-SYNOPSIS- Tris, a deadpan thirty-five years old office worker who died unjustly and got transmigrated into the novel she had finished reading. A story about a zombie apocalypse: School of the Dead is a novel about the survival of the high school students of Ruedard Academy. The Main Lead who is also the Student Council President, Warren Demarcus and the Female Lead who is a music scholar, Amara Guida. They did everything to survive in that zombie-field academy and soon fell in love with each other. Saving and protecting each one from time to time. It was a good story but everything seems to go awry for Tris since she became Trista Sylvan a mere canon fodder villain who instantly died after the outbreak! But now that she got a second chance in life-only in a freaking Zombie Apocalypse setting, unfortunately-she still need to survive! And boy, she will!
"Iyong Kuya mo yata iyon, Miss Tris. Nasa labas ng building."
"Salamat."
I nodded and thanked the guard when he kindly gave me that notice. Kita ko ang bahagyang awa sa mata nito bago ito tumulak paalis kasama ang isa pang guard. Hindi pa nga nakakalayo ay nagsalita ito sa kasama na narinig ko ng malinaw.
"Pera na naman siguro kaya nandito yun sinusundo siya. Buti wala akong kapatid na tulad nun."
"Hindi lang yun, ah. Kahit nanay nyan nagwawala sa labas ng building dati tas kinuha iyong sweldo nyan. Kawawa sobra sa pamilya."
"Naku! Kung ako may ganiyan na pamilya ay aba nagbigti na ako matagal na at nakakahiya, tss."
Humigpit ang hawak ko sa strap ng bag ko habang hinihintay na bumukas ang pinto ng elevator. Matagal ko nang naririnig ang mga ganiyang kumento. Tumunog ang elevator at bumukas kaya pumasok na ako. Pagod ako dahil sa ilang araw na ang over time at sa wakas ay natapos iyon, babalakin na matulog ng maaga pag-uwi ngunit mukhang maantala ngayon dahil paglabas ko sa elevator ay nahagip ko na ang kapatid ko sa labas ng building dahil sa glass wall.
Matangkad ito ngunit patpatin. Marami ring tattoo sa katawan. Iyong tipong lalayuan ng sino mang nasa katinuan dahil mukha itong sanggano-mali, dahil sanggano talaga ito.
He was six years older than me. Panganay at paborito nila Mama at Papa si Kuya Tino. May asawa na ito at dalawang anak. Walang trabaho at nakatira kasama nila Mama at ang pamilya nito habang ako ang nangungupahan sa isang maliit na apartment. Minsan tinatawagan kapag sasabihing bibisitahin ako pero mas madalas na pinupuntahan para sa iisang dahilan...
"Oh! Hoy! Kailangan ko ng sampung libo ngayon! Dali!"
Pera. Iyon ang tanging tingin nila sa akin.
Ngumisi agad si Kuya Tino noong makita akong lumabas sa building at sinalubong agad niya ng ganoon. Pera. Pera na naman.
"Kuya... kinuha na ni Mama ang sahod ko kahapon..." saad ko habang tinitignan ang supot na hawak nito na ipinapasok nito sa bulsa ng pantalon.
Ilang beses na ba ito sa buwang ito? That plastic bag is surely drugs. Lalo pa't sa itsura nito ngayon ay walang duda. Tahimik akong bumuntonghinga. Wala nang makapang emosyon kahit pa sa nanlilisik nitong mata ngayon ay sigurado ako sa susunod na mangyayari.
"Anak ng put* naman! Alam ko may tago ka diyan. Sampung libo na dali! Bilisan mo!" Pagpupumilit pa nito.
"Kuya, wala na. Binayaran ko pa yung miscellaneous fee ni Tantan sa school niya at may mga project materials pang binili dahil required kay Tania. Kuya, wala na akong pera ngayon na kay Mama na. Sa kaniya ka muna humingi-"
"T*ngina mo naman Tris. Basura kang hinayupak ka. Kailangan ko nga ngayon! Manghiram ka dyan sa mga katrabaho mo! Dali!"
"Kuya-"
"P*tangina! Ngayon na!"
"K-kuya-"
Hinigit nito ng mariin ang siko ko na tila ba mababalian ako ano mang oras ngayon. Ngiwi ang nagwaging reaksyon ko dahil sa sakit.
"Magkakanda-letse-letse ako ngayon nito put* ka, eh! Ngayon ko kailangan nung sampung libo! Bobo!"
Hindi ko talaga matiis na hindi maisip na baka ampon ako o mas gugustuhin ko nalang na maging ampon. I grew up with a family like this. Like some slave laborer and money-making for them. Thirty-five na ako ngayon araw na ito ngunit walang nakakaalala nun sa kanila dahil isa lang naman ang tingin nila sa akin. Pera. Kailangan nila ako dahil sa pera. I grew up with a biased parents and a jerk and useless older brother.
"Pinalaki ka namin para makatulong sa pamilyang ito, Tris! Halos ikamatay ko iyang pagsilang sa iyo kaya dapat lang na magtrabaho ka at kumita ng pera! Inutil na ito! Kung hindi rin dahil sa iyo ay hindi masisisante at maaksidente itong Tatay mo noon! Malas ka na nga, pumapangit pa araw ko dahil sa iyo!" That was my own mother's words for me before they decided to threw me out of our house after my brother got married and taken his pregnant wife to live there.
I have no reliable family. I have no reliable friends. I actually didn't get a friend. With a family like that? Will I ever make some friends? I'm already thirty-five and still no partner as well, probably will be an old maid too.
I hate my life. I hate how I turned out to be like this. Cowardly. I let them drained me, physically and mentally. I hate how the world is unfair. Precisely, I hated myself and the life i have.
The accumulated stress, fatigue, hunger and other more that I couldn't listed out suddenly started to get me. Plus the violent attacks of my brother didn't help as well.
Bigla akong nahilo dahil sa malutong na sampal na natanggap.
"Malas ka talagang put* ka!"
Iyon ang huling narinig ko bago pa nawalan ng lakas ang mga binti ko at dire-diretso akong bumulagta sa kalsada. Kumalabog ang ulo ko bago magdilim ang paligid...
****
“Drive this woman out!” "Throw this woman into the sea!” When he doesn’t know Debbie Nelson’s true identity, Carlos Hilton cold-shoulders her. “Mr. Hilton, she is your wife,” Carlos’ secretary reminded him. Hearing that, Carlos gives him a cold stare and complained, “why didn’t you tell me earlier?” From then on, Carlos spoils her rotten. Little did everyone expect that they would get a divorce.
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
Elisa watched as the most important people in her life showered the evil imposter-The fake heiress, with love. Elisa, the lost daughter of one of the most wealthiest family was found 18 years later and was brought back to her rightful home. However, someone had already taken her place. A fake heiress, the pampered little princess. Her coy acting and innocent façade made Elisa's real mother love her more than Elisa, her real daughter. That made Elisa, though, the true daughter end up as an adopted child. "Elisa, could you try not to appear in front of her too much as it could trigger her insecurities." Her parents had told her because of the fake heiress. "Elisa, You've taken everything away from her. Why can't you give her a little more?" Her fiancé had ordered her. Because of an unfortunate accident plotted by Isabelle-The fake heiress, Elisa was sent to prison and her family cut ties with her without a second thought. Four years, after much torture which led to her being crippled and blind on one eye, she was released, but got hit by a truck. While laying on the pool of her blood, she wanted to question, Why? Why had they all treated her so cruelly, while they love Isabelle unconditionally? She badly wanted to rip off Isabelle's mask of innocence, to reveal the fake, manipulative woman beneath. She was full of hatred. But after her death, she woke up back to when she was 18 years like all that happened were all nightmare. She was elated. She was reborn to re-live all that had happened in her last life, but now, her mission was to reveal mask beneath that woman and make everyone that made her suffer in her past life pay. It was her time for revenge! And definitely, she won't mess this up!
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"