Chapter 3: Bad Genes

I swear I heard Seven mumbling curses under his breath.Gaya ko, nagulat din siya nang makitang nakasunod pala sa amin ang lalaki. We thought everyone was asleep when we left!

"P-please maawa kayo sa akin. H-hindi ko kayang mabuhay rito sa loob," mangiyak-ngiyak na sabi nito. He gripped his beannie hat, removed it from his head, and brought it to his chest. "Please--"

Napabuga na lang ako ng hangin at pumayag. Nagulat si Seven at tiningnan ako nang masama. "Are you out of your mind? The plan is only for one. You cannot take anyone with you--"

"Pero nakita na niya tayo!" apela ko. I hate to admit it, but I am soft-hearted when it comes to people who look harmless. Kahit naman mukhang mapanganib ang tao, nakakaramdam pa rin ako ng awa.

"The more people escape, the higher the risk of getting caught!" matigas na tanggi ni Seven at bumaling sa lalaki. "Hey, what's your name?"

"B-Bean."

Ah, his beanie. I got the reference. Marahil iyon ang pangalang itinawag sa kanya sa loob.

"Hey, Bean, sorry, but it's not possible," walang pag-aalinlangang sabi ni Seven. "Go back to the hall and keep quiet about what you've seen."

Napansin ko ang pagsimangot ni Bean, at tila lalo pang sumama ang loob niya. "O-or... or I-I c-could report you."

No, he's not going to do that. He's afraid to do so. Sinasabi lang niya iyon sa pag-aakalang matatakot kami. But Seven is having none of that. He pushed me towards the small space in between the rocks.

"Just go," sabi niya. "I'll deal with this guy."

Humakbang ako ngunit agad ding napatigil nang marinig ang mahinang pagsinghot ni Bean. Bumaling ako kay Seven at taas-noong nagsalita. "If I go alone, there's still the risk that I'll get caught. If I take him with me, the risk is higher. Can't you see? Either way, there's still a risk. I've made up my mind. I will take him with me."

Napabuntong-hininga si Seven at napamasahe sa ulo. He pressed his eyes closed as if he was controlling his temper. Nang muli niya akong harapin, malamig ang tingin niya sa akin. "Kung anuman ang mangyari sa inyo, I'm out of it."

Tumango ako sa kanya. "The moment we take the raft, we're responsible for ourselves." Tiningnan ko si Bean at tinawag siya. "Come here carefully."

Tila batang tuwang-tuwa siya, ngunit naroon pa rin ang lungkot sa kanyang mga mata. Before we exited, tila inis na lumayo sa amin si Seven. Lumapit si Bean sa kanya, nakakuyom ang palad. Itinaas niya iyon at binuklat sa harap ni Seven.

"I'm n-not sure if you will accept this, pero ito lang din ang meron ako," sabi niya. Bumaba ang tingin ni Seven sa nakalahad na kamay ni Bean, kung saan may nakapatong na whistle. It was tied to a black string. Tiningnan lamang iyon ni Seven kaya kinuha ni Bean ang kamay nito at ipinatong ang pito. "This is all I've got, at mahalaga ito sa akin. Pero wala nang mas mahalaga pa sa kalayaan."

Seven just scowled and held the whistle tightly. "If you say so. Wala na kayong oras. Just make sure to heed all I've told you. When worse comes to worst, just save yourselves."

Unang bumaba si Bean sa pagitan ng mga bato. Susunod na sana ako sa kanya, ngunit may naalala ako. I faced Seven, who's giving me that 'what now' look.

"Kapag nakalabas ka na rito, you have to return my necklace," paalala ko sa kanya.

He nodded slowly, not wanting to say more.

"Then you need my name to find me," sabi ko.

He pursed his lips together to let out a close-lipped smile. "No, I don't need that. I'm not going to find you. Ikaw ang may kailangan sa akin, so you're the one who needs to find me."

"How am I supposed to find you?" pinigilan kong huwag mainis. "Your name, Seven, is not even your real name."

"What's your favorite color?" biglang tanong niya.

My jaw dropped. "How's that relevant?"

He shrugged at inulit lamang ang tanong. "What's your favorite color?"

"Pink!" inis na sagot ko.

He grinned at me as he gripped my necklace in his palm. "Then come find me when the skies are pink." He pointed his finger up. "Up there, on the highest place."

Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin. The skies are pink almost every afternoon! At mukhang wala nga siyang balak ibalik ang kuwintas ko, kaya anu-ano na lang ang pinagsasabi niya! Ah basta, saka ko na lang iisipin ang pagbawi sa kuwintas ko kapag nakaalis na kami rito. That's my priority first.

Magkasunod na bumaba kami ni Bean sa maliit na awang sa pagitan ng malalaking bato. It was like a tiny cave in between the rocks, at wala kaming makita sa paligid. Kinapa na lang namin ang kadiliman upang hindi mabangga kung saan.

Every step I took made my heart pound. Alam kong ganoon din ang nararamdaman ni Bean. We took more steps until we heard the sound of tiny waves. Malamang malapit na kami sa kung saan tinago ni Seven ang raft na sinasabi niya.

I moved to find the inflatable raft, and it was really in between the rocks, safely tied. Kahit nabasa na ako ng tubig, na lalong nagpalamig ng gabi, hindi ko iyon ininda at sinunod ang instructions ni Seven sa pagbukas ng raft.

"Miss, kinakabahan ako," sabi ni Bean. "Paano kung mahuli tayo? Pero mas gusto kong makaalis sa lugar na 'yon."

Seriously, I didn't think about what fate I would face in case everything failed. I could be shot dead in a second, detained for life in Zone Z for perpetual labor, o anuman—ayaw ko munang isipin. I need to clear my mind.

"Bean, huwag mo munang isipin iyan. Narinig mo ba lahat ng instructions ni Seven kanina?" tanong ko sa kanya nang tuluyan nang maayos ang inflatable raft. I slowly boarded the raft, at sumunod naman siya sa akin.

Tumango siya. "W-we just need to be mindful of the time. Sabi niya, the beam moves approximately 83.7 meters per minute, right? Kaya kailangan nating iwasan na mahagip ng liwanag."

Good. At least I have someone who can follow Seven's instructions. Malamang hindi ako makakapag-concentrate dahil sa kaba kung ako lang mag-isa. I handed Bean the other paddle, at tahimik kaming sumagwan patungo sa direksyong sinabi ni Seven. Alam kong hindi pa gaanong malayo ang nasagwan namin dahil hindi ko pa nakikita ang mga lighthouse, pero pakiramdam ko ay kanina pa ako sumasagwan.

I couldn't take the pressure of not knowing what would happen to me in the next few hours.

Mas lalo pang nagpakaba ang katahimikan sa pagitan naming dalawa, kaya nagpasya akong magsimula ng usapan.

"Bean?"

"Yes, Miss?" sagot niya.

"Do you think... do you think we can survive?" walang kasiguraduhang tanong ko.

"Ayaw kong maging negatibo, pero sa totoo lang, Miss, hindi ko alam," sinserong sagot niya.

"You can call me—"

"Don't give me your real name, Miss," pigil niya. "I think it's better not to know each other's real names for safety purposes."

Ah, he doesn't trust me.

"So Bean is a fake name too?" tanong ko.

Ngumiti siya at bahagyang napahawak sa suot niyang beanie hat. "It's a name they called me here, and I like it. Mas gusto kong tinatawag sa pangalang iyon kaysa sa totoong pangalan ko." His eyes were sad. Despite the dimness of our surroundings, I could still see it.

Agad siyang nag-iwas ng tingin at inabala ang sarili sa pagsagwan.

"Give me a name too," sabi ko.

Mabilis siyang napatingin sa akin.

"Kapag nakatakas tayo, I want you to remember me with a name."

This may seem like a nightmare, pero umaasa akong makakaalis kami rito. And I want to have a name in that adventure.

"Then I will call you Hope, because that's what you gave me right this very moment," sagot ni Bean.

Hope. I like it.

"Aren't you afraid of me?" he asked after a while. Nang makita niyang curious ang tingin ko sa kanya, he felt the need to elaborate. "I mean, we just met in Zone Z. What if I'm a bad person? I know... You're not an inmate of Zone Z. I don't mean to eavesdrop, but I overheard a bit of your conversation with Seven earlier."

"Not everyone in Zone Z is a bad person," I replied. "Besides, you seem kind."

"But do not be deceived by looks, Hope," he reminded me.

I asked myself, am I not afraid of him? Ngayon ko lang pinag-iisipan nang mabuti, at oo nga—puwede ngang masamang tao si Bean. Pero ewan, may kung anong pakiramdam sa loob ko na nagsasabing harmless siya. Genuine ang plea niya for help—I see it in his eyes.

I nodded at him. "Thanks for the reminder, Bean. By the way, can I ask something?"

"Sure, I'll see if I can answer," he said. Kahit nakatingin siya sa akin, patuloy pa rin siya sa paggaod. At least now that we're talking, hindi na kami masyadong kinakabahan sa ginagawa namin.

"Why did you end up in Zone Z?" I asked. Okay lang naman kung ayaw niyang sagutin. Alam kong masyado 'yong personal, pero curious ako.

"Bad genes," he replied. I waited for him to continue, but he didn't. Ilang sandali pa, bahagyang lumaki ang mga mata niya. "I see the lighthouses!"

Agad akong lumingon, at ayun nga—nandoon sa di kalayuan ang mga lighthouse, gaya ng sinabi ni Seven!

Now, we just have to be mindful of how we row—we need extreme focus! Nang malapit na kami sa area na tinatamaan ng beams, halos pigilan ko ang paghinga ko tuwing dumadaan ang liwanag. Walang nagsasalita sa amin ni Bean, pero alam kong pareho kaming kabado. The closer we got to the shoreline, the more my heart pounded.

I lost track of the distance and speed ng beam mula sa lighthouse, the one Seven calculated. Tama nga ang hinala kong hindi ko rin naman iyon magagamit. Ngayon, takot na lang ang nangingibabaw, kaya dahan-dahan na lang kami sa paggalaw, kahit pa hindi na namin sinusunod ang planong binuo ni Seven.

Just as we almost reached the safe side, Bean got caught in the light! Napapikit siya nang bahagya nang tamaan ang mukha niya ng ilaw. Parang sasabog ang dibdib ko, lalo na nang biglang lumitaw ang pulang ilaw—a sign of emergency—mula sa isa sa mga lighthouse! Kasabay noon, nagsimula nang tumunog ang alarm. Hindi ko maipaliwanag ang emosyon sa pagitan naming dalawa nang magtama ang aming mga mata.

I saw a tear escape his eye. "Jump, Hope!"

Jump?

"What?"

The powerful beam continued its relentless sweep, illuminating the shore in eerie, sweeping arcs. My breath caught in my throat as the light skimmed my hiding spot, but I held my breath, my heart pounding in my chest.

"I'm the only one they saw, so you have to save yourself! Hindi nila iisiping may kasama ako. Even if you escape, they wouldn't know because you have no record in Zone Z. Now save yourself," Bean urged habang pilit akong itinutulak para tumalon.

Bago ko pa ma-process ang nangyayari, bigla siyang lumapit at tinulak ako.

Kung hindi lang ako nalunok ng tubig-alat, baka napasigaw pa ako sa gulat! Hindi ko alam kung tama bang iwan siya, pero determinado si Bean na paalisin ako—lalo na't sa ilang saglit lang, may dalawang helicopter nang paparating!

Mabilis niyang itinulak palayo ang inflatable raft. Gusto kong bumalik para tulungan siyang makatakas, pero bago pa ako makalapit, may bumagsak nang mahabang rope ladder mula sa helicopter, at tatlong sundalo ang bumaba!

My heart raced in terror as I watched Bean being overwhelmed by the armed soldiers. Pilit siyang lumalaban, pero wala siyang laban. Gusto kong bumalik, pero naaalala ko ang mga sinabi niya.

I gently swam away, avoiding the beams of light. That was the only thing on my mind until I reached the shoreline Seven had mentioned. Mula roon, makakalabas na ako sa danger area ng Zone C at makakabalik sa distrito ko. Nanginginig ang katawan ko, hindi ko alam kung dahil sa lamig, takot, o lungkot.

I waited and counted, gaya ng bilin ni Seven. Hindi ko alam kung paano ko pa nagawang magbilang kahit nanginginig ako sa ginaw, takot, at pagkabigla. Pero sa kabila ng lahat ng 'to, alam kong wala akong ibang choice kundi magpatuloy.

Seven hundred ninety-six...

That's it.

The coast was clear; men in military uniforms had just passed a few minutes ago from their patrol in that area.

With shaking knees, I forced myself to get up and flee from the place.

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