“So, they are erasing the infected with the use of nuclear bombs?” Tyler asked while extracting a blood sample from Chi’s bozos body part.

Together with their patient Chi, Tyler and Parker were isolated to the kitchen area where they are doing their study. Chi told them to study her infected body part while the sun is up, we were against her idea at first, but she emphasized that it could really help us if we know the difference between the infected to the normal ones.

I saw how Cara twisted her lips while looking at the blood remove from Chi’s body being transferred to a test tube. It was a gelatinous dark red blood and was swaying along with the movement of the RV.

“Tyler,” Parker called as he held the two test tubes, which are both Chi’s blood, one from the infected side and one from her normal body.

“Hoy. Bakit jelly-jelly ‘yong isa?” Tanong ko. Nang tumigil ang RV ay agad kong narinig ang mga hakbang ni Spencer sa likuran ko. Tiyak kong nasa Gethsemane na kami dahil sumusilip na sa may bintana si Cara at tumigil na rin si Spencer sa pagdadrive.

“Chi’s infected part has the absence of the bone marrow,” Parker answered. He carefully put a small amount of gelatinous blood to a coverslip and examines it in a microscope.

“Kung walang bone marrow si Ate Chi sa part na ‘yon, ibig sabihin walang white cells na lalaban sa mga infection niya.” Bulong ni Spencer sa gilid ko.

Nagulat ako nang biglang binato sa akin ni Cara ang katana saka niya ako hinila palayo kay Spencer, “Aalis tayo,” sambit ni Cara.

“Halata nga.”

“Where are you going?” Spencer asked. He is really better when the presence of chocolate is missing in his system; he is calm and serious.

“Gethsemane General Hospital,” Cara answered.

Napangisi na lamang ako nang dahil do’n, nang mag-angat ako ng mga mata ay nakita ko ang pagtitig sa amin nina Parker at Tyler na naka-surgical mask at gloves ngayon kasabay no’n ang makahulugan na tingin ni Parker kay Cara.

“Do you think that hospital has 2000x magnification?” Parker asked Cara.

“It is a hospital, moron.”

“Then get one.” Cara nodded to Parker’s command and once again pulled me outside. I frowned at her when we exited the RV and in front of us was the biggest hospital in the Philippines, the Gethsemane General Hospital.

Habang inaayos ko ang katana ay nahagip ko si Spencer sa gilid ng mga mata ko na nakasunod sa amin. May nakasukbit na mga baril sa gilid ng kaniyang baiwang at mayroon din siyang bag sa likuran bukod do’n ay dala-dala rin niya ang baseball bat ni Parker.

“Bakit ka nandito?” Tanong ko.

“Baka may vending machine sa loob. Mangunguha lang ako ng chocolate.” Nice one! Nang makapasok kami sa loob ay tahimik lamang ang paligid dahilan upang maging alerto kami.

Dumiretso naman si Cara sa front desk dahil nando’n ang CCTV monitor, kung saan maaari naming makita kung saang palabag mayroong bozos. Ang ospital na ito ay may labing limang palapag ngunut kahit isa sa mga ito ay walang makikitang bakas ng dugo o kahit anino ng mga bozos.

“Mas delikado talaga pag ganitong katahimik,” bulong ko saka ko napansin ang floor plan ng ospital na nakadigkit sa front desk. Agad kong tinuro iyon kina Cara at Spencer dahilan upang muli naming i-check ang mga CCTV camera sa bawat palapag.

“Nasa 12th floor ang laboratory. Aside from that marami rin na vending machine ro’n,” sambit ni Spencer habang inaayos ang bag sa kaniyang likuran.

“Are you telling us that you will go alone?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Are you forgetting that you’re only thirteen years old and can’t actually fight alone?”

“There are no bozos around,” he argued. I pinched his nose, making him glare at me. The only thing that is actually mature in him was the way he thinks, not his body.

“Hindi pwede.”

“Don’t worry. Lahat tayo ay pupunta sa 12th floor.” Parehas kaming napalingon ni Spencer kay Cara na malagkit ang tingin sa isang kuwarto sa 12th floor, ang silid kung saan tinatago ang mga medical records, “Nasa kabilang dulo nga lang ang pupuntahan namin ni Amira.” Dagdag niya pa.

“Sasamahan ko si Spence—”

“You are coming with me.” Cara gritted, making Spencer tap my back.

“Kaya ko naman mag-isa. And I badly needed chocolates right now.” Hindi ko mapigilan ang mapangiwi dahil sa sinabi n’ya, hindi ko alam na may adik pala kaming kasama.

Nang tumungo kami sa elevator ay agad na pinindot ni Cara ang button papunta sa ika-labing dalawang palapag. Masyadong tahimik ang paligid dahilan upang hindi namin malaman ang mga maaaring mangyari. Ang bawat paghinga namin ang sumasakop sa katahimikan.

“Anong gagawin n’yo?” Tanong ni Spencer. Nagkibit-balikat naman ako dahil hinila lang naman ako ni Cara at wala talaga akong ideya kung anong trip n’ya sa buhay.

“Basta,” bulong ni Cara pagkabukas ng elevator. Agad niyang tinulak si Spencer sa direksyon kung nasaan ang direksyon ng laboratory, “Pumunta ka kaagad sa amin pagkatapos mo o kaya bumalik ka na lang sa RV.”

At dahil walang sapi ng kahit anong espiritu ng tsokolate si Spencer ngayon ay tumango lamang siya sa sinabi ni Cara. Nang nagsimulang maglakad ito paalis sa pwesto namin ay siyang naging hudyat upang higitin ako ni Cara papunta sa kwarto kung nasaan ang mga medical records.

“Lock the door,” Cara commanded, which I immediately did after we entered the room.

A bunch of files welcomed us. Most of them are stored on wide-open shelves, while some are on the boxes. On the other hand, Cara went to the only computer system in this room. It has three monitors and was somewhat mirroring the screen of the monitor in the middle.

I was no longer surprised that Cara could crack the computer’s password because aside from being a hacker, her family owns this gigantic hospital.

“Search for restricted files in the shelf, kukuha ako ng mga data na pwedeng makatulong kina Parker dito.”

“You want me to steal the files—”

“We’re borrowing them.” As soon as she glared at me, I immediately went to the restricted section. There are many folders in which I do not know where to start.

“I have a question, Cara.”

“Ano ‘yon?”

“The Equinox flower is the red spider lily, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then all of its parts were deadly though the stalk leaves and flowers are mildly poisonous, the bulbs are very poisonous.” A peculiar folder caught my attention, in which the words written on it were ‘Doctor Ramirez,’ and when I opened it, a photograph suddenly fell.

It was a picture of Cara’s parents together with my parents and Spencer’s parents, and another two couple. They were smiling from ear to ear as if they wouldn’t betray the world.

Kinuha ko lahat ng files na may nakalagay na ‘Doctor Ramirez’ saka ako pumunta sa pwesto ni Cara. At habang naglalakad ako palapit sa kanya ay pamilyar na boses akong naririnig, mahina ito ngunit sigurado akong pagmamay-ari iyon ng taong iyon.

Kusang tumigil ang mga paa ko sa paghakbang nang makita ko ang pinapanood ni Cara, maging siya ay hindi makapaniwala sa nakikita n’ya.

“All set, August.”

I frustratingly bit my lower lip as my father, Augustus Fernandez, was laying my mother gently in a bed. They put handcuffs on her wrists and ankles and tied the other end to the bed. On the other hand, Crisostomo Ramirez fixed his surgical mask and opened a syringe.

“Stay still, Aly,” Dr. Ramirez said.

My tears automatically streamed down when I saw my mother’s warm smile; not a single regret was written in her eyes. She leisurely closed her eyes went the syringe was injected into her veins. Cara’s mother, Dr. Mathilde Ramirez, flashed a small whiteboard with ‘experiment trial #23’ written on the camera.

Pagtapos no’n ay inayos nilang dalawa ang dextrose at kinabit iyon sa katawan ng aking ina. It was a colorless liquid at first until Cara’s father injected another colorless liquid in the dextrose, making the bag changed into crimson red.

Hindi ko alam kung paano nangyari iyon, walang timelapse na naganap ngunit tila limang segundo lamang at naubos ang formula sa loob ng plastic bag. Na para bang hinigop ito ng katawan ni Mama.

Parehas kaming nagulat ni Cara nang lumabas sa screen ang mga salitang ‘Download Completed,’ ngunit bago pa tuluyan na matanggal ni Cara ang flashdrive n’ya sa CPU ay isang nakakakilabot na imahe ang rumehistro sa aming utak.

Ang nanay ko ay tahimik na nakaupo habang patuloy pa rin ang video.

Bukod do’n ay ang dahan-dahan na pagkubra ng isang nakakakilabot na ngiti kasama ang nakakapanindig balahibong pares ng madugo niyang mga mata.

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