Chapter 33: Death

Merliah's Pov

HINDI ko magagawa ang plano na'to ng mag-isa, besides I can't make the phonograph works habang kausap si Savannah dahil kailangan na may mag-iikot sa hand crack nito para ma-record ang mga tunog na ma-re-receive.

And there's a specific person or should I say a being that I asked for this job and gladly she didn't refuse.

She's not just an ordinary worker in this institute, but rather she's a spy like me.

Pero ang kaibahan sa aming dalawa ay direkta siyang inutusan mismo ni Mr. Maximo, hindi tulad sa akin na dumaan pa ang mga salitang ito kay papa.

Also her job was just so simple, at iyon ay ang bantayan lamang si Reycepaz. Yes, ilang dekada na siya rito para lang sa mission na ito, para lang bantayan si Rey pag magiging guro na ito dito sa unibersidad.

Gladly she immediately accepted my request after I mentioned that I was ordered by Mr. Maximo, I'm really glad that the chairperson agreed.

I'm really glad to that snail old woman.

There are a total of 4 music room in the institute, and this room is the oldest one and it's more like they already abandoned this room.

And from the word abandoned, that's where the villain do their jobs.

I set everything including the phonograph and the Chairperson or should I address her on her name, Abuela. I positioned her not far away from the table, kung saan kami maguusap ni savannah. The disadvantage about this record machine is it's only can reproduce sound for just 2 minutes. Kaya sinabihan ko si Abuela na mag-si-signal ako kung kailan siya magsimulang magpaikot ng hand crack. Hindi naman ito maingay kapag mag-re-record ka na kaya walang problema.

"Merliah bakit mo ako dinala dito? akala ko ba may gusto kang itatanong tungkol sa subject natin?" Kunot noong tanong ni Savannah ng hinila ko ang kanyang mga kamay papunta rito sa abandoned music room.

Kahit kailan talaga, napakagaling ng bruha na'to na umakting. Talagang hindi mo mahahalata na mayroon palang demonyo na nakatago sa kanyang mga maskara.

I never suspect her at first kasi napakamalumanay nito na tila ba ay kahit magsinungaling ay hindi kayang magagawa.

'Yung tila ba na hindi ka talaga makapaghinala na siya ay isang psycho na babae na nagpapanggap lang maging studyante para maitago at maiwasan ang mga kasalanan na nagawa.

Napakamaamo ng mukha, suot ang uniporme na ibinigay ng unibersidad, may dala-dala pang bag at may maliliit itong earrings na may hugis martilyo, dalaga naman siyang gumalaw na mukhang maarte pero parang nahihirapan siyang ito ay itago.

I need to throw secrets to her to make her to tell her secret too, of course lahat ng mga salitang lalabas sa bibig ko ay puro pawang kasinungalingan.

"Let me jump to my point. The thing is I really don't like our teacher and I just use him to earn money..."

Sabi ko sa kaniya habang pinilit ko talagang ngumiti at tumawa ng parang demonyo para magmukhang makatotohanan ang aking mga sinasabi.

I also add giggles to make it more realistic. Alam ko na dahil sa mga tawa ko na inilalabas ng aking mga bibig ay makukumbinsi ko siya, aaminin ko, na tatawa nang parang tanga ay napakahirap lalo na at kailangan kong aalahanin ang lahat na kagaguhan na nangyayari sa buhay ko.

Nang masigurado kong magulat talaga siya sa aking mga pinagsasabi ay talagang pasulyap-sulyap akong tumingin sa kaniya, sinigurado na siya talaga ay maniniwala.

Lumabas tuloy ang aking tunay na tawa ng makitang ang maamo na mukha niya ay unti-unting nagbago na para bang mababasa sa isipan niya at ipinapahiwatig nito na "this is perfect, I'll use her"

"Why you're telling me this now?"

Bigla nalang akong kinabahan ng itinanong niya ang mga tanong na iyon.

How should I answer her?

I don't have a backup answers, but I can handle this simple question.

"I'm seeking for help, but I can't find any. I heard that he is wealthy, I just use him para makuha ang kaniyang mga kayamanan, p-pero bigla nalang nagkalat ang aming litrato na naghahalikan. What should I do, can you help me Savannah?"

Sambit ko sa kaniya habang ngayon ay hawak-hawak na ang kanyang mga kamay, sinisigurado ko talaga na mapapatakan ng mga luha ang kaniyang mga kamay para magmumukha talagang nagmamakaawa ako sa kaniya.

Hmp! She's not the only actress here.

I can literally saw in my peripheral vision that she's smirking.

She even didn't know that I already know that she's the one who spread those photos, I'm a great spy after all.

Pero nakikita ko na parang kulang pa talaga ang mga salita ko para ma convince siya.

I should do more then.

"I already acquired all the passwords to his treasures, so i want to k-kill him!" Sigaw ko na tama lang ang lakas na hindi lalabas ang aking boses at siguradong matatauhan siya.

She hold both of my shoulder, "forgive me Merliah-" she said. I really thought that she won't agree, ngunit dinagdagan pa pala nito ang kaniyang mga sinabi.

"Inakala ko talaga na totoo ang mga aksiyon na ipinapakita mo sa kaniya. I will tell my secrets to you Merliah my dear, you shouldn't tell this to anyone okay?"

Nakakapanindig balahibo man itong sinabi niya habang lumalaki ang kanyang mga mata na kulang nalang at ito ay lalabas habang ako'y kaharap niya, I just nodded three times and this is the cue that Abuela must start recording what she going to say on the phonograph.

And my plan was successful when she tell everything...when I say everything it means nothing but everything!

"I can help you killing him, because I already murdered someone that precious to him. Let's say, his sister-i don't know if you heard this murdered case. But I am the one who killed Psyche Madigan HAHAHA-"

Nakangisi nitong paliwanag na para bang napakasaya niya na nakakitil ng buhay ng iba. Tumawa rin ito ng halos walang tigil na maikukumpara mo talaga sa matandang mangkukulam na nakikita mo sa mga palabas.

This is the real Savannah.

Nagpapatay malisya lang ako para hindi niya mahahalata na alam ko ang case na ito.

"Hindi ko po alam-t-talaga bang tutulungan mo akong patayin siya?" Nauutal at napipiyok na tanong sa kaniya.

Hindi ko alam kung kapani-paniwala ba ang mga sinabi ko pero mukhang naniwala naman ito dahil sinabi na nito ang plano niya.

Magsisilbi raw akong heroin na balak babarilin ni Savannah at ililigtas ni Reycepaz kaya si Rey mismo ang mababaril.

Dapat daw na kapag mapapatay na namin si Rey ay maghahati kami ng kayamanan na meron siya.

Girl, she's really a psycho!

Syempre, I would only do the 20 percent of her plan.

I knew also that the 2 minutes of Abuela's recording was over. Kaya gumawa na ako ng alibi na bilhan ko siya ng ice cream somewhere, para naman si Abuela ay makalabas sa music room. Hinatak ko ang kaniyang mga kamay at pumunta na sa cafeteria.

Kinabukasan ay agad ng nagsumite ng retirement paper si Abuela sa pinakamataas na posisiyon dito sa school at tiyak ako na ibibigay na niya ito agad kay papa. Yes, dad and her are used to know each other.

They are underlings of Mr.Maximo.

END OF FLASHBACKS

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Merliah's Pov

"Well, it's like you didn't really understand girl. What I mean is I already tell the authority about your secret, Savannah!" I shouted.

"Then what? And how the hell you tell them if nakikita naman kita this days sa loob ng school at hindi lumalabas? Unless if you have-" sabi niya na agad namang natigilan ng merong sumagi sa isip niya.

All she did is to stare with her wide open eyed that cannot shut, like her whole fabricated world is breaking crumble apart around her, when she finally realized that I've been planned everything.

Like is said, everything is according to plan.

"Yup, I had an accomplice at those times, and she already left the university the day before yesterday and immediately report to the authorities what the things you have done!" Pagmamayabang kong sigaw kahit medyo nararamdaman kong nangingilo na ang aking likuran.

"If you broke our promise, then I must kill you too bitch!" Nagiigting panga niyang sigaw na halos visible na ang mga ugat sa kanyang leeg.

Kung meron mang diyos, alam kong sasabihin niyang mas baliw pa ako kay Savannah, sapagkat naniniwala ako na may ibang mundo pa bukod dito sa aming ginagalawan.

This is the world of Wano, a world that full of different creatures, humans, harpy, centaurs and mermaids are coexisting this world but one day, bigla nalang dumating ang Black Mist na tinawag ng karamihan na Dead zone.

Lot of them said that once you enter this Black Mist, hindi ka na makakabalik pa, but I enter once and come back alive. But that's a different story.

I know that they will also accused me for killing Reycepaz, I mean I really killed him, but like I said hindi kami taga rito. At kailangan namin na bumalik sa mundo kung saan talaga kami nababagay.

I know it's ironic to say but,

we must kill ourselves inorder to wake up from reality.

This is the only theory I have that I must try, but what's the worst thing about this theory is, this is not a try and error process, that once I failed I can try one more time. Besides, once we die, we die. No retry, that's it.

May narinig akong mga tunog na familiar sa aking tainga. This is a sound I heard earlier before I push Reycepaz to death. I thought I'm not scared of dying, but what happened to me now?

I become more curious if what will happened to me after I die?

I don't even know if the heaven and hell truly exist, or do I need to go first through the purgatory? Or after we die everything will just become dark?

I'm doubting if what I did to him was right, what if I'm just really a stupid and those things bothered me is just a result of my creative imagination?

What if I killed him for nothing?

Did I just end his dream and goal in life? I think I'm the pathetic here.

But if someone ask, there's one thing I regret.

And that is I can't accept the fact that I'll die virgin. Kahit dito lang sa mundo na'to sana ay natikman ko si Rey. Silly me.

Ang tama ng baril na tumama sa likod ko kanina ay unti-unti ng nawawala, siguro panandalian lang talaga ang sakit na mararamdaman mo kapag ikaw ay matatamaan.

Dahan-dahan kong nilakbay ang aking mga palad papunta sa aking dibdib dahil parang lumipat ang mga kirot at ngilo na naramdaman ko kanina rito.

Hindi ako nakakaramdam ng sakit ngunit tila ba parang may mainit na likido ang umaagos mula dito.

I raised my shivering hands to see if the liquid that I imagined was the same as the warm liquid in my chest, and I become clueless in my reaction when my intuition was right...

I see the dark hue red liquid scattered all over my palm, and that moment I'm sure that this is definitely-my blood.

After confirming that I've been shot in my chest, my vision starting to become blurry that almost I can see nothing or it's like an image that has a vignette on it.

I don't feel anything but rather a numbness in my chest, It's also become hard for me to inhale an air,

it's like it's hurt to breath.

...

My head become dizzy, and my toes are trembling. I didn't even notice that my feet move it's own, and worst it's moving backward.

...

The last thing I know was my body become weightless as feather when I stumbled a piece of block.

I also feel butterflies in my stomach as I looking the sky with countless of rain drops dropping all over my body as i'm falling as a comet.

All I can say is-the gravity pull me to death before I lose my consciousness.

Is this really the end for me?

...

Am I really going to die?

...

Am I that stupid?

...

To kill the man that I love?