6th Door

"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."

-Theodore Roosevelt

***

ANDREAS

I thought I could keep it throughout. I thought I could. But the scorpion instinct just pushed me to become me. Again.

From the 31st down to the eighth, I tried so hard to be the opposite person. Alam ko nang mangyayari ito but I was not expecting innocent lives to be dragged down with this mafia wars. I was hiding for days just to observe and analyze the situation until I was able to conclude that all my hypotheses were true --Infinite was attacking, will kill the excess and all Scorpions as they recruit for their new members.

But why would they kill innocent people? Bakit hindi na lang nila hamunin ang lahat ng mga Scorpions ng paulanan ng bala o kaya'y hampasan ng samurai?

It would be more fun!

But they were too coward to face us. so, it wasn't a possibility.

A lot of sacrificial lambs. A lot of blood. A lot of wasted dreams.

Paano nga ba nagsimula ang lahat ng ito? Hindi ba't ako din naman ang naging dahilan ng digmaan ng Infinites at ng Scorpions?

Yes, I was the reason. Karen's death. Karen, the heir apparent to the powerful mafia Infinites got killed by a Scorpion.

I killed Karen. I may say that it was an accident but from the Infinites' perspective, I killed Karen. So, I killed Karen.

The CEO, Ruby Red plotted Karen's death. She was purely evil to start a war which she wasn't aware how many lives can be sacrificed. I was her accessory to the crime -an unaware accomplice.

The CEO recruited Vladimir Molina to get a closer grip to the heir. Karen was so inlove with Vlad hat she was so careless to know where she was going when she decided to follow the guy all the way from Cebu.

Wala sa dugo at kakayahan niya ang pagiging isang miyembro ng mafia or she was not too skilled to know who the Reds were and what MOS was. Vlad, the innocent guy took the bait of death without knowing how important a medium he was to the plotted war.

Alam kong ngayon ay may ideya na si Vlad kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng riddle na may code na '1b2f3l4e'. The answer is Choi. Such a lame code for a riddle. 1b is a letter after the 'b' which is "C", 2f is two letters after the 'f' which is "H", 3l is the same pattern which is "O" then 4e means "I".

Grayson Andreas CHOI.

That shitty last name which has been a part of the curse that I carry until now.

I was a victim of heredity. My parents, together with the CEO and President -the Reds, established the Scorpions. Rocess Red and I inherited the empire of killer. Yes, we were victims of heredity. We learned to kill at a very young age. We were criminals on our teenage days. Days that were supposed to be meaningful.

"We take the left wing of the sixth floor. Masyadong congested ang right side kaya hindi tayo makakagalaw ng maigi sa oras na may mangyaring hindi inaasahan." Zyril suggested. Matalas ang paningin nito at may tiwala ako sa kakayahan niya.

That's why she has been an asset to the Scorpions. The Reds saw her potential years before she came to MOS. Larryson might have sent him a recruitment letter for his set of revenge. Little did he know, she was a part of the mafia he's been wanting to crush.

I did receive a letter as well coming from an anonymous sender. That was the start of our investigation. We pretended like ordinary employees, that we were manipulated by power, that Zyril was a juvie and lowly employee and I was a loser just to catch the red-handed.

But we were up against an Infinite kaya nahirapan ako at ang mga Reds na huliin ang empleyadong nakapasok sa MOS. We have seen this coming. But it was worst than what we expected. The Infinites are really infinite.

"Hindi ba mas maganda kung sa right side tayo para mas may panangga tayo sa bala ng kumag na 'yon?" Basa pa rin ang mukha ni Mina dahil sa matindi nitong pag-iyak. She just lost a friend. Which I totally understood.

"Mina is making a point." Natas agreed. Nagpabalik-balik ito ng tingin mula kay Zyril at saakin. "We have lost some people because Larryson killed them on an open ground. Kung doon tayo sa maraming cabinets and concretes, mas mahihirapan siyang targetin ang isa saatin."

"The right side smells like there's a huge amount of hydrogen and methane gas spilled. Larryson will all burn us alive. Kailangan na nating makababa sa ground before our 30 hours ran out." Zyril stayed firm with her suggestion. There was no doubt she knew the safest measure.

"Baka nga sunugin tayong lahat ni Larryson. I'll go with Zyril's suggestion." Hindi napigilang sumabat ni Bella. Napalunok pa ito pagkatapos magsalita. Kanina pa ito mukhang balisa. She migh have done something out of the normal back on the previous floors.

I was thinking she killed someone to get down safe, but she was no mafia. Maybe the Infinites would want to keep her alive. Kaya hanggang ngayon buhay pa siya.

"Andreas," Mina asked gazed at me. The look in her eyes was scrutinizing. She was checking every inch of my move if there was a thing to suspect. "What is your suggestion?" She continued. I did not want to make her feel that her idea was pointless but it's our life were talking about.

Tumikhim ako, saka nagpabalik-balik ng tingin kina Zyril at Mina. Zyril knew the safest way. She's an expert to this. "Zyril is right. I can smell spilled gas on the right side, it's methane."

"So we risk ourselves on the open. Is that it?" Vlad questioned my point. Nakapinta sa mukha nito ang magkahalong kaba at takot. He was eyeing me for a reason I already knew --Karen's death, the code -1b2f3l4e and the reason behind all of this.

"Zyril and Andreas really seem suspicious. Mabuti na lang at alam nating si Larryson ang pumapatay saating lahat. But if he dies and something still kills us, save yourselves from interrogation." Bella blurted out appearing from behind Natas' body.

"I'd save my questions for you as well. Like what you did to get down here... alive." Sarkastikong usal ni Zyril. Napansin ko ang pagkuyom ng palad nito na halatang nagpipigil kay Bella.

Humakbang pakaliwa si Mina ignoring us all. Sumunod sa kanya si Vlad at Natas.

"Save your arguments. No one lives around people like you." Mataray na sambit ni Mina habang walang tigil na naglalakad patungo sa kaliwang bahagi ng sixth floor.

Inirapan kami ni Bella bago ito sumunod kinaVlad. Nagdesisyon na ring maglakad patungo sa kaliwang side si Zyril na sumenyas pang magmasid sa mga natitirang buhay sa floor na iyon.

We both know that there could still be someone who's hiding into a sheep's clothing. An innocent sheep who in reality was a member of the Infinite.

***

Zyril was right. Dahil sa pibakadulo ng left side ng ikaanim na floor, nakita namin ang glass table kung saan nakapatong ang anim Rubik's cube. Sa ilalim ng anim na pinagpatong-patong na cubes ay isang mensahe ang nakasulat.

Too many lives to save... too little time to rescue.

Six cubes.

Two minutes.

Six lives to save.

Put the colors together in three minutes before everything turns into the shade of fire.

Timer starts once everyone holds the puzzle.

"Oh gosh, ni simpleng board puzzles nga nahihirapan na ako... heto pa kaya?" Bulalas ni Bella na napaatras nang mabasa ang mensaheng nakasulat sa papel.

"Same here." Sambit ni Natas na napatitig na lang sa mga cubes.

"Mina?" Vlad asked na tila kinakalkula kung ilang oras ang gugugulin para sa anim na Rubik's.

"I can solve one, b-but two minutes is too short." She answered.

There was only three left of us. Zyril and I knew the technique. Kaya kong tapusin ang dalawa sa loob ng dalawang minuto. Zyril can do two, too.

"I can finish two, but I'm not sure if two minutes is enough." Vlad uttered touching one of the cubes.

"Ako na muna ang gagalaw sa unang cube as you solve for the first one. The rest would hold each cube so that we can start." Mina suggested. She immediately picked one cube and then stared back at me. Nagsimula nang tumulo ang pawis nito sa noo. She's nervous.

I started to feel the rush.

"Everyone, grab a cube!" I said as I picked one.

Isa-isang kumuha ng Rubik's sina Bella, Natas, Vlad at Zyril. Shockingly, a digital clock appeared on the center of the glass table showing us the running time for the puzzle-1:59.

Wala sa sarili kong kinalikot ang nawat layer ng unang cube. Just like the old days, I remember my dad training me with basic puzzles and defenses. One of them was the series of Rubik's cube which I had to solve for minutes.

Hindi ko akalaing muli kong magagamit ang mga basic trainings noong bata pa ako.

In less than a minute, nailatag ko ang isang cube na tapos na sa pagkakasalansan. Nagulat si Bella nang hinablot ko mula sa kanya ang hawak niyang Rubik's. Muli kong pinaikot-ikot ang cube sa akinh mga daliri.

Habang inaayos ko ang Rubik's ay natapos din si Zyril kasunod ni Vlad. Nakapatong sa glass table ang tatlong solved cubes nang kusa itong nadisassemble na parang nawasak na kumpol ng cubes.

As the three cubes fell into bits, each revealed three keys na sa tingin ko ay kakailanganin namin para sa lagusan.

"Thirty seconds!" Histerikal na untag ni Natas na titig na titig sa orasan. Napalunok pa ito sa sobrang kaba.

"T-twenty!" Nanginginig na sambit ni Bella.

Pinasadahan ko ang hawak kong cube. Tapos na ako kaya mabilis kong nailatag iyon sa glass plane. Zyril finished her second cube ten seconds before.

"Vlad..." kabadong sambit ni Mina na nasapo na ng dalawang palad ang bibig.

"Jeez! Sh-" He uttered nervously.

Five seconds before we ran out of time, natapos si Vlad sa pangalawa niyang cube. It took two seconds bago nawasak ang ipinatong niyang cube at nakuha ang ikaanim na susi.

"Saan natin gagamitin ang mga susing 'yan?" Bella asked na tila nagsimula nang mapraning.

"I saw a secret passage sa mag comfort room sa dulo." Usal ni Zyril.

Everyone looked at her suspiciously. I cannot blame them. She's one of us.

"Mamaya na ako magpapaliwanag okay? Magduda na kayo, karapatan niyo 'yan pero pwedeng umalis na tayo kaagad kasi Larryson intend to burn us all here. Rubik's cube solved or not!" With a flavor of sarcasm and annoyance, Zyril blocked everyone's interrogation.

"Let's go! Bago tayo matusta lahat dito." Sagot naman ni Natas na tila naintindihan kaagad ang nais ipahiwatig ni Zyril.

All of us rushed to the secret passage on the comfort room. Lakad-takbo ang ginawa ng lahat. I was rushing after them nang mahagilap ko mula sa di kalayuan ang isang imahe ng babaeng akala ko'y matagal nang patay...

Si Karen.

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