SCIAS OF THE UNDERWORLD

TEN

Mainit ang panahon at naglalakad si Ally sa syudad. Mag-aalas dos na kasi ng tanghali at nagahahanap siya ngayon ng pwede niyang pagtrabuhuan. There were lots of job openings and yet they would just tell her they'll call her. 

"As if," ismid niya habang kumakain ng ice cream. Napagpasyahan niyang umuwi nalang muna kaya agad siyang nagpunta sa bus stop. And it was when she sat down that she saw the small restaurant across the road. Without hesitation, agad niya itong nilapitan. May nakapaskil sa labas ng pinto nito na nangangailangan ito ng part-timer. Napangiti siya sa sarili. 

The moment she opened the door, agad niyang nalanghap ang nilulutong pagkain doon. Turns out, it was a chicken restaurant. Walang masyadong tao doon. There were just a few tables and chairs. It was neat. Very neat to the point that she actually thought it was a newly opened restaurant. But something tells her it is not. 

May malaking refrigerator doon na puno ng inumin. The counter was empty. She couldn't help but wonder how could the owner be so confident leaving the shop. 

"Hello?" she said. Ngunit walang sumagot. Nagpalinga-linga siya sa paligid at napansin ang mga litratong nakapaskil sa dingding. They looked like they were taken several years ago. Inaliw niya ang sarili sa mga larawan hanggang sa may magsalita sa likod niya dahilan para mapatalon siya sa kinatatayuan. 

Agad siyang humarap at is a iyong magandang babae. Napakasopistikada nito. She looked like someone who's really successful in life. 

"May oorderin ka ba?" tanong nito sabay buga ng usok ng sigarilyo nito. Sinubukan niyang huwag umubo sa harapan nito. 

Umiling naman siya. "I'm here to apply for a job, actually." She jerked her thumb to the door kung saan nakapaskil ang poster. Tiningnan ng babae ang poster saka napabuntong-hininga. 

"I should have removed that weeks ago," saad nito bago siya tiningnan mula ulo hanggang paaa which caused her discomfort. But she tried to meet her gaze. Hula niya'y nasa trenta anyos ang babaeng kaharap niya ngayon. "Are you a student?"

Tumango siya. 

"St. Hampshire?" 

"Yes." 

Tumango-tango ito habang nakatingin pa rin sa kanya. "You may start tomorrow," saad nito. Ally blinked. Not quite believing what she just heard.

"Iyon na po 'yon? Wala na pong interviews and such?"

Naglakad ito papunta sa counter at kumuha ng isang sigarilyo saka sinindihan iyon. She puffed a cloud of smoke bago ulit humarap sa kanya.

"It's fine. What's your name?" tanong nito sa kanya.

"I'm Alaska Meriden."

Tumango naman. "I'm Marcen. I am not usually here during the weekends' kaya sinasarado ko ito. Are you free on weekends?"

Tumango naman siya.

"Good. If you're free, you can come and open this shop yourself. The spare keys are over there." Tinuro ng babae ang dingding sa counter kung saan ang susi. "Or if you're not free, then don't come. But I would need you every weekday. Come here at 8 and go home by 10 in the evening. Is that alright with you? I will pay you for your extra hour."

Habang nakikinig siya dito ay hindi niya maiwasang mamangha sa babae. She's confident, she thought. Her new boss is the type of woman who would make anyone bow if she wanted to.

"Yes. That's alright with me."

"Good. Then we're settled. You should go home and come back tomorrow. I'll give you your nameplate and uniform bukas. Be on time," iyon lang ang sinabi ng babae bago nagtungo sa pinto. Now that she looked at her clearly, kita niyang may lalakarin ito.

"Saan po kayo pupunta?"

"Somewhere."

"Paano po ang restaurant?"

Tumawa lang ito saka humarap sa kanya. "No one would dare steal from Marcen Fuego," saad nito bago lumabas. And she was left there dumbfounded.

Is she supposed to leave the shop as it is? Hindi ba niya isasarado iyon? But her boss never said anything about closing it. Sinusubukan ba siya nito?

In the end, she ended up taking the spare keys and locked the restaurant. She couldn't believe how chill her boss was about not locking the restaurant.

Naabutan niya si Juno sa bahay na nakatingin sa iPad nito. "Ang dami mo  sigurong pera, ano? Halatang-halata na bago 'yan at mamahalin," bungad niya sa pinsan.

"Eto ba? Company-issued naman 'to. I need it for my job."

Napaupo siya sa couch na naroon at napabuntong-hininga habang tinitingnan ang pinsan na abala sa gadget nito. "Are you working right now?"

Juno shook his head and showed her what he has been doing. "I'm searching for apartments. So far, I've found two. Just tell me which one do you like better."

Tumingin naman siya sa napili ng pinsan. They all fit her criteria: it's near the school and the bus stop, two rooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room.

In the end, they both decided to take the apartment they chose. She told Juno of the new job she got and that she will start tomorrow. Hindi niya pa rin mawala sa isip ang babaeng amo niya. It was the first time she met her and yet, she's already comfortable. Ngunit hindi maalis sa isip niya ang pagkaweirdo ng amo niya kanina. But she was kind. Ramdam niya iyon. Anf she couldn't wait for her new job. 

Malapit na ring magsimula ang pasukan. Kailangan na niyang mag-ipon para makapag-enroll. Unti-unti na ring nawawala ang takot niya sa mga posibleng pag-atake ng kung anu-anong nilalang. Maybe it was because of the fact that Juno is there. Perhaps she should learn a thing or two about self-defense. But against those monsters, hindi niya alam kung tatalab ang self-defense lang. 

Nasa hapag-kainan sila ni Juno nang maisipan niyang magtanong dito tungkol sa isang bagay. 

"That inside the pendant, 'yong sinabi mong nawawala, ano ba iyon?" 

Tahimik and pinsan ngunit patuloy pa rin ito sa pagkain. Maya-maya pa ay sumagot ito, "It's the thing that makes that necklace valuable. Without that, wala na ring saysay and kwintas na iyan." 

"So ano nga 'yon?" 

Umiling si Juno. "I don't know. Grandma didn't tell me either. Perhaps it's for you to find out." 

Napasimangot siya. "And dami kong gagawin ha. Bakit ba kasi ako? Pero may chance naman na hindi pala ako ang makakapagpawala sa sumpa, hindi ba?" 

She heard Juno chuckled. "You were already attacked by the monsters. Even them knew it's you. Your dreams say it's you. Ano pa bang kulang para maniwala ka?" 

She went silent because Juno had a point. 

"It's fated. Iyon ang kapalarang ibinigay sa'yo." 

She leaned on her seat and sipped on her glass. "And I supposed I could do nothing to stop it, huh." 

Juno went silent again. She waited for him to say something but he didn't. And she already knew the answer. 

She spent the whole night thinking about it. Kung aalis ba siya papunta sa ibang bansa, will she still be the one who will break the curse? Will her fate follow her wherever she goes? 

She thought too much about it that she found it hard to sleep. Kaya naman muntikan na rin siyang malate sa trabaho. Mabuti nalang at wall pa ang amo niya. Since may susi naman siya doon kaya napagpasyahan niyang buksan ang restaurant. The moment she entered, may nakita siyang nakalatag sa mesa. She realized it was her uniform and her name plate. Agad naman niya itong isinuot at nagsimulang magtrabaho. 

She wiped the tables and sorted the orders. Nang tingnan niya and refrigerator, the foods were already prepared at lulutuin nalang iyon kapag may mag-order. 

But not one customer entered the restaurant. But she didn't stop working around. Just because her boss isn't around doesn't mean she should slack around. Kaya naman nang makarating ang boss niya ay nagulat ito sa linis ng paligid. 

Binati niya ito at tumango lang ito sa kanya. Looking at her boss, she thought she looked expensive. Mamahalin ang mga suot nito mula ulo hanggang paa. Napatingin ito sa orasan saka tinanggal ang shades. And even the way she did it shouts staggering elegance. She wondered if her boss is a rich woman who ran away from her rich family and started to run her own business instead. 

"Did you have any customers this morning?" tanong nito saka nilagay ang dalang handbag sa counter. Tinanggal din nito ang suot na gloves, revealing delicate and long fingers. She never marveled at somebody else's fingers but when she saw her boss' hands, she couldn't help but have the urge to touch them. 

But she shook her head and cleared her throat before saying, "Wala po. Even though I opened early." 

Napatingin ulit ito sa orasan saka sa kanya. "That's fine. Good thing you came early and cleaned the place. Customers will be swarming in ten minutes. Get ready." 

Nagtataka man ay sinunod niya ang sinabi ng boss niya. She prepared the menu and double-checked the tables. When everything is settled, she saw her boss sitting behind the counter looking as elegant as ever. Samantalang nakatingin lang siya sa pintuan, hinihintay ang customers na sinasabi nito. 

"All these tables will be filled. I hope you're up to it," her boss said. She looked at her boss to ask how could she be so sure but then her boss started counting. She was looking at the clock and when the clock struck at 12, the door opened and a couple of people walked in. They went straight to sit on some of the tables.

She looked at her boss, surprised by the sudden swarm of customers. Her boss just shrugged and jerked her chin towards the customers are. Agad naman siyang kumilos and the customers kept coming. Puno ang mga mesa and there were people waiting in line outside. She couldn't understand how the restaurant was swarmed by customers all of a sudden ngunit masyado siyang abala para isipin pa iyon. Her boss works at the counter, receiving payments and occasionally serving while she cooked the food.  

She never got the chance to sit or to have refreshments and luckily, her boss seemed to know exactly when she needed water or a break. She would call her and lets her have a five-minute break before she goes back to work. 

It was when the clock struck 9 that she got a chance to sit down. The customers left by 8 and she spent one hour cleaning the tables and washing the dishes. Hindi pa rin siya makapaniwala sa nangyari kanina. It was like her boss commanded everyone to come and leave the place at a certain time. Kaya naman habang kumakain siya sa isa sa mga mesa doon, napatingin siya sa boss niya na nakatayo sa harap ng glass wall habang nagmamasid sa labas. She reached for the signage on the door and flipped it to "CLOSED" before she took a sip on her glass of wine. 

"How did you know customers are going to swarm that time?" 

Her boss was silent at first but she glanced at her before she said, "Well, it's about the time they get out of their work and this is the nearest restaurant from their company building. It's also near the University." Humarap ito ulit sa labas. "You can get your refreshments on the fridge. That won't be deducted from your salary, don't worry." 

She nodded and considered it and continued eating. She did not mind her boss still standing in front of the glass wall. She tried to remove it from her mind ngunit hindi niya pa rin magawa. Maybe because it was her first time meeting someone so dashing and intimidating at the same time? 

She finished her meal at nagpaalam na sa kanyang boss. Nakaupo na ito sa likod ng counter at nakatingin sa kanya sabay sabing, "Mag-iingat ka sa daan." 

She didn't mind it much and walked her way to the bus stop. It would take her fifteen minutes from the bus stop to get home. Tiningnan niya ang relong suot at napagtanton alas onse na ng gabi. Good thing hindi niya kailangang pumasok nang maaga bukas dahil natapos niyang maglinis kanina. Her boss told her to arrive anytime before noon. 

Wala nang bus ang dumadaan sa area na ito kaya naman napagpasyahan niyang maglakad nalang. She has done it several times--walking in this city at night. Hindi naman delikado ang lugar na ito. There are lots of people usually--university students or employees but tonight, for some reason wala siyang masyadong nakikitang tao. There are cars moving on the road but not a lot. Hindi niya mapigilang matakot bigla. 

Mas binilisan niya ang paglalakad. Medyo malayo pa siya sa apartment niya. And it was when she started walking faster that she felt the wind suddenly got colder. Nanindig ang balahibo niya and she resisted the urge to look behind her. And as if it wasn't bad enough, may narinig siyang sumusunod sa kanya. The footsteps were light and she could hushed breaths that made her shiver. And what's more, is that it was oddly familiar. Something that triggered a memory she was trying to forget. 

Her hands were already shaking from fear and she immediately fished her phone from her pockets but her hands were shaking so bad she could barely grasp her phone. Napalingon siya sa paligid ngunit walang tao. Wala na ring mga sasakyan. Kung kailan siya nangangailangan ay saka nawala ang mga ito. Or maybe it was these creatures doing. 

Hindi na siya nagdalawang-isip at agad tumakbo. As fast as she could. And fear almost overwhelmed her when she also heard the footsteps getting heavier and faster. It was then that she decided to look behind--only to see the very same creatures who tried to kill her twice before. 

She whimpered as she beheld them chasing after her. Nanginginig ang kamay niya and her knees buckled. Ngunit pinilit niyang tumakbo. Kailangan niyang tumakbo.

She called for help but the only thing she could hear was the silence. For some reason, she could not see any people. It felt like she was transported to some other place where people don't exist.

"Help!" she rasped and ran faster. But she was stopped in her tracks when she saw another creature landed in front of her. She took a step back but composed herself fast before she ran to the side into the alleyway. They meant to corner her and leave her with no choice but to run to the alley where there's the least chance of someone hearing and helping her.

But she continued to run. Despite her knees buckling, she forced herself to take one foot forward after the other. She took her phone and dialed Juno's number. Labis ang saya niya nang marinig ang boses ni Juno sa kabilang linya ngunit bago pa man siya makapagsalita ay may naramdaman siya sa kanyang paa dahilan para madapa siya sa lupa. The phone fell from her hands and slid across the ground where it was then crushed by another creature as it landed right on top of it.

Now all her hope was gone.

Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she scuttled away from them as far she could but there's a wall behind her and she couldn't move further.

She looked at the creatures and whimpered as they were indeed the very same creatures who killed her grandma and made her cousin unconscious for many days. What could she do against them? How is she going to fight against them when they look like they could snap her bones without any effort.

She pleaded in her mind. Hoping that someone would come. Someone who could defeat all these monsters and save her from there. She doesn't pray but at that time she didn't care. She just wants to be out of there.

"I finally found you," someone said beside her. Before she could even look up to see who it was, strong hands gripped both her shoulders and made her stand. Nagtaka siya kung saan galing ang lalake. She looked to see who it was and all she could say is that he's probably the most beautiful man she ever saw. 

And he looked at her as if reading what was on her mind. "Thank you. That's probably the nicest thing I've heard ever since I arrived. But let's get you out of here first. Close your eyes," he said and his voice was so gentle and yet commanding that made her feel like she really didn't have much choice but to close her eyes. 

And so she did. 

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