Trace of A Broken Lead

one.lifeless

N  A  T  A  S  H  A

.  .  .

"No! Please," I cried as two men in white clothes dragged me with their robotic hands. I was wearing a white patient gown, my feet doesn't barely touch the cold tiles. "I'm tired! Please!"

Nagpatuloy lang ang aking luha at hindi ko na inabalang tignan ang paligid dahil sa mga nanlalabo kong mga mata. Halos sumakit ang braso ko dahil sa pagbuhat nila sa akin, hindi na ako makapaglakad dahil halos hilahin na lang nila ang katawan ko.

Binuksan ng lalaking nasa kanan ko ang pinto, at bumungad sa akin ang maliwanag na kwarto. At sa gitna nito nakatayo ang lalaking may puting buhok at nakakatakot na tindig. May hawak itong gunting at sa harap niya ay may upuan, tinignan niya ako sa malaking salamin sa dingding. Nang sandaling magtama ang aming paningin ay gumapang sa aking sistema ang kaba.

"Mr. Walter. . ." I bit my lip when I mentioned his name. He beckoned the white men to put me on the chair. My lips were shaking, I was terrified and my eyes were glued on the scissors he was holding. I bit my lip so hard and held my hand to prevent it from shaking.

Umalis na rin ang nagdala sa akin sa kwartong ito ng walang salita at iniwan kami ni Mr. Walter. Pigil ang aking paghinga habang nakatingin sa salamin, nakatingin sa hawak nito. Inilapit nito ang mukha niya sa akin, at ngayon ay hindi ko maiwasang di mapatingin sa sarili kong repleksyon.

I became thinner, my bangs were longer, my wide forehead were exposed. My pale lips were shaking, my eyes were swollen in tears, my nose looks like a tomato because of it's red color. My long and blonde hair was a messed that framed my devastated face.

"My my my, look at you, Natasha." he said and smiled at me. A smile that once captivate my heart but now it was breaking me. How come a genuine person can do this? "You look so ugly."

He held my chin and he gently tilted my head. I was frightened when the tip of the scissor touch my jawline.

"Stop shaking!" napaubo ako nang bigla nitong sinampal ang pisngi ko. Agad nitong hinawakan ang balikat ko at ibinalik ang pagkakasandal ng aking likod sa upuan. Now, he faced me and all that I can see was his pyschotic eyes.

Hinawakan nito ang gilid ng aking labi, "Hindi magiging pantay ang bangs mo kung manginginig ka."

Then he smiled and cutted my hair, every movement he made was so clean and perfect, like he was always used to handle those cutting weapon. So gentle and slow. Just like how he tortured me in this place.

Everything around me was white.

Nakatulala lang ako sa liwanag. Dapat bang mabulag ako sa silaw nito? Sana nga para hindi ko na nasasaksihan ang lahat ng ito. Ipinikit ko ang aking mata nang sandaling hindi ko na magamit ang sarili kong katawan. Ang tangi ko lang nararamdaman ay ang likidong dumadaloy sa ugat ko na nagmumula pa sa napakaraming tubong nakabaon sa aking katawan .

Saksi ako sa lahat ng ginawa nila sa akin, at kahit na ipikit ko ang aking mata nasisilaw pa rin ako sa sakit ng mga alaala. Ang taong pinagkatiwalaan ko, ang taong tinuring ko na parang isang magulang, ang taong inaakala kong unang mag-aalala sa pagkawala ko, nakatingin siya mismo sa nanlalabo kong mata, nanlalabo dahil sa luhang hindi ko na maramdaman.

"It's amazing to see that you're awake, the opposite of the girl in your front."

I looked up at the woman who are prisoned inside a cryogenic chamber, she looks lifeless and naked. Her gray hair that grew because of her age almost reach her knees and it covered most of her body, she looks like she've stayed there for a number of years. She was peacefully sleeping, she's so beautiful like a model in her younger age. I envied her. . .

I wish I could just escape the reality and dreamed about my own world with closed eyes.

Mr. Walter pushed the wheelchair, and maneuvered it, then the next thing I knew, I was lying in a stainless table, where corpse lie. 

"The woman was already dead," someone says

Hindi lang ako ang nagiisa sa lugar na ito, meron pang isang babae na katulad ko na pinageexperimentuhan din. Pero maswerte pa ako sa ngayon dahil nakakagalaw at nakakalaghap pa ako ng hangin. Dahil ang babaeng kasama ko rito ay nasa loob na ng bagay na punong-puno ng likido, a cryogenic chamber. Kitang-kita ko kung gaano kadami ang tubong nakadikit sa katawan niya at kung paano nila lagyan ng kung ano-anong gamot 'yon.

Pero alam kong pagdating ng panahon ay matutulad din ako sa kaniya. Sa pananatili ko rito, nalaman ko na kaya ko pang magbigay ng enerhiya sa iba. I don't know if this is the effect of the medicines they've been giving me but I know it will never benefit me. It will makes me weaker when I touch someone because I am transfering my energy to them, I can't control it.

"So sad, I've enjoyed her nightmares. My computer missed her conciousness."

I know her.

Her name is Beatrice Jewel A. Eren, but they call her NM1 while they call me SS0. Kami na lang ang pinagaaralan nila ngayon pero alam kong marami pang iba. May mas malala pang ginawa si Mr. Walter.

He adopted five children, and grew them as his own child. However, they chose not to adopt his surname so they don't treat themselves as siblings. They grew up peacefully in the mansion, they spent their youths like what I had.

Fifteen years, their lives were peaceful and does not have any struggles. They have everything that normal people want. They're smart, affluent, good looking, have a perfect personality, and have strong bonds for their friendship. People often wonder how Mr. Walter adopted such an ideal children to have.

Not until they discovered that they were being stolen by their real parents. How? It's because they're beyond normal and they slowly develop something that Mr. Walter really expected. Little did he know, that something might be his enemy.

Two men and three women, they seems innocent but they were not. Gael can hear everyone's thoughts simultaneously, Aimee can read memories through a single stare. Pierre can change his feature into someone. Adeliene, my mom, can give energy to another. And lastly, the woman in the cryogenic chamber, she can predict deaths through her nightmares.

With these abilities, they knew what's going on in the future. Five of them planned everything they're going to do. That's what I heard.

Despite of the danger, they still gave birth of four children. And yes, I'm one of them. Kuya Henry is also Aimee's and Gael's only son so he—maybe—inherited what they have. I'm not sure, that's only a speculation. Now that I am slowly developing this curse, maybe he is too. Pierre's and Beatrice' two children went missing, I know nothing about them.

Yet they all died, ang katawan ng babaeng 'yon ang tanging natira. Kaya rin naiwan kaming dalawa ni Kuya Henry sa kamay ni Mr. Walter.

Hindi ko alam kung bakit pinanganak pa nila kami.

Nalaman ko ang lahat ng 'yon dahil sa kinukwento sa akin ni Mr. Walter, para bang nagkwekwento siya ng dark fairytale.

"It's been 15 years since we didn't have any contact from her conciousness, we need to dispose her body. Our supply was getting weak and vulnerable." the man in 60s said, he have a worried face though I can't see it in his eyes. They were looking at the woman who are inside a cryogenic chamber.

I was back on this stainless table, I felt naked even though I was wearing a patient gown. It's cold and I can feel something flowing in my veins, I don't know. . .

"Okay, meron naman ng kapalit sa kaniya." chill went over my body when they both looked at me.

I squirmed and fall from the table. I whimpered in pain when I felt the floor on my back. Muli nanamang tumulo ang luha ko at pilit na gumapang upang makalayo. I need to fight but I don't know how. I don't want to get imprisoned on that chamber, I don't want to feel it's cold liquid.

Ayoko, tama na ang mga sakit na binigay nila sa akin. Hindi ko na kakayanin, magpapakamatay na lang ako. Ayoko na. . .

Naramdaman ko ang mga kamay nila sa aking braso at pilit akong kumawala sa kanila. Hindi ko na alam kung ilang oras akong nanlaban pero nasisigurado kong nahihirapan na sila. Nagawa ko silang sugatan gamit ang injection sa lamesa, pero ang malas nga lang dahil wala itong laman na likido. At dahil sa ginawa kong ito, nakaramdam nanaman ako ng panibagong sakit. Sakit ng pagkabali ng buto, humigpit ang hawak nila sa akin kaya napasigaw ako sa sakit.

"Tngna ka! Napakapalaban mo!"

"Hirap mo talagang ikulong."

"Sinasaktan mo lang ang sarili mo, wag kang magalaw-"

"AYOKO!" Ang sakit, nakakapanghina.

"Kuya!" ilang beses ko na ba itong nabanggit sa loob ng dalawang taon? Ilang beses na ba?

Tuluyan na nilang naigapos ang aking mga kamay pero hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin ako nakakaramdam ng pagkapagod. Magpapahinga ako pero di ako susuko. Muli kong nalasahan ang dugo sa aking lalamunan ng hampasin nila ng kung anong bagay ang ulo ko. Pero hindi nanlabo ang mga mata ko.

"Tama na! Isusumbong ko kayo!" idinura ko sa kanila ang dugo sa lalamunan ko at narinig ko ang malulutong na mura nila. Sa sobrang pagkainis ng isa ay marahas nitong tinusok ang injection na hawak niya sa palapulsuhan ko. Sobrang sakit!

"AAAAH!"

"Kanino ka magsusumbong?" the other one said with lifeless face, "KANINO?!"

"Kuya!" I cried again, "Help me, please! Kuya!"

Ang sabi niya nababasa niya ang nasa isip ko.

Pero bakit hindi niya mabasa sa isip ni Mr. Walter ang katarantaduhang ginagawa nito sa akin? Bakit hanggang ngayon hindi niya marinig ang iniisip ko? Bakit hanggang ngayon hindi niya pa rin ako mahanap?

Tama ako, hindi niya kayang gawin 'yon. Hindi kayang gawin ni Kuya ang mga bagay na 'yon, dahil ako lang ang mag-isa sa mundong 'to pati ang babaeng nasa bagay na iyon. Tama ako, nagsisinungaling siya. Nagpapanggap lang siya, hindi na dapat ako maniwala pa sa kaniya. Hindi na dapat ako umasa na mahahanap pa ako ni Kuya.

B-baka katulad din siya ni Mr. Walter. . .

Ang sakit. . . 

The next thing I knew I was witnessing how they really work.

Only one white held me and lead me to sit on my wheelchair. As expected, he injected so many tubes in me but this time my attention was only focus on the others.

For two years of staying here, I tried to learn and remember how they work especially in computer. Bata pa lang ako mahilig na akong kumumpini ng mga bagay at pagaaralan ang mga makabagong teknolohiya. At masasabi kong ang mga ginagawa nila ngayon ay bago sa aking paningin.

Panay ang pindot nila sa malaking machine at may ilan naman na tinataas-baba ang ilang mga lever sa mga naglalakihang machine. Nakakapagtaka rin na masyado silang busy at tila nagmamadali.

"What are they doing?" I ask in confused tone. The reseacher behind me raised his eyebrow, he have a cleaned cut hair, and it was gelled so neatly.

"You're not trembling. Hmm, that's new." doon ko lang napansin na mukhang bata pa ito, kumapara sa mga katrabaho niya dito, mukhang nasa early 20s pa ito.

May kung anong sinulat siya sa record niya, pakiramdam ko tuloy napakatalino at delikado niya. Kung ngayong bata pa lang siya ay hindi na siya marunong makonsensiya, paano pa kaya pagtanda nito? Napansin ko rin ang sugat sa tabi ng labi nito, natatandaan ko na ako ang may kagagawan non. Natamaan ko siya ng gunting na minsan ko nang nahawakan, it slit his side lips.

Napapikit ako ng masilaw ako sa nameplate nito sa kaniyang kaliwang dibdib. His name is Emmanuel Corcoran.

"Gusto mo bang magwala ako?" I taunted.

He pursed his lips and shook his head, "No, I don't want to beat you."

Iniwas ko ang tingin ko at muling nagtama ang aking paningin sa ibang researchers.

"What really are they doing?" I asked eagerly.

I shivered when I felt his hand on my neck, he didn't say anything or warned me but he injected a huge syringe on my neck and I winced in pain.

"They are removing the dead woman in the cryogenic chamber."

I was so shocked to react, my body gets numb and weaker as seconds passed by. Until I notice how the liquid in the cryogenic chamber evaporates on top of it and the woman was covered in a thick smoke inside it.

Few seconds had passed and my attention was only focused on that thing. It made a sizzling noise like something terrible is happening inside it. The lid opened and no one catch the woman's body as it falls with limp arms and legs. A tear fall from my eyes as I witnessed how they dragged her body without any tool.

Hinila lang ng isang researcher ang buhok nito at tinignan lang ng walang buhay. Nakasubsob ang hubad nitong katawan sa sahig at ang mga kamay nito ay mas lalong lang nabali. Pakiramdam ko kahit anong oras ay mababali din ang leeg nito sa pagkakahila ng researcher. Hila-hila nito ang mahaba niyang buhok sa isang kamay at walang sino man ang nakaimik. Naramdaman kong napaubo ang research sa tabi ko nang makita niya iyon.

At bago nila lisanin ang buong lugar, muli kong nakita ang mukha ng babae. Lifeless.

I think it was time to escape. 

.  .  .