're not listening to me." Before I could speak up, he pulled m

was taking me away from the group. We stopped when he reached t

took another step to stand level with him. "Hu...huwag mong kakalimutan ang bili

fe. I always thought nothing scares him; but now that he's instructing me to h

and gently pushed me

t look back again. He squeezed into the

ir beds, not wanting to risk catching any infections. My gaze drifted back into the great hall, memories of Vino flickering in my mind. I caught myself before he

nja

d up to meet his gaze. His bed hair was a mess, and his eyes had that sleepy, antukin lo

in

but I didn't let him finish. I ran

ng ka

for a moment. But my joy was short-lived. The mu

ga bangkay?" someone s

st jinx

nfusion etched on my face. I listened

angrily. "Kailangan pa natin

syon? Paano matatahimik ang kanilang mga kaluluwa?" an

no. "We need to move," I said ser

to the second floor. Our footsteps echoed in the empty

o time and flipped on the light switch. Immediately, I

ened. I tried to search for secret compartment yet s

motions anymore. And with that, my tears started

up straight again. I avoided Vino's ga

me to pause. I tried even harder

as small; I estimated it could fit about fifteen people or even fewer. It contained two

ront of me. Concern and confusion were eviden

ok my left hand and moved closer, "bakit

ad no intention of answering him because, honestly, I had no

ally understand my emotions well, so I

the subject, hoping he would forget about my mini breakdow

mga tanong ko?" He leaned back and sat on the desk, cross

ably. "A platoon of soldiers arrived earli

?" He jumped up from his sea

hat to say, so

on faded, and his forehead cr

I sighed. "Not until P

e, not to rescue us. You should see what they look like. They're in the

e again, "Another suspicious thing about Papa's ord

a 'yung brown leather notebook na palagi

ugh for him to react that way," I said. I sat in one of the armchairs faci

saan na 'yung journal na iyon."

and placed both h

rnal is inside here. Ka

'yung mga pasong iyon?" He pointed at the two indoor plants on either side o

uickly approached the right pot

e stone left for me to check, so I picked it up. I im

head too, and I shook my head as a sign that I hadn't found any key. He took a deep bre

bro?" I suggested. He pressed his l

a," he c

helf before us. Just looking at all

ed closer to the bookshelf and looked up to see it better. There w

it naman?" His curiosity

stian fanatic, yet there's

but couldn't reach it due to my height. Vino

iced an armchair behind me. A smile spread across my face as

lam

he chair and made s

ach page was glued together so that anyone who picked it up would go straight there. There was a large recta

k it gently. It made a soft scratch,

from the card and lifted out a small key from within it. Vino and I exchanged wide-eyed looks as our

tom one. My throat tightened as I swallowed re

utside. Instinctively, I looked at the door near the desk; it wa

into!" I ordered

he was holding and i

key wouldn't turn with my hand movements; it remained stuck despite my trembling efforts to pull it out of ther

n tears began flowing again. I let them fall freely without caring if they soaked more papers ar

htly just as deafening gunfire erupted outside once

d younger here-joy shining in their eyes as they gazed at a little girl with curly hair

ber 26, 2065, 10:15 AM. My vision blurred further

who was now struggling alone with moving the bookshelf away from us; veins were visible on hi

e in place as my gaze locked onto that door while swallowing hard against sounds of chaos erupting outside

journal a

e slipping that polaroid picture between i

spoke, but the shock in his eyes was enough

ved away from him. "Dad's wrong. We shouldn't hide, Vino," I said

rned the doorknob. The cries and gu

last questions before I left our hiding place. I broke into a b

ing on the hallway's slick floor. At the bottom of the stairs was an elderly woman struggling to climb up toward me. S

she croa

he stairs to steady myself as I prepared to descend. But before I could continue, stray bullets ended

. Her trembling hand reached out as though trying to grab my foot. My

about to vomit. Gasping for air, my chest tightened painfull

oded my mind. I realized there were so many things I hadn't said to them yet. And now, there was a high chance I'd

uld. But fear paralyzed me; there was no certainty in what awaited me below. Deep down

rough the hallway, cal

e had grabbed from one of the displays nearby. It was baffling why

k as the vase flew toward me. Thankfully,

crash behind me. I turned around and saw the elderl

ead and neck were twisted awkwardly upon hitting the botto

pression clearly showed insatiable hunger. Her

Turning to him, even though my vision blurred again from tears that continued flowing

greeted by two staircases-one leading up to the rooftop and another going down to the g

t unfortunately, we found

irritation; my thoughts were too s

d through his hair before approaching another door leading into the ground floor interior

eant. Based on the floor plan displayed on that paper, the

e hadn't even reached the second floor yet when one of the metal doors creaked open

olently in my chest. I snapped back to reality when I felt Vino loosening my gr

er face ended up just inches away from mine. For the first time, I recognized her behind her fi

way. She tumbled down the stairs, rolling repeatedly, making me wince. I always wanted to

ns gradually weakened. I couldn't tear my gaze away f

reached the top of the stairs, allowin

etting. My eyes turned toward the sky as I felt raindrops touch my skin. Thunder

ied by gunfire from below. Before I knew it, I found myself r

at the soldiers were not here to p

ttered everywhere. Only a few people remained alive now. The soldiers spared no on

ning twenty-one corpses we had placed there

stant, they turned to ash and were carried away by the wind until they disappea

familiar-Mama's dress or Papa's figure-but everything happened too fast. The soldiers to

At first, I thought it came from one of the bodies thrown into t

er strands nearly ripped out entirely. They were only halfway

el

ame, it finally sank in-they were Mama and Papa. I tried to stop myself from sobbing a

mmed my hands again

an

turn to him. I kept pounding on the

e. "Pa-" I wasn't able to finish calling him because Vino s

over my mouth each time. Out of desperation, I started hitt

shot through me as my knees hit the hard surface, and I let out a small cry of discomfort.

galaw," he whi

. Vino groaned softly behind me before his grip on my shoulders l

every instinct to move or make any noise-just as Vino had told me earlier. Hesi

s it scanned its surroundings. The light expande

s gone, my entire body remained frozen in place. Fear gripped me so tightly that I

nd, now stained with black blood. Tears spilled relentlessly down m