Chapter 50: Never Stop Running

My hearing must be impaired.

Tila nawalan ng ingay ang mundo and I see everything in a slow motion. I felt Megan and Trench tried to held me but my mind was hazy. Ilang beses lamang akong napakurap habang nakatingin sa kumpol ng mga tao. They slowly turn their heads towards our direction. Sumisigaw sila ngunit hindi ko marinig kung ano iyon dahil tila ayaw gumana ng mga senses ko. Even my brain was delaying everything until I felt Megan slapped my face.

Puto, napakalakas niyon kaya tila nagising ako.

And she’s crying. “Run Sunny. Run as fast as you can.”

Why?

Before I could ask what’s wrong with her, the fake astronauts grabbed us. Two held Trench, another two held Megan at dalawa rin ang kumaladkad sa akin. I thought we’re heading back inside the laboratory ngunit nagulat na lamang ako nang patungo sa harap ng mga tao ang direksyong tinatahak namin. Megan tried wriggling to break free ngunit hindi man lamang natinag ang mga fake astronaut. On the other hand, Trench was too weak to resist samantalang tila muling naging delay ang pagfunction ng bawat bahagi ng katawan ko.

It’s so hard for me to process the situation right now.

But thankfully, my hearing seems fine dahil naririnig ko ang sigawan ng mga tao. They were raising their hands that were curled into fists. Their veins on their necks were visible as they keep shouting. The fake astronauts dragged us towards the stage kung saan nakatayo sa podium si Doctor Aaron.

“They’re here already,” wika ni Doctor Aaron na mas lalong nagpalakas sa sigawan ng mga tao. I never saw so much people like this. They all must be dying to buy products of P:RUM 2.0.

Pinuwesto kami ni Megan ng mga fake astronaut sa harap samantalang nasa tabi lamang si Trench. Megan was crying endlessly and I keep on thinking why.

“Which one do you think is best slaughtered first?” tanong ni Doctor Aaron. “Sunny or Megan?”

The crowd cheered for my name and Megan’s name at saka ko lamang naintindihan ng sitwasyon. Slaughtered. So that explains the long table, large chopping boards and butchering knives on the side.  There was a high stool above a rope hanging with a noose. Puno ng sigawan ang paligid and it just made Megan weep so hard samantalang hindi ko man lamang magawang magpatak ng kahit isang luha.

I want to cry but I cannot.

“Let me give you a little information about P:RUM 2.0,” Doctor Aaron said to the crowd. “Mas maganda, mas matalino, it’s more satisfying and nutritious. And among these two, Megan Galendez is the best.”

Pakiramdam ko ay si Poncio Pilato si Doctor Aaron samantalang si Megan naman si Barabas, while I am Jesus. Everyone was cheering for my name and it’s not something that makes me cry, it makes me so angry. They keep yelling to save the best for last.

I shivered in hatred and disgust. The people were wild. Do they know what they are yelling?

Hindi man lamang sumagi sa isipan ko ang eksenang ito. This feels so... impossible but here I am, standing in front of thousands of people as they cheered for my name. I always like attention. I like it when people cheer for me dahil hindi sa araw-araw ay nararanasan ko iyon.

I am Sunny Gallego. I am someone people will surely hate for my attitude and impulsiveness so I really like it when people root for me dahil hindi naman ako ka-cheer cheer. But I guess I’d rather remain on the dark side of the room, unable to be reached by the spotlight kaysa sa ganito. I didn’t want this.

I didn’t want people to cheer for my name this way. I am so disappointed on how things had turn ou to be. If feels like the previous miles we ran were all worthless. We break legs, we shed sweats but at the end of the lapse this is on the finish line.

“Our Sunny looks so lost,” narinig kong sabi ni Doctor Aaron. The crowd made a fuss about it so they started yelling again. Iginala ko ang paningin sa paligid. I cannot see human right now. All I see were people greedy over something.

Gusto kong magsalita but my mouth couldn’t bring to say a word. I was surprise by this inhumanity, this is beyond what I expected the Capital will be. Ni minsan ay hindi ko inisip na darating ang panahon na tatayo ako sa harap ng mga tao, the people whom I chose to run for. Tatayo ako sa harap nila while they cheer and root for me to be butchered right in front of them. I cannot picture out how happy they will be if they see my body chopped into pieces and sold off.

Dapat ay galit ako. All this time, I wanted to reform the Capital. Not just for me but for everyone including this people right in front of me.

And this is what I get for running.

I know very well that we cannot please everyone. I cannot tell them that all this time I run for them dahil una sa lahat, hindi naman nila hiningi iyon sa akin.

Kusang loob na tumakbo ako para sa Capital kaya hindi ko maipapamukha sa kanila ang lahat ng paghihirap na dinanas ko para sa bawat isa.

Pero hindi ko magawang magalit.

I’m disappointed on how everyone’s perspective has been so narrow as this. Ang kitid ng pag-iisip nila para sumuporta sa kabaliwang ito.

One of the assistant researchers handed Doctor Aaron some files at binasa naman iyon ng huli. “Sa mga nagdaang taon ay iginugol ko ang aking buhay para sa Project: RUM and now all my efforts have been paid-off. I discovered our Ultimate Meat-- woman’s meat! It's very palatable and nutritous. Woman's meat can also make us immune to virus!”

I gritted my teeth and controlled myself. Maybe Doctor Aaron's discovery of P:RUM 2.0 started from the first P:RUM kung saan hindi naaapektuhan ng virus ng tuta ang mga babae. That's why I wasn't infected even with the direct contact at kaya rin walang epekto ang karne ng tuta kay Ma'am Venna noon.

Muling nag-ingay ang paligid. People were happy to hear it. Daig pa ng sigawan nila ang sigawan ng mga tao sa tuwing may nananalo sa anumang larangan. Their cheers were loud and euphoric and it disgusts me.

“P:RUM isn’t only giving you quality meat but solve as well the rapid increase in population. Hindi natin maikakailang sa ratio ng populasyon, mas marami ang babae. They are responsible in bearing kids. Sa madaling salita, dagdag lamang sila sa problema ng Capital when they aren’t useful at all. We don’t need much women, they are way too inferior from us men. We don’t need them in lawmaking, we doesn’t need much of them since they are only useful in reproduction, not it production.”

Muling umingay ang paligid. Patuloy lamang sila sa sigawan nila at tila bawat salitang binibitawan ni Doctor Aaron ay sumuportado nila. My head turned towards Megan who’s still sobbing. Her face was a bit bloated due to excessive crying and she looked at me with pity.

Mas mahirap yata iyon sa kanya. If I will be butchered first, she will witness how my body will be cut into pieces, ikikilo at ibebenta. Thinking about it makes me sad. If that will be my fate today, I regretted not being friends with her.

Why do we hate each other all this time?

We should have been friends, best of it but what we did is that we keep telling how much we dislike each other. But for all the times we spent, I didn’t regret it. We hate each other, yes, but we care for each other like siblings.

“Let’s do the butchering!” sigaw ni Doctor Aaron at muling na-excite ang crowd.

The fake astronauts dragged me towards the high stool. Saglit akong natigilan nang makita si Nikon na nakatayo sa gilid. Our eyes met but then he looked away. Gaano katagal siyang naroon? Was he standing there all this time? Ayaw kong ikuwestiyon ang loyalty niya pero kailangan ba talagang umabot sa ganito?

Or was it my fault?

After all, he sent me to Tussah. Kung hindi dahil sa katigasan ng ulo ko, wala sana ako sa sitwasyong ito. Pinadala niya ako sa Tussah para iiwas sa eksenang ito but I chose to be here. I chose to be included in this cruelty. It’s my fault.

Akmang ipapatuntong na ako sa high stool nang marinig ko ang isan boses sa mikropono.

It’s one of the voices I wanted to hear before I will face my fate.

Triangle’s voice...

“STOP IT!” his voice cracked. Madalas na nakakatakot ang boses ni Tatsulok dahil sa pagkaka-mautoridad nito. There were few moments when I saw him throw away the tough guy mask. Ilang pagkakataon na siyang naging ibang Tatsulok sa harap ko. I saw him in his weak and crying state but this is the first time he showed it on public. “Please stop it...” His voice was tender and he’s begging.

Napatingin ako kay Doctor Aaron na nasa gilid. He was surprised to his appearance ngunit hindi niya ito magawang pigilan dahil hawak siya ni Coco at ni Pentagon. The fake astronauts were also seized by some guys na hindi ko kilala. Siguro mga men in black na hindi panig kay Doctor Aaron.

Hati ang reaksyon ng mga tao sa sinabi ni Tatsulok. They were mad at him to the point that they started crumpling papers and throw it to him. Binato pa siya ng iba ng bato, sapatos o kung ano mang bagay na meron sila sa mga sandaling ito na pwedeng ibato sa kanya.

What surprised me is that Triangle never once blocked the things they threw. He accepted it all as he knelt in front of the crowd.

“Women are so much more capable of what we thought they can. Bakit ba kayo nagpapadala sa sinabi ni Aaron Roscoe? Hindi niyo ba iyon nakikita? Don’t you have mothers who bear and nurture you? And just in case you forgot, your mothers are women,” sabi ni Tatsulok. Tumama sa ulo niya ang isang bato. It made a cut on his forehead at dumaloy doon ang dugo ngunit hindi man lamang siya natinag. He just smiled bitterly in front of the people who were mad and some were confused.

“Sino ang nag-alaga sa inyo noong mga bata pa kayo? Who was strong enough to carry you in their wombs for months and spent sleepless nights just to take care of you? Mothers. Women are capable in a lot of things than men, deal with it,” matatag na sabi ni Triangle. “Whatever you give them, they can make it greater. If you educate them, they will educate a lot of people. If you give her a house, she’ll make it a home. They use their hearts a lot and they do everything and invest their emotions over it. They’re not useless like what Doctor Aaron wants to inculcate in your minds. And if you’re afraid they will have power over men, they don’t need it. What they need is power over themselves and recognition for their rights and capacities yet the Capital deprived them that. Man or woman, each one of us has its value and purpose.”

Hindi ko namalayan na umiiyak na pala ako habang nakatingin kay Tatsulok. I hated him before for thinking that he despise woman like the Capital pero hindi ko inaakalang sa kaloob-looban niya ay ganoon ang paniniwala niya sa abilidad at kakayahan ng mga babae. I was surprised that he has such perspective. Akala ko ay si Gon lamang ang ganoon mag-isip.

But I was more surprised when someone from the crowd kneel. Then another. Sunod-sunod ang mga lumuhod hanggang lahat sila ay lumuhod at umiiyak. Realization must have hit them. They crumpled their banners and throw it towards Doctor Aaron na nangagalaiti na sa galit.

Everyone chanted to boycott P:RUM 2.0.

Everyone asked forgiveness to every woman.

Running was worth it.

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[One last update to go.]