by Jonas Sunico
“Dad?”
No response.
Same as my last dream. All voices, no images. This dream feels pretty lucid though. The fact that I’m able to think this clearly is freaking me out. I need to make sure if I’m dead or alive. Now if I could only find my fingers to pinch myself with.
Gano ba kahaba ’tong tunnel na ’to? Ngalay na ngalay na ’ko sa pag-alalay sa lalakeng to. Halos isang oras ko na siyang dala-dala sa braso ko. Di pa ba siya magigising? At least quits na kame; wala na kong utang na loob sakanya. Sa totoo lang, naaawa ako sakanya kase mukhang sobrang sakit ng pilay niya. Eto namang aso niya parang kalmadong kalmado pa. Di ata niya ramdam na baka ilang tumbling na lang ang layo ng mga sombi samen.
Etong dinadaanan ko... Exciting din siyang daanan. Secret passage nga. Ilang litrato na ang nakita ko na siguradong yayanig sa sambayanang Pilipino. Meron isa na pinapakitang nakikipag kape si ChiNoy kay Ferdie Marcus na ang alam ng lahat e patay na. Meron pang isa na pinapakita na ang trademark nunal ni Ex-Pres. Glory Arrovo ay isang paminta lang pala. Pero ang pinakapaborito kong litrato ay ang isang draft ng ating watawat na imbis na three stars and a sun e three suns and a star. Ang daming tinago ng gobyerno samen. Kung mamamatay man ako ngayon, okay lang, naaliw naman ako sa mga litratong to.
“Nnggh nggh...”
Nagigising na siya. Biglang tahol ang aso niya. “”Psst. Okay ka na? Kakalas na kase braso ko e.”
“Di pa....”
“Okay...” De pa-english-english ka pa kanina, nakakaintindi ka naman pala.
“Tell me if you can walk, we’re slowing down because of you. And my arms are also tired.” Di ko ginusto mag-english pero mukhang dapat englishin ko ’to. Baka matawag pa ’kong stupid ule.
“Tell me something first. How can you be so literate? Honestly speaking you look like a beggar. I know there’s this zombie apocalypse and all, but you really look like a beggar. Those nails look like they haven’t seen a nail cutter in years and you have surprising strength for a girl, which makes me conclude that you’re a hard worker,” sabi niya.
Naintindihan ko siya. Klarong klaro. Di ko alam kung pano niya nahulaan na pulubi ako dati (ganun na ba talaga ’ko kadumi?), pero tama siya. Tama rin siya, marunong nga akong mag-Ingles. Pero sa tingin ko di ko pa kayang mag-open up sakanya tungkol sa nakaraan ko.
“Sorry aah, di kita gano ma-gets. Script lang yung sinabi ko kanina. Nakita ko sa pelikula. E ganito rin yung eksena nila dun, kaya naisip ko na angkop yung sasabihin ko. Tas yung mga sinabi ko kanina sayo? Script lang din. Sa teleserye naman nanggaling. Getching?”
Tumingin lang siya saken. Mukhang di niya naintindihan.
“I think I can walk fine. You’re right; I’ll slow us down,” sabi niya.
“Ummm thanks, for saving me earlier. Script again.”
Tumango lang siya at ngumiti. Etong aso niya mukhang natuwa sa eksena. Bigla siyang tumakbo sa harap na parang sabik na sabik at winawagayway niya buntot niya. Cute. Ang putla na ni Joe. Halatang tinitiis niya lang ang sakit para saken... Para saken. Nakakatuwang isipin na merong nag-aalala ule. Nawala nga si Father; pumalit naman si Joe. Pero di ko rin papatulan si Joe. Not in a million years. Kahit na me sombi apocalypse o wala.
She tells me we’ve been walking this passage for almost an hour now. The passage is dark but, surprisingly enough, there are lit fluorescent lights here. Just enough to see the way and the pictures on the walls. Carla did her best to explain how the pictures show a hidden history of the Philippines in English and I understood well enough, but I think she really doesn’t know how to speak in English.
I wonder if it’ll be only a matter of time before the zombies catch up to us. I hope they don’t, though. If they do, that means Mr. Senator and the priest are dead. I don’t know how long it’ll take before the pain subsides. If we’re faced with an enemy now, I guess I won’t be any good. The only weapons we have with us are Carla’s huge-ass knife (I think it’s a machete), my trusty rattan sticks and, of course, Askal’s fangs. I guess being gunless will be an advantage for us. We won’t run out of bullets and we can’t attract more zombies with these bad boys.
Among the pictures are portraits. I have no idea who these people are. I haven’t got a clue on the political history here. Dad says it’s “great” and “incorruptible.” Dad... That dream though. It sounded like him; I didn’t see a person but I’m pretty sure that was his voice. And what’s with the angry and arrogant tone? I hope that dream means he’s still alive. I wish I could ask Carla to translate the words said in my dreams but I forgot them again. And I think Carla will do no good as a translator anyway.
At the end of the long line of portraits I see a familiar face. It’s ChiNoy, the current president of the Philippines. Or should I say ex-president? I wonder if people still consider him their leader. There’s a calming look about him; I’m okay with him being leader. Those eyes, the glasses, the balding hair WHICH shows the stress he receives from doing work every day. Yep, he is a presidential figure all right. Heck, he’s so busy, his portrait just blinked in exhaustion....
Wait a minute.
“Ummm did you see that?” Carla raises her perfect but drawn on and fake eyebrows (I gotta ask her about those eyebrows, why the hell did she have to do make-up in this apocalypse?) in confusion.
“This picture of ChiNoy just blinked. You see it Askal?” He barks in agreement.
“Stop it, don’t scare me. Let’s go; you’re just hungry. I know I am.”
What the hell was that? I got goosebumps here. As we walk away, I keep on looking back just to catch the portrait in the act of blinking
SOMEWHERE OUT THERE
“Hahahahaha muntik na tayong makita netong Savior naten. Keep an eye on them.”
“Banana.”
“Wag niyo muna silang dakipin. Maghintay lang tayo. Gusto kong makuha muna natin ang tiwala nila. Bwa bwa bwahahahahahaha. Minion! Tumawa ka!”
“Bwahahaha hahaha ha...”
16
Two hours... Two hours of freaking fast walking. And the worst part about it is, Carla isn’t talking to me. I don’t know if it’s the language barrier or because she really doesn’t like me but boy she sure is ignoring me now. Askal on the other hand is as noisy as hell. His pants are all I hear. It’s been a while since I got annoyed with him. Can’t blame him for panting that loud though. We’ve been in this dark and hot hallway that goes on and on for a couple of hours now.
“Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? AreWeThereYet?AreWethereYet?” I say to Carla. It’s not a good conversation starter but you know, I think this could get the conversation running.
“Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we the-” Carla looks back with this very angry look on her face. This look will give me nightmares. She raises her hand. I expected her to raise a middle finger but instead she raises her pointing finger and says “ISA. PA.” which I think means one more.
I just smile back but this time she gives me the middle finger. A real solid one. I actually think I felt the wind when she raised her finger.
I start singing one of the songs Mr. Senator taught me to help me memorize the months of the year in Filipino.
She looks back again but this time, she’s biting her lips. I’m really pushing my luck here but I won’t stop till she grows fond of me. And this thing that I’m doing right now makes me forget that there is a big chance that there are hordes and hordes of zombies running after us right now... It also keeps my mind off the idea that Mr. Senator has been defeated and killed. Or worse, turned into one of them. I can’t imagine how I’ll survive if zombie Lito Rapid comes after me.
I look at Askal and it looks like he’s enjoying my singing so I gave him a wink but he replies with a bark that echoes throughout the tunnel. It’s ear shattering and this time I say sorry to Carla. That bark was a little too much.
But my favorite song is the one about the days of the week.
Lunes nang tayo’y magkakilala...
Martes nang tayo’y muling na
gkitaaaaaa...
Miyerkules nagtapat ka ng yong pagibiiiiig...
This time I forget the lines.
And out of the blue Carla did the last thing I expected her to do.
Huwebes ay inibig din kita...
Biyernes ay puno ng pagmamahala—
This time she’s the one that stops. Shame though, I like her voice. It’s very soothing.
“Don’t be shy, haha. Come on, your voice is beautiful,” I say.
She continues to look ahead without saying a word. I look at the direction she’s facing and I see what she’s so in awe of. A light at the end of the tunnel. The exit! It’s probably 5 minutes away. After hours of walking, we see the exit! She looks at me and smiles. I can see the joy in her face, the joy that says “We get to live another day!”
In her excitement and joy, she embraces me. She hugs me so tight I begin to feel the pain in my ribs again. I squint in pain but I guess it’s okay. She notices my agony soon afterwards and lets go. After a few awkward seconds of silence I speak. “So ummmm yeah there’s the umm entran- I mean exit. Le-let’s go.” She nods in approval.
“Wait, let me tie my shoes first” I kneel down and proceed to do something I will regret deeply.
The floor under me sinks at my weight. It’s a button of some kind. My heart begins to beat quickly as I start to wonder, “Ooooo, what does this button do?” I can’t look up because I know Carla’s pretty angry right now.
The ground begins to rumble lightly and we hear something moving. And just as our luck would have it, the exit begins to close. There’s no time for arguments and finger pointing. We both know we have to run if we ever want to see the light of day again. Carla and Askal run ahead while I stumble getting up. I recover quickly and the adrenaline is helping me ignore the pain of my broken ribs.
At the rate the exit is sealing up, I’m guessing it’ll be fully closed in two minutes. We’re still ways away from it but there’s no choice except to try. We’re all running at full speed but Askal slows down a little to stay just beside me. There’s no one more loyal than him.
“What’s at the end of this tunnel?” I shout to Carla who is steps away.
“Pasig River!” she shouts back.
A river huh? Nothing would be a more refreshing end to the exit of this tunnel. Fresh water. Fresh air. Life. These are my motivations right now. I... We need to make it to the end.
It’s now less than 50% closed and we’re still some ways away. The smell in the air starts to get putrid. I’m guessing that’s how this entire country smells right now with all the rotting dead walking.
Down to 20%. We’re really close now. But running straight ahead won’t do any good.
Carla takes a dive and slides through the exit with ease. I hear a splash of water soon after. I get excited all of a sudden. I notice it’ll be difficult if Askal and I go out the same time so I order him to go before me.
Askal speeds up, finally leaving my side, and as soon as his snout is about to smash through the brick wall, he takes a quick dive. I hear another splash of water at the end. I get very worked up and excited about it.
I’m not the athletic type nor am I flexible so I have no idea how I’m gonna exit. The pain from my ribs may be numb for now but that’s little help going out. I take a deep breath. A really deep one and I hope for the best. I drop down to my side and let the momentum roll me to the exit.
And just when I think I won’t make it, I feel the fresh air hit my face. I’m so ready for this fresh and clean riveee— *splash*
River. A very dirty and polluted river. This is Pasig River? Oh well, better than being stuck there. I check for open wounds: if zombies can’t kill me then I’m pretty sure an infection will, soon after. Luckily I have no wounds.
I look at the now closed exit and see that the sleeve of my jacket got caught while it was closing. I look at my arm, relieved. I can’t believe that I was that close to getting squished.
I see that Askal is doing okay but it looks like he’s barking at something.
It’s almost too late when I realize that...
Carla cannot swim!
17
She’s no longer breathing and I’m starting to panic. But Askal looks like he still believes Carla can and will survive. I wish I could share this dog’s optimism. Maybe his optimism comes from the fact that he is just an innocent dog unaware of the facts of life and death.
Askal comes near her and begins to smell her mouth, he then looks at me. I think he’s signaling me to... “No. Oh no. Mouth-to-mouth? Askal that’s insa—Why would you even think like that? I’m no creep. I mean yeah I’ve never been with a girl but I would never do it with a dead body.”
He howls loudly and looks at me with anger this time. “Oh. Ooooooh! CPR! Haha ha... I was just joking dawg.”
I brace myself for what may be my second kiss (first one from Askal). It feels desperate that I would consider this a kiss but hey, it’s called mouth-to-mouth for a reason. I take a deep breath and start to place my mouth on hers. As I puff, she puffs back. A sign of life. Her breath is... Well it’s horrible. I couldn’t expect less from a girl who’s in an apocalypse AND who refuses to open her mouth unless angered.
I continue to do this but she’s still unconscious so I have to do what lifeguards do next. (I’m not enjoying this by the way.) I place my hands atop her chest and start to pump hard. But still she doesn’t wake up. I’m starting to get sad. If she doesn’t wake up, I’ll be without a human companion again.
Bakit... bakit parang may bumuga nang mabaho sa bunganga ko? Anong nangyare? Nakalabas kaya si Joe tsaka yung aso niya? Huli kong naaalala e nalulunod ako. Ang dami kong nalulon na tubig ilog, pati nga ata plastic nasa loob ko na. Nakalimutan ko, di pala ako si Dyesebel. Di ako marunong lumangoy.
Di ko ganong madilat mata ko. Masakit pa. At bakit parang ang bigat LALO ng boobs ko? Wag mong sabihin na pinapasok pala sila ng tubig?
Medyo nasa ulirat na ’ko. Makadilat na nga. Baka inakala ni Joe na patay na ’ko at iniwan na niya ’ko. Wag naman sana. Isasalba pa namin ang mundo.
Sabi ko na nga ba manyak ’to, e. Nawalan lang ako ng malay nasa dibdib ko na ang mga kamay niya.
*SLAP*
“Manyak ka! Bastos! Walang modo!”
“What the hell? I was giving you CPR! What, do I look like a necrophiliac to you? Because if I were one, I’d be very happy with this zombie apocalypse thing but I’m not. If that’s your way of saying thanks, then remind me NEVER to bring you back to life again!”
Oh.
Oooooooooh.
That was the most embarrassing thing I did. Like, why naman??? Malay ko ba na... Arrrrgh. Nataranta lang ako. OMG! Pumutok labi niya.
Nakakahiyaaaaaaaaaaaa. Di ko alam gagawin ko. Siguro pulang pula na ’ko ngayon. Yung aso niya nakatingin sakin at nagtataka sa mukha kong pulang pula.
“Halika tulungan kita diyan. Sorry, thanks na rin... Nabigla lang ako. Shocked kumbaga.”
“You hit hard for a girl. You sure you’re a girl? Anyway... where are we?”
Oonga no. Di ko naisip kung nasan ba kame. Ang haba ng nilakad namin, e mahaba rin ang Pasig River. San kaya kame banda napunta? Base sa malaking sapatos dito... Shet. Nasa Marikina kame. Ibig mong sabihin yung nilakad namin dumaan sa ilalim ng Ilog Pasig? Grabe. Kung andito kame, ibig sabihin... Nevermind.
“We’re in Marikina. The shoe capital of the Philippines,” sabi ko.
“Really? You guys have a shoe capital?”
Napataas lang ang mga kilay ko sa sinabi niya. Oonga no, ang daming capital ng Pilipinas.
Habang tinitignan ko ang marka ng kamay ko sa mukha niya (actually nakakaproud na bumakat nang ganito kaklaro ang kamay ko sa mukha niya), namalayan ko na namamaga rin pala ang pisngi niya. Sobrang namamaga. Kelangan niya siguro ng yelo. Wala nga palang kuryente. Nung nagsimula ang sombi apocalypse, nagkagulo-gulo lahat. Kasama na dun yung pagfunction ng needs ng tao. Ang tubig nawawala, tapos biglang lalakas; ang internet sumusobra naman ang bilis (which explains kung b
aket sobrang daming end-of-the-world selfies pa ang nakunan), tapos ang kuryente... Patay sindi pa rin ngayon.
Kelangan na naming makahanap ng matutuluyan. Gabi na, tapos andaming natamong sakit sa katawan netong kasama ko. Buti na lang di siya mareklamo... Gano.
“I think I’ll be fine. Come on, let’s go. It’s getting dark. It’s about to get “Thriller” up in this place,” sabi niya. Ang corny neto, siguro sa tingin niya di ko magegets ang mga pun niya. Hayaan mo siyang magmukhang tanga.
“K. Let me check if there’s... aah uuum. Check ko kung san tayo pwede.”
“Sige, sabi mo e. Gusto ko sa SoGow.”
Whaaaat? Pano nalaman netong hayop na ’to ang lugar na yun? Manyak ata talaga to e. “Teka nga, explain mo sakin kung pano mo nalaman yang sasagot mo? Marunong ka ba magtagalog o hinde?”
“Uuuum, let me see here... Meron akong books before. They made tulong to me to understand Filipino konti. Meron dun list of words na importante daw. Kinabisado ko sila along with some Filipino sentences. My books... They’re wet now. Useless too, I guess. I found them dati; I knew I needed them. They made tulong somehow. Now they’re wet.”
Nakakalungkot. Mukhang hirap na hirap siya. Nabasâ pa yung nag-iisang bagay na tumutulong sakanya. Buti na lang marunong akong mag-English.
“Wait. That doesn’t explain the whole “SoGow” answer. You DO know what that place is right?”
“You sure learned a lot of sentences from TV shows... Anyway. Mr. Senator made turo that to me before. He said that kung mag-aya ang babae ng place, SoGow daw isa-suggest ko. Maganda at safe daw dun.”
Face palm.
18
We step inside this “house” by the river. It isn’t far from where we came from but we still had to fight some zombies along the way. My ribs are still throbbing and my cheeks are swollen too. I’m very beat up.