Chapter 28: 16 SHOTS

I opened my eyes. I see nothing but darkness. I was sitting on a chair, my left hand was cuffed and my foot are also in chains. Nagpumiglas ako at pilit ko itong tinatanggal. Where am I? I was a little bit scared to be honest. Suddenly, a spotlight focused on me. I slightly close my eyes cause the light hurts. Maya’t- maya pa bumukas na ang mga ilaw. We are sitting with a big circular spinning table. There are small wine glasses filled with a liquor in front of us. The table is filled with it. What the hell is this? I can’t recognise anyone in this place because all of us are wearing a masquerade mask. Everybody is murmuring. There are 25 people in this place. Habang pinipilit kong kumawala, may napansin ako sa braso ko. It was a bracelet. Tinignan ko ito, and I read what’s written in it. —Find “Krio” if you’re lost. Without any hesitation and doubt, I shouted.

“KRIO!” Nagulat ang lahat at ang atensyon nila ay nabaling sa akin. I was a bit nervous. What am I doing?

“I’m here!” I heard a man spoke beside me. Gosh! He’s just beside me, all this time?

“What the hell is this? And, why is your name written on my bracelet?” I asked him.

“I’m your Doctor and a friend, Leyra.” He said

“Really? What is this place and why are we here?” I asked him. I waited for him to answer but another man spoke beside me. I turned to him and he’s just chilling.

“We are having the best and worst shots of our life,” he smirked.

“Who are you?” I asked him.

“Your supposed to be cousin in law?” he said at humarap sa akin. Well, I recognised him now. Hindi lang siya nakabraided ngayon kaya hindi ko siya agad nakilala.

“Lade!?” I muttered in awe. Niyakap ko siya nang isa kong kamay, since hindi naman magkakalayo ang kinauupuan namin. He hugged back.

“Glad, you still recognise this breathtaking face,” sabi nito kaya medyo natawa ako. Kung sa pakapalan lang naman talaga ng mukha, isasali ko talaga ang lahi nila. Joke! Well, obviously it’s pure facts, the beauty of their genes speaks for itself.

“I was looking for you, at least one of you all the time.” Now my eyes got teary.

“So, you’re that guy who kill people for fun?” a woman spoke sitting beside Lade. Kumawala kami sa pagkakayakap and turned to her.

“Who are you?” Lade asked her.

“Sadi. Leyra’s friend,” she said.

“Talaga? Mukhang hindi ka naman mapagkakatiwalaan,” saad naman nito.

“Well, at least I don’t kill people,” Sadi answered.

“I don’t kill people for nothing, Miss Sadi.” He smirked.

“Oh really? Then what did you do to those people in that game?” she continue to question Lade.

“You are not there, so don’t accuse me for the things that doesn’t have evidence to prove your point,” sabi nito.

“If they’re alive. What exactly did you do to them?” Krio interrupted. We turned to him. Lade releases a deep breath.

“It was all a play scene. Everything was fake, those bloods from dead people are fake. Those who shot dead? Lahat sila kasabwat ko. They are part of the team that built those game. Those who fall are all safe, I gave them price money for participating. At para wala silang isiwalat sa mga nangyari. Para hindi masira ang curiosity nang mga gusto pang maglaro.”

“So, all of that was for fun?” Krio asked again.

“Life is already boring. I wanna make it more thrilling!” he exclaimed while smiling.

“Muntik mo na kaming patayin sa takot, and here you are telling us that those have no purpose at all but only for fun!?” usal ni Krio.

“Kasalanan ko bang sumali kayo?” he sarcastically said and smiled. Kahit kailan talaga mapang-asar ‘tong lalaking ‘to.

“Imagine the trauma you gave them!” giit ni Krio.

“That’s their price for not being contented with their wealth,” sagot nito.

“Pathetic!” Sadi exclaimed, almost a whisper.

“But, you said that night that it is your way of finding a wife?” tanong ulit ni Krio. Nagbago bigla ang awra ni Lade.

“Forget what I said!” ‘yon lang ang nasabi niya at inirapan si Krio.

“I old you. If I’m a killer, I won’t kill people for nothing. The sole purpose of that game is not just only for fun and it would not only benefit me, it is built for someone,” he added seriously. I can conclude that it was a serious matter because I know his awra kapag importanteng bagay na ang pinag-uusapan.

“Isn’t it intriguing? Did you kill Leyra’s fiancé? Your own cousin?” Sadi said and put on a guilt tripping face. Lade looked at her.

“Impressive! I wish I had your brain and instincts,” he said and smirked “If your instinct told you that I killed him. Go follow your instincts.”

“Lade, what are you talking?” sambit ko sa pangalan niya habang may kirot sa puso ko kasi ‘di ako makapinawalang sasabihin niya ‘yon. Tinignan niya ako. I saw his fist, look like he is angry.

I heard my watch beeps. I forgot everything they said.

“Where am I?” Nagtataka kong tanong. Someone spoke beside me.

“Leyra, don’t panic. I’m Krio, she’s Sadi, and you know him right? Lade.” He pointed. I smiled at him.

“We are dragged on this stupid place. I don’t know what will happen to us but I’ll make sure everything is going to be okay. These people in front of us? We don’t know them, they are also dragged in this,” Krio explained.

“Leyra, I’m really sorry on what h-happened to you,” kalmado ngunit nauutal na sabi ni Lade. I often heard Ladegueh talking with sincerity. I wanted to ask him something but a voice of a man echoed in this room.

“WELCOME TO 16 SHOTS! WHERE YOU AIM FOR THE SHOTS!” A man suddenly appear on the spotlight. He sit in front of this circular table facing all of us.

“What the hell is this?” A man spoke.

“You will know,” he answered. And, then the lights becomes warm and there are different colors of lights that flickers on the shot glasses in front of us, one color at a time. A music played.

“Oh. A sound of a piano. This is exciting!” Lade muttered in excitement.

“That sound gave me a bad a feeling,” sabi naman ni Krio.

“ARE YOU READY TO TAKE YOUR SHOTS!?” That weird man spoke again and laugh.

“If this is a game? What’s the rules?” tanong ng isang lalaki

“No rules! You just need to find out. But, if you can’t find out, you don’t want what will happen to all of you,” he continued.

“Bullshit! Then what are we gaining in here?” tanong niya ulit. The mask man just smirk

“I gave you price money, if you’re still awake after this game.”

“Okay, Bring it on!” sabi nang isang babae.

The table started to spin slowly while the piano music keeps playing. We heard horrifying screams of help in this room. Ngayon kinakabahan na ako. A timer popped up. The mask man just leaves us in this room. A big screen appeared in front of us, a photo of a lady who’s half face and body was burned. And, she’s holding a bottle of wine with a big question mark on her.

An AI voice of a woman speaks

~AIM YOUR FIRST SHOT ~

Two men grab a shot glass and drink it.

“This is f*cking good!” he exclaimed and the other guy just laughed with him at kumuha ulit at uminom.

~ AIM YOUR FIRST SHOT~ rinig ulit namin

Suddenly, I smell something. Then I see a 25 silhouette heads on that screen. Nabawasan ito ng isa.

“What is that smell?” I asked. Nagtaka naman ang mga kasama ko at medyo umiba rin ang awra nila nang maamoy.

“OH SHIT! STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING!” natatarantang sigaw ni Krio sa dalawang lalaki na umiinom at akmang kukuha ulit.

A smoke has started to appear.

“What is that?” natatarantang tanong ng isang babae, there are 12 girls in here and 13 boys.

“It’s Hydrogen sulfide. It has a powerful smell, but it will easily desensitize the nose. After that it can shut down the breathing center in the brain, which stops the breathing reflex and kills a person from asphyxiation,” pagpapaliwanag ni Krio.

“Hoy! Kayong dalawang bobo na alak na alak na! Gusto niyo ba tayong mamatay?” bulyaw ni Lade habang chill lang while his legs crossed.

“Bingi ba kayo o sadyang bobo lang talaga? Hindi niyo ba narinig ang sabi aim for your first shot. Ibig sabihin isa-isa lang! Bakit niyo naman nilaklak?” usal ulit ni Lade.

“Guys, I think we all need to take one shot,” pagpapaliwanag naman ni Krio. Kumuha na kami bawat isa at ininom ito. Ngunit hindi pa rin tumigil ang usok.

“Bakit wala namang nangyayari?” tanong nila. At nabawasan na naman ng isa ang heads sa screen.

“I think something is wrong,” Lade whispered but we heard it. Umayos na ito sa pagkakaupo.

“You also built games, what do you think is wrong?” Krio asked Lade.

“Let’s try drinking another one,” suhestiyon ni Lade na medyo nag-aalala na rin.

“Akala ko ba isa-isa lang?” tanong ng isang lalaki kanina na sinuway ni Lade.

“Akala lang ‘yon!” sagot nito.

“Hey, focus!” Krio interrupted.

“Okay. Again, let’s try drinking again.” Kumuha ulit kami, this time wala pa ring nangyayari.

~ AIM FOR YOUR FIRST SHOT~

Paulit-ulit na rinig namin.

“It is not working. Something is really wrong,” sabi ni Lade kaya medyo nagpapanic na rin kami. Ang sakit na nang amoy sa ilong at dumagdag pa yung kulay ng ilaw na naging warm red at nauubo na rin yung iba. 22 heads left.

KRIOGRI’S POV

What we are doing is not working at all. I need to focus or else all of us will be intoxicated in this room. Habang tumitingin ako sa paligid I noticed that the lights slowly flickers turning red into warm red. Nabaling ang tingin ko sa mga shot glasses. I think I knew it.

“THE LIGHTS!” sigaw ko kaya nagulat ang lahat at nabaling ulit sa’kin ang atensyon nila.

“We are doing it wrong. I think we should drink together with the same colors,” saad ko pa. Agad-agad naman kaming kumuha ng tig- iisang shot glass with a red wine. At bago pa man namin inumin pinigilan ko sila.

“WAIT! WE SHOULD DRINK TOGETHER, AS ONE! 1, 2, 3 CHEERS!” I added. At sabay sabay namin ininom ito.

After we drink it, we observed.

~ YOU AIM FOR THE SHOT~

And it worked. Unti- unting nawala ang usok.

“Is there a number on your shot glasses?” Sadi curiously asked. Napailing kaming lahat.

“It has a number 81,” wika nito at nilapag ang glass.

~ AIM FOR YOUR SECOND SHOTS~

Rinig ulit namin.

“Okay. Let’s do it again,” I said and we observed the lights changed it’s color into warm yellow.

“Okay go!” Kumuha kami ng yellow liquor at sabay-sabay ulit ininom ito. I thought it will work again but no. A smoke appeared again.

“What is happening again?” Leyra asked.

Silence for awhile.

“Is there a number on your shot glasses?” tanong ni Lade. All of us look at our shot glasses and none got numbers

“Okay, none! So, we don’t aim the shot. I guess we shot to aim those numbers. See those heads on the screen?” Tinuro niya ito. “I observed kanina tatlong beses tayong nagkamali kaya nabawasan siya nang tatlo at ngayon isang beses na tayong nagkamali, at nabawasan nang dalawa. We are on the second shot kaya each mistake will cost 2 loses. A simple logic game, that’s our lifeline. Anong sa tingin niyo ang mangyayari kapag naubos yan?” he pointed to the smokes and now it made sense.

“All of us will be intoxicated,” I said.

“25 people died on the Nightowl Party,” sabi nang isang babae.

“As we commemorate the dead, we also commemorate those living,” sabi naman ng isang lalaki.

“What happened to them might happen to us.” Another man continued. And, now they realized what is happening in here.

“You got it. So, in order for us to be alive we should be careful to avoid mistakes again,” sabi nito.

“Okay! We have 20 lives left. Let’s focus. Pick your shots carefully,” I said to them. We started to pick and it worked. We got number 21. We follow the same process as the shots go on. On our third shot we got number 42, on our fourth we got 53 but we didn’t aim the shot on our first try that’s why we lose four lives and now we only have 16 lives left, on fifth we got 43, on sixth we got 93, As we continue drinking yung iba nagsusuka na rin at medyo nalalasing na. In our seventh we got 21, on eight we got 42, on ninth we also got 42, on tenth we got 32, on eleventh shot we got 61, on the twelve shot we got 43, on the thirteenth we got 62, on our fourteen shot we got 43, on our fifteenth shot we got 32.

~AIM FOR THE SIXTEENTH SHOTS!~

“This is our last shot. We should be really careful. One mistakes will put us at risk,” I said.

“Lasing na ako. Hindi ko na kaya.”

“Ako rin.” I heard them complain. I looked at Leyra but she still looks okay.

“Leyra, are you okay? Kaya mo pa ba?” tanong ko sa kanya.

“Yeah. I’m still good.”

“We don’t have time, we should finish this or else we’ll die. So, come on let’s aim it!” Lade supported. While the table is still spinning, yung paningin ko umiikot na rin. We pick at uminom na.

“What have we got?” tanong ni Lade. Walang sumagot. Kaya medyo kinabahan ako.

“Don’t tell me we got nothing?” umiling ang lahat. All of us looked at the heads kung nabawasan, we’ll lose sixteen heads if we failed.

“Guys! I don’t feel good.” A woman spoke while blood flowing from her nose.

“Lift your head!” I advice.

“What’s happening? Bakit hindi nabawasan?” nagtatakang tanong ng isang lalaki.

LEYRA’S POV

While everyone is confused. I saw the number in my glass.

“I got it,” I said calmly and they all gazed at me.

“It’s 94,” I said.

~ CONGRATULATIONS! YOU AIM FOR THE SHOTS~

We heard the AI voice speaks. Everyone shouted happily.

“Did we win the game?” tanong ng isang babae na mukhang high na.

“That’s not the question. The real question is what is this numbers for?” sabi ni Krio.

A voice speaks again.

~ UNLOCK THE MYSTERY AND GIVE THE DEAD WHAT SHE DESERVES~