Silence hung upon us, and not a single one moved nor spoken. Our eyes were locked to the familiar bozo, who was being decontaminated at the entrance. I gulped and glanced at the katana in the corner of the living room.

Damn…

I took a breath and swiftly snatched the katana and went in the direction of the bozo, but someone immediately stopped me. And when I look up, I saw Peter brooding at me.

“What the hell are you doing?” Peter asked.

I confusedly looked at him and eyed the Einstein, who was making his way inside, “Thinking of killing the bozo?”

Saglit n’ya akong tiningnan na tila malalim ang iniisip n’ya. Nang lingunin n’ya ang Einstein ay muli s’yang tumingin sa akin na tila ba ako ay kinukuwestyon niya sa binabalak kong gawin.

Nang binalak kong maglakad ay mabilis n’yang kinuha ang katana sa aking kamay dahilan upang inis ko s’yang tingnan.

“Isa pa at ikaw ang hahampasin ko, Amira,” singhal nito sa ‘kin. Nang lumagpas ang tingin ko sa kanya ay napansin ko ang nagtatakhang panonood sa amin ni Cara bago s’ya magkibit-balikat.

“Really, huh?” I mocked and smirked at him. And when Cara slowly pulled her hunter’s knife in her pocket, Peter was baffled at first, but Cara was swift enough to charge towards the Einstein.

“Oops. I’m just going to stop you right there.” Kelly smiled and tripped Cara, and she immediately snatched the hunter’s knife, which immediately fell to the ground.

The Einstein suddenly glanced in our direction, and I almost felt suffocated just by looking at those crimson eyes. Why are they preventing us from killing that thing? Peter heaved a sigh, and, together with Kelly, they approach the Einstein.

“Anong nangyari?” Kibit-balikat lamang ang naging sagot ko sa tanong ni Parker.

Parehas kaming nagtatakhang pinanood sina Peter at Kelly, maliban na lamang sa pakielamerong si Tyler na sumunod sa kanyang ex-girlfriend. Nagpalitan kami ni Cara nang tingin dahil sa kakaibang ginagawa nila Peter, may tinatanggal ang mga itong balat sa mukha ng Einstein.

Patuloy ang pagdaing ng Einstein na tila ito ay nahihirapan sa pagsasalita. At sa isang banda, ang pakielamerong si Tyler ay nakidutdot sa mga balat na natanggal na nina Kelly sa mukha ng bozo.

Tyler suddenly looked at confusedly while raising the skin, “Prosthetics?” Tangina nito. Malay ko kung ano ‘yan, ikaw kaya ang may hawak.

No one replied to him, and out of embarrassment, he silently placed the skin back and left Kelly with Peter.

“Man… I feel bad for you. The two women you love actually wanted to kill you…” Peter laughed. I can clearly see that he was talking to the Einstein.

And from that moment, I felt stunned. The face, the laugh, it all looked and sounded familiar. The fake skins were not yet out, but I can actually visualize him. I frustratingly bit my lower lip and glanced to Cara, who was also baffled, just like me.

“Well…” The supposed to be Einstein glanced at me with a small smile curved upon his lips.

I slowly covered my mouth and let the tears streamed down my cheeks. And as he slowly removed the crimson contact lenses, my body gradually surrendered. Parker helped me to catch my balance properly, but I am still dazed and confused about what is happening right now.

He tapped Peter’s shoulder and nodded to Kelly. And every slow step he took, my body felt weaker and weaker.

“Yow! Kuya Alex!”

Lahat kami ay napalingon sa pinanggalingan ng boses na ‘yon. Tila ba’y nagkaroon ng isang bulalakaw na bumasag sa katahimikan, na hindi ko alam kung bakit pero ninanais kong tumama sa batang iyon ang tanginang bulalakaw na iyon.

Mabilis na sinugod ni Spencer sa isang yakap ang aking kapatid na tila ba’y siya ang kadugo nito. At gagong batang ito ay inunahan pa akong kapatid pati na rin ang girlfriend nitong makayakap. Ang mga kadramahan sa aking sistema ay dahan-dahan na naglalaho dahil sa kakaibang entrada ng batang iyon.

“Gusto ko s’yang saktan…” bulong ko kay Parker. Natatawa n’yang ginulo ang buhok ko at ginawi ako sa direksyon ng kapatid ko.

Parehas namin siyang sinamaan ni Cara nang tingin habang patuloy pa rin ang pagyakap sa kanya ni Spencer. Nakangiwi itong tumingin sa amin at nagbuntong-hininga.

“Amira, Cara—”

“Kuya Alex, sorry ha. Naiwan kita sa mall dati, may mga epal kasi—”

“What the hell, Spencer?” I exclaimed. And now, I am clearly sure that I don’t know what’s going on.

“What the hell din, Amira!” He countered. I languidly looked at Parker and pointed to his kid, “And why do you think a mere 13 years old could actually survive by himself during an apocalypse? Duh, wake up, Amira.”

Nakangiwi ko s’yang pinanood habang paulit-ulit n’yang sinasabi ang salitang ‘duh’ na may pagpilantik pa ng pilikmata. Inis ko namang tiningala ang kapatid ko at dinuro s’ya.

“And why the hell are you wearing that thing? Oh, fuck! You’re the one who were giving me creeps every night! That fucking crimson eyes—”

Alex softly laughed, “As far as I remembered, I tried approaching you a lot of times. Well, except what happened to the mall— I’m actually testing if you are going to draw the katana.”

Walang gana ko s’yang tiningnan at halos lumuwa ang mga mata ko nang sinampal ni Cara si Alex. Humihikbi ito habang masama ang mga pinupukol na tingin dito, gulat na napahaplos si Alex sa kanyang pisnge at nilingon si Cara.

“Isa kang tangina! Paano ba malalaman ng kapatid mong ikaw si Alex?! Tanga ka ba? Isa pa, tanga ka ba—”

Cara automatically shut up when Alex smirked and slowly leaned at her as if he didn’t just rise from the ashes and smells like a fucking bozo. And before Alex’s face could actually reach Cara’s, Spencer suddenly tripped him.

“Can you not actually do it in front of a child?” He innocently asked. His smug face slowly dominated my facade. Gusto ko talagang manakit ng bata ngayon.

Nang tumayo si Alex ay agad n’yang hinampas ang ulo ni Spencer at pinanlisikan ito ng mga mata. Nagtatakha ko s’yang pinagmasdan nang lingunin n’ya ako at ngumiti.

“Saglit. Ayoko ng drama mo, Kuya. Just tend to Cara, mas miss ka n’yan kaysa sa miss kita at isa pa ay may gagawin pa kami ni Parker.” Bigla na lamang s’yang napanguso dahil sa sinabi ko. Pabiro naman s’yamg tinapik nina Kelly at Peter. Mga siraulo.

“Anong gagawin?” Nagtatakhang tanong sa akin ni Parker.

Nginisian ko s’ya at minata ang laboratory, “Matutulog ako at babantayan mo naman ‘yong semi-bozo…”

Nginiwian n’ya na lamang ako, magsasalita pa sana siya nang may humigit sa kanyang balikat. Parehas naming minata si Alex saka s’ya pinagtaasan ng kilay.

“Anong gagawin n’yong dalawa, huh? Hindi ako papayag na mag-stay kayo sa iisang—”

“At bakit naman?” Mataray kong tanong sa kanya.

Bigla na lamang n’yang dinuro si Parker, “E, may gusto sa’yo ‘yang tukmol na ‘yan. Oh, tumanggi ka, Parker— Tanda ko pa ‘yon noong hiniram mo ‘yong cellphone ko para lang kumuha ng pictures pati number ng kapatid ko!”

Nagtatakha akong sumilip kay Parker na umiwas nang tingin sa akin, “P—pupunta lang ako sa lab. Haha…”

Dahan-dahan naglakad si Parker paalis nang nilingon ko ang siraulo kong kapatid, “Alam ko. Ilang beses na sa aking sinabi ni Peter noong nagmamatkol s’ya na ang bigat ko. Tsaka sinabi ko nga kay mommy na boyfriend ko s’ya noon kaya siguro sinasabi ni Cara na may gusto s’ya kay Parker kasi akala n’ya—”

“Oh, Amira…” Cara laughed.

I rolled my eyes, “Bahala kayo r’yan.”

I acted as if I was in a bad mood and immediately went to Parker’s room without giving attention to his baffled face. I heaved a sigh and locked the door.

I slowly pulled the paper with the formula and the failed Lycoris Albiflora out of my pocket. I stole these items when Parker was preoccupied with the effect of the new formula.

And as I brooded to my reflection in the mirror, the tradition of Nakamura Clan embarked to my mind. I know that aside from the message about the awakening, something is still wrong with this paper.

Pinatong ko sa side table ang papel at naghanap ng lighter sa gamit ni Parker at nang makakita ako’y kusang tumama ang mata ko sa syringe kung nasaan ang Lycoris Albiflora. Hindi ko alam kung bakit pakiramdam ko ay hindi tama o mali ang formula na ‘to, para bang hindi lamang ito para sa mga infected.

“Itutuloy ko ba ang katangahan ko?” Tanong ko sa sarili ko, “Ampota kasi. Ang hirap pag-curious…”

Wala sa sarili kong in-inject ang formula sa aking braso, saglit pa akong napangiwi dahil sa pagkabigla. Ngunit nang maubos ang formula ay walang nangyari kakaiba sa akin.

Ilang beses akong kumurap ngunit wala talaga. Hindi ba ito gumagana sa hindi infected?

“Oh, fuck. I’m still alive…”

I immediately threw the syringe and focused my attention on the paper. I reflected the light at the bottom of the paper, and a surge of words began to appear.

And for some reason, I felt confused at it as I slowly realized that it was a story—a story of my ancestor in the Nakamura Clan.

My stomach curled. As I slowly read the story, that will change my perspective forever.

December 2, 1978
Antoinette Yvonne Nakamura

‘It is not me. I’m not the chosen one, and if someone luckily read this entry. Please hide before she rises; the awakening is not a joke. Once she wakes up, humanity will perish, everything will put to an end…’

And so, the story of the Nakamura’s began to be narrated. The evolution, the wickedness, and the reason why we became the outcast.

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