Chapter 40 – Evil plan.

"Olive," Hannah tried to calm Olive down. "Let's talk. Not like this. Please, natatakot na si Eli…"

"No... We will talk like this. Eli has to know what a slut you are, Hannah!" Gigil na itinutok nito sa tagiliran ni Elisha ang kutsilyo habang pigil nito ang bata sa buhok nito. "How you ruined our family!"

Eli wasn't complaining kahit nakadungaw na sa mga mata nito ang pinipigilan nitong mga luha. She was a brave kid! Hindi niya alam kung dapat ba niyang ikatuwa iyon na tahimik lang ito o hindi.

"Don't hurt her, I beg you." Siya pa ang naunang maiyak kaysa sa bata. "She's your daughter, Liv! Your own flesh and blood!" She couldn't contain seeing Eli so scared like that but she couldn't do anything. One wrong move and Olive could hurt Eli.

"I know... " bahagya nitong inilayo ang kutsilyo "I'm not going to hurt Eli. I need her so Nate would come back to me. But– " bitin nitong itinabi sa leeg ni Eli ang hawak nito. "If you're not going to cooperate with me, I will slash this kid's throat in front of your very eyes." Then she smiled like real crazy and Hannah had goosebumps all over her body.

"Don't, please... You can't do that. Anak mo siya... Please, don't!"

"Once upon a time in London, I killed my unborn child," ngumisi ito. "I stabbed myself so he would die."

"What?" Halos hindi iyon lumabas sa bibig niya, she was too shocked for words.

"Yeah, you heard it right, Hannah... But before that, i killed his father first." Tumawa ito na parang nakakatawang bagay ang sinasabi nito samantalang siya ay kinikilabutan sa mga lumalabas sa bibig nito. "And then I dug his grave and buried him. He caught his last breath under the ground."

"You're kidding," hindi siya makapaniwala, who was this woman in front of her? Olive had turned into a mad person! She was insane!

"Nope! In fact, I'm sure hinahanap na ako ng mga pulis ngayon. Stupid Brit. Inilaglag ako. But I'm gonna make sure na bago nila ako mahuli, I'm going to have my revenge on you first!"

"What do you want, Olive?"

"I want you to jump off the balcony!"

"What? Olive, we're on the twenty-fifth floor!"

"I know, duh!" She smiled evilly again. "Head first, Hannah. Make it look like you committed suicide."

"No!" Biglang sigaw ni Elisha na nagtangkang tumakbo palayo sa ina nito but Olive was quick to restrain the kid. "No!" Umiiyak itong humarap kay Olive. "Mama, you promised me that you won't hurt my mommy if I behave. I'm behaving, right?"

Hannah's heart broke. Did Elisha know about her mother's evil plan? So that explained the weird feeling she felt earlier. Eli wasn't her usual self because Olive had warned her.

"You did not eat the cake," nag-isang linya ang mga labi ni Olive.

"Because I saw you put something on it."

"That's an ingredient. Silly."

"It's for the rats."

Hindi makapaniwala si Hannah. The reason why Eli refused to eat the cake was because she saw her mother put poison on it at hindi dahil sayang kainin dahil sobrang ganda.

Did Olive also try to poison Elisha?

Lalong nagalit lang si Olive at kinaladkad ang bata para itali sa upuan gamit ang lubid na 'di niya malaman kung paano ito nagkaroon. Sinubukan niyang pigilin ang kaibigan pero inumangan lang siya nito ng kutsilyo.

"Olive, please... Don't do this to Eli."

"Step back, Hannah!"

"Let's talk. Not like this. Let Elisha go. I beg you," sinisikap niyang magpakatatag habang naghahanap ng ano mang bagay na pwede niyang magamit laban kay Olive. But to her dismay, mukhang planado nga nito ang lahat dahil wala siyang makitang pwedeng maging sandata. "Olive, please…"

"We're already talking, Hannah." Hinigpitan nito ang tali kay Eli. "Stay where you are. 'Wag mo siyang lalapitan or else I'm gonna kill her!" Banta nito habang may kinukuha sa drawer ng kitchen counter nito.

She pulled a gun from there kaya iyong plano niyang pakawalan si Eli habang lumabas ito sa laundry area nito ay 'di niya nagawa. Olive would be quicker and she could shoot them nang walang kalaban laban.

Pagbalik nito ay may dala itong galon na ibinuhos nito ang laman malapit kay Elisha.

"Olive, that's gasoline," kinakabahan na lalo siya.

"Genius!"

"What are you thinking? Please, stop!" pakiusap niya.

"Olive!!!" Sabay silang napalingon sa may pintuan, it was Nate na halos gibain na ang pinto.

Nagkatinginan silang dalawa.

"Go, tell him everything's alright. But don't open the door," sabi ni Olive habang sinasabihan din si Eli na 'wag gagawa ng ingay.

She obeyed bago kinalma ang sarili.

"Nate, we're fine here. Leave us alone, okay?" she told him habang pigil na 'wag humikbi.

"Hannah, open this d*mn door. We're going home!"

"Susunod na kami ni Elisha. Olive's still in the shower and she said we shouldn't let anyone in."

Tumatango-tango si Olive before gesturing to her to walk towards the balcony.

"Hannah? Hannah?!" Naririnig pa rin niya si Nate sa labas pero hindi na siya nakasagot dahil tinutukan na siya ni Olive ng baril habang paatras siyang naglalakad papunta sa balcony.

"Olive... I'm going to do anything, not just this one. It's pretty high."

"Exactly my point. Kaya nga kita patatalunin, 'di ba? Kasi nga mataas? Otherwise, babarilin na lang kita…" pinaikutan pa siya nito ng mga mata nito.

"Liv," naramdaman na niya ang bakal na harang sa likod niya, she didn't dare looked down. Busy street ang nasa baba, mamamatay siya panigurado kapag doon siya bumagsak.

"Ayaw mo?" Bumalik ito sa kinaroroonan ni Elisha at sinindihan ang gasolina.

"'Wag!" She cried and risked stopping Olive. She's going to burn down the whole building!

Hindi na nag-isip pa na hinablot niya ito sa buhok. They fought each other hanggang sa mapunta sila ulit sa balcony. At that point wala ng ibang naiisip si Hannah kundi ang mailigtas si Elisha. Her child was crying dahil sa apoy na mabilis ang paglaki sa harapan nito.

She didn't realize that Olive prepared her unit to catch a big fire at once. Bukod pa iyon sa tulong ng gasolina.

Kailangan niyang matalo si Olive. Pareho silang nakahawak sa baril at pinaglalabanan nila kung kanino maitututok iyon. She used her entire strength to puah the gun away from her.

Until both of them fell on the floor at nabitiwan ni Olive ang baril. Nagmamadaling sinipa niya iyon palayo before Olive could attack her again.

Hindi niya alam how she managed to fight Olive hanggang sa matagpuan niyang nakalambitin na ito sa railings ng balcony sa labas na bahagi.

Perhaps, her mother's instinct to save Elisha won over Olive's instinct to kill her.

"Hannah! How dare you?!" sigaw nito as she rushed to where Elisha was, the fire was growing big at napupuno na ng usok ang unit ni Olive.

"Elisha!" Lumuhod siya sa harapan ng bata at pinakawalan ito gamit din ang kutsilyo ni Olive. Sakto rin naman when they heard an explosion sa may pinto. Moments later, Nate was shouting their names sa likod nang makapal na usok na nakapagitan sa kanila.

It wouldn't be easy for anyone to see them kasi makapal na nga agad ang usok. It was beside the fact that Olive's unit was not small. And the fire could no longer be stopped by mere fire extinguishers.

Kapag may sumugod doon nang basta-basta, unless they anticipated the fire and brought equipments with them, mahihirapan ang mga ito.

"Are you okay, Eli? Let's go," binasa muna niya ang suot niyang cardigan at ibinalot iyon sa nanginginig na sa takot na bata.

"Hannah! Don't leave me! I'm gonna die here!" She heard Olive shouting. "Help!!!"

Nagtalo ang puso't isipan niya. Olive. Her friend. She was going to fall and die kapag iniwanan niya ito sa ganoong kalagayan.

"Eli, listen to me. Run that way. Daddy is on the other side. Find him, okay?" aniya, biting back a sob.

"You're not coming?" Ayaw bumitaw ni Eli, smoke was already all over the unit and for some reason, there were no water sprinklers inside.

"Susunod ako. Promise me, you'll find daddy, okay?"

"Okay," tumango ito bago tumakbo sa direksyong sinabi niya. She knew she would be safe.

"Nate!" Sigaw niya. "Get, Eli!"

If helping Olive was the last thing she could do for their friendship, then she will do it without second thought.

Bumalik siya sa balcony at tinulungan itong makaakyat ulit gamit ang buong lakas niya.

Marahil dala ng adrenaline rush, she was able to pull Olive up. She was catching her breath when both of them were safe. Kasama na ang usok sa nalalanghap niya making it almost impossible to breathe.

"Hannah!"

"Liv— what?!" Nakangisi ang kaibigan niya habang nakatutok sa kanya ang baril nito. "I saved you!"

"You did. So I can kill you!"

She almost wanted to regret her decision to help her. But she wasn't a bad person, at least if she would come out of there alive and she would have to look back at her friendship with Olive, she could take pride that at the very last, she didn't turn her back on her friend.

Large flame and dark smoke already separated them from the unit but she could still hear Nate calling her name. He sounded desperate. At naririnig din niyang pinipigilan na itong pumasok pa.

"That's my wife in there! Don't stop me! Hannah!!! Hannah!!!"

She felt her tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Nate," usal niya, she wanted to tell him she was alright pero napipi na siya sa baril na nakatutok sa kanya.

"Wife?" Mapait na ulit ni Olive. "Is that a wedding ring on your finger?" It was like the word wife hit Olive right where it hurts dahil nakita niyang umagos ang luha nito mula sa mga mata nito. "Kailan pa?"

"Olive–" napalunok siya nang itutok nito sa sintido niya ang baril.

"Kailan pa?!" sigaw nito.

"J-just this morning."

Bigla itong tumawa. But more than the laugh of an insane person, Hannah heard the laugh of a deeply hurt woman.

"No honeymoon yet?"

Umiling siya.

"Good..." marahas nitong pinahid ang mga luha nito. "I'll make sure hindi na magkakaroon!"

"Olive, please... We're friends... "

"You're a snake, Hannah!" Buong hinanakit nitong sabi.

"I love Nate. Hindi ko siya inagaw sa 'yo. In fact, hindi sana kami nagkakilala kung hindi mo ipinaalam sa kanya ang tungkol kay Elisha!"

"How dare you blame me! You're such a snake! Hindi pa ba pang-aagaw ang ginawa mo? You married him even when you knew that I want him to marry me! I love Nate so much, Hannah! I love him. I want him! But then you ruined my dream! I hate you! I hate you!" Hysterical nito while firing a shot. Hindi sa kanya pero napakalapit sa tainga niya. Pakiramdam nga niya nabingi siya. "The next shot will be for you!"

Instinctively, Hannah closed her eyes when she heard the next gunshot.

"What the hell?" Olive muttered, Hannah didn't feel that she got shot kaya nagmulat siya ng paningin.

"Olive!" She saw her friend bleeding from her right shoulder.

On Olive's body were red laser lights from snipers from wherever. There was so much hate in her eyes that it almost pained Hannah. Nasa mga mata nito ang matinding kagustuhan na makaganti sa kanya.

"If I die today–" Olive threw her gun on the fire at her back. "You will die with me!!!" With that said, buong lakas siya nitong itinulak pahulog sa balcony and then she immediately followed by jumping off.

Hannah was too shocked she didn't know what happened next.

Ang alam lang niya, images of Nate and Elisha flashed before her eyes...

She was going to die. Hindi na niya makakasama pa ang mga ito. Just when everything's starting to be okay, heto naman siya. She was losing her life very soon and there's no way of coming back again.

Naramdaman niyang tumulo ang mga luha niya kasabay ng pagbagsak nila ni Olive…

"I love you, Nate... Take care of Eli," she closed her eyes, the flame engulfed unit of Olive being the last that she saw.