-Alexi-

"Guys move. We have to run!"

Coleen's voice echoed on the whole laboratory room, syncing with the sound of alarm as she's hastening us to stand up so we get to run out of here. We all get it. Kung ang lakas ng mga test subject sa loob ay katulad ng halimaw na nakaengkwentro namin kanina ay tiyak na walang makakalabas ng buhay sa amin. We even barely defeat one test subject so how much more the dozens of them? Lahat kami ay may iniindang sakit ng katawan pero pinilit padin naming tumayo. Reigan carefully held my upper body near at the armpit side to slightly lift me so I can stand up. Tumingin ito sa akin. Half of his face we're almost crushed as it was bleeding. "Can you walk?"

Tumango ako. I tried to take a step despite the pain of my back and shoulders. My legs feels like jelly as I can barely move them. Akay akay padin ako ni Reigan sa ilang hakbang. My legs were shaking slightly but with a few steps I get my balance. Binigay niya ako kay Coleen at siya naman ang tumulong sa akin maglakad. Felicity helped the others as well and Reigan as the only man in the group stood in front of us, serving himself as a shield. Sinarado nito ang mask at pinostura ang kamay upang maghandang bumaril.

"Go to the exit, now!" sigaw nito.

"Doon padin ba sa ventilation tayo dadaan?" Inosenteng tanong ni Shane kahit bakas ang takot sa boses nito.

Coleen hissed at her as if the question was the most senseless thing that had ever been asked at this hour. "What?! No. As if may oras pa tayong dumaan doon"

Maya maya'y sa pagbukas ng mga glass capsule ay iilang test subject ang nagsilabasan. They groaned like an animal, maybe testing their voice or it's just their way to confirm that they're finally free. Some of them started to run towards us. Bago pa man sila makalapit ay pinagbabaril na sila ni Reigan. Some of his shots directly penetrated through their heads which made them passed out in instant. Padami ng padami ang bumubukas na glass capsule kaya ilang test subjects din ang nakakawala. We run towards the exit. Fare fished out her access card from her lab coat's pocket since siya ang unang nakalapit sa bakal na pinto ngunit bago niya pa maswipe 'yon ay bumukas na ito.

We were greeted by men in black protective suit, covering their entire faces while holding a rifle. Nakalinya silang lahat at handang halughugin ang buong silid ngunit hindi na nila kailangan gawin 'yon dahil nasa harapan na nila kami. The outsiders they're looking for was standing in flesh before them with widened eyes. Tinaas nila ang baril at tinutok sa amin. Wala kaming nagawa kundi itaas ang dalawang kamay at umatras. I don't know which one they're gonna deal first. Arrest us or shoot the monsters who were just coming out from the glass capsules.

We heard a roar and heavy footsteps from our backs. Coleen quickly processed what to do, so she grabbed the firearm of one of the guards, and as she turned around, she immediately released a few bullets to shoot the monsters before they devoured us. Kusang gumana ang reflexes namin at umilag sa mga halimaw kaya sa pagsugod nila'y ang mga guwardiya ang sumalo ng atake.

"Let's go to the exit door!" Sigaw ko sa iba naming kasama. Kasabay ng pag-ulan ng bala sa paligid ay nagkaroon ng espasyo sa pinto. Dali dali kaming tumakbo doon at hinayaang atakihin ng mga test subject ang naiwang guard. Coleen and Reigan are the last people who get out and I sighed in relief as they come out whole and alive. Now we found ourselves running.

I'm relieved that my body cooperated in the meantime. The pain inflicted on my body when I fell earlier set aside. Maybe because I was afraid and it's a life and death situation kaya hindi ko nararamdaman ang sakit sa katawan ko.

"We did this six months ago, so I know you guys aren't new to this," Coleen remarked. She's referring to the running thing because this is exactly what we're doing during the purging season. Us, running, being chased by the monsters, and now it's happening again.

"Yeah, dejavu" rinig kong sambit ni Felicity.

Nagkakagulo na sa buong tower. Nakawala ang mga test subject. Rinig ko ang matinis na sigaw at putok ng bala sa di kalayuan. We're focusing running forward, finding a way to get out of here or maybe find a safe place to hide. I opened my lines. Everybody's there.

"Chad?" boses ni Coleen. "Can you hear me?"

"I'm here" Chad finally spoke. "I'm hiding. The guards caught me. I can't monitor you guys"

"It's okay. Just stay where you are. Lalabas na din kami. Stay safe there. Call us if something happens" maotoridad na sambit ni Coleen.

We wore our masks and mixed to the sea of crowd who were running as well. It's a good distraction so the guards won't shoot us because their focus was diverted into the monsters. Sa ilang minutong pagtakbo ay nakahanap kami ng sandaling mapapagtaguan. Behind this metal door was us, catching our breaths. Borrowing some minutes to rest. It's still open space but it's far enough from the screams and gunshots. Sa pagsandal ko sa bakal na pinto ay doon ko lalong naramdaman ang pananakit ng katawan. I shut my lips into thin line, preventing myself to let out a groan. Lahat kami'y may iniinda at hindi 'yon makakatulong kung ipapakita ko pang may masakit sa akin.

"This is your fault, Fare" the few seconds of silence among us was killed by Shane's voice. May diin ang boses nito at matalim na tumingin kay Fare. "If only you didn't play stupid and pull the right wire, hindi sana makakawala yung isang test subject, at hindi sana sila makakawalang lahat"

"I think it's me" wala sa sarili kong sambit. Saglit kong inaalala ang nangyari kanina. Their gazes shifted to me. "My back hit something. Maybe a button. It happened when the test subject threw me on the wall" pagkatapos din no'n ay doon tumunog ang red alarm.

"But that happened when one test subject released" Shane pointed. "That motherf*cker don't die easily so we all got attacked. At dahil 'yon sa babaeng to'" pinanlisikan niya ng mata si Fare na nasa tabi ko. "I knew this will happen dahil may stupido tayong kasama"

Fare said nothing. She just lowered her head in shame. "I'm sorry" she sincerely said.

"That's too much, Shane. You don't have to say that aloud to her" I snapped at her. Defending like an older sister shielding her younger sibling from hearing degraded words.

"Enough" pagsusuway ni Reigan. "Hindi ito ang oras para magsisihan tayong lahat. None of it was our fault. Let's just think what will gonna do next"

"We will leave. Kailangan natin makapunta sa ground floor para hanapin ang exit bago pa nila isara 'yon or else we'll trap here" Coleen remarked. "Considering what's happening now, they will shut the whole tower"

"Mauna na kayo" unang tumayo si Reigan. He took something from his pocket's vest. Gun's magazine filled with full bullets. He removed the empty magazine from the rifle and filled it with a fully loaded one. "I'll go to the 12th floor. I'll fetch Cali and Kaiden there"

Sunod akong tumayo. "I'll go with you"

Reigan's mask isn't close yet so I could see his dark orbs pinned into mine. "No. It's dangerous"

"He's right. We'll wait for them at the exit," Coleen seconded as she held my wrist.

Umiling ako. "No. I need to make sure we can get Mr. Barri as well" bumaling ako sa iba naming kasama na nanatili paring nakaupo. "We may failed destroying the experiment but we still have one last card"

By getting him, we can squeeze information for us to get out of here. This chance only happens once. Pagkatapos nito, wala ng nakakaalam kung anong sunod na mangyayari kaya ayokong sayangin ang pagkakataon para hindi gawin lahat ng makakaya ko. They lifted themselves, standing up as well. Binitawan ni Coleen ang kamay ko at sinukat ako ng tingin. Nang mapagtantong hindi ako magpapapigil ay humarap ito kay Reigan. She let out a sigh. "Tag her or she'll go alone" she said that as if she knew no one among them can stop the finality on my statement.

Hindi na din kumontra si Reigan bagkus mahigpit nitong hinawakan ang kamay ko. "Okay. Just stick with me"

Then we left our other comrades and started to run.

We run together towards the elevator. Time is running short for us and we gotta mindful in every second of it. Abala ang mga tao sa pagliligtas ng kanilang buhay. Sa pagtakbo kung saan makalayo lamang sa mga nakatakas na halimaw. Saktong may nakita kaming elevator na kakabukas lamang. We fastened our paces towards there but a creature from nowhere appeared. Saglit kaming napatigil sa pagtakbo. Agad akong tinago ni Reigan sa kanyang likuran. It's a woman test subject. Mahaba ang kuko at natakpan ng kaliskis ang buong balat. She's looking at us with a devilish smile, celebrating her triumph because she found her prey. She's hissing like a snake. Nagulat ako nang bigla itong dumuko sa sahig at gumapang.

Reigan immediately shoot her but she's too fast to move as if she can detect where the bullets gonna go. Reigan continue to shoot her while the female test subject dodging it. Hanggang sa gumapang ito sa pader. Mabibilis ang mga hakbang nito dahilan kaya napatakbo kami palayo. Nang tumalon ito papunta sa amin ay nagpakawala si Reigan ng isang bala at saktong tumama 'yon sa ulo niya. We watched how she landed on the floor with a hole on her forehead. Nang masigurong patay na siya ay hinila ako ni Reigan papuntang elevator. He pressed the button and it immediately opened. Halos mapatalon ako sa gulat nang may bangkay kaming nadatnan doon. It was one of Sonkan's soldier.

I've seen lots of corpses and it wouldn't matter to me if he's just lying flat there. What caused me to shriek is his head. Nakahiwalay ito sa kanyang leeg at nakamulagat ang mata. Agad kong binawi ang pagkagulat. Mariing pinindot ni Reigan ang close button ng elevator. Nasundan pa ang sigaw ko nang may papalapit na halimaw. Mabilis itong tumatakbo. Aligagang makapasok dito sa loob upang maabutan kami at atakihin. Bago tuluyang magsara ang elevator ay ilang dipa nalang ang layo nito at mabuti nalang ay nabaril ito ni Reigan sa ulo. I held my chest and sighed out of relief.

"Are you okay?" Reigan concernedly asked. I gave him a nod and smiled a bit.

Reigan leaned his finger on the side of his ear to turn on his device. I turned mine as well. "Cali? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah. What's happening there? They're asking us to evacuate"

"Stay where you are, Cali. We're gonna fetch you"

"What happened there?" Kaiden's voice piped in.

"The test subjects" sagot ni Reigan. "Nakawala sila. Now they're attacking people. We're gonna leave here. Please stick with Cali. Papunta na kami dyan"

"Is Mr. Barri still there?" I discreetly interrupted.

"Yeah. We're still watching him" Kaiden answered. "He's talking to the soldiers. I think he received the news." Kaiden still sounded calm, and I don't know how he managed to do that.

"How did the test subject go on the loose? How did it happen?" Callista overreacted.

"We'll explain later. Just wait us there" Reigan dismissively said, putting authority in his voice.

The elevator opened on the 8th floor and as soon as it opened, Reigan immediately pressed the closed button before the people there, waiting to get in. We stayed inside the elevator for the next few seconds, uttering nothing. My heart still never calmed down. Malakas padin ang tibok nito dahil sa kaba. Pinipilit kong iwaglit sa isipan ang mga negatibong bagay na maaaring mangyari ngayong gabi. I pursed my lips and closed my eyes hoping they would leave my mind. Until I felt a hand touching mine. Minulat ko ang aking mata upang tingnan ang may-ari ng kamay na 'yon.

He said nothing while holding my cold hand as it trembled. He was just looking at me as if those dark orbs were speaking through me, saying it would be all right. That I'm with him, and he'll keep me safe as he always does.

Bumukas ang elevator sa 12th floor. We acted normal. I anxiously fixed my hair that messed up since we're still in disguise. Kinapa ko kung may dugo sa noo at mabuti'y wala naman. Inayos ko ang pagkakagusot ng aking damit. The havoc was happening on the 3rd floor, and some people here weren't aware of that since they could still act normal. They all looked busy, walking back and forth, eyes pinned on the notepad, probably checking lab results, and guards were on their mandate duty roaming around.

"Stay behind me" rinig kong sambit ni Reigan and paged Callista. "Where are you? We're here"

Sunod ko naman narinig ang vibration ng aking earpiece, indikasyon na may tumatawag sa akin.

"How are you guys there? We're here at the basement," Tanong ni Coleen.

I looked around and made a quiet reply to avoid suspicion. "We're okay. Pupuntahan namin sila Callista at Kaiden. We'll also get Mr. Barri"

"Good. Keep us updated. We're gonna wait for you here. They're announcing evacuation now so better hurry up. Make sure you guys will arrive here, safely. Kung kailangan nyong hindi isama si Mr. Barri, gawin nyo. Prioritize your safety first"

I nodded my head even though she didn't see it. "Yeah. Roger that," but at the back of my mind, I am determined to get Mr. Barri or all of these will be in vain.

Nakasunod lang ako kay Reigan at sa pagliko namin ay sumalubong sa amin ang nakadalawang taong nakamask. Ang isa na naka lab coat at naka pang sundalong attire naman ang isa. Callista hold herself so she immediately paced closer to her brother and give him a tight warm hug. "Kuya. You're safe"

I looked around again to check if someone was looking at us. Luckily, there's none. Wala masyadong dumadaang tao sa parteng ito. I turned my gaze at the two siblings. Reagan gave his sister a light tap on her shoulder before he pulled from the hug. Binuksan nito ang mask at bumaling kay Kaiden. He also unmasked himself. Callista's jaw dropped as she saw bruises and blood that dried on his brother's face, and she couldn't help but react tort to it.

"Oh, damn it! What happened to your face, kuya?"

Reagan moved his gaze blankly at his sister, saying, "I'm fine." That seemed his way of telling her his bruises were nothing serious. He shifted his tone into a serious one. His kingpin side showed up, and we're all like a team, having a brief meeting, and he's our leader, giving us command. "We need to go. Nagkakagulo na sa 3rd floor. We need to go to the basement before they shut the whole tower down. But let's get Mr. Barri first. Where is he?"

"There" sambit ni Kaiden bago nauna maglakad. Sinundan namin ito.

"What exactly is happening? I can't contact the others. How are they? I thought you guys are destroying the experiment. Paano sila nakawala?" Callista's sequence of question slipped through her mouth, probably couldn't hold herself from asking. Mabibilis ang kanilang mga hakbang kaya binilisan ko din ang paglakad ko.

"This isn't a time for questions, Cali" may halong iritasyon na sambit ni Reigan sa kapatid. "Hermione is currently looking for us and there are monsters out there we're going to deal with. Kailangan din nating planuhin kung paano makakalabas ng buhay sa lugar na ito" his voice may sounded stern and curt but it's all fact. Mukha namang nakuha ni Callista ang pinupunto ng kapatid kaya bahagya itong umatras at nagpakawala ng malalim na paghinga na may halong pagkayamot.

"I thought we planned everything perfectly. Why it's happening now?" galit nitong sambit sa hangin. She'll probably scream if she's not wearing a facemask. Hanggang sa lumipat ang tingin nito sa akin. "How about you? Do you have an alternative plan if we get caught or die here? This is all your plan right?"

Saglit na huminto sa paglalakad si Kaiden para lapitan si Callista. Hinawakan niya ito sa braso para awatin ito. "It's nobody's fault, Cali. We can't control things" Kaiden's face was covered with mask but I know he looked at me when his head turned in my direction.

Nagpatuloy kami sa paglalakad hanggang sa makita namin si Mr. Barri. Pasimpleng gumilid sina Kaiden at Reigan upang magpanggap na nagpapatrol at kami naman ni Callista ay nagkunwaring naglalakad. Mr. Barri was escorted by two guards. He's on the phone, talking to the other line when he passed by to us.

"Let's follow him" sambit ni Reigan sa aming mga linya.

Callista and I exchanged glances before we follow the two boys which ahead of few meters from us. Patuloy naming sinundan si Mr. Barri hanggang sa huminto ito sa tapat ng bakal na pinto. He swiped his access card as the two guards with him leave. Pumasok doon si Mr. Barri at bago magsara ang pinto ay mabilis na humakbang si Reigan para iharang ang kamay nito. He get himself in and we followed after. Mr. Barri is still on the phone. Frustration was written on his face as he run a hand from his hair. Masyadong okupado ang atensyon nito sa kausap telepono kung kaya't hindi niya namalayang nakapasok na kami.

I took a quick peek around the surroundings. It must be his office. It looks like a semi-laboratory since I see a few pieces of lab equipment and lab tables filled with different sizes of experiment bottles.

"How did it happen?! I thought it was fully secured!" sigaw ni Mr. Barri sa kausap nito.

Tumingin si Callista sa taas at nagulat ako sa pagbaril niya sa nag-iisang security camera na nakadikit sa itaas. Dahil sa putok ng baril ay naagaw namin ang atensyon ni Mr. Barri. Nang humarap ito'y doon lamang niya naibaba ang telepono habang nanlalaki ang mata na nakatingin sa amin.

"S-sino kayo?"

"Sorry, Mr. Barri, for invading here, but you have to help us." I was the first one who spoke and removed my facemask.

Sunod na ding tinanggal ng tatlo ang kanilang mga mask. Isa isa niya kaming pinasadahan ng tingin at nang mapagtantong hindi kami dito nagtatrabaho ay taranta itong lumapit sa kanyang desk. "H-hindi kayo dito nagtatrabaho" tinangka niyang abutin ang walkie talkie, marahil para tawagan ang mga guard ngunit bago niya pa 'yon maabot ay binaril ni Reigan ang direksyon kung saan nakalagay ang device. Mr. Barri jumped in shock. The tense starting to eat him which visible in his hands because it trembles.

"You're not calling the soldiers," Reagan said coldly. Warning him.

Mr. Barri looks fearless when he has guards, but I'd never expect him to be this tense and scared like a cat.

"Anong kailangan nyo?" He endeavored to speak normally while eyeing the guns that my companions were holding.

"Simple." Reagan stepped forward, taking his place closer to Mr. Barri, wearing his menace look that only shows up whenever he's being Al Capone. "We want to get out of here and you gotta help us"

"You're Sonkan's asset in technology. I'm sure you know the way out" I added.

If the people on the third floor failed to stop the monsters from going up here then we don't have much time left. We need to drag him with us to the basement. He's the valuable person we need to keep alive.

*************

Thanks for reading!