"Eunice, sa'n ka pupunta?" I heard Cali going after me.

"Babalik ako sa rest house."

"Have you lost your mind? Gusto mo na bang mamatay? Dina didn't mean it—bumalik na tayo ro'n!"

"Leave me alone and go back to them. Hindi ako aalis dito hangga't hindi ko nakikita at nakakausap si Terrence."

Sandaling katahimikan ang namayani bago ako napasinghap dahil sa marahas na ginawa niyang paghila sa braso ko paharap sa kaniya. Natigilan kaming pareho sa paglakad sa gitna ng gubat.

"Hindi ka babalik sa bahay na 'yon."

I gave him an incredulous, almost sarcastic look. "And who are you to decide that for m—"

"You're not that stupid. Kung gusto mong bumalik do'n, sasama kami—pero kailangan natin ng plano."

Ilang beses akong kumurap at natulala sa kaimposiblehan ng sinabi niya. Did he think I was stupid enough to believe him? Halos magwala na nga si Dina kanina dahil sigurado siya sa pasyang hindi na aapak sa rest house.

Binawi ko ang braso sa hawak niya. "I'll go alone from here. You guys do what you want to do. Don't be accounted if anything happens to me and I'll do the same."

Cali heaved out a heavy, frustrated sigh. Matapos guluhin ang buhok ay problemado niyang pinanatili ang isang palad sa noo. "Ang tigas ng ulo mo. Isa ba 'yan sa mga nagustuhan sa 'yo ni Terrence?"

I didn't give him any reaction. Muli ko lamang siyang tinalikuran upang tunguhin ang rest house.

"Eunice! For fuck's sake! Let's go back to the others!"

Natigilan akong muli sa paglakad dahil bumalandra siya sa harap ng daraanan ko. Aktong babalewalain ko pa lang siya ulit ay mabilis na niyang nabarahan ang tutunguhin ko. Bahagya niyang itinaas ang magkabilang palad sa ere para lang makuha ang buong atensyon ko bago nagsalita.

"Okay, hear this—if Terrence happen to be confined there by his parents or whoever the fuck is behind it—tingin mo matutuwa siya kung may mangyayaring masama sa 'yo? No? No."

Nagbuga ako ng iritableng buntonghininga. "It takes more than guilt tripping me to come back there with you and the others."

Eyes tightly shut, he mumbled inaudible curses. "We'll go back in the house. I have a plan."

No you don't. Liar.

Bahagyang tumaas ang isang kilay ko sa narinig. Imbes na magsalita ay maigi ko lamang siyang tinignan hanggang sa muli siyang dumilat.

"Just please... go back to the others with me."

"What's your plan?"

"Can we please go back fi—don't be difficult, Eunice. I told you we only have each other right now! And we need to stick together if we want to get out of this alive. Do you understand?"

Sa kabila ng nagtataasang damo at ilang puno, tinanaw ko ang pataas na daan patungo sa may kalayuan pang rest house mula sa likod ni Cali. Sandali kong tinimbang ang mga sinabi niya bago sa wakas ay nagdesisyon akong bumalik. If he ends up messing with me about going back and having a plan, then I'm going to need to do things on my own.

Masama agad ang tingin sa akin ni Dina nang matanaw ang pagbalik namin ni Cali. Mike was silently sitting on the bumper without any trace of expression evident on his face. Isang sulyap lamang ang ginawa niya sa akin ngunit walang sinabi, kabaligtaran ng pagiging bitchesa ni Dina—na buong akala ko'y hindi na titigil kung hindi lang siya inawat ni Mike.

Tahimik ako magmula nang makabalik hanggang sa magsimulang magsalita si Cali.

"Okay so here's the plan—we're not going back to the rest house."

"Cali, you—"

He raised a hand towards my direction, gesturing for me to stop.

"The bitch really wants to die." Dina scoffed.

Namimilog ang mga mata dahil sa nagbabadyang galit at dismaya, sinuklian ko ang mariin niyang tingin.

"Hindi tayo babalik do'n ngayon."

"What the hell does that mean?" ani Dina, mukhang handa na namang isambulat ang mga murang nasa dulo ng dila.

Cali turned to her and Mike's direction. "We need to split up. You two will find a high place for a signal and call for help. Maiiwan kami rito ni Eunice para i-scout ang rest house."

This was the same person who told me that we should stick together. Right. What a farce.

"Are you out of your mind?" si Mike sa madilim na ekspresyon habang nakatingin sa kaibigan.

"I told you—you don't have to accompany me because I can go alone—"

"Shut up, Eunice," walang lingong ani Cali sa seryosong tinig.

Nalaglag ang panga ko bago sarkastikong natawa.

"Fine with me. Do whatever the hell you want, Cal," matigas na utas ni Dina rito.

"Cali, I'm not up for your charades, alright? No one is going back to that house. End of discussion." Napaahon si Mike, mukhang determinado sa gusto.

"Dude, I'm not asking you to come with us."

"That's not my point!"

"Fucking crazy idiots," anas ni Dina.

"Cali, come with them. I would go there alone—"

"Haven't I told you to shut up?" iritable niyang sulyap sa akin bago muling binalingan ang kaibigan.

I want to curse. This is ridiculous.

"Do you think your lives are worth whatever the fuck it is they're hiding inside that house?! Well, I beg to differ! Apat tayong pumunta rito kaya apat din tayong babalik!"

"Michael, pare, alam kong tarantado ako pero ibigay mo na sa 'kin 'to—trust me on this, man. You know I'm not stupid enough to let myself get killed!"

"So much drama. Mike, let's just go!" Matapos kaming tapunan nang matalim na tingin ni Dina ay dire-diretso na siyang naglakad paalis.

With a grim expression, Mike remained rooted on the ground. Matagal silang nagpalitan ni Cali ng tingin doon nang walang sinasabi. Hanggang sa dahan-dahan itong napabuga nang mabigat na buntonghininga bilang pagsuko.

"I want you two to be here when we get back. Alive. Don't make any stupid decisions while we're gone," anito sa mababang tinig. Isang sulyap ang ginawad nito sa akin bago tinapik ang balikat ni Cali at tuluyang umalis matapos.

Pumikit ako nang mariin sandali at napasapo sa noo habang pinanonood ang paglakad paalis ng dalawa patungo sa salungat at pataas ding daan. With a heavy sigh, I turn around and started striding back to the rest house. Kaakibat ng sariling mga hakbang, narinig ko ang malutong na kaluskos ng bawat tuyong dahon at sangang natatapakan nang sumunod si Cali sa likod ko.

"Kung nakonsensya ka sa sinabi ko tungkol sa pagiging mabuting kaibigan kay Terrence kaya ka narito—then you're a dumbass. I never expected anything from you so you can stop pretending you care enough to risk your life for him like this."

"The killings stopped when your boy disappeared. Coincidence? I think not," aniya, parang walang narinig sa mga sinabi ko. "I came here and I surely as hell won't come back without getting a hold of any evidence."

"Whatever." Muli akong bumuntonghininga at hinayaan na lamang siya sa mga desisyon niya sa buhay.

The house was quiet when we stopped and hid behind a tree, with the tall grass as a camouflage, a couple of metres away. Tulad ng unang beses namin itong nadatnan ay sarado na muli ang pintuan ng rest house. The hole from the window on the second floor stayed broken and unfixed.

We've been sitting here side by side and watching the house for some time but there was still no signs of any movement inside. Tahimik iyon na tila walang buhay na nasa loob. I wonder if that man and Tito Lem was still inside.

"How would we know if someone's still there? And what if they won't leave the house?" tanong ko habang alerto at maiging nakatitig sa kahoy na haligi ng bahay.

"Then we have no choice but to break in again."

I shot him an incredulous look. "What are we scouting here for, then? Why don't we just head inside and see for ourselves?"

With both arms draped on his bended knees, Tamad niyang ibinaling sa akin ang ulo. "It's just two things, Eunice: whether those two are hiding something illegal that the Gallevos doesn't know about or it could be your boy. But either way, the possibility of us getting killed is high. Do you get what I'm saying?"

I studied him beside me for a long time and didn't speak.

"You'll be spared if it turned out to be Terrence but I'm dead whichever. Because shotgun man and Terrence won't hesitate to kill me."

Bahagyang tumaas ang isang kilay ko. "You're here to guilt trip me, aren't you? Nagpaiwan ka para kumbinsihin at pigilan akong bumalik sa loob—hindi para samahang pasukin 'yon."

Mula sa pagsulyap sa rest house ay nagbalik siya ng tingin sa akin nang may kasamang mahinang tawa. "You think that highly of me?"

I didn't answer.

"Listen here, Eunice. There's something you didn't know about me." He leaned in closer to me, our arms almost bumping. In a flat tone, he continued, "I don't give a damn about what you guys want. I'm here because I want to be a part to solve the murder case—and yes. I am fixated with enigmatic things, more specifically with things involving crimes and investigations. I'm not a cop's son for nothing." He ended it with a lazily smirk.

Blinking, I was this close to believing what he was saying when he continued with his litany, ang boses niya'y bahagyang tumaas.

"This is the part where I get to tell you that I came from a special unit made only for special missions and su—"

"Calen Lionell Ramirez is an idiot. I am sure of that now."

He was the only person I could think of who could still manage to make jokes and laugh at a time like this. I was pretty sure he wasn't in his right mind anymore—if he ever had been.

May bahid pa rin ng pagtawa ang boses niya nang muling nagpatuloy, "Okay, what I'm saying is this: I came here with you because you can be of great use to me."

I scoffed in disbelief. Yeah, right.

"Pretty simple, isn't it? No more long arguments since we all get to do what we want," He said with a matter of fact tone then shrugged.

I nodded in reluctant agreement. "So you're telling me that we're just supposed to sit here all day and watch the house?"

Chuckling, he stretched out one leg and leaned his back on the tree behind us. "Patience, Eunice. Patience."

Mabagal akong nagbuga ng hangin habang nakatingin sa rest house. Hinugot ko ang phone sa bulsa ng skirt at sinubukan muling makatawag ngunit muli lang nabigo.

Narinig ko ang mabigat na pagbuntonghininga ng kasama—na siyang sinundan niya ng isang tanong gamit ang kalmadong tinig. "You're really not scared of Terrence? You love him that much?"

"Oh, I'm not having this conversation with you." Umirap ako sa hangin at muntik pang matawa. "You think we're hanging out in a leisure trip to casually talk about things like that?"

Nanatiling kalmante ang boses niya ng sumagot, "Tell you what, we could die here—who give a damn what things we should talk about?"

Umiling ako at hindi na sumagot. Ginaya ko na lamang din ang pagsandal niya sa punong nasa likod namin, ang mga mata ko'y nanatili sa tanaw na bahay. Aninag ko ang pananatili ng pagkakapaling ng ulo niya sa akin.

"Seriously though, you care for him this much that you could trade your own life—"

Napapikit ako nang mariin. "Oh my, God, Cali. I told I don't want to—"

"Tell me—is that how love works?" natatawa niyang pagpapatuloy. "Are you supposed to have an undeveloped cognitive aptitude to be in love? What's so good about it? If it would drove me to my death then no fucking thanks."

"It's got nothing to do with being in love, idiot. I don't love him the same anymore but I still care for him. At hindi ko masisikmurang wala akong gagawin kung tama ang mga haka-haka ko."

Blinking, natahimik siyang bigla at halos mapamura naman ako dahil sa nasabi. Didn't I say I don't want to have this conversation with him?

"Sandali... hindi mo na siya mahal? But you—you still care for him enough to go all this trouble—holy shit that's even more stupid."

Tinapunan ko siya nang matalim na tingin. Tanging manghang tingin lang ang isinukli niya sa akin, pinipigilan ang sariling matawa.

"I didn't know you were this empathetic to give a damn and get involved." Nanliit ang mga mata niya na para bang lito sa nakikita sa harapan.

"Fair enough. I didn't know you can be this dim-witted too."

He actually had the audacity to laugh out loud.

"You wanna know what I think?"

"No," I grunted.

"It's either you're stupid or you're lying."

"And who told you I care to know your opinion?"

"Because empaths feel for others enough to care for them—and you happen to be one?"

"Did anyone ever tell you that you have high tendencies to be a psychopath? You might even be the culprit behind the killings for all I know," sarkastiko kong untag.

Hindi siya muling nagsalita at nanatili lang ang namamanghang tingin sa akin. Hanggang sa unti-unting umangat ang isang sulok ng mga labi niya para sa isang pilyong ngiti. I couldn't believe that that amused him. He was really a dumbass.

"Why am I stuck with you?" daing ko bago muling itinuon ang atensyon sa tahimik pa ring bahay.

"I don't think we ever get to talk this much before," aniya makalipas ang ilang sandali ng katahimikan. "Para ka kasing striktang teacher tuwing nakikita kita. Seryoso lagi."

"At ano ka? Batang pasaway na takot mapagalitan?" sarkastiko ko muling banat pabalik.

He chuckled. "Those innocent straight A's kind of girls who doesn't give a damn about anything but their studies and image? You looked like that to me—but boy was I wrong."

Hindi ako sumagot.

"Turns out you're stubborn enough to break the rules. Gutsy, clever though kinda stupid—but empathetic. You're kinda interesting sometimes too. Who would've thought those traits can fit into a single person?"

"Are you being sentimental?" tugon ko sa blangkong ekspresyon. And the hell, "Did you call me stupid?"

Lumaki ang ngisi niya. "I'm just saying we could've been good friends and we could be, actually—kung hindi tayo mamamatay dito."

I couldn't supress a snort. "You are being sentimental."

"How empathetic of you."

"Don't cry, Cali."

"Aren't you supposed to—"

"'Di ba sinabi ko nang umalis kayo rito?"

Cali and I froze. Ang singhap ko'y hindi ko napakawalan nang muling makita ang nguso ng baril na nakatutok sa likod ng ulo niya—kung saan kasalukuyang nakatayo ang lalaki. Ang parehong blangkong mga mata nito'y napako sa akin nang dahan-dahan akong mag-angat ng tingin.