"The next match will be tomorrow night. Nakolekta na rin ng treasury department natin ang admission fees ng audience. Have you seen that good for nothing referee you hired?" 

Nica was pulled out of her thoughts when her aunt stopped in front of her. Sinubukan siyang abutan ni Doc ng tequila pero hindi pa rin nawawala ang isktriktong ekspresyon sa mukha ng sekretarya. Kahit yata isang galon ng alak pa siguro ang ialok sa kanya ni Dr. Smiley, hindi nito mapapawala ang simangot niya.

'Sometimes I wonder why she seems delighted to make my life a living hell,' Nica thought and fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Baka umuwi na 'yon. I'm not that guy's babysitter, you know..."

"You should still be keeping an eye on him. Magugulo ang schedule natin kapag namatay ang isang 'yon. Kung mamamatay siya, dapat ipa-schedule niya. Understood?"

"Yeah, sure."

Fuck schedules. Who needs them, anyway?

Sa totoo lang, wala naman talaga siyang pakialam kung anong mangyari sa lalaking 'yon. In fact, the only benefit she gets from him being alive is that it saves her the hassle to find a replacement. Ang hassle kayang maghanap ng tangang tatanggap sa alok nila kahit pa sabihing malaki ang sahod.

'What's the use of all that money when you can't take it to your grave?'

As far as she knows, wala namang entrance fee sa langit.

Nang makaalis na ang tita niya, huminga nang malalim si Nica at nilagok ang baso ng alak. The serial killer behind the counter smiled at her. "Pagpasensyahan mo na lang ang tiyahin mo... Alam mo namang siya lahat ang nag-aasikaso rito. She's having a rough time, too."

"But that doesn't give her the right to boss everyone around and treat me like a child! Ugh. Minsan talaga, nakakasawa na."

"Alam mo kung anong mas nakakasawa?" A voice from behind her spoke. Napairap na lang si Nica nang makilala ito. 'Oh, please... Not her again.'

"Ikaw! Hahahaha!"

Nang tumalon at pumwesto si Felina Feline sa katabi niyang stool, alam niyang wala na siyang kawala sa bruhang ito. The hybrid smiled wickedly at her, her tail swishing impatiently as she waited for Doc to prepare her usual drink (with milk).

"I heard The Phantom and Flesh Eater almost killed each other in the hallway yesterday. Hindi na ako magugulat kung bukas nila ilalabas ang galit nila sa isa't isa. Meow! You might need to prepare an extra coffin or two."

Sandaling napahinto sa kanyang ginagawa si Doc. "The Phantom? Hindi ba't siya yung may telekinesis? I heard he even wiped out an entire village in his rage last year...just because he didn't like the scenery."

"Yup! That's the one," Felina grinned with razor-sharp teeth. "Killers kill for lesser things, anyway."

Nica almost shivered at the thought of those two killers clashing. Bibihira niyang makita ang iba pang participants ng EKT, pero habang tumatagal, napapansin niyang lalong nagkakaroon ng tensyon sa pagitan nila. Hindi niya alam kung dahil ba ito sa ipinangako sa kanilang premyo o dahil sa natural instincts nila bilang mga mamamatay-tao.

'They're killers...there's nothing more to them. Pare-pareho lang silang uhaw sa atensyon at dugo.'

Kahit na minsan, gustong isipin ni Nica na hindi ito totoo.

Maya-maya pa, tumunog ang kanyang cellphone. Agad niyang sinagot ang tawag ng isa sa kanilang mga tauhan.

"Tapos na ba kayo?"

["Wala siya rito sa bahay nila, Miss Nica. Wala ring bakas dito ang imortal na 'yon. But we've already knocked out her aunt in her bedroom. She's unconscious now... Anong gagawin namin sa kanya?"]

Napasimangot lalo si Nica. Naaalala na naman niya ang sarili niyang tiyahin. That made her blood instantly boil. Tutal naman nakakayang buhayin ng babaeng 'yon ang mga patay, 'di ba? Then this might be a good opportunity to scare her...

It's her turn to vent out her stress on others.

Before she could even think it through, the command stumbled out of Nica's mouth.

"Don't leave her breathing."

*

Ramdam kong nanghihina na si Kleo. Kanina ko pa napapansing hinihingal na siya. Her hands were shaking with fatigue, but she did a good job acting like it didn't affect her. Kung hindi lang siguro ako maalam sa medisina, baka naloko na rin niya ako.

At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if she passed out soon.

"Kaya mo pa ba?"

Sinubukan ko siyang alalayan sa susunod na libingan, pero mabilis niyang tinabig ang kamay ko. Sa ilaw ng cellphone, kitang-kita kong namuo ang pawis sa gilid ng kanyang mukha. 'Ang tigas na naman ng ulo mo, Sadako.' I scowled and grabbed a handkerchief from my coat, dabbing it on her pale face.

"Kung kailangan mong magpahinga---"

"S-Siya na ang huling ire-resurrect natin, 'di ba?"

Even her voice is a bit shaky. Tsk! I glanced at inscription on the tomb and nodded. Kleo stared at me expectantly and stepped aside. Hindi ko sinabi sa kanyang ito ang pinakamahalagang taong kailangan naming buhayin.

"Kleo---"

"Y-You'll tell me more about your curse, after this... h-hindi pa kita nai-interview."

Mukhang ayaw talaga niyang magpaawat.

"Fine."

Nilapat ko ang kamay ko sa bato at binulong ang incantation. Being an immortal, I have a few magic tricks up my sleeves as well. Maya-maya pa, gumuho ang semento at umalingawngaw ang masangsang na amoy ng patay.

"B-Bakit parang...buhay pa siya?"

No.

"It looks like his body hasn't decayed much yet compared to the others," I observed and yanked him out of his final resting place. Inilapag ko ang bangkay sa sahig. "Or maybe that's because bad people don't believe they can actually rest in peace. They don't believe in redemption or all those fancy stories about heaven..."

They don't believe their wicked souls can be salvaged, that's why they tend to stay in their dead bodies for longer periods of time.

Kaya siguro nahuhuli silang sunduin ni kamatayan.

Humans are interesting, indeed.

For a minute, I noticed Kleo hesitate. Hinayaan ko muna siya. Maya-maya pa, naupo na ang dalaga sa tabi ng bangkay at tinitigan ang hitsura nito. For the fourth time this evening, I watch as she bent down and kissed his forehead.

Energy crackled in the air around us.

Light flickered.

I can imagine Sadako's eyes squint shut as she concentrated on her final task.

'Those eyes that seem awfully familiar,' I thought. Naagaw lang ang atensyon ko nang bigang bumalik ang buhay sa katawan ng mamamatay-tao. His skin glowed with the newfound energy. The killer opened his eyes and sat up, clutching his head.

"Nasaan ako?"

She did it. I thought it was impossible...but she actually did it. Damn, I could kiss her right now.

"Sadako...?"

Maybe not. Agad kong sinalo si Kleo nang makita kong gumegewang na siya. Ilang sandali pa, tuluyan na siyang nawalan ng malay.

Napangiti na lang ako.

'You did it, Kleo.'

Walang kahirap-hirap ko siyang binuhat at binalingan ang apat na taong tuliro at walang kaalam-alam sa mga nangyayari. Tulad ng inaasahan namin, wala silang naaalala. We already suspected this would happen to them due to the physical trauma they experienced. Isa pa, wala talagang kasiguraduhan tuwing bubuhay ka ng patay. That's why it's considered an illegal practice, even in Tartarus. Even necromancers need license.

'Death is a blessing, and yet we're dragging them back to save the humanity they loathed until their last breaths.'

With that thought in mind, I addressed them with a sad smile.

"Marlone Montenegro, Brian Smith, Pavene Numagos, and Nicholas Gaspard... Welcome back to this fucked up world."

Muffin Man, Black Sheep, Poison Ivy, and Puppet Man.

---

The last man standing
---the last man happy;
The last to feel he's worth it,
damned for all eternity.

---Everick Neverwood