Chapter Text
The mall was quiet. Too quiet.
Halos lahat ng tindahan wala ng laman — bare shelves, broken glass, scattered plastic bags na parang mga multo ng mundong nawala.
Jhoanna crouched low, gripping the rusted steel pipe she used as a weapon.
Isa lang ang patakaran niya: huwag magtiwala kahit kanino.
She was about to check the pharmacy corner when—
A sudden crash.
Her body froze. Shit. She tightened her grip and moved silently toward the noise.
At doon niya nakita.
A girl, around her age, struggling to shove a shelf aside. Dark hair clung to her face, her arm bleeding from a fresh wound. She was clutching a beaten-up backpack like it was more precious than her own pulse.
The girl whipped around, eyes blazing when she saw Jhoanna.
“‘Wag kang lalapit…” she hissed, voice shaking but defiant.
Jhoanna raised her pipe a little. Cool, detached.
“Relax. Wala akong pake sa gamit mo.”
“Oh talaga?” The girl’s gaze flicked over her, sharp despite the limp in her stance. “Everyone wants something.”
For a moment, neither moved. They stared at each other, strangers sizing each other up, both ready to fight, neither willing to flinch.
“Kung uhaw ka, may tubig sa may baba,” Jhoanna muttered. “Pero kung gusto mong mabuhay, kailangan mong umalis ngayon. Raiders are on the way.”
Raiders. Mga hindi infected. Pero mga pumapatay ng kapwa nila.
Sila halos ang umubos sa lahat ng mga natitirang tao.
The girl arched a brow. “And how exactly do you know that?”
“Ilang araw na akong nandito,” Jhoanna shot back. Then, after a pause, her lips curved in the faintest smirk. “And you’re too loud.”
The girl smirked right back, despite the blood staining her sleeve. “So you were watching me?” That landed like a hit Jhoanna wasn’t ready for. Her throat tightened; she masked it with a scoff, gripping her pipe tighter. Smart mouth. Great.
Before she could answer, heavy boots clanged in the stairwell below. Voices. Men shouting, cruel laughter echoing. Raiders.
The girl stiffened, clutching her bag tighter. Jhoanna’s instincts screamed: leave her. Walk away.
But when those frightened eyes locked on hers. Stubborn, but trembling. Jhoanna swore under her breath and ran towards her and grabbed her wrist.
“Hoy—!”
“Shut up if you wanna live.”
They ran, footsteps pounding in sync. The girl limped, but refused to slow them down. At one point, she almost slipped — and Jhoanna’s arm shot out, steadying her waist. For a heartbeat, Colet’s weight pressed against her, warm and breathless.
“Don’t touch me,” the girl muttered, cheeks flushed.
“Mag-ingat ka kasi,” Jhoanna snapped back, but she didn’t let go until they reached the alley.
They leaned against the wall, gasping for air. Sweat clung to Jhoanna’s brow; the girl brushed hair from her face, eyes glittering with adrenaline. Instead of fear, she gave Jhoanna a crooked grin.
“Salamat. I owe you one.”
Jhoanna rolled her eyes, scanning the street. “Don’t thank me yet. Hindi pa tayo ligtas talaga.”
“Hmm.” The girl tilted her head, studying her. “You’ve got a name, o tatawagin na lang kitang… tubo girl?”
Jhoanna glared, but her ears burned. “Jhoanna.”
“Jhoanna,” the girl repeated, her voice soft, lingering on the syllables like a secret. Then she smirked, teeth flashing.
“Colet. Nice to meet you… partner.”
Jhoanna cursed under her breath, gripping her pipe again, but her pulse betrayed her. Too fast, too loud. This girl was going to be trouble.
And yet, even when the alley fell silent, Jhoanna realized she was still holding Colet’s wrist.
—
Jhoanna and Colet didn’t stop moving until the sun dipped behind the jagged skyline.
Jhoanna walked in front, pipe steady in her hand, 2 daggers hanging on her belt, every step calculated. Behind her, Colet, with an axe attached on her backpack.
Every so often, Jhoanna glanced back. Hindi dahil concern siya, but because weak links get you killed.
“Kung gusto mong mabuhay, kailangan mong gamutin ‘yang sugat mo,” Jhoanna muttered finally.
“Alam ko, pero ayos lang to galos lang,” Colet said. “Concerned ka ba?”
“Hindi. Wala akong pake. Ayoko lang na mamatay ka sa harap ko mismo.”
“Ang dami mong sinabi pwede namang oo o hindi nalang.”
Napailing nalang si Jhoanna.
By nightfall, they found shelter in the ruins of a dusty bookstore. The windows were cracked, shelves broken, but it was quiet.
Okay na ‘yun sa kanila. Kesa abutin ng gabi sa daan.
Jhoanna shoved chairs against the door. Then, without a word, she tore a strip from her shirt and tossed it to Colet.
“Para sa sugat mo.”
Colet blinked, momentarily disarmed. “Akala ko wala kang pake?”
“Wala nga.” Jhoanna avoided her eyes.
Colet chuckled softly, shaking her head as she tied the bandage. “Sure ka ba diyan?”
Tinignan na siya ni Jhoanna.
“Joke lang,” Ngumiti si Colet ng kaunti. “Thank you. Meron pa nga pala ako nito oh.” At binuksan ni Colet ang bag niya.
May ilang mga biscuit doon at tubig.
Umupo naman si Jhoanna sa sahig kagaya ni Colet.
They ate in silence — stale crackers, lukewarm water. Eventually, Colet spoke up.
“So… nasaan ka nung nagsimula yung outbreak?”
Jhoanna shot her a look. “What do you mean?”
“Like… ako I was in law school. Patapos na nga eh. Kainis nga, may quiz pa ko sa prof kong super strict.” She laughed quietly, though it sounded hollow. “Akala ko ‘yun na yung pinakamasamang araw ko. Di kasi ako nakapag-review. Inuna kong uminom.” Natawa siya sa kwento niya.
Tinuloy ni Colet ang pag-kwento. “Sobrang bilis ng pangyayari. Ang daming namatay kaagad. Ang daming naging infected. Ilang linggo palang. Parang hindi pa nagsi-sync in sa’kin lahat kasi biruin mo? Halos wala ng survivors. Ikaw? Nasaan ka nun?”
But Jhoanna didn’t answer right away. Her eyes lowered to the floor. “I wasn’t in school. I was… somewhere else. Different.”
“Different good or different bad?” Colet pressed, tilting her head.
Jhoanna’s lips pressed into a line. After a pause, she muttered, “Bad.”
And that was it. No details. No names. Just the single word that hung in the dusty air.
Colet leaned back, sensing the wall Jhoanna had put up. “Hmmm, okay,” she said with a grin, “secretive ka pala.”
“Careful,” Jhoanna countered, “mahirap ba para sa chismosang kagaya mo?”
“Hindi ah!” Colet giggled softly, muffling the sound with her hand. “Curious lang. You’re… interesting.”
Jhoanna frowned, caught off-guard. “Interesting?”
“Yeah.” Colet’s eyes softened. “Yung tipong mahirap basahin. Mysterious. Pero grabe ka ah, nasayang laway ko dun.”
“Sino ba kasing nagsabi na dumaldal ka?”
“Ang sungit mo naman,” napangisi si Colet, “pero alam mo…’yan tipo ko.”
Jhoanna rolled her eyes, but the heat crawling up her neck betrayed her. “Magpahinga ka na nga.”
Later, as they sat across from each other in the moonlight, Colet hummed a tune under her breath. Jhoanna’s brow furrowed.
“Anong kanta ‘yan?”
“Wala. Something I used to sing… dati pa. Before.”
Jhoanna wanted to ask more. But she didn’t. Instead, she lay back against the wall, letting the faint melody linger between them.
The next morning.
They rose with the pale gray light, the bookstore colder than the night before. Jhoanna was already awake, pipe in hand, scanning the street through a cracked window. Colet stirred groggily, hair messy, squinting against the weak sun.
“Gising ka na pala,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
“Hindi ako natulog,” Jhoanna replied. “Hindi safe na tumagal dito.”
Colet sighed, dragging herself up. “Bakit ‘di mo manlang ako sinabihan?”
“Sarap ng tulog mo eh. Ayos lang ‘yun. Ready ka na ba?”
Tumango lang si Colet.
They gathered their supplies and slipped back into the empty streets.
The city was a skeleton — abandoned cars rusting in place, buildings hollowed out, the air thick with silence.
For a while, all they heard were their footsteps and the occasional flap of wings from crows overhead.
Then Colet broke the quiet.
“Jhoanna.”
Jhoanna grunted in response.
“Kung… if things were different. Where do you think you’d be right now?”
Jhoanna kept walking, her shoulders stiff. “Doesn’t matter. Things aren’t different.”
“Grabe ka. Hypothetical lang.”
After a beat, Jhoanna muttered, almost reluctant: “Home. Probably.”
Colet tilted her head, studying her. “Home, huh. Ako… baka sa gig. Anong araw na ba ngayon? Kung sabado… ayun baka nasa gig or nag-aaral…”
“Gig?”
“Yeah. Kumakanta ako minsan with friends. Open mics, ganon. Not pro, pero… masaya.” Her lips curved into a soft smile. “I miss that.”
Jhoanna stayed quiet. But something in her chest twisted at the image of Colet in another life — smiling, singing, alive in a way this world didn’t allow.
They turned a corner into an abandoned neighborhood. Houses loomed silent, windows shattered, front doors hanging loose. The air was too still.
“Stay close,” Jhoanna murmured.
Colet rolled her eyes but inched nearer anyway.
That’s when they heard it — faint, hushed voices. Not groans, not the shuffle of the infected, but human.
Jhoanna immediately raised a hand, signaling Colet to stop.
They crouched behind a crumbling fence.
The voices came from ahead, near a wrecked jeep half-swallowed by vines.
“Bilis, Sheena, baka mahuli tayo,” a sharp whisper cut through the silence.
“Relax, Mikha,” a lighter voice replied. “They don’t look dangerous…”
Jhoanna and Colet exchanged a loaded glance. Instinctively, both raised their weapons.
“Sino nandyan?” Colet said, voice hard.
The voices stilled. For a moment, the whole street seemed to hold its breath.
Then came a nervous giggle. An annoyed sigh.
And two figures stepped out from the shadows.