(This piece is loosely inspired by Alice in Borderland – the manga version, and Squid Game.)

 

 

 

[And then, there were ten.]

 

 

Akala ko matatapos na ang lahat.

 

 

Akala ko ‘pag nalampasan namin yung ibang mga kababalaghan, tapos na.

 

 

That even if the world is in ruins, even if the world lays dying as only a handful survived the horrors that we had experienced, na tapos na ang lahat.

 

 

That we could survive with what we have, and live peacefully until we pass on—and leave nothing behind.

 

 

Pero bakit ganito?

 

 

Hindi ko maintindihan.

 

 

“Irene.”

 

 

The voice beckons me to move, to snap away from my thoughts and run yet again from the new set of horrors that seem bent upon killing all of us, pero hindi ko magawa.

 

 

How, when I know all these people?

 

 

When I know them like the back of my hand, at kahit na ang iba sa kanila ay galit sa akin, I can never stomach the idea of losing all of them?

 

 

Of even myself, dying?

 

 

[Rules:A rush of undead would have the one goal of killing one of you, and it would not cease until it is confirmed that one of you is dead.]

 

 

[Goodluck.]

 

 

“Irene, we have to go.”

 

 

Seulgi drags me from my daze as the millions of the corpses that had passed away after the initial set of horrors had come back to life, turned into these heartless monsters that seek to tear through one of us, aiming to exhaust us all until one passes on.

 

 

Bakit ganito?

 

 

Ano bang nagawa naming masama?

 

 

“Rene, come on!” Jennie Kim shouts habang nagsitakbuhan na silang lahat, at napilitan na din akong tumakbo habang patuloy na sumusunod sa amin ang tila army ng undead na parang hahabulin ata kami kung saan pa man kami magpunta, but the battlefield is too wide.

 

 

“Maybe… maybe that voice tricked us.” Sigaw ko habang patuloy kaming tumatakbo at nilalamangan ng distansya ang mga sumusunod sa amin, and as usual part of this group that I am with grumbled upon hearing my voice, and part of them listened to me since I know that this might be some kind of sick trick.

 

 

“Of course, buhay ka pa.” natatawang sabi ni Solar Kim habang pilit siyang pinipigil ng asawa niyang kilalang kilala ko—Moon Byul Yi, the woman I once dated, now dating the woman na galit na galit sa akin ever since nalaman niyang nakipagdate ako sa asawa niya dati—

 

 

That isn’t important right now.

 

 

“Just… just listen, what if there is a time limit to this thing? We can try to survive while being chased, hanggang sa matapos.” I said, the others sighing as they must have realized that I’m right, that there’s something else to this weird game, na may tsansang mabuhay kaming lahat na walang nababawas.

 

 

“But that was what we all thought when we faced the first round of horrors that eliminated almost all of us.” Biglang sabat ng isang mahinang boses, and I raise my brow habang tinitignan ang isang babaeng sobrang hinhin na kasama ni Sinb Hwang, a girl I know from the past.

 

 

“We thought it would be over if we waited it out, but it didn’t. And then, it stopped when we were the only ones left.” She said, gritting her teeth as I could see that familiar mask of pretending upon her falter, pero mabilis niya iyong nabawi at tinitigan kaming lahat.

 

 

“So I’d volunteer myself to die.”

 

 

Natigil ang lahat na tumakbo nang marinig namin ang mga katagang iyon—ang mga salita ng isang taong matagal nang sumuko, as if she already wants to stop living.

 

 

“Soojin, no.” sagot ni Sinb habang hinawakan niya ng mahigpit ang kamay ng babae, as if it could be something that persuades her to continue living, to continue running, to continue moving forward—even if the odds are against us.

 

 

“Hindi ako papayag—”

 

 

“Sinb, hayaan mo akong makasama uli si Shuhua,” she said, the name bringing tears upon her eyes, “please.” She begged, and in that moment, I somehow knew.

 

 

That there’s no persuading her to move forward.

 

 

That there’s nothing that could change her mind.

 

 

“Hindi—hindi ko hahayaang mawala ka. I promised her that I would take care of you, and that’s what I’d do. Come on!” sigaw ni Sinb at galit na hinila si Soojin para tumakbo na ulit, at wala nang nagawa ang babae kung hindi magpatuloy na tumakbo along with the others, hoping that they wouldn’t catch up with us, at sana…sana totoo ang hinala ko.

 

 

Na matitigil ito kapag naghintay kami ng kahit konti pa.

 

 

But something inside me cracks—falters at every step, like it was a mirror getting striked upon at every step that I take, at ramdam kong unti-unti akong nasisira habang nakatitig ako sa kanya, dahil hindi ko siya mapapansin kung hindi kami tumigil sa pagtakbo dahil kay Soojin kanina.

 

 

Karina.

 

 

So, mom and dad didn’t survive, huh?

 

 

Gusto ko siyang kausapin—gusto ko siyang lapitan at kausapin kahit na sa huling sandali na lang, because I don’t even know if I would live to see another day knowing that there would be a lot of tricks built to weed all of us out for an unknown reason, dahil hindi ko ata kakayaning mawala ako na may hinanakit pa siya sa akin.

 

 

Call it selfish, I don’t care.

 

 

But something also tells me that she doesn’t want to talk to me—that she’s angry at me, because I know that I ed up.

 

 

I ed up as a sister, and there’s nothing I can do to take back all those years that I spent bulidng up my career and being selfish in exchange of me, leaving everything behind.

 

 

“Ang dami mo nanamang iniisip, tumakbo ka na nga lang.” Seulgi Kang chides me again, forcing me to clear my mind of my thoughts so instantly as I realize that I had been slowing down because of these thoughts and as I look back, I could see the shadows of the undead advancing towards us.

 

 

“What? Hindi ba parang yun din naman ang gusto ng lahat?” I utter unconsciously without even thinking about it, and the look Seulgi gives me makes me wish that I shouldn’t have uttered that at all.

 

 

Pity? Anger? Regret?

 

 

Sadness?

 

 

“No one deserves to die, and I’d like to keep it that way.” Sagot niya habang hinigpitan niya lalo ang hawak sa akin at tumakbo ng mas mabilis, forcing me to keep up with her stride, and deep inside I wonder why she’s doing this, when all I had done is hurt all of them in the past.

 

 

Before the horrors showed up.

 

 

Before everyone around us suddenly dropped dead, and it was at the time na natakot ako ng sobra, because I might drop dead at the next minute and leave this world with a lot of regrets coming with me.

 

 

Pero bakit?

 

 

Bakit kasama ako sa natira?

 

 

Is this some cruel joke that fate had thrown at us?

 

 

Is this something that had been premeditated by that weird voice that gave us the rules to this sick game?

 

 

“But I deserve to, since I had done a lot of things that are bad with all of you—”

 

 

“And yet you’re not the one who decides that, but us. And I vote that you can’t die.” Tahimik na sagot ni Seulgi habang patuloy kayong tumakbo towards who knows where, dahil sino nga ba ang nakakaalam kung saan kami pwedeng pumunta na hindi na kami hahabulin ng mga halimaw na ito.

 

 

Seulgi… how can you still do this?

 

 

When all I’ve done is hurt you?

 

 

Nevertheless, I push away the thought at the back of my mind habang patuloy kaming nag-iisip ng kung ano bang pwede naming gawin para makatakas kami, but for me… nothing seems to come into mind, for the first time since ever, at hindi ko na talaga alam ang gagawin ko.

 

 

The cold Irene Bae, now stricken with fear and anxiety? Hindi ko maimagine na mangyayari sa akin ang ganito.

 

 

That for once in my life, I’m finally scared out of  my wits.

 

 

“Natatakot ako.” I uttered, barely a whisper, but I know that Seulgi heard it just fine, because she let out that signature sigh of hers—something that had always been a telltale sign that she has worries she doesn’t want anyone to see.

 

 

“The great Irene Bae, scared? Never thought I’d live to see the day.” A voice uttered, close to me, and I recognize her voice to be Karina, at nang tignan ko siya ay mabilis siyang umiwas ng tingin habang nakikipagkwentuhan sa babaeng narecognize ko bilang si Winter Kim, that bestfriend of hers na lagi na niyang kasama simula pa pagkabata.

 

 

“Imbis na mag bangayan kayo diyan, let’s find some weapons we could use to fight those things. And as we’ve probably watched din before in movies, always aim for the head.” Sagot ni Moonbyul, taking charge in the moment, at agad naman na silang sumunod at naghanap ng pwedeng panlaban sa mga halimaw na iyon.

 

 

“No one dies, alright?” Moonbyul says, and the others nod at that, habang nakatitig lang ako sa metal pipe na napulot ko who knows where.

 

 

No one dies.

 

 

Please.

 

 

[And then, there were nine.]