Dream Slaughters 4 Mess On Day One

"Who are you?" Tanong ng mataba.

"Um... I'm..."

"Who are you?" Ulit ng payat.

Tinitigan ko lang sila. My knees are already shaking from fear. Their glares are sharp enough to kill an intention. I remained standing their while raising my arms. I'm not going to tell my name kahit mamatay pa ako. But, do I really have to die?

"Bakit hindi ka sumasagot? Pepe ka ba? Bingi?" Tanong ng mataba.

"Well, let's just take this gal as the compensation for the dragon. Wala naman tayong magagawa dahil lumipad na ang dragon," the smoking man said.

"Ikaw kasi, eh. Kung binantayan mo lang edi sana hindi na lumipad," sabi ni thin man kay smoking guy.

"Huh? So it is my fault after all? Sino ba kasi ang b.u.mili ng net na madaling maputol ng kutsilyo?" Balik ni smoking man sa kanya.

I took the chance to run away. The arguing men stopped talking the moment they noticed me running away. Mabilis akong pumasok sa gubat at nagpalipat-lipat ng direksyon. Of course, those men are able to follow me, except the fat man who is already wheezing and losing his breath.

I somehow managed to cover myself through a large root below a huge red tree. There's a little hole in between the roots in which I entered. I found some little foxes sleeping. Fortunately, they didn't attack me but instead let me stay for a while as I say 'shh' to them. I heard some footsteps pa.s.sing from the direction. Sumilip ako sa labas at nakita ang dalaw.a.n.g tao na patuloy sa pagtakabo paharap.

"Yooosh..."

I slowly sneaked out from the hole. Tinignan ko muna silang tumakbo palayo bago tumakbo sa kabilang direksyon. Nagulat ako ng may isang malaking kamay ang biglang humablot sa damit ko. Sa di malamang dahilan naramdaman kong umaangat ako sa lupa. I tried my best to squirm but the person holding me is stronger than me. I stopped fussing and looked at the person. It's the fat man.

"Sa tingin mo matatakasan mo kami?" He sneered.

"Of course, I do," I spit on his fat face.

"Gyaaa," he loosened the grip and let me fall down. I remembered the pain I received from falling on that cliff. The man tried to wash the spit from his face while throwing curses to the air.

Mabilis akong tumayo. Napansin kong b.u.mabalik na ang mga kasamahan niya. Sumigaw siya sabay tawag sa mga pangalan nito. The guys are already near to my reach. I pushed the fat man's knee that made him stumble in front of his companion before running away again.

"Catch her!" Utos ng mataba na pinagtulungang tinayo ng dalawa.

I continued running. SInubukan kong hanapin ang daanan papunta sa mataas na torre pero nakalimutan kong ngayon lang pala ako nakalabas sa buong buhay ko. Ngayon, ako ay nawawala sa malawak na gubat na ito. It is thanks to the large trees and their roots helping me to hide from those guys. Though, sila rin naman ang dahilan kung bakit nawawala ako.

Sinubukan ko ring umakyat sa isang puno pero nakalimutan ko uli na hindi ako marunong umakyat. The only thing that I know is to do household ch.o.r.es. I am even barefooted right now. I can feel the sharp rocks wounding my skin but the adrenaline made the best effort to numb it. Kailangan kong makaalis rito ng buhay.

"I'm already tired..."

Hindi ko pa nasusubukang tumakbo ng napakalayo. Ang mga binting pambahay na ito ay unti-unting nawawalan ng lakas. I saw a pathway in front of me and tried my best to come. Isang daanan ang napuntahan. This is the place where carriages always pa.s.s. If I can find one, they might help me escape from these men.

Pinagpatuloy ko ang pagtakbo sa patag at maalikabok na daanan ng bigla akong nadapa. I tried to stand up but I stopped midway. I can no longer feel my legs. Para bang nasobrahan ang mga paa ko sa katatakabo sa hanggang b.u.migaw na ang mga buto nito. I cried.

It is very painful. The world outside that tower is very cruel.

I tried crawling but I know it's useless. The men were able to catch up. One of them picked me up by pulling my hair up. I can feel my own snot falling from my nose as my tears flooded my face.

"Heh, do you really think that a weak girl like you can escape from us?" Tanong ng mataba na mahigpit ang hawak sa damit ko.

"Magkano kaya ang ginto na makukuha ko kapag ibinenta natin siya," the smoking guy asked.

"Malaki iyan, malaki! You know how those n.o.bles like wimpy useless girls," tawa ni thin man.

I moved my arm to throw a punch but the fat man only blocked it. Hinawakan niya ang kamay ko pagkatapos ay dinilaan ang daliri. I recoil my hand with disgust. This perverted fat man looked at me with a red face. I don't need words to comprehend what they're trying to do with me.

"Let go of me!" I squirmed.

Nagtawanan lang sila habang pinagmamasdan akong k.u.makawala sa mga hawak nila. They eventually stopped when somebody throw a pebble in their heads.

"Who did that?" Smoking man asked as he turned around.

"It's me, you dumba.s.s!" Said a voice.

Everybody turned around just to see a guy in black hood. The wind blew swaying his robe side wards. I squinted, trying to clear my vision from tears. Tinitigan ko siya sa hanggang may nakita akong isang mapaglarong ngiti sa ilalim ng nakatago niyang mukha. For a moment, I felt my heart throb. There was this 'bathump' in my chest.

"You should not hurt a young beautiful lady. Dapat sa mga babaeng tulad niyan ay iniingatan at inaalagaan," the guy said firmly. There's authority in his voice.

"Sino ka ba? Ano ba ang paki-alam mo sa gagawin namin sa kanya?" Tanong ni Smoking Man na minamasahe ang ulo niya na natamaan ng bato.

"Well, just a common bypa.s.ser," he removed the hood from his face.

The scene started to become slow mo. His face became clear to us; a young man with a wide grin in his face. The guy has this dark black curtain hair that's been tied with a ponytail behind. His eyebrows are thick and well-formed that matches his round eyes. Now that I notice it, it looks like that of the dragon – eyes that look like jewels and a cat with curiosity. Matangos ang kanyang ilong at mapupula ang mga labi na sa tuwing ngumingiti siya ay nagkakaroon ng dimples. His grinning face just made him the most handsome person I met in my current lifetime.

"Tsk, you really think that you can defeat us, pretty boy?" The thin man asked, getting a sharp knife from his pocket.

"No, I don't think I can," he said shrugging off his shoulders looking down the floor. Then he showed a sneaky half smile in his face. "But I'm sure he can."

A dragon just landed behind him. It was the same dragon I saved earlier. It looked fiercer and wilder this time showing its superiority (and the sharp talons that could kill five heifers in one strike). The gusts of wind send shivers to the opposing side. I felt the grip loosen and fell to the ground as the cowards started running away to save their lives.

"You d.a.m.n perverts," I murmured, my face buried to the ground. Now, I am able to taste the mixture of tears and soil.

"Hey, are you alright? They didn't hurt you, did they?" A rather calming voice asked.

I looked up and saw the guy's worried face. He lends his arm to help me stand up. I noticed some thumping on the ground and found the dragon walking towards us. I look up to stare at the dragon's playful face. The dragon just made the coolest stunt among all, scaring those guys up to their souls.

"You..." Wala akong masabi.

"Thank you for helping my dragon," sabi niya.

"Your... dragon?" I looked at the creature.

"Yes, I lost him somewhere in this forest a day ago. I was very worried kaya hinanap ko siya. Then suddenly he went flying on the sky. Uuwi na sana kami ng mapansin kong hindi siya mapakali. And now we are here to save the person who saved my dragon," he said.

"Really..."

Sinubukan kong tumayo pero di ako makatayo. He supported me to stand up.

"It looks like you can't stand by yourself. Uh... saan ka ba nakatira? Ihahatid na lang kita para mas mabilis," sabi niya.

I nodded. I looked around above the trees. I found the very top of the tall tower.

"That's where I live," I pointed the visible tower. "Inside that tower..."

"You live there?" He exclaimed.

Tinignan niya ako na para bang may kakaiba akong nasabi. His eyes look like he knows something I didn't. He scratched his head, undecided what to react. Then, he clicked his tongue.

"It can't be helped. You'll forget it anyway," he said, patting the back of his dragon where a saddle is placed. "Wanna have some dragon ride?"