Murdered

Chapter 29. Murdered

TIMO wanted to go berserk when he saw the headline of an article on a piece of newspaper that was sent to him via mail, too, when they reached his place...

It was that time where his whole family got murdered. He clenched his fist, making the paper crumpled. Kaparehong kopya niyon ang kapirasong papel na inipit sa windshield ng sasakyan niya kaninang bago siya makipagkita kay Jinny.

What's in the article was a guy in his twenties who murdered his own family almost five years ago. The said journalist came home late, partying all night, and a witness stated that she heard him and his dad fought when she happened to pass by in the neighborhood.

The next morning, the whole family was found dead except from the guy, the eldest son, that immediately became the prime suspect of the murder.

"Ano iyan?" pukaw ni Jinny sa kaniyang atensyon nang mapansing nagtagal siya sa pagsarado ng gate.

"Fuck!" mura niya. He suddenly trembled but immediately composed himself.

"What?"

"Leave. Just fucking leave me." His voice was now colder than ice. Kailangan niyang magalit para hindi matupok ng takot ang kahinaan niya.

"B-but, you said I can go h-here... I have something tell you, Timo."

Bahagya siyang napatingala at pumikit nang mariin na para bang kakalma siya roon. Hindi na niya ito pinansin at umalis sa may tarangkahan, na hindi niya inabalang isara, at dumiretso na sa loob ng kaniyang bahay—sa kusina. There he drank a cold water directly from a a liter bottled water as he's trying to calm his mind. No, he wouldn't be terrified. He shouldn't be, but that's just impossible.

Sino'ng gago ang nagpadala sa kaniya niyon? Isa iyong bangungot na gusto na niyang ibaon sa limot. He'd been living dangerously after that tragedy, and now, some fucking people were trying to scare the shit out of him with that piece of an old newspaper!

Sinakmal niya ang bote ng tubig hanggang sa mayupi iyon. Dahil ang kapirasong papel na iyon ay ibinalik siyang bigla sa nakaraan... kung saan mag-isa siya sa loob ng selda habang nagluluksa sa pagkasawi ng buong pamilyang nagbigay ng bagong buhay sa kaniya. At wala man lang siyang nagawa para mapigilan ang nangyari. Wala nang magawa dahil nakulong na siya sa salang hindi niya ginawa.

That was the time when he's being charged of familicide—the murder of an entire family by a family member—with three counts of a second degree murder. A second degree because the investigations said that that wasn't premeditated but still, an intentional killing.

"Bakit ba kasi...? A-anong nangyari?"

His eyes were bloodshot as he glared to Jinny. Bakas ang pagkalito sa maamong mukha nito at ang matinding pag-alala. Surprisingly, he was distracted, until he felt so lost.

Fuck, get a hold of yourself! That's Jinny who's in front of you! Ang babaeng mahal mo!

But he broke down and he found himself being embraced by her. Compared to his physique, she was smaller but she's making him feel she could carry out his burden. Nanghihina niyang ipinatong ang baba sa maliit nitong balikat habang tinatapik-tapik nito ang kanyang likuran.

"I don't know what happened but I think I need to do this," malumanay nitong untag. Kumalas ito sa pagkakayakap. She cupped his face using her soft hands and she kissed him slowly, gently... It was caressing.

Hindi niya namalayang naluha na siya sa pagitan ng halik. Pumikit siya at tila palabas na nag-rewind ang lahat sa kaniyang balintataw... When he opened his eyes, she ended the kiss and stared at him critically, as if she's trying to see right through him. That's she'd listen if he'd speak up...

He couldn't bottle it up anymore. For years, he tried forgetting it all the way he could, thinking that that was the only way for him to stay strong and hide his weakness. But now he came to realize that all along, he was wrong. In the first place, he shouldn't had tried keeping it nor forgetting it. He should had had overcome it in order for him to accept everything.

"Do you want to go back to our place instead? Our Luella is there, I'm sure she can make you feel lighter. That's what she always does to me whenever I feel down," pang-e-engganyo pa nito na umalis muna sila roon. Pero iba ang kaniyang naging tugon.

"T-they were bathing with their own blood... I thought it was just a fucking nightmare... I lost consciousness, and when I came in... they're really gone..." nanghihinang siwalat niya.

Nabuwal ito sa kinatatayuan at dahil nanlalata siya'y sabay silang natumba sa sahig. He felt so exhausted, then she knelt both of her knees and immediately cupped his face to stare at him, to assure him that she's just beside him, and nothing bad would happen.

"Look at me..." bulong nito dahil pilit siyang nag-iiwas ng tingin. Her small and soft hands felt caressing. She kept still and stared into his eyes, catching every emotions he was trying to hide.

He thought he was already strong, that nothing could break him apart anymore. But all along, he's just pretending to be strong. Sa nahahapong tinig ay nagsimula na siyang isiwalat ang matagal na niyang kinikimkim.

"I didn't kill them, but I was arrested the next thing in the morning."

He closed his eyes remembering every single details vividly. How morbid and macabre that tragedy was as if it just happened yesterday...

Hindi totoong nag-away sila ng Papa niya dahil nang makauwi siya ay naabutan niyang napakatahimik sa loob ng kanilang bahay. It was true that he partied, but not all night. By ten, he already went home, and he wasn't too drunk as what the media had stated. He neither did drugs, too.

At hindi rin totoong intensyonal ang pagkitil sa mga ito. He would never do that horrid things to those people who made him feel loved again.

"I came home early because I wanted to celebrate her twentieth birthday..."

Kahit litong-lito ito ay nanatili itong tahimik para makinig sa kanya.

"I even bought a birthday cake for her, but—" his voice broke, his words were almost choking him. "—she was already..."

Hindi niya magawang ituloy ang mga sumunod na pangyayari, kung saan naabutan niya sa bungad ng pinto at Tami na nakababata niyang kapatid, na may gilit sa leeg, at naliligo na sa sariling dugo....

TIMO was wondering why the gate and the main door weren't locked when he got home. The lights were dimmed as well so it took him a few seconds for his eyesight to adjust in surroundings.

But he was stunned with what he saw in the front door, and he stormed inside to attend his sister's body, but it's already too late. She's already lifeless. Mabilis at alertong hinawakan niya ang kutsilyong nasa tabi nito, subalit ilang segundo lamang ay nanginginig na siya. Tumayo siya't hinawakan nang maigi ang kitchen knife upang madepensahan ang sarili kung sakaling naroon pa ang taong mag gawa niyon sa kapatid niya.

But his heart almost dropped when he saw his mom lying on the sofa, while the television was still on, and, her chest and stomach were opened, as if her insides were ripped... especially her heart...

He immediately threw the kitchen knife and went straight to his mom.

"M-ma..." garalgal ang tinig niya't halos hindi mabanggit ang kataga nang lapitan niya ang wala na ring buhay na katawan ng kanyang ina.

"Mama!" ulit niya.

It was like his systems stopped at once as he couldn't think straight and clearly. He kept on calling his mom as he was wailing.

Then, he remembered his father.

"P-papa..." humihinging saklolong tawag niya sa kanyang ama. Sa natitirang lakas ay tumayo siya, makailang ulit na natisod at tumumba subalit nagpumilit na makatayo para makahingi ng tulong sa kanilang haligi ng tahanan. Hindi alintana ang mga mantsa ng dugong nagkalat na kanyiang katawan at kasuotan, ay hinanap niya ito sa kusina, sa bodega at sa silid, pero wala ito.

Pumasok siya sa sariling silid para tingnan kung nandoon ang kanyang ama.

Napipilan siya nang mapansing nakabukas ng ilaw sa loob ng banyo, at kakatwang napakatahimik din doon. Kaagad na dumagundong ang kaba sa kanyang dibdib nang maisip na baka nandoon ang posibleng gumawa ng karumaldumal na mga bagay na iyon sa kaniyang ina at nakababatang kapatid, nag-aabang lamang sa kaniyang pag-uwi para isunod siyang patayin.

Despite of being so terrified, he alerted himself as he grabbed the samurai, a Japanese sword, that's displayed on the wall beside the sliding window. Kahit sanay na siyang makakita ng mga bangkay at ng krimen mula nang mamuhay siya bilang si Timo, ay hindi niya kayang ipasok sa utak niya ang mga nasaksihan.

Paulit-ulit siyang tila pinatay nang pagkabukas sa pinto ay nagulantang siya't bumunad sa kanya ang huling bagay na inasahan niya—Nasa loob ng banyo ang kaniyang ama, nakasandal sa malamig na pader at basag ang bungo nito, halos hindi na makilala ang mukha. Sa pader ay nakasulat ang mga alpabetong VME na ginamit ang dugo bilang tintang panulat...

"Papa!!!" Umalingawngaw sa kabahayan ang mga sigaw at panaghoy niya habang nanginginig ang buong kalamnan na binalikan niya ang kanyang kapatid, na pilit niyang ginigising. Gayon din ang ginawa niya nang lapitan ang kanyang ina, at ang huli'y ang kanyang ama... Hanggang sa pilit niyang isinuksok sa kaniyang utak panaginip lamang ang lahat-isang masamang bangungot. This couldn't be happening... They gave him a new life, they loved him for real, so he'd not accept that they were gone, too. He already lost his biological parents...

"Tama na..." nanghihinang usal niya. Napasandal siya sa tapat ng kinalulugaran ng kaniyang ama at nakatulala sa mga letrang nasa pader. At one glance, those who'd see that would eventually deduce that that was the victim's dying message. And he had those initials on his name, too. He immediately realized that someone was trying to frame him up with that crime.

But he was too weak to even move a limb, was too scared about what happened 

Umalingawngaw ang mga hiyaw niya at inuntog-untog ang ulo sa pader, ayaw niyang paniwalaan ang mga nakita.

That's where everything went pitch black, and he could clearly remember he had dreamt about the whole tragic situation while he's unconscious that was why the next day, he's thinking that's just a horrible nightmare...

But it wasn't.