When Back In Time

"TAMA NA!" she exclaimed. (Enough!)

Esperanza looked behind Pepe's back.

The persistent cops, with determined eyes, kept chasing them.

Slapping Pepe's c.h.e.s.t, she yelled, "Ibaba mo ako!" (Put me down!)

He shook his head without looking at her and continued running.

He tightly carried her in his arms.

She yelled again, "Sabing ibaba mo ako!" (I said put me down!)

Pepe yelled back to her, "Hindi ka pa makakatakbo sa lagay mo na iyan! Nakikita mo ba ang mga taong nasa likod natin, humahabol sa atin? Hindi mo sila matatakasan dahil sa pilay mo!" (You can't run in that kind of situation you're in. Do you see the people behind us, chasing us? You can't outrun them because of your injury!)

Feeling frustrated, she cursed her injured ankle and those two civil guards.

Why do they always chase Esperanza and Pepe? 'This is aggravating!' she thought to herself.

One of the guards raised his rifle.

She warned, "Baril! Babarilin tayo!" (Gun! They're going to fire on us)

Pepe turned right.

This never-ending chase was really pissing her off.

She recalled the time how Pepe pushed her away when one of the civil guards aimed his rifle towards her. Pepe swiftly carried her and dashed away.

They're very reluctant to leave Saragnayan lying on the ground with his bleeding nose. But they could not help it. The two men in blue uniforms were chasing them, not Saragnayan. She thought, 'He'll be fine.'

Esperanza could not fathom how these two guards found them easily. She also observed that the two men were also the people who kept chasing them from Luzon until here.

'Their persistence surely never knows when to stop eh,' she told herself.

It's a miracle that Esperanza and Pepe could still evade their bullets and could still outrun them. But when can they still escape them? Time will come that they'll be captured.

The gun was fired again missing Esperanza's head.

She yelped. Pepe cursed. He veered to his left and went deeper into the forest.

The gun was fired again and again and again. It hit Pepe's shoulder.

Another shot and it hit his leg.

The two fell on the ground.

The two advancing guards aimed their guns to Esperanza.

Her heart was beating faster.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

She screamed for help. Pepe was agonizing. He struggled as he clasped his leg.

Looking around for help, she grabbed stones from the ground. Esperanza tried to throw it towards their pursuer while yelling "Go away!"

Her shuddering hands could not sling properly the stones and always missing the target.

The man in the blue uniform pulled the rifle's safety and pointed it towards her.

She tried to back away. She grabbed Pepe and tried to pull him, trying to escape. But the latter was in pain and was not in the condition to move.

What should she do?

The guard pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Her eyes widen. She gasped in aghast.

Her body vigorously shook. She touched the area where it was shot. She lifted her hand.

Blood. Her hand was filled with crimson blood.

'No!'

Tears came streaming from her eyes as she stared in front of her.

It was Pepe. He blocked himself, shielding her from the bullet.

"Pepe!" Esperanza held Pepe's face. "Ba-bakit mo i-iyon ginawa?" (W-why did you do t-that?)

But he only responded to her with a weak smile.

She glanced towards the two guards. They reload again their rifles.

Then, she noticed they weren't targeting Pepe.

One of the guards pulled the safety and pointed his weapon towards her.

They were not aiming towards Pepe. They're targeting her.

She gasped and closed her eyes in realization. 'This is it? No way! Is this my end? Am I going to die here, in this era? That can't be right. I'm too young to die,' she said, cowering on the ground.

'But this is happening. This is f.u.c.k.i.n.g happening!'

Bang! Bang!

'Is this goodbye?'

Two shots could be heard as it reverberated around the forest.

She took a shuddering gasp.

Silence cloaked the forest.

She was breathing heavily.

And then she felt it... she felt nothing. She opened her eyes and held her c.h.e.s.t. There's no blood. She checked her head with her hands and saw no blood.

Is she still... alive?

Her head lifted as she heard Pepe's heavy breathing.

His right arm was stretched out and on his hand was a revolver.

She was shocked to see his gun. She didn't know he was carrying such a deadly weapon. She really didn't know.

Glancing behind Pepe, she saw the two guards on the ground. Blood was oozing out from their head. She looked away in horror.

"Iba... ba," Pepe coughed blood.

"Pepe," she said and touched his shoulders, "H-huwag ka muna magsalita." (D-don't talk)

She looked at his abdomen and saw blood smearing his camisa (shirt).

"Sa i-iba... ba," he started and struggled in pain. (D-down)

She asked him 'what'.

He pointed his bloody finger down below the slope. He said down below was a nipa hut.

"Nandoon siya," Pepe mumbled (He is there).

"Sino------(Who-----)" Esperanza didn't continue what she wanted to ask when Pepe finally fell down on the ground, bleeding and unconscious.