-Alexi-

I STOOD speechless while eyeing Raye. Her fierce expression is enough to silence the room. The other women watched, the mix of fear and fascination flashed on their faces. They knew better than to intervene. Pabagsak na binitawan ni Raye ang buhok ng babae at hindi ko alam kung namalikmata lang ako nang tumama ang ulo nito sa headrest ng kama. Masamang tingin lang ang ipinukol nito kay Raye. Ang matapang niyang aura kanina ay nawala. Parang leon na biglang naging kuting. Raye doesn't only have strong face features but personality as well I guess.

Maya maya'y isang anunsyo mula sa speaker ang bumulabog sa katahimikan. I didn't realize there was a speaker installed at the ceiling.

"Everyone. Please come out to your respective rooms. Dinner will start within five minutes"

Naunang humakbang patungong pintuan si Raye. Nang maramdaman niyang hindi pa kami nakasunod ay nilingon kami nito. "Hey you two, you won't wish to sleep hungry"

We rode in the elevator till we stopped on the unknown floor. Hindi ko alam kung anong palapag ang pinindot ni Raye basta sa pagbaba namin ay ilang kanto ang nilikuan namin bago kami makarating sa dining hall. It was vast and spacious enough to hold hundreds of people. May mga bintana sa gilid. The walls are painted with a plain color of cream. No decoration or artwork could soften the institutional feel. The fluorescent stick glued above the ceilings. The tables and chairs were made of steel and bolted to the floor, arranged in regimented rows. Para kaming nasa preso. Ang kaibahan nga lang ay hindi kami nakauniporme.

My gaze swept across the area, and I noticed the separate space for the people who were serving the food. May mini stall doon at ang mga nagseserve din ay mga sundalo. They're wearing their camouflage suit except they don't have a mask. Their faces are visible and they're...women.

"May pera na ba kayo pambili ng pagkain?" tanong ni Raye. Nauna itong naglakad patungo sa bakanteng mesa na sakto pang tatluhan. Sinundan namin ito. We looked like a pair of puppies, trailing her behind. Umupo si Fare sa tabi ko at sa opposite side naman namin si Raye.

"We don't have...money yet" mahina kong sagot.

Umangat lang ang gilid ng labi ni Raye. "I know. I'll cover your dinner tonight but tomorrow stick with their free meal" her smile widening but it didn't reach her eyes. "May libreng hapunan naman sila dito"

"Talaga?" Fare exclaimed, her voice colored with excitement. Parang nabuhayan ito ng loob dahil kahit papaano'y may libreng pagkain sila dito.

"Uh huh" Raye nodded. "Pero sa tingin ko hindi nyo gugustuhing kainin 'yon kada hapunan dahil 'yon lang ang pagkaing libre dito"

"What food is that?" I asked.

Bago sumagot ay may tinuro si Raye. Sinundan namin ng tingin ang tinuturo niya. Isang babaeng hindi naman gano'n katanda pero dahil sa kakubaan at haggard ng itsura ay nagmukhang doble ang edad nito. She held a steaming bowl. Her face wore weariness and resignation, clearly not happy with the food as it looked unappetizing but had no choice anyways.

"Ano 'yong hawak niya?" tanong ni Fare. Her voice laced with apprehension.

"Sinabawang daga" Raye replied, her tone flattened.

Parehas kami ni Fare na nasamid kahit wala kaming tubig na iniinom. Bahagyang nanlukot ang mukha ko nang maalala ang kinain namin kaninang umaga. My stomach churn. I wish I could bury the memory of tasting it in the depth of my mind so I can never recall it. Raye's laughter echoed in the sudden silence. "Bakit ganyan ang mga itsura nyo?"

"We ate grilled rat this morning" walang buhay na sagot ni Fare.

Raye leaned her face close to us, leaving only an inch of distance, her laughter died in her throat. "Ganyan ang mangyayari kapag lagi kayong umaasa sa libre"

Tumayo ito at nagpaalam na bibili lang ng pagkain. We nodded, and silence intervened as she left. Habang hinihintay si Raye ay muli kong nilibot ang tingin sa paligid. The number of people arriving increased, filling the occupied chairs and tables. The thought lingered in my head: we're safe here inside the Capitol, but the people outside are running for their lives. We're only here for less than 48 hours yet so much had already happened. We could have died last night if we didn't get away from the Hunters.

"Hindi na ba tayo makakaalis dito sa Zone 12, Lex?" My gaze shifted to Fare. May bakas ng lungkot ang kanyang mukha. "Naalala ko 'yung sinabi sa atin ni Mang Fredo, mas delikado daw dito sa Zone 12. Ayokong mamatay dito, Lex--"

"Shh," I placed my palm on the back of her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Walang mamamatay. We're gonna stick together and we will do everything to stay alive..." I paused, looking directly into her eyes; seriousness clung to my voice. "until we find a way to escape this place. We will find our friends and we will leave this place together"

My vision is still clear to me. As long as I'm breathing, I will find a way to get out of this place. Hindi ko na hahayaang may mamatay pa dahil sa akin. I've seen enough people die before my eyes, and that should stop there. I won't let their deaths be in vain.

Maya maya'y dumating si Raye. May dala itong tray kung saan nakapatong ang tatlong plato at baso ng tubig. Each plate has three compartment. The larger section held steaming rice, next to it, a piece of grilled fish, and finally, a banana nestled in the smallest space. Nakapirmi sa gilid ng plato ang kutsara tinidor na gawa sa plastic. My heart leaped with joy. Sa wakas makakakain na din kami ng disenteng pagkain.

"Salamat, Raye" sambit ni Fare na may kasamang ngiti. Her eyes shining.

"Thanks" I muttered, offering a small smile.

"I don't accept thanks, amigas" Raye plastered a sheepish grin. "Utang nyo 'yan sa akin at babayaran nyo ako sa susunod"

"Sounds good" I nodded, accepting the deal.

Nagsimula na kaming kumain. Kaming dalawa ni Fare ang mapapansing agresibo sa pagkain dahil ngayon palang ulit kami nakakain mula kanina habang si Raye naman ay relax lang na nanguya. Sa kalagitnaan ng pagkain namin ay hindi ko maiwasang pansinin ang grupo ng mga kumakain sa kabilang table. Dalawang table ang pagitan nila sa amin. They're six of them. Dalawang babae at apat na lalaki. Pinagdugtong nila ang tatlong table para magkasya sila. Malalaki ang pangangatawan at matikas. Sila ang mga grupo na matatakot kang banggain. Maraming pagkain ang nakalapag sa table nila. They even have letchon. Malakas silang nagtatawanan na animo'y nirentahan nila ang buong lugar.

"They're Hunters" my head flickered to Raye. Shock etched across my face. I felt Fare flinched on her seat, having the same reaction as me. Raye jerked a fork in their direction. "Look at their food. Mahirap bilhin ang ganyang pagkain sa ordinaryong trabaho. You need to get yourself dying first before you can afford to buy a slice of meat on your plate"

"What about our work?" Fare's curious ask broke through. "We're hired as laundress. How much we can earn there?"

Tinapos muna ni Raye ang pagnguya nito. She let a mocking chuckle before she grabbed the glass of water to have a sip. "Ang bayad sa atin sa isang araw na paglalaba ay makakabili lang ng isang pirasong ganito" kinuha nito ang saging na hindi pa nababalatan mula sa plato at bahagyang tinaas para ipakita sa amin.

"One banana?" Fare's face twisted in disbelief.

"Money is hard to earn here if you stick to a normal job" Raye shrugged, resuming her eating.

"So hunting someone to kill is easy?" I asked, almost cracking a sarcastic laugh because of how absurd it was.

"Easy and high-paying job," Raye winked.

Natapos kaming kumain sa dining hall. Akala ko'y babalik na kami sa women's quarters ngunit ayon kay Raye ay may pupuntahan daw kami. Now we're out of the tower, the cold breeze of the night kissing our skin as we walked towards another building across the open space.

"Hindi ba maaagaw ang pwesto natin ng mga tao doon?" The growing anxiety through Fare's voice cut through the silence. Gaya ko'y ayaw niya din mawalan ng pwesto matulog. We haven't had a comfortable sleep last night so we'll count this night as ours. "Baka pumunta yung mga kasama ng mga babaeng 'yon at agawin ang higaan natin"

Raye just scoffed from Fare's statement as if it's the least to consider a problem. "Hindi na makakapasok sa silid na 'yon ang iba maliban sa mga naunang nag check in doon. The sensor detected us. It won't open to anyone unless it's the first eight people who were there"

That give me a relief. No wonder kaya malakas ang loob ni Raye na isama kami sa paglalagalag niya ng ganitong oras.

"Where are we going?" I voiced the question that forgotten to ask earlier. Guards are around, standing by, but they seem not to care whether people are having late-night strolls outside the tower. They may look unfazed, but they're alert to possible threats.

"12 am ang lights off. Mahaba haba pa ang gabi. We're gonna watch something" she said excitedly.

___

Maingay.

Isang salita na pinakaangkop para ilarawan ang paligid. I couldn't hear my own voice because it swallowed by the people's energetic scream and cheers. I thought we had teleportation to another world dahil ang daan na dinaanan namin ay parang portal. Makipot at madilim. I thought the dark tunnel we walked through is endless until we arrived in this dimension. Nandito kami sa arena na parang indoor stadium. Mas maliit lang ng tatlong beses kumpara sa totoong stadium. May boxing ring sa gitna. The seats were arranged in a tight circle around it. I'm familiar with this atmosphere dahil may ganito din sa Sonkan school. Mortal Combat.

The setting is just like Mortal Combat but the concept is far from it. Sa loob ng ring ay may anim na lalaki. They're topless. Only wearing jeans and a white-clothed mask. May tatlong butas lang ang tela na tumatakip sa buong ulo nila. Two holes for the eyes and one for the mouth. They all looked masculine. Their sculpted bodies seem poured with oil, but it's just their sweat. Lahat sila'y may mga hawak na patalim.

Ang mabigat na kamay braso ni Raye ay dumagan sa balikat ko. "Alam ko may ganito din sa Sonkan school pero mas malala pa to' sa Mortal Combat" I glanced at Raye with confusion. Her voice laced with excitement, teeth showing in wide grin as her eyes darted on the ring. Getting thrilled on what will happen. "Sa laban nilang 'yan literal na matira matibay. Isa lang ang matitira dahil lahat sila magpapatayan"

The words rolled off in her voice with excitement, she even squealed while my stomach just dropped. I gulped, hoping it would conceal my uneasiness. I wouldn't wish to witness brutality tonight.

She clapped her hands like a kid. "Ayan na, magsisimula na sila"

We've been with Raye for a few hours of our lives and we don't know her that much. She's nice in an unnormal way, but she got a villain vibes. Sa taas ng stage ay may balcony. Ang okupadong space doon ay nilagay ang anim na upuan. The staff who placed the chairs wore black attire and black masks. May mga dumating na lalaking naglalakihan ang katawan. They're like bouncers from exclusive, violent clubs. Bawat isa sa kanila ay may hila hilang babae. My breath hitched in my throat when I noticed their hands were tied behind. May ducktape ding nakatakip sa labi nila. Even from our distance, I could see the fear written on their faces. All of them were wearing red strapless dresses, the fabric clinging to their bodies, exposing too much of their skin.

"Anong ginagawa ng mga babae doon?" tanong ko kay Raye. Her attention remained fixed on the stage.

"They're the bet" Raye looked at me, smirking. "Nakasalalay ang buhay ng mga babaeng 'yon sa mga lalaking maglalaban sa stage. Each of them has the same number of the fighters there" lumawak ang ngisi nito. "Kapag natalo ang lalaking fighter, mamamatay din ang partner niyang babae"

I just stared at her with my mouth hung open, speechless. She explained it so casual as if it was normal and exciting. Muling bumalik ang tingin ko sa mga babaeng nasa balcony. The balcony was made of glass kaya nakikita padin sila ng audience. Sa tabi ng mga babaeng 'yon ay nakatayo ang lalaking kasama nila kanina. Napatakip na lamang ang kamay ko sa bibig nang makitang may hawak silang tag-iisang baril at nakatutok 'yon sa sintido ng mga babaeng nakaupo.

"But only one fighter lives," Fare's nervous voice piped in.

"Exactly. Kaya isang babae lang din ang mabubuhay" she nodded. Her voice is devoid of empathy. She removed her arm from my shoulder and leaned her upper body forward to put her whole focus on the stage. "The rest of the girls will be shot"

My heart ached for those terrified women who will die there. Tama nga si Raye. Mas matindi pa ito sa Mortal Combat. May tsansa pading mabuhay ang mga tao doon dahil kailangan lang nilang maknock down sa loob ng 30 minutes kumpara sa larong ito na totoo silang mamamatay.

Maya maya'y nagbukas ang ilaw mula sa taas ng stage. Naka gawi sa bandang kanan ang mga babaeng hostage at sa bandang harap naman sa taas ng stage ay nakalagay ang malaking tv screen. Parang doble ang laki no'n sa screen ng isang sinehan. Lumabas sa screen ang mga taong naka formal suit. They're wearing black mask, covering their entire faces. Mukhang nasa conference sila at sa zoom 'yon ginaganap. They're like virtual audiences.

"Who are they?" I asked, my eyes were fixed to them.

"VIPs" sagot nito. Her response was curt, almost dismissive. "Probably Sonkan's investors or whatever they were called them. They're doing this for their entertainment"

Entertainment? I scoffed at the back of my head.

Napatakip ako ng tenga nang nilipat sa malakas na rock music ang tugtog sa speaker. Kasabay no'n ang paglabas ng lalaking green ang buhok. His energetic voice instantly electrifying the crowd. Naningkit ang mata ko nang mamukhaan siya. I don't know if he's the same man hosting on Mortal Combat because they're wearing the same disguise. Joker. Magkaboses din sila. Sumilay ang ngiti sa pula niyang labi dahilan para lumitaw ang gold niyang ngipin. The music softened as he began to speak. His chilling presence filled the arena.

"Everybody say 'Ayo,'" the green-haired host wept aloud as he thrust the microphone towards the audience.

"Ayo" the crowd roared back.

"Ayo!" The Joker repeated.

"Ayo!" the audience screamed next.

"They don't do it occasionally," Raye's voice cut through the noise; her tone is flat. "They're just hosting the event whenever they find contestants"

"So these people...volunteer themselves to die?" I asked, my voice laced with horror and disbelief.

"Some of them volunteers. Others are forced"

My face flashed a worried look. "Why would they do that?"

Muling lumipat ang tingin sa akin ni Raye. Bahagyang nakaunat ang gilid ng labi nito. "Some are being punished. Some needs money" sa tono nito'y parang sinasabi niyang ito ang patakaran dito sa Zone 12 at wala kaming magagawa doon.

I wondered how desperate someone had to be for money that they're willing to risk their lives for it. I didn't experience needing money that much. My family provides me with anything. Even when I was still attending Sonkan school, my allowance was consistently deposited into my bank account. But since they brought us here, to Zone 12, everything had been cut off. I don't even have a penny to buy a plate of meals. Sana'y huwag dumating sa puntong lalapit ako sa kamatayan para lang sa pera.

"Let's give applause to our VIPs who are here to watch tonight!" My thoughts were cut off by the green-haired host. His voice is far more lively than any host could pull up.

Nagpalakpakan naman sila at may kasamang sipol. They seemed happy or maybe they're acting to. Ganito din sa Mortal Combat. Kahit alam nilang may maaaring mamatay sa laban ay masaya silang nagchicheer. I don't even understand where that coming from. The VIPs must be heartless. They're here, watching for their entertainment, using other people's live for their temporary enjoyment. Kung sila ang mga investor ng Sonkan, marahil isa din sila sa sumusuporta ng kasamaan nito. They're from the outside world and aware of the cruelty of their evil deeds. My fist clenched. The injustice of it all burns in my chest.

Nagsimula ang laban. Lumabas na ng stage si Joker at iniwan ang anim na lalaking maglaban doon. Desperation radiated from them, fighting for their lives. Nanatili lang akong tahimik sa kinauupuan ko habang ang mga taong nandito ay kulang nalang putulin ang litid kakasigaw. May mga nakikita akong nagtataas ng pera. Sinisigaw ang kalahok na tinayaan nila. Raye was even on her feet, her cheers perfectly timed with the crowd's. Mukhang tumaya din siya doon.

None of the fighters died yet inside the ring, but their blood oozed down the floor and scattered around. Their blood is like an abstract paint of red, and the canvas is the ring floor. They're all struggling to fight for themselves. Their grip on the knife was unwavering. Sinaksak ng isang matangkad na lalaki ang kalaban na sumugod sa kanya sa dibdib. Natumba ito at naglawa ang kanyang dugo sa sahig. Simultaneously, a gunshot echoed through the arena. My eyes followed the sound, settling on a woman who had been shot in the head. She slumped from her seat, lifeless.

My chest tightened. I sharply rose from my seat and turned my back. Isang kamay ang pumigil sa akin. I looked at Raye; her eyes held a questioning look. I removed her grip from my wrist. "Do you think I can continue watching this show?" My voice held firm.

She released my arm, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. "Don't act like this is your first time seeing someone killed,"

"It wasn't my first time" malamig kong sagot. "But doesn't mean I wanna watch it" nagsimula akong maglakad palabas. Hindi alintana sa mga taong mahaharangan dahil sa pagdaan ko.

"Lex!" I heard Fare called me. Saglit akong lumingon sa kanya. Akma itong tatayo ngunit hinawakan siya ni Raye sa balikat para pigilan ito. I flashed a small smile to her before vanishing in her sight.

I want to breath. Everything's too much to handle. I continue walking until I get myself out of the arena. I don't know where to go. Ayokong dumiretso sa women's quarters. Mamaya pa ang lights out at gusto kong sulitin ang oras na ito para makapag isip isip. Eventually, I found myself sitting on a marble bench. A smile spread across my lips, thankful because no one's passing by here. I let the cold breeze brush my skin. I like my alone time. It allows me to refresh my mind a bit. I was too overwhelmed. Ang kaisa isang tsansa namin para makaalis dito ay nawala pa. Now I don't know what to do. How can we get out of here?

Napayuko ako at naitakip ang dalawang kamay ko sa mukha. I'm frustrated yet I can't do anything.

"What happened to the Hunters you'd encountered? Why are you still alive?"

Between the gaps of my fingers, I saw a pair of shoes standing before me. Dahan dahang umangat ang tingin ko sa nakatayong 'yon. A cunning smile of a woman greeted me. I rolled my eyes at the back of my head.

Raye.

********

Thanks for reading!