Finish What He Started

(Regina POV)

It's been days now and all we've been doing was mourning over the loss of our loved ones. I turned to look at my aunty, who was looking thin and unhealthy. Dark circles were around her eyes and she looked tired. I felt pity for her, but could do nothing whatsoever. It hurt to know that my family was gone.

Rico told me how they died, how they were brutally beaten up by unidentified men. No wonder there were so many bruises on their bodies. And I also get why my uncle told me to take the children and women with me. He must've predicted the outcome.

"My child, you should rest now. Tomorrow is their funeral, so please be strong." He said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

I looked at him and nodded. I went to bed but couldn't sleep, and I kept tossing on it until I finally got tired and decided to stand up, but then I was still feeling uneasy, and the sad feeling was still there.

My heart was heavy, my eyes were tired and my head banging painfully. Slowly the darkness became less dim and the sky looked slightly bright. I knew instantly that it was the day I said goodbye for good to my family. I waited inside my room until I heard a knock on the door. Furthermore, I stalked towards it and opened it.

"It's time, dear," someone informed me and left. I sighed as I closed the door. I came out dressed in all black, and we got to the hospital to have a quiet moment with them before the burial. I stood there, unable to shed any more tears, but the minute my eyes landed on their features, I couldn't help but shakily crouch down.

It hurt to know that I lost them forever, I lost the people I loved the most forever. It was just too painful, but they were gone now and there wasn't a thing that I could do to retrieve them back to me.

"Let's go," uncle Rico said, leading us out after we were done. We got back to the village with their caskets. We decided to bury them on the farm lands knowing how much they loved the village, and they would want to be here, the place they grew up, worked for, and called home.

Very soon it was time to give tributes and everyone gave their testimonies next. They looked to see if I would say something, but I moved my gaze away. Somehow, I didn't have the courage to say anything. My aunty gave hers, then we watched how they slowly placed them into their graves. I was going to miss them forever, that I was certain.

"You both should rest now. I'm sure wherever they are, they must be worried about you and you both need to be strong for them." Uncle Rico said. I pity the man because he just buried his only son recently.

"I… I…" A woman stuttered as she hesitated.

I furrowed my brows. "You what Anna?"

She looked around with her gaze down while she fondled the scarf in her hands. "I… When I was still hospitalized, I saw on the news that… I don't know, but a man was talking about doing something with the land he just got, and he mentioned this place and the pictures showed that it was really here," she said.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I was really shocked as well, but it's the truth," she said, looking around.

"And how sure are you? There's a high possibility that you might be wrong." Uncle Rico interjected.

"I'm not, I saw that man, the one who you spoke to Regina, he wasn't wearing glasses, so I'm confident that it was him."

"Confident? But you just said it yourself that you don't know."

"I said that because I was reluctant."

"Why on earth would you be reluctant, if you're indeed sure about this information?" He snapped, his voice raising.

"I… I… I swear that I'm telling the truth…"

"That's enough already." I said before uncle Rico could counter back. I know he was being a bit harsh because of the pain and stress we were all going through, and hearing this now only made us scared and worried. My aunty was surprisingly quiet the whole time, and I just concluded that she must be tired and sad.

I turned to her. "But are you sure about what you just said?"

She nodded her head vigorously. "I couldn't be more sure. I saw him standing beside a man."

My frown deepened. "Wait, what do you mean by he was standing beside someone? Wasn't he the one speaking?"

She shook her head. "The man speaking was in front of the camera. The man you spoke to was beside him."

I could see the world spinning around me.

"Woah! Come, let's sit." Rico led me to a chair.

"Anna this man… Did he mention what he wanted the land for?" I was breathing unevenly.

"No. He only mentioned that he would use it for a project," she relayed.

Something told me the man I spoke to wasn't the one in charge. I was never wrong, and should've known better than to think otherwise.

"He said he would start the project on the 5th of this month." She added.

"What? 5th is next month," someone beside her gasped.

This was unbelievable, this can't be happening. Not now that my father and uncle are both dead.

"We should flee from here," Anna suggested.

I looked at uncle Rico when I sighed. He looked disheartened, he must feel like he lost everything for nothing. He lost his son because of this, and it wasn't still worth it. I felt more worried about the young children who needed a home to grow up in. A good place they can call home, not a street that they would probably end up in when everything is gone.

I needed to think fast about this. There must be a way to help them keep their homes. My uncle wanted to ensure that we keep our homes and losing it now would only go to waste, so I better finish what he started but not the way he started it, maybe in a more verbal way, not violently because I wanted no casualties. But what would be a good way to do things?

I spent all day and night thinking about it. Soon before I could realize, it was morning already and everyone was fidgeting when I came out.

"I think they are here," Rico whispered beside me when we saw cars from afar. My legs shook as I tried to prepare myself for the worst.