CHAPTER 24
PANIC IN THE DARK
Narrator: Inside the theater room…
Maja: Ay naku… may blackout na naman.
Jamilla: Dyos ko! Ano nangyari dito sa OC?
*
Narrator: At the theater hall with Brenda and Nina…
Nina: Ng blackout ulit.
Brenda: Oo nga eh. Teka, pupunta natin kay Erich.
Narrator: Once they arrived at the counter…
Erich: Guys!
Brenda: Erich, papasok na tayo sa loob, ha?
Erich: (takes another look at Edwin, then back to her friends) Guys, uunahan na kayo. I’ll be there in a sec.
Nina: (grabbing Erich’s right hand) Erich, ngayon na. Baka ano naman mangyari masama pag tapos ‘to.
Erich: Sandali lang ako, I promise.
Brenda: Erich, ano kaba? Paano kung may earthquake?
Nina: Yeah, ayaw naming mag saktan ka.
Erich: Guys, I’ll be okay. Sige naaa. Just go.
Brenda: (sighing) Fine… just meet us when you’re done.
Narrator: So the two girls left Erich again as they headed to the theater hall.
One of Edwin’s co-workers, John, a white chubby guy with short red hair and black-framed eye glasses, spoke to Edwin.
John: Dude, we gotta evacuate the building immediately.
Edwin: Not yet. It probably won’t last for long.
*
Narrator: All the lights went out in my house as well as the houses around it.
Jay: (looking out the window through the blinds) The lights at our neighbors’ homes are out too.
Mr. Castro: (approaching window) Really? (as he looks out same one) Oo nga noh?
D-Nort: (standing in the doorway of the kitchen holding his Coors beer can) Dyos ko! Baka ganun rin nangyari saming lugar. (laughing a bit)
Mr. Castro: Ahh siguro ng blackout din lahat sa Anaheim.
Jay: How’r we gonna finish the game?
Koji: We can prolly see it if this blackout don’t last for that long.
D-Nort: What if it does?
Narrator: Suddenly, we could hear the clanging on the rooftop as we could feel the shaking of a mild earthquake occurring inside the house.
Jay: DUCK!!
Narrator: All of us inside the house rushed to find every available spot.
*
Back inside the theater, Erich was panicking. She immediately sat against the wall of the counter.
John: Earthquake!!
Narrator: With John sitting against the wall on the opposite side, Edwin hurried over to the other side of the counter where Erich was and sat beside her.
At the theater hall, Nina and Brenda immediately headed inside Theater 12 and sat on the corner.
Meanwhile with Maja and her group, everyone held on to each other hoping they’re okay.
*
Back inside my house, as Uncle D-Nort, Koji, and I were hiding under the dining table, the earthquake stopped.
Jay: (calmly) It stopped.
Mr. Castro: (hiding under kitchen table with my mom) Is everyone okay?!
Jay: Yeah!
Koji: ‘Bout you, Tito?!
Mr. Castro: We’re good!
Mrs. Castro: (looking up shelf where all the cups remained standing) Buti na lang walang baksak!
Jay: That’s good!
*
Narrator: Back inside the theater with Erich and Edwin…
Edwin: Okay ka lang, Erich?
Erich: Oo. Ikaw?
Edwin: Okay rin. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t get hurt.
Erich: (smiling) Salamat, pero okay na ako talaga.
Edwin: (smiling back at her) That’s good.
Narrator: Suddenly, a voice from the speaker sounded all over the theater.
Speaker: Okay, guys! We’re gonna evacuate this building right away! So I ask that you guys leave NOW before anyone gets hurt!
Narrator: Erich and Edwin turned to each other for a moment, then the two of them got up as they headed directly out the door of the theater.
*
Inside the theater room with Maja and her group, they were slowly walking down the stairs as they were following another group in front of them. While it was pitch black inside, Jamilla used her cell phone backlight to track the stairs.
Jamilla: Grabe talaga ‘tong earthquake! Akala ko namamatay tayo!
Sarah: Wala yan, o? Mas grabe yun earthquake kung na matay agad yun maraming tao.
Denise: May earthquake ditto dati, pero mas malakas pa yun kalog kesa sa ngayon.
Maja: Kailan?
Denise: Naku! Siguro mga 1998 o 99 pa yan.
Jamilla: Wow, almost a decade!
Sarah: Di ko naalala, saka di ko alam masyado tungkol sa mga natural causes.
Maja: Mas gusto ko pa yun malakas ang kulog kesa sa mga ganito.
Narrator: A moment later, Jamilla’s light reached Brenda and Nina, who were sitting on the corner beside the door.
Jamilla: Nina! Brenda!
Brenda: Guys! (as she and Nina got up on their feet)
Denise: Ano ginawa niyo dyan?
Nina: Eh bigla ng earthquake kanina nung ng pasok kami ditto, kaya dito kami ng tago.
Maja: Okay ba kayo dyan?
Brenda: Oo naman.
Denise: Si Erich, nasaan?
Nina: Nasa counter pa siguro nung ng earthquake.
Brenda: Baka ano naman nangyari sa kanya…
Narrator: So the girls headed for the counter, and as Jamilla moved her phone light to it, Erich wasn’t there. Jamilla looked around the counter, but no sign of her nor Edwin.
Jamilla: Na wala si Erich?
Brenda: Pero nan dito siya like 5 minutes ago.
Denise: Baka na labas na siya.
Nina: Pati yun lalaki ng usap niya wala din.
Denise: Sino?
Brenda: Ewan ko… Edwin ata ang pangalan niya.
Denise: Sino si Edwin?
Nina: High school friend daw.
Maja: Baka sa labas na nga silang dalawa.
Jamilla: Well let’s go then! What’r ya’ll waiting for?
Narrator: So the girls quickly headed out the building in search for Erich and Edwin.
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