001: Let The Games, Begin!

DISCLAIMER. This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this story are purely the work of fiction. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real people, living or deceased, is purely coincidental.

DO NOT PLAGIARIZE THIS WORK. Plagiarism is the representation of another author's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work. It is not in itself a crime, but like counterfeiting, fraud can be punished in a court for prejudices caused by copyright infringement, violation of moral rights, or torts.

OCTOBER 2021

— enjoy reading, lil'ies. :)

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Hellios' POV

Nahihilo man ay pinilit kong imulat ang aking mga mata, ngunit iyon ay natatakpan ng isang piring. May busal ang aking bibig, nakagapos ang mga kamay at paa. Pinuno ng katanungan ang aking isipan.

“Are you guys awake?” Isang pamilyar na tinig ang pumukaw sa atensiyon ko.

‘No... No, it can't be her.’ I stated at the back of my mind. Pamilyar man sa pandinig ang kanyang tinig, pinilit kong iwaglit iyon sa aking isipan. Hindi niya magagawa sa amin iyon.

Tinanggal niya ang busal sa bibig ko. “Are you comfortable, Hellios?” She whispered.

“Pakawalan mo kami!“ Isang sigaw ang umalingawngaw sa buong silid.

“Wahahahaha, ang tat*nga n'yo kahit kailan, mukha bang papakawalan tayo n'yan?”

“T*ngina ano na naman 'to? Kalagan mo'ko hahambalusin kita ng dos por dos!” Matapang na hamon ng isa pa.

“Tulong! Kiwashi! Pakawalan mo ako kung sino ka man, please, I need to meet Kiwashi.”

“Tulungan n'yo kami! Parang awa n'yo na pakawalan mo kami!”

“Shut the f*ck up, that won't help.”

Iba't ibang komento ang naririnig ko. Napuno ng tinig ng pagmamakaawa ang silid. I tried to move. Pero masyadong mahigpit ang pagkakatali sa akin.

‘Think, Hellios. You have got to get out of here.’

I heard a sudden gasp. “B-Bakit? No... no let me go! Wala akong ginawang masama sa'yo!”

Lalong napuno ng kuryosidad ang aking isipan. Maya-maya pa'y tinanggal n'ya ang piring ko. Bumungad sa akin ang kaniyang pigura na agad kong ikipinanlumo. Hindi ko sukat akalain na magagawa niya ito.

‘What happened to you?’ I wanted to ask her that, but I could utter nothing. I was more worried than scared of her.

Lumingon ako sa gawi nila. There I saw Eos, hindi pa siya gumigising. Panay ang pagtulo ng dugo mula sa kaniyang ulo. And then, there was Nix, beside her is Lincoln, followed by Klare, Selene, Dianex, then Crimson. Pare-pareho kaming halos sugatan. Hindi ko inaasahan na aabot kami sa ganito.

Paano nga ba kami humantong sa sitwasyon na ito?

flashback...

“Guys bilisan n'yo naman! Ayaw ko abutin ng gabi sa biyahe.” Pagmamadali ni Psyche, nobya ni Harris. “Ang init-init! Bilisan niyo.” Iritableng dugtong nito.

Napailing na lamang si Harris at ibinigay sa akin ang susi ng van.

“Mauuna na kami sa camp. You wait for the others. Make sure you don't leave anything nor anyone behind. Ikaw na ang bahala rito.” He instructed.

“Mag-iingat kayo HAHAHAHA!” Tugon ko.

Naiiling na umalis si Harris at inakbayan ang nobya niya papunta sa van nila. This reunion is actually for Harris' and Psyche's wedding. Everything is going as planned.

*BEEP! BEEP!*

Isang busina ang pumukaw sa atensyon ko. Agad na lumapit sa akin si Calista at sabay namin sinalubong si Crimson. She just got out from her maroon Chevrolet Volt. She was wearing a beige pencil cut, topped with a white long sleeves and a beige blazer jacket. Mukhang kagagaling lang niya sa opisina.

Nagmamadaling naglakad s'ya patungo sa amin. Nakakunot na ang noo, halatang hindi gustong dumalo. But she has no choice, hindi naman niya ako matitiis eh. I let out a soft smile. Ang lakas ko talaga sa kaniya.

“This better be worth it, I just cancelled my meeting with Mr. Matsumoto.” Crimson said in annoyance.

Ikinatawa naman iyon ni Calista. “Chill, you'll enjoy it. That's a promise.” She smiled and looked at me. “Right, Hellios?” Calista asked me, and I agreed.

Nauna nang maglakad si Calista pabalik sa hotel na s'yang tinutuluyan namin at nag-asikaso ng mga gamit.

“I missed you, Crimson.” I genuinely smiled at her.

Agad naman s'yang napangisi. “Namimiss ako ng lahat Hellios, ako lang 'to.” Tugon niya, nagyayabang.

With that, we both laughed. I assisted her to her room para makapaghanda. Pumasok na rin ako sa sariling kwarto at inayos ang mga gamit na dadalhin. Nauna na sina Hadean sa tutuluyan namin upang mag-ayos sa venue. We ate lunch and at exactly 2pm, we made our way on the road.

Panay ang kwentuhan at tawanan namin sa loob ng kotse. Harris sent me the location, hindi mahirap hanapin ang lugar. We're staying at a rest house in Mabini, Batangas. Owned by Estevan, he planned this reunion. He's actually the one in charge on the couple's wedding. It's a 2-hour drive from Manila, so we should be there before it gets dark. Ako na ang nagmaneho, being the only guy in the group. Crimson could do it, but she's tired from work so I let her rest.

I glanced at her and smiled a bit.

Gusto kong matawa sa itsura niya. Tahimik nga siya kapag tulog pero hindi mukhang anghel. Nakakatakot matulog! Nakakunot ang noo at nakabusangot. HAHAHAHA!

“Pati ata sa panaginip, may kaaway. Tsk tsk.” Bulong ko sa sarili at iiling-iling na natawa.

All was going well until I felt a bump in the car. Hindi ko iyon pinansin hanggang sa nagsunod-sunod ito. The car seems to have a problem. I was starting to lose control. Nagsisigawan na sila. Nagising si Crimson at agad na napakapit sa inuupuan.

“Ahhh! Ayoko pa mamatay!”

“Hellios do something!”

“I am!”

Sari-saring reaksyon ang narinig sa loob ng kotse pero itinuon ko ang atensyon ko kung paano kami hihinto. I hit the breaks but it won't clutch. F*ck!

“Damn it! Bakit ngayon pa?!” Inis na sigaw ko habang sinusubukan pa rin gawan ito ng paraan. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang makita ang patutunguhan ng sasakyan.

“Ughh!” We all grunted when the van hit the railings. Half of the car was now out of the road. One wrong move and we'll fall into the cliff.

“Walang gagalaw.” My voice was shaking. But I need to calm them down. The creaking sound of the car scared us even more, knowing that we are in the brink of death.

“Kailangan ko makaalis dito!” Dianex yelled and started to move.

“N-No! No, Dia stay still--!!”

It was too late. The car fell and we ran into the cliff full of trees.

The last thing I remembered was Crimson's hand holding onto mine until we hit a huge tree, before I fell unconscious.

end of flashback...

“Look at you guys, you all look pathetic.” Saad ng babae sa harap ko.

“Malala na ang kalagayan ni Eos, we need to get her to the hospital. Tell us why we're here and let's get this over with! Please!” Nix exclaimed, worry filled her face.

“Alright, para maging patas, I'll tell you why you're here. We're going to play a game.”

Calista stated while holding onto her bat and swung it hard. She smirked when she saw how we reacted. Fear. The demon feeds on fear. And the more we are frightened, the more it gets stronger.

“In this game, I get to decide whether you win, or you die. Hawak niyo ang kapalaran ninyo, kaya sana handa kayo. Play wisely, I hope you brought luck with you because you are gonna need it. Get ready to draw your cards. Let the games, begin!”

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