as he waited for me to finish washing the dishes. I already presented because he cooked. I told him I'll be the one to wash the dishes.

"Go on," I told him.

"Paano mo nalalaman kapag may nanghihingi ng tulong mo?"

I felt him leave his seat and I was not surprised when he stood next to me. He crossed his arms before leaning against the refrigerator and looked at me.

"It depends. Sometimes, I can hear them asking for my help. Sometimes, I dreamt about it. Sometimes, it suddenly flashes in my mind. Sometimes, I just feel like someone needs my help."

"Aren't you having a hard time?" he asked curiously.

"I am," I smiled sparingly. "A part of me wants to ignore seeing something like that while another part of me longs to do what is right. I've held back when I could manage to, though it was cowardly of me."

He did not speak. He just kept staring at me.

"But it's okay now. I've been doing this for a long time so I can't stop myself from helping others sometimes."

"'Yong alcohol..."

I looked up at him because of what he said. "I always wash my hands with alcohol after helping someone. It became a habit of mine. I am washing the good deeds that I did because I'm not that type of person."

"No. I think you are that type of person," he said which made me laugh.

"You don't know me, Asher," I told him while still laughing.

"Alam ko kasi nakikita ko," he said seriously. "You're a kind person, Sia. Nakikita at nararamdaman ko 'yon," he added. We stared at each other for a long time until I look away.

"I'm done. Let's go to your Restaurant," I told him and walked away first. I was quiet while thinking of the dream I had last night. A man will be killed today, near Asher's Restaurant.

"Saglit lang. Titingnan ko lang sila sa loob," he said to me as I sat down. While I was waiting for him I was just seriously looking outside, trying to look for the car I saw in my dream. "Saan na tayo pupun---"

I immediately pulled Asher into his car when I saw a black car being chased by two vans. "Follow that black car, that SUV!" I said while pointing at the SUV that was a bit far away now. "Turn right," I commanded.

"Hindi 'yan ang daan!" pakikipagtalo niya.

"Just turn right!" I shouted. He did nothing but follow what I said. "Make a U-turn," I said, he did it immediately. "Stop!" I said before hurriedly getting out of the car. The van immediately stopped in front which is why the SUV stopped. The men in the van quickly got out and approached the car.

"Nakuha na nila siya!" I heard Asher say while panicking. They immediately got into the van and waited for them to get closer in my direction. As they approached I stared sharply at the driver and stopped their van.

"I'll help him out. Stay there!" I said to Asher when he tried to come closer as well. Just like the wind, I approached them one by one and effortlessly put them to sleep. I immediately approached the man and dropped him off at the van. "Excuse me, are you---"

I stopped talking when I saw his face. My determination to help him gradually faded and anger immediately wrapped my whole body. "You---" A man approached me and pushed me away from him. I did not move from my seat and watched how he was picked up by the men.

"What are you doing? Help him!" Asher told me while panicking.

"Why?" I asked with a laugh. "Why would I help him when he's one of those bastards who killed my family?"

Asher looked at me in disbelief. "Ano bang sinasabi mo? Kaya nga natin sila sinundan dahil tutulungan mo siya, hindi ba?"

"That was earlier... when I haven't seen his face. Now that I did and realized who he is, I realized that he deserves to die now."

"What? Sia, can you hear yourself? This is your job! You need to save him! You have to before it's too late. Past is past Please!"

"Past is past?" I asked him. "No, Asher. My past is still my present. You don't know what I feel."

We heard a gunshot which made Asher's eyes grew wider. "Sia!" he was trying his best to convince me but my decision is final. I will let that man die today. "Fine," he said so I looked at him. "If you're not gonna save him, then I will."

"What?"

"I will risk my life to save him. And you... you will save me."

After he said that he turned his back on me and hurriedly run over the man who was now being pointed at by a gun. My eyes widened as he stood in the middle and tried to hide the man behind him.

"Asher, I am warning you. Get out of there!" I shouted but he acted like he didn't hear anything. "I said get out of there!" I hurried over and even before the gun could be fired at him. I immediately grabbed the gun and quickly shot them all.

"Drive the car for me. I'll try to stop his wound from bleeding," he told me. "Sia!" he shouted when I didn't move. I closed my eyes firmly before driving to the nearest hospital.

There was a nurse who assisted him right away. I just leaned against the wall while waiting for Asher to come out of the emergency room. When he came out our eyes immediately met.

"Are you aware of what you did? You almost died because of what you did," I said calmly.

"I trusted you that's why I did it," he answered immediately. I just look at him seriously.

"Why did you do that?"

"I did what is right. I did it for you because I know, sooner or later you'll regret not helping him."

I barely laughed because of what he said. "You don't know how I feel, Asher," I told him. He fell silent and could not speak immediately because of what I said.

"I lost someone whom I really love. I lost half of myself. I lost my family, the only reason why I survived despite all of the hardships and pain of living. Their absence was too big for me and I couldn't stand that. That's why I filled their absence with my anger and resentment. The pain and regrets I felt that day remained with me like some scars and bruises," I saw his mouth open but no words came out of it.

"But because of you, I saved someone whom I suppose to kill. I want to be honest with you. I want you to know I didn't like the decision you made We know that between the two of us, you are the one who can think of what is the right thing to do. But because of what happened earlier, I don't know if I will still listen to you. And you know what's annoying? Eventually, I still find myself following what you want."

I closed my eyes firmly before standing straight. "Let's not see each other for a while," I told him while smiling. The objection immediately shows on his face because of what I said. "I... I have no energy to see you." I told him and disappeared in front of him.

I went straight to the convenience store and grabbed five bottles of beer. I don't want to drink but I feel like I need it right now. I sat outside after paying and drank the three bottles in a row. I was looking away as I remembered what had happened before. How my family died without me doing anything.

I took a deep breath to stop my tears from dripping before drinking the other two bottles. I got up and started walking home. I feel dizzy. I walked straight and was shocked to see Asher standing in front of my house.

"Sia," he called my name. I gulped before walking closer to him with no emotion at all. "Hey," he tried to reach my hand but I moved away. "I'm sorry."

"What are you doing here? I clearly told you not to see each other for a while," I said coldly. I hold my head when I felt dizzy again. f**k that beer, I shouldn't have drunk it.

"Are you okay?" he was about to approach me but I stopped him.

"Just go, Asher. I'm tired."

"I'm sorry," he said again, "mali 'yong ginawa ko. Hindi kita inisip. Hindi ko inisip 'yong nararamdaman mo. I chose to save the man because of the pity I felt. And you still save him because of me even if it hurts for you. I'm sorry. I didn't think before doing that."

My tears started to fell as he keeps on apologizing to me. When he tried to touch me again, I could not avoid it anymore. My vision became blurry because of my tears. "Sorry," he said while trying to wipe my tears.

"The tragedy that happened to me came back into my memories as if it just happened yesterday. Ang sakit... ang sakit sakit," I told him while crying. "Why? Why do you have to do that?"

"Sorry..."

"My family was killed right in front of me without me doing anything. Seeing them fall one by one while they are thinking about me made me lose my strength that night. My brother and sister are crying while calling my name, asking for help. My mother was trying her best to open her eyes while trying to reach for my siblings hand. And my father... he was looking at me while smiling, telling me to save myself. He knew I was there. He prevented me from going to them so that I would not die."

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," he said before hugging me. "Did you drink?" he asked me, I nodded. I heard him laugh softly before tightening his hug on me. "Tahan na, huwag ka ng umiyak."

I was trying my best to stop my tears from flowing but I couldn't help it. "I'm really sorry. Sobrang sorry sa nagawa ko. Pero sana... sana huwag mo na ulit sasabihin sa akin na huwag muna tayong magkita. Dahil sa tingin ko, hindi ko kaya, Sia... hindi ko kayang hindi ka makita sa isang araw."