I was about to lean on the backrest of the car, but I was surprised when something suddenly banged next to me.
I turned to the window on my side and my knees just weakened when I saw what it was.
That... that woman from earlier... the mother I helped just a while ago.
I couldn't be wrong, even though her hair was messy, her clothes and face were full of blood, and even though her eyes were just white. Her eyes that I had just seen, her face that showed a tired smile to me earlier.
Oh god!
She's now a zombie.
She just kept banging her head on the side of my window as if she was losing herself.
"Get down, AC. I will shoot her--" I quickly stopped Kuya by putting my hand on his gun. His eyes widened because of what I did.
"No!" I stopped him. I looked at them and I could see the wonder in their eyes while looking at me.
They will not understand me.
"What? What if she bites you?" kuya asked in surprise, the three were just quiet as if they were watching a show. I shook my head at him.
"It will not happen, Kuya. We know she can't," I assured him and then I looked back at the woman.
But my eyes widened when the noise from outside got louder, which I think was getting closer to us.
It looks like we attracted attention because of starting the engine of the SUV we were riding. More and more surrounded us and it felt like an earthquake because of the strong shaking of our car caused by those who attacked us.
"Go! Go! Go!" Xavier nervously said.
"Start it quickly!" even Ali started to panic and kept looking around inside the car.
I held on to both sides to support myself. The three panicked even more when the shaking of the car got stronger.
"Let's get out of here, Kuya!" I also shouted because of my panic.
Sh*t! The windows will break if we don't get out of here!
"Ok. Ok," Erros hurriedly said.
Even he panicked and I was very thankful because it also started but it was so fast that I was just holding on to my seat tightly. I also saw how the zombies were pulled away because of kuya's sudden start.
I just realized now that I haven't been breathing since earlier. So I lowered the window next to me and inhaled air.
I can't get the woman's face out of my mind either.
If she was bitten, what happened to her two other children? Just thinking about their crying faces, I can't accept that they might have been bitten too.
There's only one thing on my mind now and it keeps stabbing my chest.
I didn't save them.
I closed my eyes while the wind was blowing my hair.
When I opened my eyes, I realized that it was night already, the road we were taking was dark. Where are we going? I don't know.
We were all quiet inside.
"Now, explain," I heard kuya say.
I know he was talking to me, I also noticed in my peripheral view that they turned to kuya's direction. They were silent and tiredness was written on their faces.
For the first time, I rolled my eyes at him. I took a deep breath and calmed myself first. Kuya and I don't always fight, I'm just annoyed because mama and papa always baby me since that incident.
"I needed to save myself," I answered plainly while just looking outside the car.
"I said where the hell did you learn that?" he repeated.
Because of my annoyance, I couldn't stop myself from answering him. "Do you still need to learn how to use that if you're already on the brink of death?" I also asked him back.
"Sorry, again to interrupt your drama--" it's Ali.
"Shut up. I'm not talking to you, Mister," kuya quickly cut off what Ali was going to say.
"First of all, I'm not Mister yet because I don't have a wife yet. Second, you're the second to call me that, your sister was the first. Third, I have the right to speak because I seem to be involved in what you're talking about," Ali declared.
If it was quiet inside earlier and we could only hear crickets. Now it was replaced by a hot tension between kuya Erros and Ali.
"How come your involved in our conversation? Mister?" kuya said with a hint of snarkiness. Ali rolled his eyes at kuya's answer, I could see the two trying to hold back their laughter. It looks like these two are entertained by the two fighting ah! Like children, tsk.
I ignored them and just crossed my arms while closing my eyes.
But because I couldn't sleep because the faces of the mother and children from earlier were still bothering me, I just decided to open my eyes.
"I lent her my gun so she wouldn't rely on someone like me anymore," Ali answered arrogantly.
My two ears pricked up because of what he said, I looked at him at the back and gave him a deadly look.
I'm so ashamed of his gun that only has two bullets. tsk.
Ali just stuck his tongue out at me which made me even more annoyed.
I can't believe this.
When I look at my co-workers or people, they immediately get scared of me. Some even told me that my eyes are cold, there's no emotion to be seen.
But now there is. Anger and annoyance because of the man in front of me now.
"Woah! Did I see you gave a death glare, AC?" kuya said in disbelief to me.
I frowned at him. And what does he think of me, a mannequin?!
"That's great. It looks like you have some improvement because of this childish-looking one, Ah," he added and laugh in the end.
"Except for you who looks gay," I wasn't surprised when Ali also answered kuya with an insult.
Because of Ali's answer to him, kuya's eyebrows immediately met. I heard Xavier laugh loudly and his eyes disappeared again, while Matt was also trying to hold back his laughter.
"What did you say?" kuya loudly asked Ali.
He was still driving so he only glanced at Ali in the rear view mirror. I just shook my head, that's probably why Ali mistook kuya for being gay because he was just wearing a pink long sleeves that reached his elbows.
Well, I've also long mistaken kuya for being gay. Aside from his face that looks more feminine than me, he also likes pink, there's no day that he doesn't wear pink.
He already clarified that he's a man and he even said that there should be no gay in the Gordon family. There's no problem with our youngest brother because he's straighter than kuya.
"Bakla!" Ali repeated.
"Isip-bata!" kuya irritatedly responded.
Because I don't like noise, I was the one who stopped their bickering.
"What were gonna do now?" I seriously asked my kuya who finally looked at me after their bickering. I felt the faces of the three behind us become serious. He sighed then shook his head.
"What about you? What's your plan?" he turned to the two because when he looked at Ali's place, he rolled his eyes at him.
"The helicopter and Matt are the only ones who decide where we're going. Actually, the two of us like to travel here in the Philippines using his vehicle. We were planning to travel to Palawan but this happened, and because our Helicopter is gone. We also have no plan," Xavier answered and shrugged afterwards.
They love to travel, huh?
"Pfft, why did this childish one disappear in the picture? Isn't he your friend?" kuya asked them once again. He was still trying to hold back his laughter while asking that. Tsk. He really can't get over his bickering with Ali.
"We've been friends since we were kids, but only Matt and I get along to travel and this Ali? Pffft he's just a hanger-on to us," Xavier shared to us and even laughed at the end of what he said.
I've been noticing the frequent laughter of this squinty and short one-sorry for the term- so somehow the atmosphere inside here becomes light.
"Stop me Matt, if not I will push that short one out of this car," Ali said annoyed who looked like he was trying to hold back.
"Haha, sorry dude. I won't stop you," Matt playfully said.
"Ok," Ali answered to the laughing Matt and I just suddenly heard Xavier and Matt shout.
"Aw," I heard Xavier yelp in pain.
Matt also groaned when he was accidentally included in Ali's hit on their friend.
"Shh," Kuya hushed them and I curiously turned my head to him. Our companions became quiet but Ali's chatter wouldn't disappear because we could even hear his whisper.
"Move over shorty. I'm getting squeezed here oh!" Ali whispered and was complaining because they've been squeezed together for a while now.
"I said quite," kuya whispered a scolding to the three especially to Ali. They just widened their eyes at each other.
"Quite raw... eh shh is all he said earlier," Ali whispered again that didn't escape my hearing.
It looks like there will be a world war three if I don't interrupt these two.
"What is it, Kuya?" I asked him and also felt the surroundings. Only the light of the SUV was the reason for us to see what's outside.
"Nothing. I'm just surprised because the surroundings are quiet," My brother said after he inspect outside.
I just nodded. Where are we anyway? I haven't memorized the ins and outs of Manila because I've only been here for almost one month. I also don't like to go out because my priority is my work and if I don't have anything to do, I just stay and sleep in my apartment.
I'm also not with kuya in where I live because I'm in Navotas while he's in Marikina City.
Earlier I'm sure we were still in Marikina, but now I don't know. This is also the first time I've been here because I'm not given a chance to go here, I only see the building where kuya works because aside from liking the color purple, he also likes taking selfies.
He even said that if he wasn't promoted as Sergeant now, he would just become a photographer.
Wait. Speaking of Phone.
While the four were busy observing the surroundings, and kuya's driving also became slow.
I approached the radios and looked for something that we could use to know what's happening. While I was tinkering with the contents of the SUV, I asked kuya.
"Kuya, where is your phone?" I asked my brother.
"Holy sh*t! I forget it in my table after I called to our parents," he cursed softly and regret was written on his face.
I just sighed, I don't have a phone, neither does kuya. I turned my head to the three.
"Do you have phones?" I asked them.
In the few hours that I've been with these three, I just now thought that they might have phones. I saw Xavier raise his phone that was an Iphone.
I was filled with hope that we could use that to ask for help.
"I have one. But deadbat," he said and it felt like my hope was just a blink of an eye because of what he said. I looked at Matt instead.
"I left it in my helicopter, I'm sorry." I just nodded to him to let him know that it's okay. I turned my gaze back to the front.
"Me? Aren't you going to ask me?" Ali asked me now.
"Why? Do you have one?" I challenged him.
He laughed which made the four of us look at him. He's like a madman to be honest and I've also been noticing that it's like there's no disaster happening around him, he's just like Xavier. I'll just think that Matt is the only sane one among his friends.
"None," he answered and then laughed to his own stupidity.
See? Xavier hit him and Matt just shook his head at him while there was a smile on his lips.
"Tsk," I held on to my temple and shook my head a few times.
Kuya continued to drive again. I thought I would get a sane answer from a childish one like him.
"Where are we anyway? This is the first time we've been here in Marikina because it wasn't included in our travel list before," Xavier cut our silence.
And I just notice that he and kuya are becoming close, I don't know about Matt because he seems to be just quiet. And for Ali? It's obvious that kuya doesn't like him.
"I'm not sure. But based on where we passed by earlier when it was still bright, we haven't gotten to---"
"Sh*t!" I cursed out.
"Look out!" Xavier shouted.
Kuya's words were immediately cut off when a zombie suddenly greeted us in front of us.
Because of that, he swerved. I held on to my seat and just realized that our car was already smoking from the front. I was still in a state of shock because of what happened and just suddenly came to my senses when kuya suddenly shouted my name.
"AC! Get out of the car. Now!" I heard him shout at me. I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car.
I caught the three already shooting the few zombies that were attacking us. It's a good thing that I thought that I had a gun. I pulled the gun out of my pocket and was about to help but kuya immediately snatched it from me.
"What the?" I exclaimed.
Before I could complain to him, he already beat me to it.
"You're not allowed to use guns when I'm around, AC," He declared.
What?
"But---" I stopped again because he already called Xavier who was now patting himself. I know he's out of bullets because he told Ali that earlier.
"Hey Xavier! Use this one!" kuya shouted to him while throwing my gun. Xavier immediately caught it while smiling widely.
Great! My kuya is really good at annoying me.
I looked at my companions again. Xavier and Matt both had their right hands extended while kuya was holding both of his hands on a Springfield Armory gun.
His hand was resting on the roof of the car while I was just beside him, and for an unknown reason, my naughty eyes looked for the person missing from my companions.
I saw him with his hands in his pockets behind Matt and just seriously watching the zombies. He also looked at me which caused my heart to beat fast. He even smirked which made my hairs stand on end.
He has this dark aura again!
What the hell? Is it that easy for him to change himself from being childish into a dark Ali now?
And I'm getting confused about his identity right now. Why do he and kuya seem to have a similarity in standing and his aura that screams authority?
Is he a police?
A Soldier? Army? Or what?
Who is the real you, Ali Madrigal?