1 EPISODE 1: RECALL

EPISODE 1: RECALL

June 21, 2007

1:30 P.M.

It was a scorching afternoon, there was no sign of rain but it was extremely humid. The flashes of the sun's rays hit my eyes as I fell down the hot pavement, my skin burned as if it were being fried on a hot pan, drops of sweat hit the ground and evaporates in an instant. After feeling the ground on my back, I tried to lift my noodle like body.

Suddenly there was an ear-splitting sound that came out of nowhere. It was deafening to the point that the world around me started shaking. My mind was an empty room, not even a single thought can be found in it.

Dumbfounded, I looked around trying to stay collected, a crimson red liquid flowed from the back of my head causing me to feel nausea.

"ah sh*t, what was that?." I told myself.

I closed my eyes for a moment trying to remember what happened. Nothing came to mind, I guess I was too shaken to remember even the smallest details.

Not even a single minute has run down the clock, the blue hues from above was engulfed in fumes coming from these little gas tanks. It became dark as if the sun had already set.

"What happened?" I asked myself.

I dug deep into my consciousness to look clues of what happened then it came rushing back to me.

6:00 A.M.

The sun was still asleep it was even before the scarlet skies showed its marvels that everyone was gathered.

"Today is the day we claim our rights!"

A young man named Maki claimed while he stands on the top of a platform.

"We will fight for what is ours, this land… is ours. No one can take it away from us."

He spoke as if he was the best man in town; there were no rats in his chest, his voice was as calm as the river, though his words were sharp as sword, they were sincere and real. He spoke the truth.

The place shook as the people shout in agreement.

"As the great Marin Luther once said, a riot is the language of the unheard. We, today, will be the voice of the unheard, we will become a beacon of hope for the people who does not have the power to speak, we will no be silent anymore. I hope and pray that everything will be peaceful. In this fight, Blood shed is not necessary. We will not fight with our hands but fight with our words. We will fight with diplomacy..."

The gathering ended peacefully, and then people went on to prepare.

"Hey, Maki, how's the preparation going?" I asked.

"It's all good brother, it's all good. You don't have to worry about something like this Lex, I've done this a bunch of times." He replied.

Makibaka Santos or Maki as we call him is not my real brother. I met him along with some other people on Foster Care.

Maki was not a person confined on the four corners of his University. He often goes out on the street and participating in movements that promote change. Being radical is on his blood. His long black hair flowed down right before his shoulders as if it was shouting for equality.

Countless times have he been inside a withholding cell. He knew what the winterish floor feels like, and the ice cold walls that tell a million stories. More importantly, he knew that no cell can confine his love for his countrymen.

While me? Well, I'm not confined in my classroom either. I was also out on the street, participating violent movements. My golden mohawk was the talk of the town, and I wore it like a king. I was fighter too.

"You sure you're gonna do this Maki? I feel ominous." I asked Maki for one last time.

"You sure talk a lot kiddo, remember this is not my first Rodeo. I'll be home sooner that you think." He replied.

Maki then turned his back on me and started walking towards the group as they went on their way.

1:20 N.N.

The heat was blinding and it shimmers on the pavements. Sweaty shirt and hoarse voice are what's left from the protesters. I watched them from a far, I always did. Maki told me to watch from a distance in case a fight breaks out so I did.

In the midst of the crowd was an odd man. He wore the darkest colors even in the heat of the sun. He slowly made his way to the front, brushing of people left and right, pushing them aside. He forcefully made his way to the front.

Then I saw Maki, drizzled in sweat, tears about to burst from his eyes. There was cold sweat running down his face. His breathing was heavy, his hand shook in fear as the odd man pointed cold tip of his gun at Maki's temple.

In that sea of people, no one noticed the odd man; he neither looked dull nor stood out. He was just there, but it was a different case for me. I've always had sharp eyes and quick intuition. With all my might I sprinted towards Maki who was on the other side.

I was only a meter away from him but it only took a split second for the bullet to make contact. The sound of the gunshot flung across the venue. He was dead even before the sound had reached the rest of the group.

No one made a sound after hearing the noise and slowly watched Maki as his face hit the hot cement.

"Noooooo!" I desperately shouted.

Then people began pushing each other, trying to get away from the scene as fast as possible. It was a stampede. The sea became a tsunami of people trying to get somewhere safer. It didn't matter to me, all I wanted was to run towards Maki.

I made it to him, but I was too late. There was neither pulse nor breathing; all that was left was the cold body on the cement. I held his head tight on my arms as if hugging a new born child with care.

"I told you, it didn't feel right…" I told this cold corpse on my arms.

Streams of water started to rain down my face. And drops of my soul hit his lifeless body. It was not Maki anymore, it was his body but it didn't have the weight in it anymore, it was nothing more than an empty vessel.

I looked around trying to find the odd man, the culprit. I had his face imprinted in my mind, I knew who he was. It was a face that I'll never forget.

His eyes were cold and lifeless; His brown skin can be seen on the back of his palm as he held the gun that was on Maki's forehead. He had this empty vibe in him, like a machine, a killing machine.

I stood and looked around. I searched in the middle of the sea of people, and there I saw in the distance, A man who resembles death itself.

As I start to run towards him my knees became jelly. I fell down the hot pavement, my consciousness started to come back. I tried to lift my unsteady body, suddenly there was an ear-splitting sound; it was the sound of a siren.

Dumbfounded, I looked around trying to stay collected, blood flowed from the back of my head causing me to feel nausea.

"I guess I really did hit the pavement hard." I told myself.

I closed my eyes for a moment trying to remember what happened. Nothing came to mind, I guess I was too shaken to remember even the smallest details.

Not even a single minute ran down the clock, the blue hues from above was engulfed in fumes coming from these little gas tanks. It became dark as if the sun had already set.

"What's happening?" I asked myself, trying to recall the events.

I carried myself up slowly, to trying to find a way out of the sea of smoke surrounding me. I saw a glimpse of light not far from where I stood. I faced its direction and slowly started to walk towards it. As soon as my brain coped, I started to pick up the pace. I covered my face as I ran towards the light with all my might, coughing as I inhaled the smoke that surrounds me.

I raised my hand and waved it in the air trying to clear some smoke out of the way while I ran. My lungs gasped for air, my head was spinning, It felt like I was about to collapse, then I thought to myself, is this me dying? Will this actually be the end of me?

My lower body was barely keeping up. I frantically ran forward, there was no other way for me. I slowly escaped from the darkness that surrounds me. The sun was too bright, I squinted my eyes to help it adjust. I took a deep breath followed by endless coughing. I thought that my lungs were about the fall out.

I lift my face up slowly still desperate for air and there I saw, with my own two eyes. A pool of blood and bodies piled up on top of each other. Despite having the gas around, I can smell the stench of blood, it was so bad that I threw up. My body had no other way to cope, my mind was blank, and I was unable to process any information.

I was barely on my feet, as the wailing of the siren stopped. Suddenly I felt a searing pain over my right chest as if it was burning. A hole was punched through me, the blood started to gush out. I was too weak to even react. My face fell on the hot concrete and I started losing consciousness. I was too weak to see what was happening but I can hear all the clamor loud and clear.

Then I heard a sound of footsteps, it was going to my direction. I tried my hardest to look, but all I can see was the shadow of a man. He then went near me, I was shaking, not because of fear but because of anger but there was nothing I can do.

Tears started to fall down my face like waterfall…

"There's nothing you can do Lex, it's the end of the line…" I thought to myself.

Then the man came to me, he put his lips near my ears. I can hear him breath, slowly, calmly, not fazed by anything. It was as if he's done that over and over again.

"Don't blame yourself kid, blame the President".

That was the last thing I remembered.

To be Continued…