Chapter 5: The Friendship

Lynch's POV

I started analyzing the first riddle.
This is something you plant
But doesn't grow
It's basically given that it's not a plant but it is planted.
It is a work of science
But never for people
So, it's a scientific experiment. Obviously, it's fatal to people.
Try to find me
In the center before the Earth
Or all of you
Will fade off the world
Mapupunas sa mundo, death. This one's the location.

I don't think that the riddle itself is hard. Anong bagay ang iplinaplanta na hindi lumalaki at nakakapatay ng maraming tao. Easy. It's a bomb. What is not the right question, Where is the real question that should be asked. Nasaan ang bomba?

Center before the Earth...Hindi kaya? Tumakbo na ako agad-agad palabas sa kuarto at napatalon nang nakita ko na bakante ang elevator. Pumasok naman ako at ipinindot ang ground floor. Maraming palapag ang biglang nagopen at sasakay sana ang mga tao pero ipinindot ko ang close button bago nila maipasok ang mga paa nila.

Sa tingin ko ay literal ang clue niya. Kaya pumunta ako sa pinakamababang lugar sa hospital, kung saan matatagpuan ang morgue at iba pa. Hindi na ako nagsayang nang oras at binilisan ko ang aking takbo.

May nakita akong pliers sa gilid nang isang poste na nakapagtataka kung bakit nandoon.

Beep. Beep. Nabigla ako nang marinig ko ang sound na iyon kasunod naman nang pagvibrate ng cellphone ko dahil sa isang text message.

Timer starts now. 0:59 remaining.

What the heck?! Isang minuto lamang?! Tumakbo ako na hindi pinagisipan ang direksyon ng aking mga paa. Nalagpasan ko ang pliers at pinulot ito bago ipinagpatuloy ang pagderetso ko sa gitna.

Mukhang tama ang pinuntahan ko. Literally center before the earth. There was a hole right in the middle. Pagdating ko, nakalagay ang bomba sa loob pero mababaw lang. But I was running out of time. The bomb read 16 seconds.

I was starting to panic. I was never good at defusing bombs but my parents made me learn. They made me learn things essential for a detective but never suitable for my age so I had to grow early and leave my innocence behind fast.

Tinitigan ko ito nang maiigi. There were eight wires with the same color of blue. Usually, mayroong tatlong waya ang bomba na kailangan mong putulin in the correct sequence to defuse it; the primer, the reactor, and the ignition timer.

Dahil sa kulang ako nang oras. I was forced to take the risk. One wrong move and it explodes. But if I don't defuse it, puputok din. I had no other choice than to defuse it.

I studied the wiring immediately. Minsan kasi, may mga trip wires ang bomba na nagiging dahilan kung bakit pumuputok ito. I couldn't touch the bomb dahil sensored din ito.

Oh, I see. Naalala ko na ang model na ito, I already practiced one like this with the bomb squad last year. I cut the first wire. Nothing happened. That's good. Next, pinutol ko naman ang huling waya. And last, the most tricky part. The ignition timer. It wasn't in any of the eight wires in front. Sa gilid ng bomba, may nakatagong waya na halos hindi na makita ng mata dahil sa kadiliman ng butas. Agad-agad kong pinutol ito.

Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep. The bomb just started beeping. What? I thought I got the right wire. But napansin ko na nagstop ang timer sa 0:03. Napabuntong hininga ako. Akala ko ay sasabog na ako.

I pulled the bomb away from the hole and put in on the ground. When I looked inside the hole again, there was something shiny. I pulled it and saw a key. A key?

Shit! Si Arya! I checked the time, it was 11:50. Kahit na masakit na ang mga paa ko at uhaw na uhaw na ako, pilit parin akong tumakbo sa elevator papunta sa kuarto ni Arya. Kinuha ko ang papel sa bulsa ko at binasa ulit nang nakapasok na ako sa elevator.

What poison do people eat but not die?
What poison is present in a fruit that when consumed is not fatal but when individually extracted becomes deadly?

Hindi ako alam kung bakit pero saging ang una kong naisip. Perhaps, it's because I just really hate bananas that I haven't eaten a raw one in 8 years.

Pero kung titingnan mo ay totoo namang pwede itong makalason. Potassium... Potassium is fatal if ingested directly to a person through intravenous fluids. Shit! I was right, bananas are containers of poison. Bananas are evil.

What poison do people eat but not die?
What poison is present in a fruit that when consumed is not fatal but when individually extracted becomes deadly?
This one is referring to a food na kung titingnan sa second question ay prutas. Potassium is poisonous in a certain dosage pero dahil nasa saging ito at hindi naman ganon karami ang nakoconsume ng tao ay hindi sila namamatay.

May plano silang lasonin si Arya through the IV tubes.

When I reached her room, it was locked. "Open this goddamned door now!" Sigaw ko habang sinisipa ang pinto. I tightened my grip on the doorknob when it suddenly dawned on me. Ang tanga ko pala kapag pressured! I have the key, they gave me the key.

Nataranta kong kinuha ang susi sa aking bulsa at binuksan ang pinto. Huli sa aktong may inilalagay ang nurse sa swero ni Arya na ngayon ay natutulog ng mahimbing, wala man lang kaalam-alam na papatayin nila siya. "Stop what you are doing!" Sigaw ko at aktong pumunta sa kanya pero kinutot niya ang syringe kaya napunta ang laman nito sa mga wires na nakakonenta sa katawan ni Arya.

I had no choice. I'm sorry, Arya. You will feel this, this will be very painful. Hinila ko ang swerong nakatapat sa kanyang veins na dahilan kung bakit siya nagising sa sakit. But instead of staying with her, I chased the nurse who injected the poison.

Nakita ko siyang tumakbo sa lobby. Well, that was stupid. "Guards! Guards! Stop her! Stop that woman!" Naging alerto naman sila at hinabol ang babae. "Please detain her, she is accused of attempted murder and will be questioned by the police." Sinabi ko sa kanila at kinuha ko ang aking cellphone at tinawagan si Chief Alipio na tattay naman ni Marky.

"Hello? Chief, there's been a crime in the hospital. I have detained the suspect, please come." Ibinaba ko na ang tawag at bumalik sa room ni Arya.

As expected, nakakunot ang kanyang noo sa pagaalala, which kind of made her look cute, to be honest. But I was losing strength kaya dumako ako sa sofa sa gilid nang room niya at humiga. "I know that you have questions..."

"Yes, well, mukhang pagod ka na kaya pagpapahingain na muna kita." Parang disappointed siya pero nag-aalala. As if?

"It's okay. I'm still awake." Diin ko naman kaya nagtanong na lamang siya.

"Are you okay? Napano ka?" That was her question?

"Nag-aalala ka ba sa kin?" Bakit naman mag-aalala ang isang stranger sa akin. I just met her two weeks ago. Huwag kang assuming, Lynch.

"Oo." Tahimik niyang sagot na dahilan kung bakit ko naimulat ang mata ko. That's when I realized, nag-aalala din ako para sa kanya.

"I'm fine. I hope you are, too." I closed my eyes and let out a small smile towards her direction. And even though my eyes are closed and that my breaths were starting to become slower, I heard her say, "Thank you, Lynch." And I felt her smile.

And I knew just then, that it was the start of a new friendship.

That was the last thing I felt before I fell asleep.

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A/N: Dahil sa hilig kong matulog, nagtatapos ang mga kabanata ko sa mga characters na natutulog din.

~Candy🍭🍭🍭