Chapter 36: HATE ME

A/N: UNI is back!
Now playing: Life After You by Daughtry

COOLER

"Son of a b—tch!"

Kung hindi lang malakas ang musika sa paligid, malamang umalingawngaw na sa bawat sulok ng bulwagan ang boses ko. It wasn't missed by the nearby people though, na agad napatingin sa gawi ko. I punched the nearby table, dahilan para matumba iyon at bumagsak sa sahig ang mga baso.

"Zeus," narinig kong tawag sa akin ni Artemis, na hindi ko namalayang nakalapit na pala.

Now all eyes were on me, pati na si Achilles, na abala sa pakikipag-usap kung kani-kanino, ay naningkit ang mga mata at dumako ang tingin sa akin.

The violinist stopped whatever he was playing, sensing the tension in the air. Artemis tried to calm me down sa pamamagitan ng mahinang pagbulong.

"Don't make a scene. Just smile," she whispered sabay pumalakpak. "Sorry, the table... fell." Sumenyas siya sa paligid, and just like that, the hall resumed everything, pero may iilan pa ring nakatingin sa amin.

Huminga ako nang malalim, nakakuyom ang kamao habang umalis roon. I nodded at Poseidon to signal him na aalis na kami, pero bago pa man ako makarating sa pinto, narinig ko ang pagtawag ni Achilles.

"Zeus, halika muna rito. I want you to meet Mr. Glodove."

I looked at him and the old, wrinkly man beside him. Kung hindi lang nasa panganib si Rustia, I would've wagged my tail and played chummy with the old man. I looked at them with cold eyes at tinalikuran sila, pero muli na namang nagsalita si Achilles.

"Zeus, huwag kang bastos! I am talking to you!" Achilles roared.

Normally, that voice would have shaken me, ngunit mas nanginig ako sa takot sa kung ano ang mangyayari kay Rustia. The entire hall surely shivered at Achilles' anger. He has that power—enough to make the entire room trample at his feet. Tila muling tumahimik ang buong paligid kaya napatigil ako, ngunit hindi man lamang lumingon sa kanya.

"Saan ka pupunta?" he asked. I could hear his walking stick ticking on the ground. "Mr. Glodove here would appreciate a partnership, at sa gaya mong kasisimula pa lang, don't you think this is a business you should be minding? Hindi iyang kung anu-anong walang kabuluhang bagay ang inaatupag mo."

I felt my jaw clench and my hands turn into fists. Dahan-dahan ko siyang nilingon, bago sumulyap sa kasama niyang matandang lalaki. I walked towards them, keeping my fists inside my pockets.

"My bad," panimula ko nang tuluyan akong makalapit. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Glodove. Whatever business you want, please proceed with it—as long as you rake in money. Iyon lang naman ang mahalaga, di ba? Money, money, more money—"

"Zeus!" sigaw ni Achilles. I was scared—who knows what he'll do this time? Pero mas natatakot ako para kay Rustia.

"Consider it done, Mr. Glodove. Now, are we done here?" malamig kong wika.

Mr. Glodove looked at me unbelievably, samantalang nanggagalaiti naman sa galit si Achilles. I turned on my heel and left them. Wala na akong pakialam kung ano ang magiging consequences ng ginawa ko. I have no time to worry about it when my girlfriend is in danger.

I left the hall in a hurry at agad na lumulan ng elevator. I fished out my phone at agad na hinanap ang numero ni Mnemosyne.

She answered on the second ring. "Zeus, they're on the rooftop." She must have been alerted and acted immediately.

"Got it. Any idea who's behind this? Was it really Hechanova and the real Brusca?"

There was a sigh. "I can't ID him. Walang data tungkol sa kanya na may sense, but if we think about it, it must be the real Brusca—a retired hitman."

"Son of a bit—h."

"Zeus, please calm down. Huwag mong ipahamak ang sarili mo," paalala niya.

"Tell Poseidon to get in position. I'll see him at the rooftop. Nasa pwesto na rin ba si Ares?"

Mnemosyne sighed in surrender, knowing my mind would care less about my own safety. When she confirmed that everything was in place, agad kong pinatay ang tawag. I was about to press the elevator button when another call came in.

An unregistered number.

Clenching my jaw, I answered the call.

"I see you're ready," wika ng boses sa kabilang linya. "A reaper two floors below the rooftop, one across, another at least 90 degrees, and oh, one stealthily entering the rooftop."

Nasuntok ko ang pader sa galit. This man is no doubt the real Brusca—he's the real deal.

"Let my girlfriend go, Brusca," kalmadong wika ko.

Tumawa siya nang nakakaloko. "So the calm and collected Zeus stories I've heard are really true. Hindi ka man lang ba magmamakaawa? Why do you sound so arrogant?"

"Kung ano man ang atraso ko sa'yo, get back at me. Huwag mong idamay ang ibang tao," I gritted through my teeth.

"I have nothing against you, Zeus. You know that. But the moment you messed with my brother, you messed with me. And I'll do everything in my power to get back at you, kahit pa mga taong mahalaga sa'yo," sagot niya. "I'll spare her if you come here alone. Tell your reapers to retreat, and we'll talk business. Just the two of us."

I know I shouldn't trust him, ngunit wala akong ibang paraan upang matiyak ang kaligtasan ni Rustia. I closed my eyes at pilit na inaalisa ang mga bagay-bagay. Sa huli, nanaig ang kagustuhan kong iligtas si Rustia.

"I'm on my way," mahinang sagot ko.

"Good boy," iyon ang huling sabi niya bago pinatay ang tawag.

Agad kong tinawagan si Mnemosyne upang ipaabot sa kanya ang napag-usapan namin ni Brusca.

"Zeus, everything is set—"

"Tell them to retreat."

"What?!" Gulat na bulalas niya.

I could imagine her getting annoyed with my sudden decision, ngunit buo na ang isip ko. I'll deal with it on my own.

"Zeus, don't trust him!" Mnemosyne appealed. "We will—"

"Please," I begged. "Kaligtasan ni Rustia ang nakataya rito. I will handle this."

It took some time to convince her to let me handle it. Hindi ko tiyak kung napapayag ko ba talaga siya, but I know they'll be doing everything in their power to protect me. When the call ended, I fixed my suit at tuluyang pinindot ang elevator buttons papuntang rooftop.

The floor felt so foreign with its eerie ambiance. Nang tinungo ko ang pinto, it made an annoying sound. Ngunit nakaisang hakbang pa lamang ako nang sinalubong ako ng nakatutok na baril.

"Hello."

I sighed and raised both hands. "Where is she?"

"Straight to business, huh," komento ni Brusca. He was wearing a mask that hid most of his face. Nakasuot rin siya ng itim na tuxedo, like most of the party's attendants. He cocked his gun toward an empty seat.

"Let's talk, Vander."

"Where is she?!" My voice roared, ngunit hindi man lamang iyon nagpatinag sa kanya.

He pulled something from the side that looked like a cloth, revealing a tied-up Rustia na walang malay. She was suspended by a pulley, and one wrong move from me ay maaaring bumagsak siya mula sa 45th floor ng gusali.

"Wrong move, Brusca. Nagkamali ka ng kinalaban," I warned him.

"Yeah?" Kahit hindi ko nakikita ang kabuuan ng kanyang mukha, alam kong nakangisi siya ngayon sa akin. "You messed with my brother. Ginagawa ko lang ang dapat."

I scoffed. "Look, Brusca. Pakawalan mo si Rustia ngayon na, or you will regret it." It was a threat, but not an empty one. He may know me as Zeus, the mediocre son of Cronus who took over when my dad's health worsened, but when I put my mind on protecting something—or someone—I'll do it by hook or by crook.

He laughed and acted like he was shivering. "Huh, I'm scared."

A lightning bolt streaked across the sky. I started picturing scenarios on how to save my girlfriend, kill this bastard, and blow up this entire place. I had such a great plan to spend my birthday with her, ngunit lahat ay hindi umaayon sa plano ko. Why doesn't the universe conspire with me?

Umupo ako at bahagyang inayos ang suot. I removed my coat and tossed it to the side. He watched me calmly fold my sleeves. "What do you want from me, Brusca?"

Muli siyang natawa na para bang nababaliw. "You crossed my brother in business. You pay for it."

"Iyon ba ang sinabi niya? I'm pretty sure he got the merchandise, we got the money. The last time I checked, that's what happened in our transactions," sagot ko. Nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin ko sa kanya at kay Rustia. Brusco held a gun in one hand and the rope that held Rustia in the other.

Sa madaling salita, he could kill my girlfriend by letting go of the rope. But I'm not going to let that happen.

"You shot my brother," he said.

I shot him, so what? Iginala ko ang paningin sa paligid. Malakas ang ulan, at may manaka-nakang pagkulog at kidlat. A puddle of rainwater had gathered on the side, malapit sa nakabukas na junction box ng kuryente. It could come in handy, pero kailangan kong maging maingat.

I'm sure he didn't come alone. Somebody is out there, waiting for a signal to shoot me dead. But he's not the only one who came prepared. Gaya niya, handa rin ako. The moment I told Mnemosyne to retreat, it was like flipping a switch for something bigger. Sigurado akong nasa puwesto na sila—somewhere far from what Brusca's company preempted.

"He threatened my brother," sagot ko. "If you're doing this for your brother, then alam kong alam mo kung bakit ko ginawa iyon. Just like you, I just want to protect my brother."

He laughed and cocked the gun to my head. My head turned to the side, feeling the pain of the cold metal pressed against it. With a swift move, he kicked me in the gut, dahilan upang mabuwal ako sa kinauupuan ko.

It wasn't an understatement to say that I saw stars dahil sa lakas niya, without him breaking a sweat. I coughed blood as I started to stand, ngunit umiikot ang paningin ko.

"Wala akong pakialam sa rason mo, Zeus. You messed with the wrong person." He walked a little away from me, tumayo sa kung saan may nakaipong tubig sa kanyang paanan.

I spit blood at tumawa. "That's my line, Brusca. You... you messed with the wrong person."

With all my remaining force, I pulled a gun from my side at hinagis iyon sa junction box na nakabukas. The exposed wires created a spark, sending a surge of electricity to the puddle kung saan nakatayo si Brusca.

He flinched a bit, ngunit hindi iyon sapat para patumbahin siya. Well, killers-for-hire surely have a tolerance for a little electricity wave. It weakened him a bit, pero saglit lamang iyon. Narinig ko siyang nagmura sa ibang lenggwahe at binitawan ang lubid.

I acted immediately and dived to the side. Mabilis na nahawakan ko ang lubid and tied it to the metal railings, bago ako muling napagulong sa direksyon kung saan tumilapon ang baril. Before I could reach for it, Brusca fired somewhere.

"That won't stop me, Vander," sabi niya. He fired again, ngunit mabilis akong lumayo. I held the rope securely in my hand as I rolled across the rooftop.

"Do you know how I kill my prey? I like to torture them slowly until they beg me to kill them dahil hindi na nila kaya ang sakit," sabi niya. He loaded the gun swiftly before walking in my direction.

"Did they tell you that you talk too much?" tanong ko, na mas lalong nagpadilim sa ekspresyon ng kanyang mukha. When it comes to physical strength, I'm no match for him. He could kill me in an instant, I know. Ngunit hindi ko hahayaang mangyari iyon.

"At least I can walk the talk," sagot niya. "Balita ko, wala kang silbi sa pamilya mo. Promoted to position because of nepotism. What a disappointment."

I stayed still. Wala na bang bago? I've heard more degrading and disappointing remarks about me to the point that I've gotten used to it. Wala nang epekto ang mga sinasabi niya.

"Well, now all you'll do is talk, because I'm afraid you no longer can walk," sagot ko sa kanya.

"What?" He finally understood what I meant when he noticed a red dot on his leg. He frantically looked around, searching for the sniper. He may have known about the other places the reapers were stationed, but not Ares—unorthodox, unpredictable, and a long-range shooting specialist. Bago pa siya makatalon papunta sa ligtas na sulok, natamaan na ang kanyang binti.

"F*ck you—" Hindi niya natapos ang sasabihin dahil kabilang binti naman ang tinamaan.

Lumapit ako sa kanya at pinulot ang baril. Kinuha ko rin ang cellphone at nagsalita. "Thank you for the hard work, Ares. I'll take it from here."

"You!" Brusca groaned in pain, his blood pooling on the side, mixing with the puddles made by the heavy rain. With Ares' accurate shooting, siguradong hindi na siya kailanman makakatayo. I smacked his face with the gun, causing him to spit blood, his mask crooked.

"In close range, we may be no match for you," sabi ko sa kanya at umupo sa harap niya. "I may not know everything about Brusco, the retired sicario, but I've gathered enough about you as Vinny." I grabbed his mask that covered most of his face. "Also, if you're looking for your lackeys, they're all taken care of. I told you, you messed with the wrong person."

Muli ko siyang hinampas ng baril sa mukha, causing a huge cut on his brow. Wala man lamang katiting na pagsisisi sa kanyang mukha. Not that I expected anything from him—killers like him are devoid of any emotions, kaya malabong magsisi siya kahit gaano pa kabait ni Jaja sa kanya. I knew my gut was right when I sensed that Vinny guy couldn't be trusted.

"I won't kill you," I told him as I rummaged through his pocket to find a lighter. Nahagilap ko iyon at maingat na sinipat. It was a custom-made lighter, bearing the emblem of the Mexican cartel he used to work with. With a flick of a finger, binuksan ko ang lighter. The blue flame looked marvelous in the darkness, but mixed with his growls as I let the flame touch his face, it was more satisfying.

"Do you know what I will do to you?" Mas lalo lamang siyang natawa, kaya napailing ako at muling binuksan ang lighter. My finger flicked the wheel, watched as the flame roared to life, at walang pag-aatubiling inilapit iyon sa kanyang balat. He screeched in pain ngunit hindi pa rin siya nagmakaawa para sa buhay niya.

With blood dripping from his brow, he laughed like I just said something funny. "Gawin mo lahat ng gusto mong gawin. At least you can do something to me, kahit wala ka namang ginagawa para sa pamilya mo."

So we're not yet done talking about family, huh? If he was trying to provoke me, he should do better. Sa tingin niya ba masasaktan ako sa mga sinasabi niya?

As if I'm not used to all kinds of pain when it comes to family and my name.

"Yeah, that tale is old as time," sagot ko sa kanya. I should finish him sooner nang sa ganoon ay may panahon pa kami ni Rustia. We can spend my birthday with maybe a store-bought cake, some used old candles, and her favorite instant reheatable food from a convenience store.

"Did Jaja know you're like this?" tanong niya.

I stayed still. The mention of Rustia somehow calmed me. She was still suspended there at walang malay. Alam ko ang ginagawa ni Brusco. He was playing mind games, trying to distract me so he could find a way to escape or something.

"I don't care," sagot ko sa kanya. "You messed with me; you're as good as dead."

Tumawa uli siya, and now he's getting under my skin. Should I shoot him in the mouth?

"If you're trying to talk your way out of this, try again," I said, reaching for his gun on the side at ibinaon iyon sa kanyang sugat. He cussed in a foreign language so bad it annoyed me, kaya mas idiniin at pinaikot-ikot ko pa ang baril sa kanyang sugat.

"Ano sa tingin mo ang magiging reaksiyon niya kapag nalaman niyang mali ang pagkakakilala niya sa iyo? That the Cooler Vander she fucking adored is not the kind and gentle one she thought she knew?" he said between heavy breaths and painful screams.

"You think you love her, ngunit pagsasawaan mo rin siya—" He wasn't able to finish his sentence because I punched him in the face. He spat blood but still didn't beg.

What a shame.

"Alam mo bang pinagmamalaki ka niya? That you were everything she wanted a man to be—sweet, gentle, romantic. Imagine how crushed she will feel—"

I smacked him in the face with the gun. "You still can talk?"

"She will be devastated. It's like you deceived her—"

He really should stop all that talking because it's making me angry. "If you think I didn't know that, you have another thing coming. Don't go all therapist on me, Brusco. You're not getting away with this."

He laughed while coughing up a little blood. "She knew."

It took me a second to understand what he said. Bigla akong natigilan at nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin sa kanya at kay Rustia.

He laughed maniacally. "Sa tingin mo madadala mo sa hukay ang sikreto mo?"

How... how did he know?

"Ano sa tingin mo ang magiging reaksyon niya, that the Cooler Vander she adored so much ay ang pumatay sa tatay niya?" He said, smirking.

Rage boiled inside me. It was a secret I kept all these years that not even Cronus knew. I was there. I watched my own father grieve over the loss of one of his most trusted men. I was there when my girlfriend told me how she missed her dad—and I would just kiss her to make her feel at ease.

She will hate me.

Nagdilim ang paningin ko. I got the gun and shot him until I ran out of bullets. Wala akong pakialam sa nangyayari. It was a bloody mess, but who cares?

Saka lamang ako natauhan nang wala nang bala ang baril. My phone rang from my pocket, kaya agad kong sinagot iyon.

"Zeus."

"You killed him," Ares said from the other line, definitely sulking. "I thought I could dissect him alive."

"Sorry, Ares. I lost it. Clean up this mess at siguraduhin mong walang kahit anong maiiwan—not even a single strand of hair."

He sighed. "Alright."

I tossed the phone back in my pocket at ilang beses na napabuntong-hininga. Whether I like it or not, kailangan ko itong harapin.

I stared at the dead man on the ground. I'm so pissed and worked up that I made it so messy. My hands were trembling—not from fear—but from the rush of emotions I couldn't control. It was a bloody mess, but who cares?

What Brusco said just got me thinking: will Rustia hate me?

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