Once your HP drops to 0, you die. You may be revived or be brought back to life with methods that includes, but not limited to: defibrillation, healing magic or even dark magic as long as you do not suffer a physical and/or spiritual death. Although dark magic can make corpses move, it is not technically ‘alive’. There is no respawn.
-Admin Anon, Surviving Earthland For Dummies, page 8.
----------------------------------------
Chapter 1: In the Beginning
The whole room was covered with bookcases. Each bookcase contained stacks of hard copy of PC games in a neat order. The games in each shelf were grouped by genre ranging from Fantasy RPGs (Role Playing Games) to RTS (Real Time Strategy) games. All arranged alphabetically. Most of the PC games he had could be bought and downloaded online, but the owner was something like a gamer version of a bibliophile. He liked to collect hard copies of PC games. No console games can be found as the owner believed that consoles were only for peasants.
Beside the PC game bookcases was another bookcase which contained actual books and they were also arranged alphabetically. Books about military strategy, finance, accounting, economics, and history that the owner inherited from his father. Most of his books, however, were downloaded online. Why pay for a book if you can download it for free?
There were also magazines behind the bookcase that were carnal in nature and the owner made an effort to keep them hidden for emergency cases such as whenever there’s no internet or whenever the power is out.
The rest of the room was a mess. Similar to a garbage dumpsite, dirty clothes, used under wears, crumpled papers, cigarette ashes, cigarette butts and other kinds of trash were scattered all over the room. The floor was sticky because of a spilled soda. The room reeked of foul stench that anyone will think that there was a rotting corpse hidden somewhere in the room.
Of course, that was not the case.
This was the room of Miguel Arevalo. A twenty-year-old overweight teenager who was lazy to clean up his room, even though he was reminded endlessly by his sister. His nose had been already immune to the stench and his own body was starting to smell like his own bedroom. He had not taken a bath for almost a week now. His sister always reminded him to take a bath once in a while, but he kept making excuses.
At that moment, he was sitting like a hunchback on his computer chair as the keyboard made a ratatat sound.
xXxLordShadowxXx: pull the aggro u dumsht im fckin dying here
CantTouchThis: its on cooldown U hav 2 much dps
xXxLordShadowxXx: do sumting damit
Like most typical MMO players, their naming sense are weird. xXxLordShadowxXx was Miguel’s in game name in his favorite massively multiplayer online role playing game or MMORPG in short.
Miguel was gritting his teeth as he concentrates on his character’s hit points (HP). A mob of digital monsters was chipping away his HP faster than the cooldown of his healing potions. He pressed F1 button as fast as he can because if his HP drops to 0, his character will die.
His character was a magic based class. A powerful ranged attacker who can deal high damage to multiple enemies. However, his class has a draw back. It has lower hit points and defense compared to melee based class.
xXxLordShadowxXx: fcuk
Of course, the inevitable happened.
Normally, MMOs don’t allow swearing in chat, but players can find loopholes in chat filter. Miguel repeatedly typed the word ‘fcuk’ on his keyboard to curse at his one and only party member. CantTouchThis was a melee based character who has high HP and defense but low damage. His job was to soak up the damage from the monster mob while Miguel deals damage.
xXxLordShadowxXx was near to level up. He was only 1% away to maximum level and he lost a total of 10% experience points (EXP) as a penalty for dying. It was equivalent to a week straight of grinding on high level monster mobs. When his character died, his party member also followed him to the grave.
“Whooosa…” Miguel muttered, backing away from his computer. “Whooosaaaah…”
Miguel was trying the anger management technique that he learned from an action movie he watched. He inhaled and exhaled air with a force. As he managed to calm himself down, Miguel moved his computer chair forward and went back into the game. The first thing he saw on his computer screen was CantTouchThis’ apology. He was tempted to type “fuck you” in reply, but he managed to hold himself back.
CantTouchThis: im sorry miguel
CantTouchThis: howl was on cooldwon and i couldnt use my skill coz of silence
Miguel let out a deep sigh as he typed on his keyboard. Exhaustion suddenly hit him and he felt too drained to argue.
xXxLordShadowxXx: its ok
xXxLordShadowxXx: im logging out
xXxLordShadowxXx: gonna sleep now
CantTouchThis: ok nyt
Miguel clicked on the log out button at the top right of the screen and pressed Alt + F4 to switch off his computer. He and CantTouchThis were grinding for almost two months straight in order to reach the maximum level in the game before the summer break ends. But now, there was less than a week before the first day of the class. He wouldn’t make it to maximum level before that.
He decided to call it a day and get some rest. He was hoping to try to fix his sleeping cycle for the incoming class.
Miguel stood at the front of his bed and stretched out his arms upwards. His bones were cracking from spending all day and night in gaming. He took out his cell phone to relieve himself of sexual urge before he goes to sleep. He almost didn’t have time to watch pornography from level grinding for the past few weeks.
Two shots and a roll of tissue paper later, Miguel had a look of satisfaction on his face and slept soundly on his soft bed.
----------------------------------------
The sound of sparrows chirping in the morning caused the rotting undead to awake from his long slumber. Miguel glanced at his alarm clock only to find out that it was only six o’clock in the morning. He woke up an hour earlier than what he set the alarm. He was tempted to go back to sleep again, but he suddenly remembered that it was his first day of his class. He stood up from his bed, walking at a snail pace to the windows.
“Arrrghhh…” Miguel opened the curtains, groaning like a zombie as the sunlight hit his eyes.
His laziness and exhaustion faded away as he basked in the gloriousness of the sun. ‘Ugh! Is this sunlight?’ Miguel almost forgot what the sun looked like.
Miguel felt unusually energetic today. Perhaps it was the sunlight. Not only did he get long and peaceful sleep, but he was excited on the first day of school. He didn’t know the reason why he was excited, but something deep inside his mind was telling him that his day would be great. Perhaps, it was because he was excited to meet her again, but he cringed at the idea.
With a plan in mind, Miguel went to his bathroom to prepare. He took off his clothes and threw them away to the mountain of his mess. As he made his way to the shower, he stopped momentarily and looked at the mirror. He noticed something in the mirror that attracted his attention.
Miguel always tells himself that he is never insecure with his looks. Dark brown eyes, oily cheeks, and a round shaped face. ‘Nothing’s changed,’ He thought. ‘I’m still handsome.’
On the contrary, Miguel was not a handsome guy. His beard was getting thicker and becoming closer to a full beard. His wavy black hair was down to his shoulders as he always forgets to go to a barber shop for two years. Miguel shaved his beard four months ago when he took a break from level grinding but his beard grows fast. He was fed up of shaving it again and again, so he let it grow. Besides, he would look like an overgrown baby with an oily face if he shaved his beard completely.
Although he was only twenty years old, most people thought that he was already married and have kids of his own. He looked like a man in his early thirties.
Miguel gained weight due to eating unhealthy junk food during the level grind. Actually, he was already fat even before he even went to college. He had a large tummy full of stretch marks and a man boobs to match it. He looked at the mirror and stared at himself. ‘God, I’m hideous. If only my reflection could scream,’ Miguel thought, frowning at his hideous reflection.
Miguel didn’t want to admit the truth, but he had lots of insecurities. He hated himself for it sometimes. He tried to justify to himself that it’s better to eat what he can before he dies and made a list in his mind of all the advantages of being fat.
After a lengthy shower, he went downstairs to cook some breakfast. Due to his good mood, he made his favorite cheese omelette. He filled the scrambled eggs with loads of cheddar, cream cheese and parmesan on the top. He also cooked garlic fried rice and sweet pork sausages to complete his perfect breakfast.
When Miguel was about to eat, he suddenly remembered that he wasn’t alone in the house. He went upstairs and stood by the door with a pink carebears sticker and pink glittery letter stickers that spelled ‘Jennifer’.
Miguel knocked on the door, “Jen, wake up!”
“JEN!” He yelled, but there was no answer.
As Miguel entered the room, his eyes squinted at the pinkness of his sister’s stuff. From walls to lamp shades, even the floors were pink. He hated the color, but the smell of his sister’s room had been always pleasurable to his nose. Miguel often wondered why girl’s rooms always smell so good. He felt like his existence in a girl’s room was blasphemy in itself.
“Jen. Wake up. It’s already morning,” His sister still covered in blanket on her bed. He tried shaking her, but she didn’t want to get away from her bed. “You have a class this morning, right?”
“Um-hmm,” Jen groaned in response. “I feel bad today. Let me sleep more.”
“Come on get up,” Miguel shook his sister even more. “Get up before the food gets cold. I cooked breakfast.”
Jen sat up from her bed and yawned. Her long black hair was a mess and her eyelids half closed. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Cheese omelette.”
“Is that a joke?” Jen frowned, rolling her eyes. “You know I’m allergic to eggs and I’m lactose intolerant, right?”
“Of course,” Miguel nodded. “That’s why I cooked sausages for you.”
Her frowning lips curved into a smile when her brother mentioned sausage. Her full figure was revealed before his brother’s eyes as she pulled away the blanket covering her. Even at a tender age of sixteen, Jen was already an attractive girl. Her sleeveless pink tops and shorts revealed her womanly figure; ample breasts, light brown and flawless skin. He was proud of how his sister was growing into a wonderful woman.
As they began to eat their breakfast, Jen hogged all the sausages to her plate, leaving the cheese omelette to Miguel. ‘She really loves sausages,’ Miguel said to himself. The thought didn’t have another meaning behind it, he was just making an obvious observation.
“Where’s Mom?” Jen asked as she filled her mouth with food, her cheeks puffed up like a squirrel.
“She’s still in the office. She called last night. She won’t come home for a while because something came up,” Miguel replied. “It’s work. As usual”
“Is it because of monsters?”
“Monsters?” The question raised Miguel’s eyebrows.
Their mother, Monica Arevalo, was a cop. She worked as an agent for the National Bureau of Investigation. Ever since her mother was promoted to a head agent, she was barely home and most of the times, it was only Miguel and Jennifer in their house.
“Yeah,” Jen nodded, swallowing her food. “Have you watched the T.V. lately? It’s all over the news. There are monster sightings everywhere.”
“What kind of monsters?”
“Well, you know, big foot, giants, dragons. There are pictures on the internet. I’ve seen the pictures and the videos, kuya. And let me tell you, I think they are real.”
“Not everything on the internet is real. Are you sure it’s not edited?”
“It was confirmed real by an expert. The videos don’t seem to be edited.”
“And who’s the expert?” Miguel sniggered. “Ghostbusters?”
“Ha-ha,” Jen responded with a deadpanned look. “But seriously, I’ve done my research. Everyone’s saying it’s a hoax, but I think- I think the government is trying to keep this as secret.”
“Of course they are,” Miguel rolled his eyes. ‘They do it so it won’t cause panic. God knows how stupid people can be!’
Jen sighed in defeat, “You’re skeptical, I know. You don’t believe in something without evidence, but you should listen to me at least.”
Jen liked to play detective. At a young age, she has shown interest in police work and crime solving. It was clear that she was trying to follow her mother’s footsteps. One thing that Miguel didn’t like about Jen was that, she was a conspiracy theorist. She believed in ridiculous theories such as UFOs, Illuminati trying to take over the world and government hiding evil secrets to the public. Miguel was one of the few people who were willing to listen to her batshit crazy theories.
“Fine, I’ll listen,” Miguel sighed. “Tell me what you know and I’ll tell you my opinion on it.”
“Alright,” Jen took off and rushed upstairs.
Miguel could see her sister’s passion for whatever she was trying to achieve and he knew that his sister was a loner because of her weird beliefs. He would always listen to his sister’s ramblings and provide an opinion on the matter. Even though they always have a different conclusion at the end of the argument, it makes Jen happy that her brother was willing to listen to her. That is as long as she had proof to support her claims.
Of course, passion does not always result to quality work. In Miguel’s opinion, Jen was the shittiest detective ever.
Jen came back with a folder containing the research she worked hard for almost her entire summer break. She stood beside Miguel and opened the folder to show him the pictures and reports of the monster sightings. She gave him a background of the case and it seemed that it was an internet sensation for the past few months.
As expected, it was another nutcase conspiracy theory. Miguel mentally sighed, ‘Time to wear my tinfoil hat.’
“A couple reported to the police that they saw a giant wolf in Mt. Makiling when they were on a hike,” Jen flipped the folder, showing a picture of a gray wolf figure that was obscured by branches.
‘This one’s too easy.’ Miguel tried his best to stop sneering.
“But that could be just a regular wolf and not a monster. I mean, it’s a mountain,” Miguel didn’t know much about biology and animal’s natural habitat, but he believed that there was always better explanation for things.
“That’s what I thought too, but there are no wolves in the archipelago at all. The only closest animals to wolves are aspins and dingoes. Dingoes are already extinct, by the way,” Jen explained. “The witnesses said that this wolf was as big as a horse. They took a picture from their phone, but the moment the wolf noticed them, it disappeared.”
“Disappeared? You mean, it ran away?”
“Disappeared. That’s their statement,” Jen nodded as she adjusted her eyeglasses. “They said that the wolf faded and disappeared.”
‘That’s just ridiculous!’ Miguel let out a sigh as he suddenly lost his interest in the case. ‘Who believes that shit?’
“I know you’re still not convinced, but this incident with a giant wolf monster?” Jen flipped another page and showed him a different picture of the same giant wolf. “This picture was taken in Hokkaido, Japan and the one who took the picture said the same thing. The wolf faded and disappeared.”
“It could be that whoever took that picture was just following the trend,” Miguel gave a noncommittal shrug. “Just like ice bucket challenge. Everybody’s doing it.”
“These two incidents are unrelated. The first giant wolf sighting happened almost at the same time as the second one. It wasn’t an internet trend at that time. The second picture was actually taken by a wildlife conservationist. He thought that he was seeing a Hokkaido wolf and guess what? Wolves are also extinct in Japan!”
Jen gritted her teeth as she saw Miguel looking at his phone, “Are you even listening? You promised you’ll listen!”
“I’m still listening. I’m just browsing the net,” Miguel said, still looking at his phone. “Go on.”
Jen continued to tell him more about the monsters. She compiled reports and pictures for the past few months. It contained pictures of 12 foot giants with yellowish skin, small humanoid green creatures with sharp nose and pointed ears and other monsters that looked like they came straight from fantasy books.
Miguel found that the photographs weren’t obvious CGIs. He was convinced that the people behind the photos weren’t amateur nerds. They’re professional – professional nerds. Very professional and very nerdy. He still wasn’t convinced. Even so, he was impressed at how much Jen put effort on her research that she even dared to show it to him.
“Now tell me what you think,” Jen stared at him, eyes glimmering with hope.
Unfortunately, nothing can prepare her for her brother’s answer.
“It’s not real,” Miguel sighed, shaking his head and massaging his temple.
“Is that denial I’m hearing?” Jen scowled, furrowing her eyebrows. “Care to explain why?”
“Four reasons,” Miguel put up three fingers. Yes, three fingers. “First, these monsters appear out of nowhere always in a place where there’s not much people around. Why not show up in a more public place? Like a mall, a park or a highway. Second, they disappear without physical trace. Is that even possible? That giant ape monster can leave footprints. Third, although there were also reports in other countries, I don’t see any reports about monster actually attacking people or animals. Why just sightings? Are there any actual monster attacks?”
“T-that’s why I’m telling you. It’s because the government is covering it up,” Jen stammered as her theory began to fall apart. “And the fourth reason?”
Again, Miguel let out a sigh as he showed his sister what he was doing with his smart phone. He drove the final nail in the coffin for Jen’s hard work.
“All of those pictures and videos were taken using a phone. I get it. It’s convenient and it’s the only thing they have on them at the time of the sighting,” Miguel showed Jen an app on his smart phone that can edit any picture and videos that can put a realistic monster on the background. “It’s all fake, Jen.”
“No way… I never thought of that,” Jen stared at the floor and grumbled. She was tempted to throw the phone in rage when the same giant wolf monster was also one of the feature of the app.
“Nice try though,” Miguel smirked.
“B-but the government. They probably made this app…”
“Jen…” Miguel stood up and pat his sister’s back to console her. “If it’s true, then the government is doing the right thing to keep it as a secret.”
“But that’s not right!” Jen bellowed. “The people have a right to know. They’re smart-“
“A person is smart,” Miguel corrected her, quoting the shittiest alien movie of all time, “but people are dumb. Just imagine if this goes out of hand. There will be panic and chaos everywhere. The world will fall even before the monsters attack.”
After they finished their breakfast, Miguel looked at his watch and it was already 7:57 a.m. His first class starts at 9 and he certainly didn’t want to be late. Jen stared at him with a frown as if expecting something from him. ‘What is it? Oh, that’s right. The lunch money!’
Monica set up a joint bank account with her son, so he can withdraw money from the ATM for their expenses. Miguel was the one who takes care of the payment of the bills, fixing their perpetually faulty sink, going to the market and cooking their food, while his sister, Jennifer, takes care of the other house chores.
When Miguel handed her the money, Jen’s lips curved into gorgeous smile, “Thanks!”
“Don’t cook, okay?” Miguel said. “Order a takeout. Please let me eat tonight. Don’t cook anything poisonous.”
“Fun fact: You can eat coal,” Jen pouted her lips and folded her arms. “Fine. I’ll order something that you can eat.”
“Thank you!” Miguel jested, clasping his hands. “I’ll be back at 5 p.m.”
“Don’t come back at all,” Jen scowled, slamming the door.
“I’m just joking.”
The door opened again, “I know. I’ll tell you more about the monsters when you come back home. Bye!”
----------------------------------------
First impression lasts – Claire believes.
Claire Roque did her best to prepare and made sure to wake up early in the morning. She learned a painful lesson when her tardiness became a habit. She endured humiliation from her professors and sneering from her classmates. She vowed to change everything. In order to win against an insurmountable opponent, arriving early in the class would be her first step to victory.
Of course, that wasn’t her only reason why she arrived early. According to her credible source, Professor Davide, their world history professor, has a weak voice that makes him hard to hear during his lectures. It was only obvious that she should arrive early to get the seat in the front.
Furthermore. Professor Davide was known to be cruel and he does not hesitate in giving failing marks to the undeserving. It was a norm in college that professors provide orientation to his students, but Professor Davide was known to skip these formalities and start his lectures on the first day. However, Claire was well-prepared for the Terror Professor. In order to defeat her opponent, Claire spent some time studying in advance to give her an edge against her academic competitors. Her credible source gave her a list of books that their professor uses as a reference.
Claire was practically prancing on the hallway with a smile as she made her way to the classroom. Her preparedness for the incoming battle alleviated her mood significantly. That was until she saw the Devil.
The real opponent was not Professor Davide, but the man who was casually sitting at the back she called the Devil. He was wearing his usual bored expression on his repulsive face while reading a book. As usual, he looked like a savage caveman due to his shoulder length hair and full beard. The man (or pig, she wasn’t sure which) was her greatest rival; the student who stood on the top of their class already ruined her day before it even started. His mere presence made her blood boil.
Devil was just one of his many names: Satan, The Great Enemy, Demon Spawn, Swine, Son of Perdition, You-Know-Who, and Miguel Arevalo. Even the sound of his true name was appalling to hear. What kind of parents would name their child Miguel? It’s too archaic. Surely, Claire wouldn’t even name her dog as Miguel if she ever had one. It’s downright cruel to animals.
Claire deeply exhaled and straightened her back as she composed herself before she presents herself to the enemy. As she walked towards a vacant chair, she pondered about why the Devil was sitting at the back.
Perhaps he was well-prepared that he did not feel the need to listen to the professor’s lectures or maybe he forgot about the professor. Claire knew that the former was highly probable as the Devil was an arrogant prick. After all, it was the Devil himself, who informed her about the professor and gave her a list of books for her to study.
The Devil was certainly, without a doubt, a terrible person, but so far and ironically, he never told her a lie and his sources were accurate. She would be a fool not to trust the information that Devil provides. A terrible mistake that she made last year that caused her to fail a test in one of her subjects. The Devil himself was her only reliable source of information.
Ask him a question and he will answer truthfully. He will even be brutally frank, if you ask him for an advice. If you ask him about his references on his study, he will go as far to give you a list of books that you must certainly read. If you requested it, he will gladly explain to you the topics that you failed to understand. As a bonus, he will give you pointers on what topics you should focus on for the exams. He will help you with your studies for free and he will even devote some of his precious time to teach you. The Devil was a kind person at first glance, but that was what made him dangerous.
Even if you got all of his references and read the books he read, even if you’re sure that you are equal or more than equal his level, somehow, he will always be one step ahead of you and win. The Devil does not cheat, Claire was certain about that. In fact, many professors suspected him of cheating and made him retake the test. Imagine the disappointment that the professors had when the Devil actually got higher marks even though the questions were made to be more difficult than the first exams.
Claire’s grades improved remarkably because of him. She should’ve been grateful to the Devil for his advice, his patience and the time he gave away freely in order to teach her, but one does not earn many nicknames without a good reason. After all your efforts to study in order to beat him, the Devil’s devious and arrogant smirk will make you realize how hopeless your struggle was. As a bonus, you will receive insults and he will make sure that you see how pathetic you are for even thinking that you can win against him.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Claire stopped in her tracks as she peered over at Miguel. She noticed that the book he was reading was not related to the subject and even though he advised that she should come early to get a good seat, he was not following his own advice. It was probably his arrogance.
Claire shook her head. She knew him for a year now. Miguel was better than that. She was certain that Miguel’s actions were just a ploy. She had to keep her enemy close.
“You’re early, pipsqueak,” Claire sat beside her enemy as she abandoned her plans to sit on the front. She will make sure to see the end of his schemes. “God, you do love to ruin everyone’s day early in the morning, huh?”
The other students in the classroom were shocked when they heard her insult the man at the back. They pretended to be busy as they secretly listen to the verbal fight.
“Why are they fighting?” One student whispered to another, but even at the back, Claire can hear their conversation clearly.
“Don’t mind them,” Another student answered quietly. “They’re always like that. I love to watch that asshole getting wrecked.”
“And you keep on sitting next to me like you always want your day ruined,” Miguel said dryly. “I’m starting to think that you like me.”
“One can only dream,” drawled Claire. “Seriously though, just seeing your face can already ruin somebody’s day. I guess that’s why you always have that dejected look whenever you go to school. I wouldn’t be too happy if that’s the face I see whenever I look in a mirror. Hah! If only your reflection could scream.”
Miguel furrowed his brows, mouth agape in disbelief. Claire beamed as her pre-emptive strike was effective. Although successful, she focused on planning her next attack as the battle has only begun.
“It’s the only face I got,” Miguel shrugged, finally turning his gaze towards her. “And it’s the face of the top student. Sorry, Miss Roque. Or should I say, Miss Second Place.”
“Miss Second Place, huh? That’s your comeback? That’s so lame!” Claire scoffed. “It doesn’t matter though. I’ll beat you this semester.”
“One can only dream,” Miguel rolled his eyes as he used Claire’s own insult.
There was a pause. Animosity can be felt in the atmosphere as the two glared at each other. Unfortunately for Claire, nothing can prepare her for Miguel’s decisive counter attack.
“I often wonder why I always get higher grades than you in every subject even though you constantly suck up to our professors. I guess that’s the limit of how far you can go from being beautiful,” Miguel snapped his fingers. “Ooh- how can I forget? You actually got a higher grade in P.E. than me last semester, right?”
Claire cast her gaze away in embarrassment as Miguel brought one of her humiliating mistakes.
“And you even bragged about it. Ha-ha!” Miguel slowly clapped his hands, continuing his tirade of insults. He covered his mouth as if whispering to Claire, but his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. “Congratulations, by the way. You successfully seduced a dirty old man. Not much of an achievement, but still commendable.”
Claire suddenly stood from her seat, face reddened with rage. Sadly, Miguel was not yet finished.
“Wait. Is that why you’re wearing that today?” Miguel sniggered as he pointed at Claire’s outfit; a V neck blouse that showcased her assets and denim shorts. “You’re planning to seduce our professor? Again?”
“So what if I am?” Claire retorted as she couldn’t think of any comebacks. The other students who were sniggering at her. ‘Shit! I shouldn’t have said that!’
“Professor Charito Davide,” Miguel shook his head and sighed. “What makes you think your seduction will work on her?”
Claire furrowed her eyebrows, “Her?”
“Yes. Her,” Miguel said matter-of-factly. “She’s already married and I don’t think she would want that kind of relationship with women.”
Claire wished the earth would just swallow her up. Her anger dissipated and was replaced with feelings of extreme embarrassment.
“Oh, did you just assumed her gender based on her name?” He snorted as he turned away his head. “Hilarious.”
Miguel was cackling like the Devil he was while the rest of the class chuckled. Claire was at a total loss as she made herself looked and sounded desperate to win. Truly, he was evil incarnate.
Claire deeply sighed as she went back to her seat in a calmed and defeated manner. She grabbed a book from her bag to distract herself while Miguel did the same. They pretended like nothing ever happened. The tension between them could still be felt in the air, but they had an agreement that they will never distract each other while studying, except when they want to ask important questions to each other.
Thus the battle was concluded in favor of Miguel.
The battle was over, but the war goes on.
----------------------------------------
Miguel couldn’t insult Claire by pointing out a flaw in her looks as there were none to be found. Her beauty was truly a marvel to behold. Her creamy alabaster skin was smooth like that of an infant. Her almond-shaped eyes were alluring that one would wonder if her eyes belonged to a human. Even the rest of her body, chest, hands, feet, her hair radiated with elegance. She was also taller than him by at least two inches! He is a 5’6” and that’s why she calls him pipsqueak and many height-related insults.
It was no secret that she was offered many times to join beauty pageants, but for some reason, she rejected them all. Miguel would admit that he fantasized her every now and then. She was wearing a denim shorts, revealing her slender, flawless legs. Unfortunately, Claire hated his guts and it went without saying that Miguel hated her as well. Her beautiful form was just a façade which hid her rotten personality. She would make sure to insult him in every possible way, especially in the most uncomfortable times. Not to mention, she even played cruel pranks to him!
Miguel thoroughly enjoyed seeing Claire’s frustration and certain defeat. He was well aware that Claire hangs out with him because sticking with him meant higher grades. To make it more entertaining, he gives Claire every means to defeat him to give her hope. Like the clear skies in Bane’s prison that gave a little hope of escape and the slow torture of the soul. Truly, it was amusing to see your opponents struggling to no avail. Miguel began to wonder if Claire was a closet masochist.
Of course, Miguel did not believe that Claire was lacking in mental capacity. By all means, he considered her as his toughest enemy-to-date and a worthy opponent. There was no doubt in his mind that she was also smart and cunning. Claire was aware of her own beauty and the fact that she was not afraid to use her large assets to gain advantage only gave credence to her cunning. She knows that she’s beautiful. Miguel held respect for her because of her determination to win even though some of her methods were often underhanded.
Miguel was unaware that Claire was stealing glances at him as she twirled her long black hair with her fingers. She was wondering why Miguel was reading a fictional book instead of studying. Again, this was one of Miguel’s never-ending ploy to irritate the fuck out of her. One that he was excited to unveil before her very eyes.
“Miguel!” A voice called his name. “Long time no see!”
“Morning, Eric,” Miguel turned his head towards the voice’s direction and bobbed his head.
“Morning,” Claire greeted in a bored tone.
Miguel couldn’t help but feel jealous about Eric. Standing for at least 5’10” in height and had a muscular and fit body as a result of playing tennis. Eric’s look reminded Miguel of a Hollywood actor, Ben Barnes. Coming from a rich family and with a drop dead handsome look, it was no surprise that Eric would attract many women.
“By the way, we watched a movie last night. Why didn’t you two come?” Eric asked. “I was planning to introduce you to my girlfriend and you guys ditched me!”
Claire shrugged, “I was busy studying all summer.”
“Really?” Eric’s eyes squinted, smelling a lie in his friends’ story. “How about you, Miguel? You would’ve met my new girlfriend if you came.”
“I had a fever last night,” Miguel lied. “I would’ve watched too, if I wasn’t feeling too sick.”
The truth was, Miguel was too lazy to move yesterday. He didn’t feel like going because seeing Eric’s hot new girlfriend would only make him more bitter. Because of his bad reputation with girls and his default axe murderer face, he never had a girlfriend, never been kissed and he was still a virgin.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” Eric snapped his fingers. “You’ll never believe what happened in the theatre last night!”
“What happened?” Miguel closed his book as he listened to Eric’s story. Even Claire showed a little interest as she did the same.
“We saw it! We saw a monster in the theatre!”
‘Not this again,’ Miguel mentally sighed as his interest about Eric’s story vanished in an instant.
“Oh,” Miguel flipped his book open. “What kind of monster?”
“I don’t know, but I think it’s an ogre.”
“An ogre? Like Shrek?” Claire, judging from her bored tone, was also uninterested with the topic.
“No, not like Shrek! It’s- um- It has yellow skin and-and it was huge!” Eric made a gesture with his hands. “And like they said in the news, it disappeared. All of us in the theatre saw it! It was the ugliest and the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Are you sure that’s a real monster?” Miguel asked, eyebrow raised. “You were watching Legendary Moonlight Sculptor. Maybe you saw-“
“I know what I saw,” Eric shook his head. “Dianne and my girlfriend were there too. They saw it too.”
“Right,” Claire and Miguel said in unison, sighing at the same time.
“You guys don’t believe me?”
“You’re my best friend. Of course, I believe you,” Miguel tried his best to make it sound convincing.
“Me too,” Claire gave him a slight nod.
“It was real, you know,” Miguel almost had a heart attack when a girl suddenly butted into their conversation. “The police came and they closed the mall. Your mother was there too, and she asked us some questions about what we saw.”
“Dianne, when did you-“
“Just now,” Dianne replied before Miguel could finish his question. “I thought I was going to be late., so I came here running. Whew!”
As Dianne told her boring version of the incident, Miguel maintained his gaze while pretending to listen. The first thing he noticed about her was her new haircut. From what Miguel remembered, Dianne had a long and straight black hair but now, she had a short bob haircut that made her cuter. She was a petite girl with a small childlike face and stood only up to Miguel’s chin.
Dianne was one of the few girls that weren’t hostile to Miguel. She and Eric were Miguel’s only friends since high school. Sweet, caring and innocent as opposed to Claire’s personality and almost as gullible as his sister, Jen.
“… And that’s what happened,” Dianne bobbed her head. “So what do you think, Claire?”
“What surprised me is the fact this Devil had a mother,” Claire sneered. “I’m convinced that he’s a spawn of Satan with a goat. Are you sure he wasn’t born from the deepest circle of hell?”
“Don’t be so rude to him,” Dianne folded her arms. “You already saw Miguel’s mom.”
“I did?” Claire’s eyebrows rose up. She smirked as she turned to Miguel. “Sorry, I can’t remember. I have a poor memory when it comes to ugly faces.”
“Hohoho!” Eric chuckled, rubbing his chin. “Do remember when the three of us saw Miguel with a pretty woman? They were eating and laughing together in a restaurant. That was valentine’s day and you were in a bad mood because of it.”
There was a pause.
“That’s Mrs. Arevalo,” said Dianne. “That’s Miguel’s mom.”
Claire furrowed her eyebrows as she turned to Miguel. “That’s your mom? Are you adopted?”
“I had that doubt too in the past, but she’s my biological mother.” Miguel admitted as he shrugged, then he turned to Claire with a smirk of his own. “What surprised me is the fact that Miss Roque would be angry if I date another woman.”
“Honestly, I didn’t know she was your mom,” She shrugged, trying to sound not concerned. “I was angry, not because I was jealous, but I just couldn’t believe that a woman can be so stupid to date a man like you. I thought she already reported you to the women and children’s desk for sexual harassment or something. Just looking at your face feels like I’m already sexually harassed. I wouldn’t be surprised if other women feel the same.”
“You should be more honest with your feelings, Claire.” Eric teased, wearing the same smirk as Miguel. “It’s pretty obvious you two have a thing for each other.”
“I’m being honest with my feelings for him - I want him to die and go back to the dark abyss from where he came.”
“Maybe I should take you with me,” Miguel retorted. “Or not. Hell will be more chaotic if you’re there. Just leave hell alone, will you? They already have enough problems. Or so I’m told.”
Dianne turned her head to Miguel, lifting one finger to lecture him, “Miguel, you should treat her like a lady. You won’t snag a girlfriend if that’s your attitude.”
“Right. You’re telling me that even though you never had a boyfriend, Dianne,” Miguel rolled his eyes as Dianne flushed in embarrassment. “If Miss Roque wants to be treated like a lady, she should act like one or maybe I will, if she’s a lady in the first place.”
“Are you saying it’s my fault that you’re a misogynistic swine?” Claire ranted.
“First, dark abyss then swine? Wow! Where had you even learned those words? The dictionary? King James bible?”
“Shut up!”
“Please don’t use fancy words too much,” Miguel raised an eyebrow. “You’ll overwork your poor tiny brain if you keep doing that.”
Eric covered his mouth, trying to suppress his laughter.
“How about we just settle things outside? Just so you know, I’ve been taught by my brothers how to deal with men like you. I had a couple of fights with the boys in high school.” Claire glared, cracking her knuckles.
“Ooh - I’m so scared.” Miguel raised his hands in defeat – in a sarcastic way. He cleared his throat and tried to speak in a deep gentlemanly voice as best as he could. “I do not wish to fight you, M’lady. From this day forth, I shall treat thee with respect as befitting a well-mannered, polite and dignified lady.” He bowed – also in a sarcastic way.
“Are you saying you can’t hit a woman?” Claire snorted. “Or are you just afraid of getting your ass kicked by one? It has to be the latter, right? Hah! You’re a coward. Do you even have balls?”
“Cowardice has nothing to do with it.” Miguel dismissed her with a wave, then he raised two fingers. “I assure you, M’lady. I have testicles - Two of them, in fact. A word of advice: Asking a gentleman about his testicles is unladylike and unbecoming for a well-bred maiden such as thee.”
A vein popped in Claire’s temple as her face reddened with rage, “Fuck. You.”
“Ah,” Miguel chuckled. “Truly, a paragon of modesty.”
----------------------------------------
The class ended, but the history professor was nowhere to be found. Claire left the classroom with disappointment clearly drawn on her face. She was too fired up to impress their professor on the first day of class. In the end, the professor never showed up nor did she gave the class a heads up that she will be absent in her first class.
Miguel was snickering at Claire’s downcast looks. Though he wasn’t the one who caused Professor Davide’s absence, he knew her personally and she texted Miguel to inform the class in advance that she’ll be absent to take care of personal matters.
It was time for lunch and the four of them rode Eric’s car on the way to a new restaurant that Eric kept on blabbering about. Miguel noticed that Eric seemed to be excited about a restaurant which was unusual since he would only get excited with four things: A good loot in online games, an event in online games that only wallet warriors can participate, tennis and a hot chick. ‘Suspicious. Very suspicious, indeed.’
Miguel suspected that even though Eric had a newer girlfriend, he was already on his way to his next victim. He knew his best friend well enough that he lost count of how many ex-girlfriends Eric had. ‘If only I was handsome like he was.’ Miguel sighed.
“Why are you guys so obsessed with grades?” Eric asked with irritation in his tone. “When you graduate, it doesn’t matter if you have high grades. Companies hire people to perform and not for some imaginary points on paper.”
“Yeah,” Dianne nodded in agreement. “Studying is good for you, but I don’t think you should be obsessed with grades. It won’t matter that much in the end.”
Claire and Miguel cast a glance at each other. What Miguel and Claire hated the most were the people who looked down on those who love to study. There was no need for words for their next course of action. Even two enemies will join forces to destroy their common enemy.
“Is that so?” Miguel furrowed his eyebrows. “If grades are just some imaginary points on paper, why do you bother with video games then? You spend lots of time and money on your character, CantTouchMe. Is it just for some imaginary points on the internet?”
Eric’s in-game name was CantTouchMe. Eric loves to play video games like Miguel. That was why the two of them get along well. However, Miguel detested Eric’s online gaming habit. He spends too much money to get strong. These players are referred in online games as wallet warriors.
Wallet warriors are generally hated by the gaming community because they gain unfair advantage over other players using real money. Eric’s character, CantTouchMe can be a tank and a damage dealer at the same time. This power in the virtual world can only be possible through the use of real money. The companies owning the servers don’t have a choice since wallet warriors are the life blood that keeps the game running.
“That’s different,” Eric shook his head. “Video games are my hobby and I can spend my time and my money wherever and whenever I want. Online games are my life.”
“Studying is my life too. Maybe it doesn’t matter to you, but it matters to me.” Claire argued.
“Grades. Don’t. Matter,” stated Dianne. “It’s not a measure of a student’s intelligence.”
“Yeah,” Eric nodded in agreement. “Each person is unique. You can’t judge a fish for its ability to climb trees. That’s why grades are stupid.”
“That’s right,” Dianne agreed.
“Oh?” Claire turned to Miguel. “How about you Satan? Do you agree with that?”
“I can’t say I agree, M’lady.” Miguel shook his head.
“Why not?”
“People are always judged by a standard. That’s a fact. No matter how good or bad a person is, he will always be judged based on a standard. If a person did a crime, the law acts as a standard that will judge that person. Good people are judged as criminals, not for what they are, but for what they did. Grades are the same. It’s true that it doesn’t measure intelligence, but it measures the effort that a student put on his studies. Just like the law, it’s not a perfect standard, but it’s the only standard that we have.”
“Well said,” Claire nodded.
Miguel and Claire gave each other a sharp nod as they successfully put down the naysayers. What they didn’t know was that it was just Eric and Dianne’s scheme to get the two together. It was extremely rare for the two to agree on the same thing. In fact, they have devised a clever plan that failed miserably when the two didn’t come to the movies last night. Eric and Dianne grinned and winked at each other for their success.
“Take Claire for example, she studies hard for her scholarship and to keep up with me.” Miguel added. “But the truth is, she’s an incurable idiot. It doesn’t matter if she sucks up or seduce our professor because that’s her effort. People judge her as a smart person because of her grades and not as a dumb bitch who uses massive tits to her advantage.”
“Oh fuck you,” Claire swore at him as they gave each other the finger.
“A-anyway,” Eric said as he tried to change the topic. He was mentally shaking his head as the two were irreconcilable like oil and water. Their plan failed again – miserably. “What do you guys think of the news about monsters appearing everywhere?”
“It’s not true,” Claire clicked her tongue as soon as the topic was changed. “It’s another bullshit they call news these days.”
“Then what do you call what we saw last night? We saw that monster with our own eyes.” Dianne scowled with a high pitched tone. “Do you call that bull – crap?”
“No, I think that’s called delusions, Dianne,” Claire retorted. “Seriously though, you and Eric are sounding like you have schizophrenia or something. Maybe you two should check a doctor.”
“We’re not crazy, Claire. We know what we saw,” Eric turned his gaze on the rear-view mirror, looking at Claire with a serious expression. “We didn’t even get to see the movie because the ogre appeared before the movie was started. Besides, we’re not the only ones who saw that monster. There are hundreds of people in the cinema last night and all of us were witnesses. If what we saw wasn’t serious enough, do you think the police would take us seriously? I mean, Miguel’s mom was there and she’s an NBI agent. That means something. Am I right, Miguel?”
“She’s a head agent actually,” Miguel corrected, staring blankly at the car window.
“So what do you think, Miguel?” Dianne asked. “What did your mom said about the monsters?”
“Mom didn’t come home last night so I don’t know,” Miguel shrugged. “Mom doesn’t talk much about her work,” he paused for a few seconds, “Actually, now that I think about it, she never talked about work at all. You’ll have more luck extracting water from a rock than getting her to talk about work.”
“Maybe your mom is a spy so that’s why she doesn’t tell you anything about her work,” Eric suggested.
“You mean to say, Tita Monica is secretly working for the CIA?!” Dianne jaw slacked. “Wow!”
“A spy?” Claire snorted, looking at Miguel incredulous. “Like James Bond?”
“No, Dianne. The CIA works for the United States and not the Philippines,” Eric corrected Dianne then turned his eyes to Claire. “And no, Claire, there are no spies like James Bond. For real though, James Bond must be the worst spy ever. He doesn’t hesitate to blow his cover by shooting guns at the enemy and making explosions everywhere. The point of espionage is intelligence gathering and infiltration. Not blowing things up.”
“My mom is not a spy. She’s a cop,” Miguel shook his head at where the conversation was heading. “I think the police came to the mall because of the number of witnesses about the incident. After all, you don’t get hundreds of people seeing a monster at the same time.”
“What? Now you believe this monster bullshit too?” Claire shook her head in disappointment.
“I – I don’t know what to believe, Claire,” Miguel let out an exasperated sigh. “Just this morning, Jen showed me a bunch of pictures and news articles about these monster sightings. She’s been researching these incidents for a few months now.”
Then Miguel told them about the details of his sister’s research.
“So it’s true then,” Dianne bobbed her head. “It’s really happening everywhere.”
“Well, I don’t know. I mean I disproved her evidence by showing her this,” Miguel took out his smart phone and took Claire’s picture with it. He showed everyone Claire with a yellow giant monster in the background. “I don’t think you guys should believe anything my sister said. She believes governments are hiding secrets. Even though I’m her brother, I have to say she’s nuts.”
“No way!” Dianne’s eyes almost bulged as she saw the monster in the picture. She handed Miguel’s phone to Eric to show him the picture. “Look, Eric. This looks exactly like the monster we saw last night!”
“Yeah,” Eric narrowed his eyes, glancing at the picture. “Maybe your sister is right. Maybe the government is hiding secrets.”
“That’s right,” Dianne nodded in agreement. “This app is made by the government to cover it up.”
Miguel and Claire palmed their faces at the same time.
When they finally arrived at the restaurant, Miguel noticed that there were no other cars parked in the parking lot except for Eric’s. His suspicion grew when they entered as he found out that they were the only customers and a gorgeous woman was working as a waitress. ‘I fucking knew it! You lucky bastard!’
“Mel!” Eric waved his hand at the pretty waitress.
“Eric!” The waitress smiled. “You eating? I’ll just get the menu. Why don’t you take a seat?”
“Hi Mel!” Dianne greeted her.
“Hi Dianne!” The waitress also smiled and she seemed to know Dianne.
“Mel, these are the two I was talking about yesterday,” Eric said as he sat. “This is Miguel, my best friend.”
“Nice to meet you, Miguel,” The waitress greeted as they shook hands.
“Nice to meet you too,” Miguel gave the best smile he could muster. His usual smile would look creepy as his sister already pointed out. He even practiced smiling in front of a mirror every morning. As soon as the waitress saw his ‘well-practiced’ smile, Miguel knew in an instant that he screwed it up again as the waitress showed a hint of disgust on her face.
“And this is Claire,” The two of them shook hands together. “She’s Miguel’s girlfriend.”
“Really?!” Mel said incredulously. “T-that’s nice…”
“That’s not true,” Claire kept her composure, glaring at Eric. “They’re just teasing me, but I’d rather die single than to be with this guy.”
“Hahaha. I see,” The waitress let out an awkward laugh as she scratched her head.
Miguel, on the other hand, was crying a little bit inside his mind. He was trying his best not to look like a creep in front of a woman, but that failed miserably. Not only that, but the waitress seemed to agree with Claire.
“She’s my girlfriend, Melissa.” Eric said. “She was with me and Dianne on the movies.”
“Anyway, you must be hungry. What’s your order?” The waitress took out a pen and a small notebook.
“I’ll have spaghetti with meatballs,” Eric said.
“Me too,” Claire and Dianne said in unison.
“How about you Miguel? What will you have?” Melissa asked as Miguel stared at the menu. He noticed that there wasn’t much to choose from on the menu and most of the items on the menu that he liked to eat were out-of-stock.
“I’ll have chicken curry?” Miguel squinted his eyes, hesitating to order a chicken curry. “No, wait. Let me think.”
After a few minutes of waiting, Melissa was tapping her foot. Claire, Eric and Dianne were also running out of patience as they were already hungry.
“Fine. I decided,” Miguel said as he closed the menu. “I’ll have spaghetti with meatballs.”
“Okay,” Melissa sighed, trying her best not to slap her forehead. She rolled her eyes as she wrote his order.
As they handed back the menu to Melissa, Miguel gave her a blank stare. His first impression of Melissa wasn’t good. Miguel hated women with no patience. He was certain that she was a pretty woman with a rotten personality like Claire.
Melissa looked like a woman in her mid-twenties and she was as tall as Miguel. Probably taller than him. ‘God, I swear all pretty women I meet are taller than me or as tall as me.’
Melissa had everything that Eric was looking for a woman: hourglass body shape, smooth and light brown skin, long and straight black hair. ‘Nice ass too,’ Miguel said to himself as Melissa turned her back and went to the kitchen.
The restaurant looked mediocre to say the least. Although the place was neat and clean, the gray color of the walls and the cheap knockoff Renaissance style paintings further added the restaurant’s gloomy ambiance. The ugly antique-ish furniture felt like they were in a Spanish-Filipino Cuisine restaurant, but the restaurant offered a wide variety of menus from different cuisine. A terrible idea for a restaurant. No customers, gloomy atmosphere, poor and limited choice of food on the menu. It was no wonder why Miguel was already expecting a poor quality of food.
“When did this restaurant open?” Miguel asked as he looked around. “I’ve never heard of this restaurant before.”
“I think it was opened two months ago,” Eric replied as he sipped water. “Why do you ask?”
“You said this is a good restaurant, but I don’t see other customers,” Miguel said, his eyes scanning the place. “I’m not saying this is a bad restaurant. It’s just my observation.”
“Well, this restaurant isn’t popular, but Melissa makes delicious food. I’m sure you’ll love it.”
“Does she own this restaurant?” Dianne asked.
“Yeah, her family owns the restaurant.”
From what Miguel concluded, the restaurant may not be doing well financially. He sighed as Eric began to tell them how he and Melissa met. As two girls were listening to his story, Miguel found himself bored and out of place because he couldn’t relate to his story. He stared at his glass of water and noticed something weird about it.
“What’s wrong, Miguel?” Dianne asked. “Why are you spacing out?”
“Don’t mind him,” Claire shook her head. “He’s just jealous of Eric. He’s hopeless. He-“
“Shh…” Miguel placed his finger on his lips, looking distressed.
“What’s the problem?” Eric asked as the others turned their attention to Miguel.
Miguel carefully stared at the glass of water. It was vibrating. After a while, the table began to shake.
“Earthquake.” He muttered.
Without a warning, the ground’s movement rapidly became violent. There was a loud crash outside the restaurant and the alarm on Eric’s car went off. Being a quick thinker, Miguel ducked and covered his head under the table. His friends saw what he did and they followed.
“W-what do we do?” Claire trembled as Dianne held her arm tightly.
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Eric cursed, biting his nails.
The three of them were panicking, but Miguel seemed to be unusually calm in the situation, “Just calm down. Stay down and you won’t be hurt.”
The girls nodded, but Eric hesitantly agreed.
The reality was, Miguel was scared as much as they were. The reason he was calm was that if he panicked then his friends will panic too. He needed to remain calm, so all of them would survive. Miguel reached out to his pocket and grabbed his cell phone. He dialled 911, but he hasn’t pressed ‘enter’ just yet. He was waiting for the earthquake to stop and he would only press enter if they really needed help.
‘This is weird,’ Miguel said to himself. ‘This earthquake could be a magnitude six. No, I think it’s a seven. This is taking too long.’
He looked at the time and it’s already been two minutes since the earthquake started. ‘Shit! I hope this restaurant won’t collapse.’
Eric tried to stand up as he heard a loud thud on the kitchen’s direction, but Miguel grabbed his wrist and yelled, “Stay down!”
“I need to save her!” Eric said as he tried to remove Miguel’s grip. However, Miguel suddenly pulled him down and locked his best friend’s arm behind his back. He effectively pinned Eric down to the ground. The girls were shocked. In their eyes, Miguel was attacking Eric for no apparent reason.
“I said stay down! Goddammit!” Miguel tightened the arm lock as Eric yelped in pain. “Hey, listen-“
“Let me go!” Eric was struggling to break out.
“Listen!” Miguel screamed in Eric’s ears. “I’ll help you rescue your girlfriend, alright? But I want you to listen first. Don’t struggle.”
“Just let me go,” Eric cried. “Please…”
“I will,” Miguel loosened the arm lock, but not so much that Eric would try to escape. “I want you to wait for it to stop. How can you save her if you die?”
When Miguel felt that Eric wasn’t struggling anymore, he loosened his grip and let him go. Eric stared daggers at him, but he couldn’t get angry at Miguel because he was right. The restaurant’s roof might collapse on him and he’ll probably die before he can get to Melissa.
After a few moments, the earth stopped shaking. Miguel held Eric’s wrist again, “There might be an aftershock. Stay down.”
“You said you’ll help me!” Eric pulled his wrist away.
“Fine! Go to her!” Miguel said. “I’m calling 911. Just go!”
Eric stood up and rushed towards the kitchen.
As Miguel held his phone to his ear, Dianne and Claire tried to stand up and follow Eric, “Stay the fuck down!”
The two girls were terrified beyond belief. Dianne hasn’t seen Miguel so angry before ever since they were high school students. She knew how terrifying Miguel can be when he’s angry. There was a lot to process on her mind; the earthquake and Miguel attacking Eric. She couldn’t understand why Miguel did that to Eric.
Claire, on the other hand, managed to calm herself down. She understood that Miguel was trying his best to keep them safe. Miguel stared at her with his phone still on his ear. She gave him a nod and embraced Dianne as she tried to calm her down.
“Thank you for calling 911. Your call is very important to us. Please hold-“
“Help me…” Eric came back carrying an unconscious Melissa on his arms.
“Take the phone call.” Miguel handed his phone to Claire. “Tell them to bring an ambulance. Can you do that?”
“Uhm-hmm.” Claire nodded her head profusely.
Miguel turned to Eric and Melissa. “What happened?”
“I don’t know!” Eric’s voice cracked as he desperately tried to wake his unconscious girlfriend. Miguel saw a cut and blood on her temple.
‘Just calm down. You know what to do,’ Miguel took a deep breath. ‘You’re prepared for this.’
First, Miguel observed his surroundings. The restaurant’s ceiling looked like it won’t collapse on them. Of course, he didn’t want to be a victim too. In order to be sure, he pulled Melissa’s body under the table to protect their heads. He heard sirens in the distance and people were also screaming for help, but Miguel ignored them as he proceeded to the next step.
Miguel observed Melissa’s body. He saw the wound on Melissa’s temple. A debris fell on her head and she might have suffered a serious head injury. She would need immediate medical attention. Miguel then touched her neck. He couldn’t feel any pulse, so he leaned his head towards her chest. He couldn’t hear her breathing nor a heartbeat. “I need to do a CPR.”
“W-what do we do?” Eric asked.
“Claire!” Miguel yelled as he turned to Claire. “Any progress?”
“T-the line’s still busy…”
“Call for help,” Miguel said to Eric. “Use your phone and help Claire call 911. You too, Dianne!”
“O-okay,” Eric’s hands were shaking as he reached out for his phone.
Miguel grabbed his school bag. Inside his bag was a small box containing his very own first aid kit. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the necessary items to perform a better CPR. His first aid kit only contained shears, gloves, gauze and tape, a roll of bandage, agua oxigenada, alcohol, cotton swab, a small flashlight, a lighter, and antibiotic cream. It wasn’t much, but that was all he could fit in his small box.
‘First step for CPR…’ Miguel said to himself. ‘If possible, remove the clothing out of the way of the victim’s chest.’
Miguel picked up the shears and removed Melissa’s long sleeve blouse out of the way. He leaned his head to check for breathing and pulse again. It was the first time that Miguel would ever perform a CPR. His mother taught him how to respond in emergencies and how to do a first aid. He even watched videos and read instructional e-books on how to deal with emergency situations. To call for help was the first and most crucial step, but Miguel was not going to wait for an ambulance. He had to do something.
Most people would think that learning these survival skills are a waste of time, but Miguel believed that one should always assume that the worst will happen and this seemingly useless knowledge might save a life. ‘30 compressions, 2 breaths. Repeat the cycle. Don’t forget to count. The tempo is important.’
Miguel drew a line from Melissa’s armpit to the center of her chest. He placed his hands on her breastbone. He made sure that his position was correct as he prepared to do the compression. He didn’t want to fuck this up because if it goes wrong, he might accidentally kill Melissa. ‘Here it goes…’
“One... Two… Three…” Miguel counted out loud as he pumped Melissa’s chest.
After the count of thirty, he tilted Melissa’s forehead and chin to open her airway. Miguel placed his lips over her mouth. He pinched the nose close and blew air into her. All while focusing on her chest to see if it rose up. Luckily, it did, but Melissa was still not breathing.
‘Shit,’ Miguel cursed. ‘I have to do it again.’
“One… Two… Three…”
Miguel counted again as cold sweat broke out of his forehead. After thirty counts, he repeated the same cycle of 30 compressions and 2 breaths. He was already on the third cycle, but there was still no result. Eric, Claire and Dianne tried to do their best to call for help, but the line was busy. Eric was becoming more desperate by each second.
Miguel finished the fourth cycle and he had to blew air on Melissa’s mouth. As he delivered the second breath, Melissa suddenly gasped for air.
“Thank god!” Eric cried.
Fuck, yes! Miguel sighed in relief. His heart was still beating fast. He lay down with his back on the floor. He was glad that his CPR worked. He always wanted to try it if it really works, but he couldn’t find an opportunity.
“Thanks man,” Eric smiled as he curled up his fist.
“No problem.” Miguel bumped his fist into Eric’s. Though Melissa was still unconscious, the fact that she was breathing was nothing short of a miracle. “Just keep her head and shoulder elevated until the ambulance arrives.”
“I got it!” Claire said. “Hello, we need help-“
All of a sudden, Claire dropped the phone and she fell unconscious. Next was Eric, and then Dianne. They all fell to the floor unconscious.
“What the fuck?!” Miguel began to panic as his friends around him suddenly fell. He shook them as hard as he could to wake them up. “Guys? Guys!”
His vision began to blur and lost any semblance of control over his body. The restaurant seemed to turn on its side, but it was just him with his face on the floor. The noise of sirens and the people screaming for help went silent. There were only loud crashes and explosions in the distance. He smelled something burning.
‘Is this the end?’ Miguel thought. ‘Am I going to die?’
As Miguel slowly closed his eyes, he heard a ding sound like the sound of a call bell. The last thing he saw was blue. A blue screen appeared on the front of his face.
*DING!*
Notification Message Test.
This is a test.