-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...
****
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Stella Judd worked hard for her entire life, in return, she only got endless deception and oppression and died without dignity. However, she was reborn with time turning back. She vowed to never again let anyone who had bullied her get anything out of her. She got away from a very vicious family and got rich by her own hands. Nevertheless, she felt in love with a cripple. Although he was a cripple, Stella wanted to protect her husband and live in peace, but she didn't expect that her crippled husband suddenly turned into the distinguished Prime Minister! What's more, not only he was not lame anymore, but also he walked with her through life and death.
After three years of loveless marriage, Kira was slapped with divorce papers. She has shown him her unrequited love throughout her entire marriage with him, but he decided to turn blind eyes all because of his lover. Distraught and heartbroken, Kira choose to sign the divorce papers with bitter heart. But then and there, she promised herself that when she's back, he will come crawling to her, but she will make him pay for hurting her. Join Kira as she transform to a wealthy heiress and soared as the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar empire, a remarkable healer and make her ex-husband pay!
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."