Chapter 2

I woke up from the voices outside. Isang tent na gawa sa kahoy at pinagtagpi-tagping tela ang bumungad sa’kin. Kunot noo kong nilibot ang paligid. Where am I? Just when my eyes reached the entrance, two strangers came in. One was a woman maybe from her late 40s or early 50s. The other one was a man, maybe just around my age or a bit older than me.

Umupo ako, not minding the headache I’m having. “I’m glad you’re awake,” the woman said. Tumaas ang kaliwang kilay ko. Ba’t naman siya matutuwa eh hindi niya naman ako kilala?

“Where am I?” I raised my left brow. Bahagyang napaubo ang babae sa pabalang kong tanong.

“You know, it’s not very nice to speak rudely to someone who saved you,” the man said. Our eyes met, hindi ko mapigilang mamangha sa mukha niya. He has these hazel eyes, thick brows, pretty nose and sharp jawline. In short, he’s pretty. I stopped myself, trying to keep the remaining sanity I have.

“Oh yeah? But I can’t really do that.” Kumunot ang noo ng dalawa sa naging pahayag ko.

“Why not?” the woman asked.

“See, your concept of ‘saving’ does not really fit with mine. This is more like an abduction… taking someone you don’t know to a strange place.”

The man clenched his jaw, veins started to appear on the side of his forehead, tila hindi nagustuhan ang sinabi ko.

“Hija, we were just concern. We saw you unconscious near the boundary so we decided to bring you here,” the woman explained. Napalingon ako sa babae.

“What boundary are you talking about?”

Bigla kong naalala ang lalaking tumulak sa’ kin. Kumulo ang dugo ko nang maalala ang nangyari. “Nevermind my first question, where is the guy who pushed me instead?” nanggagalaiti kong tanong. That stupid creature. I am going to kill him.

Tiningnan ako ng babae. “You were alone.”

 “No, I’m not. That stupid guy pushed me habang sinasagip ko siya sa katangahan niya,” I fired back. Naguguluhan akong tinitigan ng babae samantalang madilim pa rin ang tingin ng lalaki sa’ kin.

“Oh come on, ilabas niyo na ang lalaki. He needs some beating nang matauhan naman siya,” dagdag ko.

“First, you were rude and now you want to beat someone up. I wonder why you didn’t win the race when it suits you more to become a chaser,” the man grimaced and left the tent. What race is he talking about? The woman sashayed her way towards me.

“I’m sorry for Kenta’s behavior,” she said.

I ignored her. “Anong boundary at race ba ang pinagsasabi niyo?” I can’t help but get curious.

“You’re in Accredon City, specifically in the runners camp.”

Hindi ako nagsalita, hinihintay ang susunod niyang sasabihin. “Kenta and Zeke were doing their morning round near the borders nang makita ka nilang walang malay. They tried to check your mark but saw nothing. The fact that you were seen in our territory made us think that you’re one of us,” she added.

“Ano naman ngayon kung natagpuan ako sa teritoryo niyo? You could’ve just sent me to the hospital, not here.”

“Because there is no way out, it’s either you stay here with us runners, or get tortured by the chasers in the Capitol.”

The fuck is she talking about?

“Ano bang pinagsasabi mo? Of course there’s a way to leave this place. Kailangan mo lang akong ihatid doon malapit sa tulay na tinalunan ko, then I’ll find my way out on my own,” I said.

The woman looked at me intently. “There’s no such thing as bridge here in Accredon. At talagang hindi ka makakalabas dito because this place is surrounded by tall walls,” seryoso niyang sambit.

“Kung… kung talagang gusto mong umalis dito, the only way out is death. Well, technically your body would still be here but, your soul can freely leave this doomed place.”  

It took me a few seconds to process what I heard. What the hell is wrong with this woman? My laughter filled the whole tent. Halos maiyak ako sa kakatawa. Damn! That’s a good one.

Nanatiling seryoso at tahimik ang babae. Damn, she’s really good at this.

“Grabe! Ang galing mo naman, muntik na akong maniwala roon ah,” I said in between my laughter.

“What I said was true.”

“Geez, come on, drop the lies and tell me the truth,” sambit ko

She sighed, totally losing her patience. “Look, I’m telling you my truths. Nasa Accredon ka at nasa kampo ng mga runner.” She held my arm and dragged me outside. I can see heaps of tents, people with their weapons on their backs, and tall trees. Totally the opposite of what I usually see in the city.

Fear loomed within me. Tila nawalan ng lakas ang mga tuhod ko.

Sinalubong ng babae ang tingin ko, “Now tell me I’m lying,” she said with a hint of mockery in it. Dumoble ang kaba ko nang mamataan ang mga tinging ginagawad ng mga tao sakin. They look at me like I’m some sort of a perfect offering for their God. Fuck, nasa kuta ba ako ng mga kulto?! Now that explains her absurd stories and shits.

Damn! I think I’m trapped in a land full of kooks. I need to get out of here.

Bago pa muling makapagsalita ang babae, dali-dali akong tumakbo palayo. Dinig ko ang pagtawag niya sa akin kaya mas lalo kong binilasan ang pagtakbo.

Tangina, balak pa yata nila akong gawing alay sa diyos-diyosan nila!

Tagaktak ang pawis kong tinatakbo ang kagubatan. Desperately finding my way to escape this place full of wackos. Rinig na rinig ko ang mga malulutong na tunog ng mga tuyong dahong inaapakan ko. Napapitlag ako nang may marinig na kaluskos.

Kenta revealed himself from the bushes. Holding a dagger and a white cloth, unti-unti niya akong nilapitan. “You can’t escape this place, woman.”

Napaatras ako, nililibot ang paningin sa piligid para maghanap ng pwedeng panlaban. I saw a big stone on my right, agad-agad ko iyong kinuha.

“Of course I will!”

“You won’t, mamamatay ka kung gusto mo,” he threatened

“Tangina naman! Sana hindi ko na lang tinulungan ‘yong tangang lalaking ‘yon kung ito naman ang mangyayari!” I fumed. He ignored my rant and walked towards me again. Itinaas ko ang kamay kong may hawak na bato.

“Subukan mo pang lumapit, ibabato ko ‘tong hawak ko sa’yo.”

Ngumisi siya, totally satisfied with what he sees. “Look who’s getting scared,” he teased. Rage filled my body.

“Tangina mo! Sinong takot?” I threw the stone towards him. Natamaan ang ulo niya, dumausdos ang dugo mula roon. He looked at me darkly.

“You’re going to pay for this,” he said and started trudging towards me, totally closing the gap between us. Just when he’s about to reach me, mabilis akong tumakbo.

Kitang-kita ko sa ‘di kalayuan ang isang mataas na pader. Mas binilisan ko ang pagtakbo, hoping that I’ll find my way back kung lalapitan ko ang matayog na pader. I stopped running nang makitang kailangan kong dumaan sa ilog bago mapuntahan ang pader.

Dali-dali kong nilusong ang ilog, ‘di alintana ang lamig ng tubig. Abot hanggang tuhod ko ang lalim ng tubig. Nahihirapan ako sa bawat galaw ko dahil sa lakas ng current. Halos matumba ako tuwing sinusubukan kong maglakad.

Nilingon ko ang aking pinanggalingan, that Kenta guy is getting close. I started panicking. Inapakan ko ang isang bato para suportahan ang sarili, but it was a wrong move. I slipped. The color blue sky welcomed my eyes.

The next thing I know, my body submerged from the cold river then my head hit something. Before I lost my consciousness, isang matigas na bagay ang pumulupot sa baywang ko.