A Man's Cold World

Ten

Ten

When Kurt finished the five men, may nakita siya sa kabilang bahagi ng kalsada parang may nagtatago doon na hindi niya alam kung sino.

Dahan dahan siyang naglakad para marinig kahit anong huni meron doon.

He was just passing by when this happens. Ayaw niya ng gulo pero bakit lagi na lang siyang nasasabak sa kahit anong uri ng gulo at laban.

I just want to relax. Hell.

Nang makarating sa malapit, nagtago siya sa isang sasakyan. And he heard them talking.

"Gago, Brandon Gazmen ba 'kamo? Huwag' yun oy, SEAL 'yun tanga" then Kurt heard him tssk "At huwag mong isipin' yang kambal na 'yan. Masisira buhay mo" he added.

Napakunot noo siya. No one knew what Brandon did in the past except the family and the work they have, parte iyon ng rules, that all the past work they have should be put in their biodata, that way, the higher ups will know where to exactly put them and in what division they will work. Maliban na lang kung may kalaban na naghukay sa nakaraan.

"Sabi nino?" the other man said.

"Ako"

"Then I'll take the other one, Mallari?"

Lalong napakunot ang noo ni Kurt ng marinig ang isa pang pangalan.

Shit. This is not good.

Base sa naririnig niya, isa sa mga kalaban nila sa trabaho meron sila kabilang ang mga ito.

"Huwag din' yun. NIS 'yun"

Damn. How this f*****g moron know everything?!

"Korea?"

"Uhmm"

"f**k those men!"

"Yeah right"

Kurt decided to back out. Kailangan niyang makausap ang grupo. Mallari belongs to one of the highest spot in the unit. Kaya lang pahirapan din makausap ang isang 'yon.

Lilitaw lang naman kapag may importanteng kaganapan e. He is nowhere to be found in everyday lives.

So, useless to summon that jerk.

He went to Goldwyn's flat. Nagkataon nandoon sina Roderick at Jonas.

"Problem?"

"Who has been digging about me, Brandon and Mallari?"

"What. Why?" halos sabay na saad ng tatlo. Roderick on the other hand who was about to drink from the bottle his holding put back the poor bottle into the counter and stood straight.

"Napasabak ako sa laban kanina. It's actually a road gang war. I mean I don't want to deal with it but it just happened. Then I heard something about Brandon, me and Mallari.

The other guy knew Brandon was SEAL and Mallari being NIS. Is there somebody leaking our information? "

Lumiit ang mga mata ni Roderick, Goldwyn and Jonas tilted their head and look up at him, kunot ang mga noo ng mga ito" Are you thinking about what I'm thinking? " anang Jonas.

" Is it possible? " Goldwyn said.

Roderick nodded" there's a big possibility "

Kurt deepened his breathing and then blow a loud breath saka namaywang" Hindi talaga titigil ang hayup" anito. "And o, one more thing, I saw a tattoo at their wrist, it's a half moon tattoo, kulay pula"

Napatayo si Goldwyn "Bright moon?"

Lumingon si Roderick kay Goldwyn "Is it the same gang where Brandon used to worked in?"

Jonas nodded "Yeah"

"So, they are rising again huh" anang Kurt.

8:00 PM. The exact time Kurt entered the club where they finally managed to look someone who had the tattoo. Roderick contacted all the bosses — CEO—of all the clubs they know pa posibleng pupuntahan ng mga gangsters.

Most of them wanted some clubs that looks like simple and yet devilish look inside. Iyong tipong magagawa nila ang lahat ng naisin.

So Roderick and Jonas managed everything to just catch some of them but according to Kurt, one is enough.

Nang naka hanap ng magandang pwesto, umupo siya doon at naging busy sa cellphone but the ears and eyes are still working around him.

After a few seconds, Jonas came and asked him to to sing a song. "sing what?" walang emosyong saad niya habang naka tingala sa kausap.

Jonas nodded "You aren't good in hiding Gazmen. What the heck man, you loudly present yourself as a uniform man dude! —ginalaw nito ang sumbrero niya — turned this backwards" anito. "Go, sing a song!" he added saka siya sapilitang pinatayo.

"Am I that transparent?" kunot noo niyang tanong.

"Ay hinde" naka iling na saad ni Jonas "You're more on very proud look" he added nonchalantly.

Kurt sighed. I did my best to look like normal though.

He tssk on his mind saka naglakad papuntang stage. He talked to the band out there and he asked them to just let him sing just one song. Pumayag naman ang mga ito.

Actually, he knew those men. One of them is part of the underworld he's working at. He doesn't just know if Jonas remembered him tho.

Kurt took the microphone and cleared his throat. "To those who are smiling but sad inside, cheers!" anito saka itinaas ang hawak na microphone.

Empty spaces fill me up with holes

Distant faces with no place left to go

Without you, within me I can find no rest

Where I'm going is anybody's guess

I tried to go on like I never knew you

I'm awake but my world is half asleep

I pray for this heart to be unbroken

But without you all I'm going to be is, incomplete

Voices tell me I should carry on

But I am swimming in an ocean all alone

Baby, my baby

It's written on your face

You still wonder if we made a big mistake

I tried to go on like I never knew you

I'm awake but my world is half asleep

I pray for this heart to be unbroken

But without you all I'm going to be is, incomplete

I don't mean to drag it on

But I can't seem to let you go

I don't wanna make you face this world alone

At this part, he closes his eyes. Ewan niya pero parang damang-dama na niya ang kanta.

I wanna let you go (alone)

I tried to go on like I never knew you

I'm awake but my world is half asleep

I pray for this heart to be unbroken

But without you all I'm going to be is, incomplete

Incomplete

When he opened up his eyes, pinaliit niya iyon ng bahagya ng mamataan ang isang pigura. What the hell is she doing here?

There she is, standing. Looking at him with unknown emotions in her eyes while holding a wine glass.

Sabina couldn't find an exact words to describe Kurt just now. She was mesmerized! There's this feeling that she wanted to grab and hug him tight that even her heart skipped a beat.

It pains her that she couldn't. Hindi niya magawa ang mga bagay na gusto niyang gawin. May mga bagay na kahit naisin natin ay kailangan pa ding maging maingat lalo na kapag alam natin na hindi pa oras at alam niya iyon.

She drank the wine, and put the glass on the small table near her, she didn't let her eyes taken away from him, she walked backwards, slowly. And when she was able to get herself together, she turned around and walk out from the club.

The song he sung hit her hard. It's like her who was standing in those lyrics. It hurts. Really.

"You okay?" anang Goldwyn na nandoon pala sa loob ng sasakyan niya.

She nodded "I think so"

"You're not crying are you?"

"No"

"Sure, you okay?"

"I am" she swallowed her saliva so hard.

Goldwyn nodded "Okay" anito "Be like glass, if they break you cut them" he added.

"Then that will pain me more" aniya saka pinaandar ang sasakyan "out" she added.

Ang lalaki naman ay napangisi lang saka lumabas sa sasakyan "make sure to drink at home" saad pa nito bago isinarado ang pintuan.

She drove. But she doesn't know where exactly her body wanted to go.

A few minutes later, she found her self looking up at the tall and big building where Kurt's flat is.

"s**t" anas niya saka minani obra ulit ang manibela at nag drive palayo doon.

Life is full of aches. Truly is.

Kinaumagahan, nagkakape na siya at naka upo na nakataas ang isa niyang paa saka naka patong doon ang baba niya at nakatingin sa umuusok na kape mg biglang tumunig ang cellphone na nasa tabi ng baso.

She took it and answered the call.

"Kumain ka na?"

"Oo"

"Ay sayang naman. Saan ka kumain?"

Sabina doesn't have the mood to talk right now. Basta na lang niyang sinagot ang tawag na hindi tinignan kung sino ang caller. And somehow, her heart isn't working too because she couldn't distinguish whose voice it was.

"Sa plato"

Narinig niyang napa buntong hininga ang kausap. Napaisip siya, parang ang bad naman niya kung hindi niya ito tanungin 'diba?

"Ikaw, nagkape ka na?" walang gana niyang saad.

Like imagine herself asking those even if she doesn't really know who is she talking with.

"Oo"

"Saan?"

"Sa baso a. Alangan naman sa Plato" anito saka pinatay ang tawag.

"Isa ka pa" walang anumang saad ni Sabina saka ibinagsak ang cellphone at uminom ng kape. Not knowing that there's someone's eyes burning in hell right now..

Meanwhile, Kurt went down from the balcony and put his phone on his pocket saka naka kuyom ang mga kamao.

"Did he talk?" aniya nang makita si Jonas.

"He pleaded the fifth" Jonas said while looking at Kurt's fist. Tumingin ito sa mukha ng lalaki pero gaya ng dati, wala siyang makitang emosyon doon.

Shit. This is going to be bad. Jonas murmured on his thoughts.

"Ahh." tumango tango si Kurt. Kapagkuwan ay lumingon kay Roderick "Bautista, get some paraphernalia" anito.

Roderick understood the assignment. He took the box with medical stuff in it and went to the room where the man is. Binuksan nito iyon at naglabas ng panghiwa, mga matatalim na mga gunting at isang malaking bakal na tubo

"May masakit sa'yo 'diba?" Kurt said, nakangisi pa.

Lumaki ang mga mata ng lalaki. "W-wala"

"Meron"

"W-wala. Wala akong sakit!" nangangatal na saad ng lalaki.

"Tssk. Meron' yan" anang Kurt. "Nurse!" malakas na saad nito.

Napalingon naman sina Jonas at Goldwyn sa may pinto then they looked at each other "f**k!" they both said saka binuksan ang pinto. "Yes doc?"

"Hold him, kailangan nitong maoperahan sa tiyan. Kailangang tanggalin ang kidney at liver ng isang 'to— napailing siya — ang tainga, kailangang mawal—"

"H-huwag!"

"At bakit?" kurt said nonchalantly.

"Bright moon. Oo. Iyon nga. Iyon ang pangalan ng grupo. Pero hindi pa ako masyadong matagal doon. Nasama lang ako sa gulo —"

"Anong pangalan ng boss?"

"Peter"

"Aso lang' yon. Iyong uranggutan ang gusto kong malaman" Kurt said, his jaws clenched.

"Hindi ko alam. Basta Peter ang pangalan ng boss namin" halos hindi marinig ang boses ng lalaki.

Who will not be afraid with the man holding scissors and blades like he was just going to cut paper? No emotion. Cold eyes, blank face.

Kurt continously nodding "Peter" saka lumingon kay Jonas "That's him?"

"Oo"

"uhm okay" saad niya saka lumabas ng kwarto.

Jonas, Roderick and Goldwyn went out after they made sure na hindi makagawa ng paraan ang bihag nila para makatakas.

Nadatnan nilang busy ang lalaki sa cellphone nito. Kurt calling someone and when the other line pick up the call, he speaks like the old self "Let's meet" kinamot nito ang batok "Hey. You know I know everything about you right? The bank robbery. The hacking of the human— he tssk — this is more important than your business moron— he deeply breathe —okay. Six pm, sharp" then he cut the call.

"I need to go" aniya sa tatlo.

Jonas sighed "Bud, you have your own assignment. Why are you not doing the things López wants you to do?"

"I do" aniya lang saka lumabas sa bahay.

Totoo naman, hindi naman siya nagpapabaya sa trabaho niya e. He's digging some information about Sabina too. Hindi niya lang kasi mahanap ang gusto niyang makita.

Or is he really doing it?

When Kurt said ' I do' means he wanted to protect her not because of that damn assignment but because his mind and body wants him to be.

Sabina on the other hand is prying for the man she's obsessed with. She's been an office-house woman before but not now, not today and preferably not tomorrow.

Kurt is hers and hers alone. Hayaan na niya ang sabi ng iba na sobrang laki nito at mukhang kakainin lang siya ng buhay, basta ang katawan niya'y nag-iinit sa tuwing nakikita ito periodt.

Nang makalabas sa opisina, dumiretso siya sa bahay ni Shaina. Her name is already all over the pages of the log book of the village and the security already known her for ages kaya naman parang taga doon na din siya kung papasukin ng mga ito.

She entered when the door opened even if she did not press the bell. Seems like Shaina is sitting again in front of her monitors kaya binuksan na lang nito ang pinto ng makita siya sa cctv.

Well, hindi na siya nagtataka, everything in this house is so damn automatic.

Nang makarating sa private office ng kaibigan, pasalampak siyang umupo sa sofa "How can I make a man obsessed with me?"

Shaina smirked "Whoa. Are you sure you're Sabina?"

"Kidding aside" she cleared her throat "I don't even know who I am anymore. What can I say—nag kibit balikat siya at itinaas ang dalawang kamay sa ere — I'm not sure what I'm trying to do. I mean, it hurts. It pains my heart every time I see him and not be able to touch and hold him. Why? Why is it that I am being like this? "

Sabina sighed. Ipinatong ang likuran ng ulo sa headrest ng sofa at naka titig sa kisame habang ang kaibigan naman ay nakahalukipkip at nakatitig sa kanya.

God.. Please God.. Help me just this one... She prayed...