ch. 27 - lost friend

CHAPTER 27
LOST FRIEND


Narrator: Around the Wal Mart area…

Brenda: (looking around) Walang tao dito.

Denise: That’s creepy.

Nina: Baka nan dun sila. (pointing to patch ahead of them)

Narrator: So the girls continued walking down the path hoping they already find the two friends.

*

Meanwhile with Walter and wounded Edwin…

Walter: The ambulance is on its way, so hang tight!

Edwin: (nodding) Where’s… Erich?

Walter: Yer askin’ me?? To hell I know some Asian lady named Erich.

Edwin: (coughing) She’s… (coughing) a fried of mine, the one standing next to me. Where is she?

Walter: She’s gone.

Edwin: What?! (coughing) What do you mean?! Where did she go?! (coughing)

Walter: I kinda saw those guys grabbin’ her while ya were down, n’ they just took off.

Edwin: No… nooo… (groaning)

Walter: Steady now. (holding Edwin’s shoulder)

Narrator: A moment later, Maja’s gang finally arrived to the scene where they found Edwin lying on the ground.

Maja: Uncle Walter!

Walter: (seeing Maja and Sarah running up to him) Hey…

Sarah: What happened?

Maja: (covering her mouth as she sees the bleeding of Edwin’s right leg) My gulayness…

Sarah: (seeing it also) Who did this to you?!

Edwin: (coughing) Some gang… he held a gun (coughing)… shot me right here. (groaning)

Sarah: Take it easy. Where’s the ambulance?

Walter: I got it taken care of. It’s on its way.

Brenda: Umm Edwin?

Edwin: Yeah?

Brenda: Nasaan si Erich?

Edwin: (coughing) Kasama siya… (coughing) sa mga salvahe…

Nina: (covering her mouth in shock) Huh?! Paano naman nangyari yun?!

Edwin: Basta… nasa coche sila…

Denise: (silently) Oh my God…

Narrator: Edwin then groaned again, this time a worse one.

Maja: Easy… (as she comforts his shoulder back and forth)

Jamilla: Brenda, tawagin mo siya baka na hawak pa yun cell phone niya.

Brenda: Sige.

Narrator: So Brenda tried dialing Erich in hopes of hearing her voice through the receiver.

*

Inside Spider’s car, Erich was sitting in the backseat between Jeeva and Lagga. Her mouth was covered with gray masking tape and her hands were tied behind her back with ropes. She was panicking so badly that she couldn’t hear her own scream through the tape.

Lagga: Yo Spider! Where’s the fuckin’ music?!

Spider: Relax, man, I’ll get it on.

Narrator: So once Spider turned on the stereo, rap music sounded all over the interior of the car. Spider turned up the volume, and the music grew louder as well as the intense rumbling.

Erich’s cell phone suddenly rang, Brenda’s name appearing on her caller ID, but Erich nor the other guys in the car could hear it nor feel the rumble. Erich panicked even more, but they ignored her as they were all talking with their loud voices. The phone kept ringing, but after the sixth and final ring, the call went through the voicemail.

Brenda could hear Erich’s extended personal absence greeting through the receiver with the following words:

“Hi, it’s Erich. Ahmm I’m not here at the moment, so leave me a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible, okie? Byyee.”

Brenda: Wala eh.

Maja: Oh dear…