SCIAS OF THE UNDERWORLD

TWENTY-FOUR

She ran as fast as she could just like what Scias said. His voice was calm ngunit alam niyang running was something she had to do immediately. Kaya naman hindi siya lumingon at nagsimulang tumakbo papalayo doon. Hindi niya alam kung ano na namang ginagawa ng mga Glenrils sa paaralan niya. But one thing's for sure: she isn't safe there too.

Alam niyang siya ang pakay ng mga Glenrils doon. For some reason, the students couldn't see them. But she could instantly spot a Glenril. Kaya naman nanag makita niya itong naglalakad sa kahabaan ng pasilyo, her mind instantly told her to run towards where there are lots of people. Glenrils can't be seen by ordinary humans apparently kaya naman mas lalo silang delikado doon. And she was cursing herself kung bakit siya tumakbo papunta sa may maraming tao.

The Glenrils managed to hostage five students, holding them in their necks using their tentacles. She was scared. Alam niyang siya ang hinahana0 ng mga ito. And she knew they took the students as hostages para lumabas siya.

She couldn't risk another innocent life. Not after her Grandma.

She was about to show herself when a hand stopped her. Nang tingnan niya ito, it was Azul. He shook his head.

"Find Scias. He's somewhere near our classroom earlier. Now!"

Hindi na siya nagdalawang-isip. Agaad siyang tumakbo papunta sa kung saan niya mahahanap si Scias and when she found him walking casually down the hallway, agad niya itong nilapitan. Nakangiti ito sa kanya ngunit wala na siyang oras para mainis dun. Humihinal siyang humarap sa lalake. Scias looked at her questioningly and she swallowed hard before she said, "Glenrils."

The mention of that name made Scias race towards the commotion—kung saan mayroong mga nahostage na studyante. She followed suit and she looked at Scias who was looking at the Glenrils wrapping their tentacles around the students' neck.

She swallowed hard. Nanginginig na rin ang mga kamay niya. Perhaps she's had enough of it. Perhaps she's had enough Glenrils trying to kill her that she felt really, really scared. Even more scared than before. She couldn't think straight. Hindi niya alam anong gagawin. It was when Scias touched her shoulder na natauhan siya. She looked at him and felt the same feeling she felt the first time she met him—when he saved her from Glenrils. She felt secured and at the same time scared. She felt it the very first time. That Scias and Azul are way worse than those Glenrils.

"Run as far away from me as you can," he tol her. Nagtatakang tiningna niya ito.

"Just trust me, Cursebreaker. Run and hide somewhere safe. Stay away from the water."

"But—"

"I don't want you to get killed because that would also mean my doom. So please, run away and I will take care of these Glenrils."

She wanted to run ngunit tila hini kaya ng mga paa niya. It was then that she felt Juno beside her. Scias lookeda at him. "Take her and you two get away from me. I can't use my powers if she's near."

Juno didn't say another word and just took her to run. Thankfully, her feet moved. So she ran as fast as she could. She could hear Scias' voice telling the people to forget what they are seeing. Mas binilisan pa nila ang pagtakbo hanggang sa hindi na nila naririnig ang nangyayarin kaguluhan.

"What is happening?" she finally found her voice to ask Juno. "Why are they here?"

"Continue running. Scias won't be able to use his powers if you're near."

And so she did. She continued running away from the building as much as she can. The other students doesn't have any idea what was going on. But she knows those five students in the lobby are in danger if she doesn't get away.

At nang makarating sila sa likuran ng paaralan. There weren't many student around at that part of the school. Ngunit alam niyang malayo na sila mula kay Scias. Kailangan lang nilang manatili doon hanggang sa mawala ang mga Glenrils.

The surrounding was quiet. It was no surprise as it is the back of the school and nobody really goes there. It was a junkyard of everything that the school doesn't find useful anymore and is too lazy to dispose of properly. They were broken chairs, piles of papers, books, and even a broken air conditioner.

"Seriously?" she muttered as she took a good look at their surrounding. Their backs are against the wall and beside her, Juno was panting while looking behind them.

Napalingon ito sa kanya at sa tinitingnan niya. She heard him whistle. "What the f**k is this place?" tanong ni Juno.

"A lot of student's money, blood, sweat, and tears all went to the junkyard." Juno flipped the papers as he continued to look around. She did the same.

"Well, they've finished grading it."

"Still, it's a waste."

Akamang pupulutin niya ang isang pirasong papel na naroon nang may marinig siya. She looked around to find the sound ngunit wala siyang nakita. Napansin ni Juno na nagpalinga-linga siya kaya naman nagtanong na ito.

"What's the matter?"

She looked around, observed her surroundings more. It was then that she felt the wind blowing harder than usual. The papers flew around them. Agad lumapit si Juno sa tabi niya.

"We have to get out of here," saad ni Juno.

"Good idea."

And when they were about to get out of there, they were stopped in their tracks when another creature was standing in front of them.

"Oh, come on," Juno muttered rather annoyed at the sudden appearance of another enemy. In an instant, he already has his spear in his hand.

She looked at the creature. It was way different than the Glenrils. The creature was a lot different than the Glenrils. The one in front of them is a lot scarier. Hindi niya alam kung anong klaseng nilalang iyon. But one thing is certain for him: whatever creature it is in front of them, it is a lot worse than the Glenrils.

He looked almost human. Almost. He was wearing a black robe. A wet black robe. May mga seaweeds pang nakalagay sa balikat nito. Nakatakip ang hood nito at natatakpan ang mga mata. He was tall. In fact, he was abnormally tall for a human. His hands slacked on his side ngunit kitang-kita niya ang tubig na tumutulo mula sa mga daliri nito. And just with that, alam na niya agad na isa rin ito sa mga nilalang sa dagat. This also means that this one right in front of them is also going to kill her.

"Juno," she called Juno ngunit tila alam na ni Juno kung anong klaseng nilalang iyon.

"Run, Ally. Run as fast you can," he said and she looked at him. Horrified with his absurd suggestion.

"What about you? Hindi kita iiwan dito. Nababaliw ka na ba?"

"Yes, I am. But I can't let this creature hurt you. Not today."

"Juno—"

"Just go," he said and he looked at her. "I will be right behind you."

She swallowed hard. Alam niyang iyon nga ang pinakamabuti niyang gagawin. She shouldn't be killed. She shouldn't die. Somehow living became an obligation. Walang araw na lilipas na walang gustong pumatay sa kanya.

Mahina siyang napamura at agad tumakbo papalayo doon. Because she can't die. Not today. Not when she has already endured a lot. Not when she has already survived a lot. Kaya hindi niya sasayangin iyon.

Kaya tumakbo siya. But it was only a matter of time before Glenrils started showing up ahead. She halted and muttered another silent curse. She turned to another side ngunit may mga Glenrils rin na naroon. She was cornered on every side. The only way to pass through would be to fight those Glenrils head-on. The only problem is she doesn't know how to fight. Kaya naman ang tanging nagawa na lamang niya ay umatras.

Sa likuran niya, naririnig niya si Juno na nakikipaglaban sa isang nilalang. He's occupied. She couldn't expect him to save her this time. The Glenrils started closing in on her and she continued to step back. Hanggang sa naramandaman niyang malapit na siya kay Juno.

"Ally!" rinig niyang tawag nito sa kanya.

"Juno," sagot naman niya. She never knew she was shaking until she opened her mouth. Narinig naman niyang nagmura si Juno and the next thing that happened was him flying across the field and hit his back on the concrete. She heard him groan and cough.

"Juno!" she called ngunit alam niyang walang magagawa iyon. Akmang tatakbo na siya papunta sa pinsan nang may Glenril sa pagitan nila ni Juno. She faced the hooded man.

"What do you want?" she hissed and kept her distance from the man. The man did not answer ngunit itinaas lang nito ang daliri saka siya itinuro. And that is when she saw the creature's hands. It was webbed. Like frogs. Napalunok nalang siya ng laway and realizes there's no one there that could save her and Juno from these creatures. Fear started to creep inside of her.

"What do you want from me?" matigas niyang tanong. The hooded creature was silent for a moment. Ngunit nagulat nalang siya nang makitang nag-angat na naman ito ng dalawang kamay para tanggalin ang suot na hood.

She contained her gasp and her tears as she saw the creature's face. Wala itong mukha. Its face was blank, save for its wide mouth filled with shark teeth. And it was absolutely terrifying. Gusto niyang sumigaw ngunit dahil sa takot at tila wala na ring boses ang lumalabas sa bibig niya. She wanted to scream or help but she's scared that once she does, Scias and Azul won't be fast enough to get to her before this creature takes her or worse, kill her right there and then.

The face of the creature would probably hunt her for several nights dahil nakakatakot talaga ito. Idagdag pa ang kamay nito na para bang kamay ng palaka. But the creature's fingers were slender. And she has a feeling that coming in contact with those fingers would mean instant death. So she maintained a safe distance as much as she could. Even though it would be useless against them.

The creature tilted its head habang tinuturo siya nito. And the words that came out of its mouth next sent shivers down her spine.

"Cursebreaker," it said.

Cursebreaker. Iyon and tawag ni Scias siya kanya. Somehow, she has earned the title nang hindi man lang niya nalalaman.

"Err...yeah. Nice to meet you?"

But the creature did not respond at sa halip ay naglakad ito papalapit sa kanya.

"Teka lan!" she yelled and held up her hand. "Teka lang muna." She laughed nervously. "I think we should keep our distance this way. Allergic ako sa seaweed," sabi niya at itinuro ang seaweed na nasa balikat ng nilalang. The creature looked at its shoulder. It took the seaweed saka itinapon papalayo.

Napalunok ulit siya ng laway.

She has to come up with something. Napalingon siya kay Juno na nakatayo na. "Someone I know who's really strong told me to stay away from the water. You look like you bought all the ocean with you," saad naman niya saka tiningnan kabuuan ng nilalang. Abot hanggang lupa ang suot nitong roba at basing-basa ito. She could see the water coming out of its robes na para bang may gripo iyon sa loob. The ocean water has already pooled beneath his feet and the place started to smell like the ocean and rotten seaweed.

"So you know, I have to follow it dahil ako rin ang malalagot. He will get really mad once he sees you coming closer to me. I mean, he isn't exactly friendly to everyone especially those who want to kill me," saad niya at patuloy sa pag-atras. Sa gilid niya, she could see Juno trying to fight the Glenrils na umaatake sa kanya. The Glenrils didn't attack her. Ngunit ang nilalang sa harapan niya ay mas nakakatakot.

"Get away from me you stupid, ugly creatures." Rinig niyang bulyaw ni Juno habang nakikipaglaban ito sa mga Glenrils na umaatake sa kanya.

"Ally! Lumayo ka diyan!" sigaw naman ni Juno. She swallowed hard, not taking her eyes off the faceless creature.

"I really wish I could!" sigaw niya pabalik. Narinig niya ulit itong nagmura.

Tiningnan niya ang nilalang sa harapan niya. Hindi niya alam kung nakatingin ba ito sa kanya o hindi dahil wala naman itong mga mata. The only thing she could see was its creepy-ass teeth that resembled a sharks' that looked like it could bite her arm off if she isn't careful.

"You see, this man I'm talking about is really dangerous. He's a monster. Scarier and much bigger than you. He can snap your neck and separate your limbs from your body if you don't stay away from me," she said while continuing to step backward. "You understand what I'm saying right?"

Ngunit patuloy pa rin sa paglalakad ang nilalang papunta sa gawi niya. Mahina siyang napamura. And she was about to say something nang bilang hindi siya makapagsalita. And the next thing she saw was the creature's wide-open mouth and its long tongue wrapping around her neck. She could feel its slimy saliva and she could feel it trickling down her neck inside her shirt. And it stung. The creature's saliva stung her skin na para bang pinapaso iyon. She wanted to scream but the creature had wrapped its tongue tight enough for her not to make a sound.

Naririnig niyang tinatawag ni Juno ang pangalan niya but she couldn't respond. She tried moving her hands at hawakan ang dila ng nilalang ngunit napaso lang rin siya.

She wanted to close her eyes ngunit takot siyang gawin iyon. What if the monster will go close to her hand bit her head off? What if the monster would suddenly snap her neck? She doesn't know why but having her eyes wide open feels way better than having them closed.

It was suddenly hard to breathe and her body was burning as if she just bathed in acid. Gusto niyang sumigaw sa sakit ngunit hindi niya magawa. And the thought that the monster is probably going to melt her didn't help as panic started to rise inside her.

The monster started walking closer to her. At akmang hahawakan na siya nito when she suddenly could breathe once again. Hindi niya namalayang nakaangat na pala siya sa lupa kanina. She landed on her feet and almost hit the ground ngunit may sumalo sa kanya. She looked at the monster who was in front of her earlier, trying to choke or melt her to death at wala na itong ulo. Much to her horror, the creature's body started to melt into water.

She looked at Scias holding her. Nakatingin lang din ito sa nilalang na unti-unting nawawala. It was then that she felt the sting in her neck and her body. Scias heard her groan at narinig niya ang mahinang pagmura nito habang tinitingnan ang kalagayan niya.

"Alaska," he called. Nararamdaman niya ang kamay nito sa mukha niya, trying to find out if she's alright.

"Scias," she called back and she could hear the relieved look on his face the moment he heard her voice.

Maya-maya pa ay nakita niya sina Juno at Azul sa tabi niya. Worry was plastered across their faces. She chuckled ngunit lang iyon as her throat hurts.

"So much for my first day of school, huh?" she said and Juno just closed his eyes firmly at saka nagpakawala ng malalim na hininga.

"We need to treat you," saad ng pinsan niya. Scias was quick to carry her in his arms. And she felt relieved that the monsters were gone. And she didn't care about anything else at that moment. All that mattered was that she's safe and that the monsters that were trying to kill her are gone. For now. Alam niyang hindi titigil ang mga iyon habang nabubuhay siya. They will attack continuously in different ways para lang mapatay siya. But she was too weak to be thinking about it.

So she closed her eyes and allowed herself to sleep. Scias needs her alive. Hindi nito hahayaang mapapahamak siya because that would also mean his doom. So she slept comfortably. And she was still half-awake when she felt the soft mattress of the bed on her back. She could hear voices around her, talking to each other. It was Scias, Juno, and Azul, talking to each other. Hindi niya masyadong margining kung ano ang pinag-uusapan nila but she didn't care and she didn't bother to listen.

But when she was finally drifting to sleep, the voices stopped talking and the next thing she felt was a gentle hand touching her neck and searing pain that followed it. She couldn’t remember about screaming but she knows she did.

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