Chapter 15: WOULD YOU?
I can slowly hear my breath while I’m in a massive sweat. I only seen darkness. My heart beats so fast. I feel anxious. Then I felt a sudden pain in my head. The next thing I knew, I was lying and crying now in pain.
And then…A SUDDEN FLASHBACK HITS ME.
“Love, What if one day, I’ll have to say goodbye?” Klio asked me.
We’re in our favorite place right now, sa hacienda namin, which is full of Lilac flowers, you know that flower has always a special place in my heart, it’s where this love all started.
“What?” I asked him, he’s weird.
“What would you do?” he added.
“Para namang tanga ‘to? What kind of question is that?” tanong ko sa kanya.
“A question answerable by heart, I guess?” he said at may sagot pa talaga.
“Come on, just answer it.”
“Sige, ingat!” pilisopo kong sagot.
“What? I’m serious,” he said and looked at me seriously
“What kind of goodbye ba kasi?” I asked him at ngayon medyo nagtataka na ako
“A goodbye that is forever,” he replied.
“Klio!” diin na pagkakasabi ko sa kanya
“Just answer it. What would you do?”
“I don’t know. I just can’t say goodbye. I can’t even imagine living without you,” I said, he smiled.
“So, you are willing to risk your life for the man you love?” he asked again.
“I would,” I promised and looked at him in the eyes.
“You wouldn’t leave me right?” I asked and he smiled again
“I woul—”
END OF FLASHBACK
“Why did you leave me!?” Sigaw ko. I was crying and then someone came to me. Since it was dark I don’t know who is this but what is weird is, it feels like Klio. Without any hesitation I hugged him.
“It’s okay I’m here.” It was a man, hinihimas niya ang buhok ko para patigilin ako sa pag iyak. Why did I feel this? I don’t even know who is this guy but why do I feel safe in his arms?
“You have to let go,” he said, I don’t know kung ano tinutukoy niya yung pag kakayakap ko ba o yung nararamdaman ko. Double meaning.
Suddenly the lights opened. Bumitaw na ako sa pagkakayakap and looked at this man.
“Who are you?”
“It’s me, Krio, your doctor,” he said
“Hey, we are running out of time. What are you doing?” I looked at this girl who speak, and there’s to many of them looking at us.
“Where are the others?” he asked.
“We don’t know? The lights turned off so maybe they’re dead?” sabi nang isang lalaki. There’s only 9 person left in this room. 4 men including Krio and 5 women including me.
“Can you please give us some time?” this doctor said, lumayo muna sila sa amin.
“Are you okay, Leyra?” he asked me.
“What is happening?” I asked him, pinaliwanag niya sa akin ang mga nangyari. Maya’t maya pa may biglang sumigaw. Two man was shot dead after they touched a painting. There’s seven of us left.
“GET ME OUT OF HERE!” sigaw nang babae nag hysterical na sa sobrang takot.
“CAN YOU PLEASE SHUT UP?” sigaw nang lalaki sa kanya
“WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE IN HERE!” another woman shouted and cried.
Tumayo na kami, Krio hold my hand.
“Stay behind me,” sabi niya.
“Did you see that? Kanina wala pa yang mga orasan na yan,” sambit niya sa’kin and he pointed those big clock surrounding the room.
“So what is it?” nagtataka kong tanong
“I don’t know, maybe there’s something behind it,” wika niya at may biglang nakakabinging tunog na naman kami na narinig and then a timer popped up.
“What is that?” I asked him again he looked at me seriously.
“GUYS, I THINK WE NEED TO START LOOKING FOR SOMETHING!” He shouted.
“FIND WHAT?” tanong nila.
“ANYTHING! JUST BE CAREFUL!” he added
Nagsimula na kami maghanap ng kung ano. Habang naghahanap ako may napansin akong libro sa sahig. Kinuha ko ito.
“Leyra, don’t touch anything,” paalala sa’kin ni Krio akmang babalik ko na ito nang biglang may napansin na naman itong si Krio.
“Wait!” He looked at the spine part of the book and notice that there was a letter written in it. He then looked at the rest of the bookshelves and there are letters on each spine part of the book.
“What is that?” I asked him
“I’m not sure but I think it’s another code again.” Tinignan ko siya at seryoso siyang nakatingin sa mga libro.
“Maybe it’s a name of the murderer?” another woman utter.
“Yeah, it has to be,” another girl agreed.
“Hey, you! Can you decode it again?” this man spoke.
“I’m trying,” Krio said and looked at him seriously.
While I’m looking at the books, the letters sequence of each book look likes
[Sghr lzrsdqohdbd vzr cnmd ax Lzrsdq Qhnrhnsz, vghkd hm bzoshuhsx hm Ztftrs 1920, hm
Gnmnq sn ghr vhed vgn vzr ltqcdqdc zmc atqhdc hsr
Dwhrsdmbd.]
I notice something in the bookshelves.
“An arrow?” I said and looked at Krio.
“It’s a Shifted Code.”
“What’s that?” someone asked.
“Instead of writing the real letter, you find that letter in the alphabet and count forward – as many letters as the number you picked,” He explained and then he looked at the clocks that surrounds this room.
“You see that clock it only points to the number that has 0 and 1, so it must’ve do something about this.”
“What do you mean?”
“We should forward 1 letter to decode this. So that means this S becomes T and G becomes H and so on.”
“[Sghr lzrsdqohdbd vzr cnmd
This masterpiece was done
Ax Lzrsdq Qhnrhnsz, vghkd hm
By Master Riosiota, while in
Bzoshuhsx hm Ztftrs 1920, hm
Captivity in August 1920, in
Gnmnq sn ghr vhed vgn vzr
Honor to his wife who was
Ltqcdqdc zmc atqhdc hsr
Murdered and buried its
Dwhrsdmbd.]
Existence.]”
Krio decoded and explained to us.
“Wait, that message sounds familiar?” sabi ng isang babae.
“Guys look at this!” another woman speak behind us and now where looking at the sculpture of a man with a beard holding a book on his right hand and a rope in his left hand. Lumapit kami to check it.
“He’s Master Riosiota!” sabi nang lalaki at may biglang nakakabinging tunog na naman kaming narinig. Biglang sumigaw ang dalawang babae sa likod ko ‘yon pala nahulog sila. The next thing I know I was holding Krio’s hand kasi mahuhulog na rin ako. Tumingin ako sa ilalim na sakaling babagsakan ko, it was dark.
“Hold on. Don’t let go!” sabi ni Krio habang hinihila ako pataas. I saw him struggling pulling me up, sa bigat ko ba naman siguro. Unti-unti niya akong inangat hanggang sa makaakyat ako. Lifesaver.
“Are you okay?” he asked and I saw his concerned face habang tumatagaktak ang pawis niya.
“Thankyou!” ‘yon lang ang nasabi ko sa kanya.
“Where are they?” tanong ko sa kanya kasi kami na lang dalawa ang natitira.
“They’re gone,” wika nito at medyo nanlumo siya
“So we’re the only ones left?” I asked him at medyo natatakot na rin ako.
“Yeah,” he said.
Tumayo ako at shouted
“YOU CALL IT A GAME? THIS IS B*LLSH*T!”
“HEY LEYRA, STOP IT!” pinigilan ako ni Krio.
“Stop? What will happen to us? We’re going to die in here anyways!” I said and medyo nag hysterical na ako. Hinawakan niya ako sa pisngi.
“No. We’re not gonna die in this stupid place. Trust me were gonna make it,” he promised.
“I need you. Just stay with me. Would you?” he added and looked at me in the eyes.