Chapter 10 Bullet Parade

I was taken aback when Papa emphasized each word, saying, "You're not listening to me." Before I could speak up, he pulled me toward the entrance. All I could do was follow his footsteps.

We walked cautiously and slowly so that no one would notice he was taking me away from the group. We stopped when he reached the top of the stairs, just before the door to the district hall.

"Hanggang dito na lang ako," he said, turning to me and grasping both my hands. I took another step to stand level with him. "Hu...huwag mong kakalimutan ang bilin ko saiyo," he whispered softly. His expression softened, and then he hugged me.

Never have I thought I would see papa lose his stern demeanour in my entire life. I always thought nothing scares him; but now that he's instructing me to hide with his precious journal, I know for a fact that shit was about to go down.

He released my hand and gently pushed me toward the entrance.

"Papa..." I called him out, but he didn't look back again. He squeezed into the crowd of people heading down the stairs.

As I turned around, the murmur of the crowd from the great hall and the second floor enveloped me. I stepped aside, wary of the sick and wounded who had left their 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 heading straight there and changed direction, making my way toward the stairs leading to the second floor. I was on the third step when someone pulled my right hand.

"Janjan."

I froze. Only Vino calls me by that name. I glanced at the hand holding mine, then looked up to meet his gaze. His bed hair was a mess, and his eyes had that sleepy, antukin look that always made me smile. He was holding my backpack, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Vino."

"Anong nangyari?" he started to say, but I didn't let him finish. I ran down the steps and hugged him tightly.

"Gising ka na!"

I rested my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes for a moment. But my joy was short-lived. The murmur of the crowd turned into a heated discussion.

"Susunugin daw 'yung mga bangkay?" someone said, and my heart sank.

Did I just jinx something?

I pulled away from Vino's embrace, confusion etched on my face. I listened to the argument unfolding around us.

"Hindi puwede!" a man insisted angrily. "Kailangan pa natin maisagawa ang community ritual!"

"Sino ba sila para nakawin ang nakasanayan nating tradisyon? Paano matatahimik ang kanilang mga kaluluwa?" an elderly woman responded, her voice rising above the din.

I shifted my attention back to Vino. "We need to move," I said seriously. "I'll fill you in later."

I took my bag from his hand and pulled him up the stairs to the second floor. Our footsteps echoed in the empty hallway as we made our way directly to my father's office.

A dark atmosphere greeted us as we entered. I wasted no time and flipped on the light switch. Immediately, I searched for his journal on the lone desk in the room.

I pulled each drawer one by one, but none of them opened. I tried to search for secret compartment yet still nothing. I heaved out a deep sigh to calm myself.

I failed so hard though. I couldn't repress my emotions anymore. And with that, my tears started to betray me again as it fell down to my cheeks.

I quickly wiped my face before standing up straight again. I avoided Vino's gaze as he remained standing by the door.

"Umiiyak ka ba?" he asked, causing me to pause. I tried even harder to resist the urge to look at him.

In the few seconds of silence, I surveyed the significance of Papa's office. The space was small; I estimated it could fit about fifteen people or even fewer. It contained two leather armchairs, an office desk, and a large mahogany bookshelf filled with thick books.

Vino stepped away from the door to stand in front of me. Concern and confusion were evident in his eyes as we finally made eye contact.

"Jane..." he called my name again. He took my left hand and moved closer, "bakit ka na naman umiiyak?" he asked once more.

I released his hands and shifted closer to the bookshelf. I had no intention of answering him because, honestly, I had no idea why I was crying. Maybe it was stress? Frustration? Fear?

What did he expect? He knew I didn't really understand my emotions well, so I often repressed them as best as I could.

"Saan madalas nilalagay ni papa mga susi niya?" I changed the subject, hoping he would forget about my mini breakdown earlier... but he wasn't going to let it go that easily.

"Ang hilig mo talagang umilag. Puwede bang sagutin mo muna mga tanong ko?" He leaned back and sat on the desk, crossing his arms. "Anong nangyayari at bakit pati tayo nandito?"

I scratched my ear and turned to him irritably. "A platoon of soldiers arrived earlier," I replied, causing his eyes to widen.

"Ibig sabihin ligtas na tayo?" He jumped up from his seat. "That's good news, right?"

I didn't know what to say, so I just shrugged.

"Huh?" His delighted expression faded, and his forehead creased. "Paanong hindi mo alam?"

"I mean it was good..." I sighed. "Not until Papa ordered me to hide."

"Possible reasons?" I continued, "They probably came here to investigate, not to rescue us. You should see what they look like. They're in their warrior state equipped with high-quality weapons. It was terrifying!"

Vino fell silent, seemingly deep in thought. I spoke again, "Another suspicious thing about Papa's order was that I need to find his mysterious journal."

His attention shifted back to me. "Ayun ba 'yung brown leather notebook na palagi niyang hawak noon?" he asked, and I nodded.

"The secrets engraved in the pages of that journal must be so valuable enough for him to react that way," I said. I sat in one of the armchairs facing the desk so I could look at him closely. "Will you help me find out why?"

"Kaso hindi ko rin alam kung nasaan na 'yung journal na iyon." He rubbed the back of his neck.

I stood up again and placed both hands on the desk.

"I'm damn sure that journal is inside here. Kailangan ko lang ng susi."

"Aha!" He broke the silence as he stood up too. "'Lam ko na! Check kaya natin 'yung mga pasong iyon?" He pointed at the two indoor plants on either side of the bookshelf. "Baka may pekeng bato roon, tapos doon nakatago 'yung susi!"

I nodded enthusiastically and quickly approached the right pot to start inspecting the stones.

We spent several minutes searching. There was only one stone left for me to check, so I picked it up. I immediately realized it was real because of its weight.

My shoulders slumped as I glanced back at Vino in the corner. Just then, he turned his head too, and I shook my head as a sign that I hadn't found any key. He took a deep breath and shook himself off. "Negative rin. Wala palang susi sa mga bato," he said glumly.

"Baka naman nakatago iyon sa mga libro?" I suggested. He pressed his lips together and nodded in agreement.

"Baka nga," he commented.

We both stared at the massive bookshelf before us. Just looking at all those books made me feel exhausted.

My gaze stopped on a black hardbound book. "That's weird..." I moved closer to the bookshelf and looked up to see it better. There were gold letters engraved on it that read, 'The Books of the Bible.'

He stood beside me. "Bakit naman?" His curiosity was evident in his tone.

"Papa is not really a Christian fanatic, yet there's a bible on his bookshelf."

I extended both arms in an attempt to grab it, but couldn't reach it due to my height. Vino was apparently a bit shorter than me-now what?

He nudged me gently. When I turned to him, I immediately noticed an armchair behind me. A smile spread across my face as I pulled it closer to the bookshelf before stepping onto it.

"Salamat."

He helped me onto the chair and made sure I wouldn't fall.

I quickly opened the book when I got hold of it. To my shock, the center page revealed itself immediately; each page was glued together so that anyone who picked it up would go straight there. There was a large rectangular hole from the middle all the way to the last page of the book. I pulled out a small card tucked inside.

I brought it close to my ear and shook it gently. It made a soft scratch, indicating there was something inside.

I climbed down from the chair before opening it. Handing the book over to Vino, I removed the cover from the card and lifted out a small key from within it. Vino and I exchanged wide-eyed looks as our jaws dropped simultaneously. In a hurry, I rushed over to the desk and knelt in front of the drawers.

From three drawers, I focused first on the bottom one. My throat tightened as I swallowed repeatedly before inserting the key into its lock.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when a loud bang echoed outside. Instinctively, I looked at the door near the desk; it wasn't closed properly, so quickly turned my attention back to Vino.

"Sarado mo ang pinto!" I ordered him frantically.

He dropped everything he was holding and immediately responded.

I returned my focus to the drawer and turned the key; frustration bubbled within me when nothing happened. The key wouldn't turn with my hand movements; it remained stuck despite my trembling efforts to pull it out of there. Trying again with the middle drawer proved successful as soon as my hand movements aligned with its mechanism.

Some tear drops dripped onto papers inside it; instinctively, my hand went to my right cheek when tears began flowing again. I let them fall freely without caring if they soaked more papers around me until finally finding Papa's brown leather notebook tucked at the very back of the drawer.

I closed my eyes gently and hugged the notebook tightly just as deafening gunfire erupted outside once more. A polaroid picture suddenly fell onto my lap.

I picked it up for a better look and immediately recognized the couple in it-they looked younger here-joy shining in their eyes as they gazed at a little girl with curly hair beside them during what seemed like a picnic on a perfect sunny day under fluffy clouds.

I read the exact date printed at the bottom: October 26, 2065, 10:15 AM. My vision blurred further when realization struck-it was my third birthday.

Holding back tears, I composed myself before standing up again. My gaze lifted towards Vino, who was now struggling alone with moving the bookshelf away from us; veins were visible on his neck due to its weight as our eyes met-his pleading for help echoed desperation within them.

I wanted nothing more than to run over and help him pull too but something held me back-a force freezing me in place as my gaze locked onto that door while swallowing hard against sounds of chaos erupting outside: continuous gunfire mixed with hurried footsteps filled with fear echoed through their screams around us.

'Find my journal and hide.'

I tightened my grip on Papa's journal while slipping that polaroid picture between its pages. Then I put it inside my backpack.

I started walking toward him. Neither of us spoke, but the shock in his eyes was enough when I stopped him from pulling the cabinet.

Hesitantly, he let go of the cabinet and stepped back, while I moved away from him. "Dad's wrong. We shouldn't hide, Vino," I said, stopping as I reached the door. "We'll die in here if we stay."

He only protested when I finally turned the doorknob. The cries and gunfire from below became even clearer.

'Nahihibang ka na ba talaga? Paano tayo tatakas?' Those were his last questions before I left our hiding place. I broke into a brisk walk, almost a run, heading toward the building's fire exit.

I glanced down the stairs because of the faint, slow footsteps echoing below. I stopped running abruptly, nearly slipping on the hallway's slick floor. At the bottom of the stairs was an elderly woman struggling to climb up toward me. She was drenched in her own blood, leaving a trail with every movement. The blood had turned black, and I swallowed hard.

"Tulong," she croaked weakly.

My heart pounded louder with every step I took toward her. I reached out to grip the cold railing of the stairs to steady myself as I prepared to descend. But before I could continue, stray bullets ended the woman's life abruptly. They must have come from outside the window directly opposite the staircase.

She tried to speak again, but more blood gushed from her mouth instead. Her trembling hand reached out as though trying to grab my foot. My throat dried up in shock. All I could do was step back from the stairs.

I couldn't breathe properly... it felt like I was choking and about to vomit. Gasping for air, my chest tightened painfully. I tried to calm myself by taking deep breaths over and over.

I looked down at Papa's journal in my hands. Memories of my parents' happy smiles and our last moments together flooded 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 never see them again. The thought terrified me-that they might remain nothing more than memories in my mind forever.

I desperately wanted to go down those stairs to find them... to help them however I could. But fear paralyzed me; there was no certainty in what awaited me below. Deep down, I knew stepping down those stairs would only lead to disaster-and possibly my death.

Vino's voice echoed through the hallway, calling out for me again.

My eyes widened when I saw him running toward me, holding a vase he had grabbed from one of the displays nearby. It was baffling why he had it-and even more so why he seemed ready to throw it at me.

I screamed and fell onto the tiles in shock as the vase flew toward me. Thankfully, it missed my face, and I exhaled in relief.

I was about to curse at Vino but then I heard a loud crash behind me. I turned around and saw the elderly woman tumbling down the stairs along with the vase.

It was as if nothing had happened to her-even though her head and neck were twisted awkwardly upon hitting the bottom floor. She stood up immediately and let out a loud wail.

Even with her eyes completely white now, her expression clearly showed insatiable hunger. Her mouth watered as she locked eyes with me again.

I accidentally stepped on Vino's foot as I backed away from the staircase once more. Turning to him, even though my vision blurred again from tears that continued flowing uncontrollably, I grabbed his left hand tightly and ran toward the fire exit with him.

To reach it, we had to work together to open its heavy metal door. We succeeded and were greeted by two staircases-one leading up to the rooftop and another going down to the ground floor. At each end of these staircases was another metal door likely waiting for us.

We decided to go down, but unfortunately, we found that door locked as well.

Frustrated, I scratched my ear in irritation; my thoughts were too scrambled to think clearly anymore.

"Sa rooftop," Vino suggested suddenly. His words made me frown in confusion. He ran a hand through his hair before approaching another door leading into the ground floor interior. He pointed at a piece of paper stuck there, prompting me to approach and read it closely.

Hope reignited within me as soon as I understood what he meant. Based on the floor plan displayed on that paper, there was another fire escape accessible through the rooftop!

I nodded firmly at him before we both sprinted upward without hesitation. However, we hadn't even reached the second floor yet when one of the metal doors creaked open slightly-and out came that same elderly woman whom Vino had thrown a vase at earlier.

I screamed again because of her. My entire body trembled as my heart pounded violently in my chest. I snapped back to reality when I felt Vino loosening my grip around his neck. I let go of him, and he immediately launched into an attack.

I tried climbing the stairs again, but I didn't expect Vino to shove the old woman toward me. Her face ended up just inches away from mine. For the first time, I recognized her behind her filthy appearance-she was Lalita, one of the most infamous gossipmongers in all of Alatus district.

Before she could claw at me or bite my face, I punched her in the stomach and shoved her away. She tumbled down the stairs, rolling repeatedly, making me wince. I always wanted to get back at her for spreading false cyber-rumors about me and my family, but not like this!

Dark blood flowed across the white cement as her groans gradually weakened. I couldn't tear my gaze away from her, even as Vino pulled me upward toward safety.

The metal door was already open when we reached the top of the stairs, allowing us to step outside without any trouble.

A cold breeze greeted us as Vino shut the door behind him. The sun was already setting. My eyes turned toward the sky as I felt raindrops touch my skin. Thunder rumbled overhead-a clear sign that heavy rain could start pouring at any moment.

Another clap of thunder echoed, but this time it was accompanied by gunfire from below. Before I knew it, I found myself running toward the front edge of the building and peering down.

At that moment, it became clear that the soldiers were not here to protect us-they were here to kill us.

From my vantage point, I could see blood pooling across the plaza. Organs were scattered everywhere. Only a few people remained alive now. The soldiers spared no one-young or old-everyone was riddled with bullets in various parts of their bodies.

Outside the barricade, one soldier stood burning twenty-one corpses we had placed there earlier in the morning using a flamethrower.

The bodies disintegrated quickly under the intense heat of the flames. In an instant, they turned to ash and were carried away by the wind until they disappeared entirely into the air. We hadn't even been able to give them a proper burial.

Five soldiers approached, carrying more bodies. My eyes searched desperately for anything familiar-Mama's dress or Papa's figure-but everything happened too fast. The soldiers tossed the bodies into the fire without hesitation, causing the flames to grow even larger.

A chilling scream pierced the air, making my entire body shudder. At first, I thought it came from one of the bodies thrown into the fire, but then I saw him-a man running toward another soldier.

The soldier was dragging an unresponsive woman by her hair, her strands nearly ripped out entirely. They were only halfway across the plaza, but I already knew where he was taking her.

"Kela!"

My legs trembled as I stood frozen, staring at them. When I heard the man shout that name, it finally sank in-they were Mama and Papa. I tried to stop myself from sobbing again, but my voice broke as I called out to them from the rooftop, looking like a fool.

"Mama! Papa!" I slammed my hands against the rooftop slab.

"Jane!"

Vino called out to me, but I didn't turn to him. I kept pounding on the slab, hoping they would hear my cries.

Papa stopped running and started looking around for my voice. "Pa-" I wasn't able to finish calling him because Vino suddenly wrapped me in a tight embrace and covered my mouth.

I tried pulling his hand away, but he quickly placed it back over my mouth each time. Out of desperation, I started hitting his arm wrapped around my waist until my hands grew tired.

The next thing I knew, both of us spun together and fell to our knees on the ground. Pain shot through me as my knees hit the hard surface, and I let out a small cry of discomfort. I tried to stand again, but Vino pressed his heavy hands on my shoulders to keep me down.

"Huwag kang gagalaw," he whispered firmly.

Then came several sharp suppressed sounds slicing through the air. Vino groaned softly behind me before his grip on my shoulders loosened completely. Moments later, I heard him collapse behind me.

I stayed kneeling where I was, enduring the pain in my knees as I fought against every instinct to move or make any noise-just as Vino had told me earlier. Hesitantly, I lifted my gaze slightly and noticed something hovering nearby-a drone.

Its red light blinked steadily from its center as it scanned its surroundings. The light expanded outward like a body scanner and swept over us.

After a few tense moments, it descended and left the rooftop. But even after it was gone, my entire body remained frozen in place. Fear gripped me so tightly that I couldn't bring myself to turn around-I was terrified of what I might see behind me.

A cold but trembling hand brushed against my wrist-it was Vino's hand, now stained with black blood. Tears spilled relentlessly down my cheeks. My head shook in defiance as muffled sobs escaped my lips.