CHAPTER 3

I was shivering from the cold. When I opened my eyes, it was still dark. I realized I was lying on the rough floor without any mat. I slowly sat up, my legs were getting cold and one of my shoes was missing.

I froze when I remembered why I was still here. I quickly looked around. I was inside a small cell. There was a door made of thick steel and a small window at the top of the wall where light was coming in.

The last thing I remember is they will attack us, Sebastian pulled me over and I was unconscious!

I quickly stood up and held onto the small window with two metal bars. I grabbed onto it and with all my strength, I lifted myself up. It was morning. I could see the long river from the window that was almost the size of my head.

Manila is not like this. There are no cars, buildings and roads. I was stuck in the window because I couldn't lift myself. I put my hand down and walked around the room to think about it.

I noticed an old brown blanket, it was tucked in the corner and surrounded by spider webs. I took it and shook it off, my legs were cold so I tied the blanket around my waist. The blanket smelled old like it had been there for years.

I held my head, last Saturday I went to a book signing, yesterday Pia and I came here for a night tour. There was a commotion last night, that was the attack made by the rebel group led by Santino and Lorenzo Cortes.

Don Imo is Lorenzo's grandpa who got framed and hanged back then. This is why the Cortes family, Lorenzo's family who's the main character in my story, fell apart. I bit my finger, this is exactly how the first chapter in Salamisim started. The secret group's raid led by Lorenzo on the prison.

Am I getting too caught up in the story right now that I dreamt about it? But why does it feel so real? I looked at my arm, there are scratches and wounds from the chaos that happened last night. I tried to pinch myself, I need to wake up. I might be late for work!

I was surprised when the door suddenly opened. It made a deafening noise because it was a double steel door. Two civil guards appeared in front of me, just staring at me seriously. They immediately grabbed my arms and pulled me out of the cell without saying a word.

"Hey, Leave me alone!" i yelled, but they didn't stop until we reached a larger cage. My eyes widened at the sight of the various equipment being used to torture the defendants.

There are even signs of blood that they just finished punishing other prisoners. The two guards pushed me to the floor, fortunately because my blanket looked like a long skirt so my knees weren't hurt by the force when they pushed me.

I was looking at them sharply but one of them slapped me. I held my cheek, my jaw might have dislocated. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" I shouted, he was about to slap me again but he stopped when Sebastian arrived with some other soldiers.

Sebastian sat down on a chair that looked like a king. A king who is ready to watch the people who are going to be tortured today. The other prisoners were also arrested.

I looked at Sebastian, but he was still fresh. Why even in a dream I can smell. "I'll only ask one question. Remember that I'm not giving anyone a second chance" Sebastian seriously promised. That's how it is, Sebastian I created is a master of trickery. He was probably just a little bit of a Spanish speaker last night. He gestured to the soldiers. They first put in the middle a man who was naked and full of wounds because of the blows he had received from the whip.

"Who brought you the weapon here inside the prison?" Sebastian asked, and the prisoner just looked at him and spat on the floor.

"Cut off his finger" Sebastian said, the prisoner immediately struggling. I tried to stand up to see if they were real. If it was a dream, it wouldn't be true even if it was a finger.

We were all terrified kneeling on the floor from when we hear the man's scream that was now cut off with five fingers. I hold my fingers and tried to feel if it was complete.

They pushed the guy back to his spot and then pulled another guy and made him kneel in front of Sebastian. "You're not a prisoner here, you're one of the attackers from yesterday. Who's behind all this?" the guard asked. The prisoner was shaking with anger and fear.

"Just kill me already! You won't get anything from me!" the man shouted, and I stopped and stared at him.

 I remember now, he's the right-hand man of the group, Tadeo, who's the best friend of the main guy, Lorenzo. By the way, he got caught in the act. They were supposed to rescue Lorenzo's older brother, Santino. Santino is also locked up here, but they failed to save him.

Tadeo's character is so cool. Go for it, Tadeo! You're not gonna die now, curse them all!

I didn't even realize I was laughing at all the random things running through my mind. Sebastian looked at me and asked, "What's so funny?" I just swallowed. He looked like a professor in class, all serious, then he noticed a mischievous student in the back just chuckling away.

"None sir," I replied, trying to stop my laughter. I was surprised when two guards suddenly pulled me up and knelt on the opposite side of Sebastian.

I'm annoyed with their brutality! "Who sent you here?" Sebastian asked, I just cleared my throat. "Well, I don't know. Hmm... But if we're thinking scientifically, everything happening right now is in my head because it's a dream," I replied and smiled to annoy him, to annoy them all.

I was horrified when Sebastian stood up, "Cut off the tongues of those two" he ordered the guards, my eyes widened in surprise. Is he serious? I looked at Tadeo who was also kneeling next to me, even though he was surprised at what Sebastian wanted to cut off. I'm wondering if he was referring to me and Tadeo?

He began to walk out. I don't care because it was just a dream. The guards pushed, pulled me and slapped me. I'll definitely feel the pain when they cut my tongue too!

The two guards grabbed my head and pointed to the table. "Wait! Wait! Wait!' I shouted but they raised the sharp knife. "Sebastian just a moment! I'll talk!" I yelled, Sebastian stopped walking and turned to us.

"I'm gonna talk, 'please don't cut off my tongue,' I'm begging, I might be having a nightmare right now. I need to wake up!"

I was let go by the guards, I quickly went back to sitting and faced Sebastian who was standing in front of the door and looking at us.

I was looking at Tadeo, he's probably wondering who I am, I'm not a member of their group. But one big mistake of their group is they don't know who else knows besides the members.

"Uhm... I'm sure everyone is looking at me, especially Sebastian. "Everything that's happening now is..." I stopped and turned to the people around. They'll probably behead me permanently if I force them to make it all a dream

"the truth is, I don't know who told me to do it," I continued, i just closed my eyes because I'm sure they're thinking I'm lying.

This is what all the accused are saying too. I took a breath and continued, "H-his face was covered and he was wearing a hat," I said, and Tadeo looked at me in surprise, knowing that I was referring to one of their members, Lorenzo, because that's how he was dressed and looked in the scene I created.

It seems like Sebastian still isn't convinced, I was about to add more to Lorenzo's description when suddenly a group of soldiers arrived. Everyone stood up straight, and Sebastian saluted another uniformed person.

He stopped and looked at Sebastian, "Don Florencio is about to arrive, you better do your duty," said the man in his fifties. If I'm not mistaken, he's Sebastian's father, Don Antonio, the right-hand man of the governor-general!

Don Antonio continued walking, Sebastian whispered something to a guard while looking at me and then followed his dad. I was about to call him but two guards quickly pulled me back to the cell I came from earlier.

They pushed me hard into the cell and then closed the metal door. I just lay down on the floor again and stared at the solid stone ceiling. I closed my eyes, this dream was too long, too tiring and hungry.

I felt my stomach. Why am I feeling hungry? I must really be dreaming. After a while, a guard started pacing in front of my cell. I slowly got up, are they going to give me food?

When the moment was right, the guard suddenly peeked into my cell and quickly signaled for me to come over. I hurriedly stood up and held onto the bars, "Where did you talk to the guy in the hood that you're referring to?" he whispered while constantly looking around in fear that someone might see us.

I looked at him closely, he was curious to know where Lorenzo was. Is he on their side or just another spy from the government? He repeated the question, and this time I could clearly see the sweat dripping from his face in anxiety and haste. "I know where he is," I said, and he was shocked and stared at me. But I really didn't know where Lorenzo was.

"But I won't say anything if you don't help me get out of here," I continued, which surprised him even more.

"How can I be sure if you're an ally or an enemy?" he asked, I took a deep breath and then sighed.

"The market is open at 6:00" I smiled which surprised him even more. This code is used by the organization to send messages to members. Of course I know that because I made the story. He quickly took the key and opened my cage quickly.

"You're going to face death now!" he shouted to the horror of the other inmates in a nearby cell. "I'm not guilty!" i yelled as he opened the door and pulled me out.

We quickly made our way through the long stretch of prisons. "What's your mission?" he asked me, my eyes darting around. "I have a message to deliver to our leader," I said, and it seemed I convinced him because he didn't ask any more questions.

I'm wonder about the name of another member of the group who pretends to be a guard to kidnap the leader, Santino. "Berning!" I said when I remembered his name. That's right! Berning is Tadeo's twin.

He stopped walking and turned to me in surprise, "Do you know me?" he started, I just smiled and crossed my arms again.

"But we've never seen you in the organization" he adds, I want to laugh. I knew him because I was the one who created him. I was even debating at the time whether to make him and Tadeo look like twins, but I figured it would be cool to just keep them alike so they wouldn't be caught in the company immediately.

"Let's hurry up. We need to catch up with Lorenzo," I said as I started walking ahead.

"I thought you didn't recognize the man in the suitcase you said in front of the enemy?" he asked as if so i stop and slowly turned to him. I just swallowed with a smile. We were about to open a door, he couldn't suspect me now that we were in the middle of the hallway.

"i lied to them, as if im gonna tell them the name of lorenzo"

"I need to get out of here. Sebastian will definitely come back to me later to admit it. I don't want to be cut off with a finger or tongue" I complained, he quickly nodded and pointed to me a tunnel to get out.

I stopped when I saw the vast mudflat where there were also several hundred ducks. "You will reach the river quickly if you pass by there. Once you find Lorenzo, let him know that Tadeo and Santino's lives are in danger. We need to come up with the next plan," he said seriously. I just noticed how thin he was; I couldn't remember describing Berning's physique like this. It seemed like his bones were about to break.

"copy copy" 

"Go to the dock at exactly six o'clock this evening. If you can't find Lorenzo, I will gather the other members to formulate the next step." I stopped nodding, Berning is the character in my novel who is envious of Lorenzo.

I should be leaving but he stopped me "By the way, what's your name?" my eyes rolled, turns out I'm not one of the characters in this book. That means I can't use any name related to Salamisim.

"Angelita" I replied, he nodded. the name I chose is like an angel in kindness.

"Okay, I'm going ahead" I continued and then jumped into the mud and started walking through that wide land towards the river.

I walked around the river for about an hour until I found the bridge that leads to Binondo. People were staring at me because of the brown blanket I turned into a skirt. I'm also covered in mud and I don't have one shoe anymore.

I feel like a poor girl who lost herself and wandered around the street. The vendors are scattered along the road, offering their goods. The houses are also decorated with red buntings.

It's weird because there are no crickets, trash, broken roads, and vehicles that barely move because of traffic. I chose to take shelter in a store because of the heat. The sun is blazing, the ground is dusty, and it gets even dustier when the carriages pass by.

I was just looking around, old Manila is really beautiful. This is what I see in old pictures on the internet and videos on YouTube. Somehow, it feels great while I'm admiring the surroundings. Even though it's dirty, I'm hungry, thirsty, and out of breath from the exhaustion in this dream.

The next time I heard the sound of the bell from the Binondo church. People started coming out of the church. I slowly stood up, the women were wearing beautiful dresses, while some were in colorful dresses and European hats. The men were wearing black, white, or brown.

I was looking at a woman who immediately hugged her child and told them not to come near me because I might hurt them. I was about to explain but the mother and child quickly ran away from me.

I just kept walking, I didn't have a hard time mingling with a lot of people because they were the ones moving aside and making way for me. Some were grimacing while looking me up and down.

I stopped in front of the church, there's a character in my story there, Padre Emmanuel. I was about to go inside but a guard blocked me. He didn't say anything but with his serious and sharp look, it felt like he would bury me in the ground if I insisted on going in.

I was supposed to leave but I thought about annoying the guard and when he shot me, I was sure to wake up from this very long dream. I grabbed a rock and was about to throw it to him but I was stopped when the crowd screamed and rushed outside the church to meet Don Florencio and his beautiful daughter, Maria Florencita.

I dropped the stone and stared at them, slowly smiling. Right, this is the scene where I introduced in the book how luxurious and famous the Garza family is. Everyone greeted them and people were really happy about their arrival in Manila.

"Thank you all so much, we're really happy to be back in our town. "Thank you all so much, we're really happy to be back in our town," Don Florencio started. I laughed because what Don Florencio said was exactly what I said. Maria Florencia smiled, which everyone enjoyed.

I'm inviting you all to the gathering at our place this Friday night. "I'm inviting you all to the gathering at our place this Friday night," he continued while waving at the people. I held my head and kept laughing, almost echoing what they were saying. I stopped when some women next to me started whispering, they quickly moved away and even told me I was losing my mind for laughing alone.

I just ignored them and listened to what Don Florencio was saying. I know what's going to happen next, Don Antonio will arrive and greet Don Florencia and Maria Florencita. Lorenzo is also here among the people, watching them from a distance.

I quickly scanned my eyes to find the guy wearing a hat. I'm sure I'll see Lorenzo now. The two main characters in my story are about to meet. But that's not happening now; they'll meet at a party on Friday night.

I stopped when I stepped on a familiar piece of paper. I was surprised and picked it up. It was the old paper with no writing that I saw blowing in the dungeon. Papers kept falling from nearby, and I picked them up one by one and followed where they were coming from.

This papers brought me to the paper store, ink, pens and books. The papers are flying around and getting stepped on by other people, but it seems like they don't notice because they're busy watching the two guys chatting and laughing now.

I slowly opened the wooden and glass door of the store. The bell hanging above the door rang. "Uh... Is anyone there?" I started, but the inside of the store was quiet. It was big and surrounded by large shelves filled with books.

I went inside and closed the door, the mixed smell of books and candles filled the room. Papers were scattered on the floor which I was following. I slowly stepped towards the end where pieces of blank paper kept falling.

The papers stopped falling on the floor, I was just four steps away from there. "Is there anyone here?" I continued, hoping I wouldn't be accused of trespassing again. I froze when I saw a table behind a big shelf. There were books stacked there, but what caught my attention was the open book with nothing written inside it.

I took the book and looked at it closely, I held the blank old paper up to that book to see if they matched. I wasn't wrong because I'm sure the torn blank papers came from that book.

I tried to look at the book until its last page but it didn't have any writing either. I was surprised when someone suddenly spoke behind me.

"Who are you?" I swallowed hard and closed my eyes in annoyance. Looks like I'm going to get locked up in the cell again because of this.

"where is your identification card!" he continued, I hugged the book and was about to jump through the open window beside the table when I felt someone gripping my wrist and pulling me. My eyes widen when i saw sebastian! 

"What are you doing here?" he asked, a look of confusion on his face. I dropped the book which fell to the floor. After a moment, he looked away and released my wrist. he picked up the book and shook it off.

I was stunned when I saw what was written on the book cover. It's just brown and made of leather. I snatched that book from him and held the writing on the cover like it was carved on the front. I couldn't believe it. The title of that book is Salamisim.

I just sighed, surely there was a book back then with the same title as my novel. It's unavoidable to have the same title. I opened the book again, there was something written on the first five pages. It was handwritten and had a few erasures.

I was surprised when Sebastian suddenly took the book from my hand. "How did you escape from prison?" he asked, then placed the book on the table, took a thick rope from the drawer, and immediately tied it to me.

"Hey!" I tried to get to him but since he was stronger, he tied me up right away. "Why is there a copy of the book I wrote here? Where did you get that?" I asked him, and he paused and looked at me.

He tightened the binding on my hands and looked at me directly. "O-Ouch..." I complained, intending to say more, but suddenly the door opened. "Señor!" greeted a young man as he hurriedly approached us. My eyes widened when I realized that the papers scattered on the floor earlier were gone.

"where are the?...." I was not able to finish what I was saying because the young man spoke. 'I apologize, Sir, I just wanted to know what the people outside are excited about, which is why I stepped out for a moment,' said the young man, while Sebastian remained silent. He held the end of the rope and walked out the door, causing me to follow.

"Wait, let me explain. 'Please don't take me to jail!' I pleaded but he ignored me. He was about to open the door when the guy spoke.

"Sir, I have read the first chapter. The beginning of your novel is beautiful," he said, causing me to turn in surprise to the young man and the book he was holding.

Sebastian pulled the rope but I yanked it back, "What? Who wrote this?" I asked the boy while looking at Sebastian.

I tried to remember the letters I saw on the first page of the book. A deafening silence and darkness ruled over the sad and bloody prison. Souls pleading and swearing in anger dominated the thick pillars they were standing on.

I wrote that myself. The first chapter and opening scene of my novel where Lorenzo's rebel group stormed the prison.

I looked at Sebastian, I couldn't read his eyes but it kept messing with my mind why he had a book like that.

I wrote the Salamisim but why is Sebastian, the villain in the story, also writing it and getting in the way of the love between Maria Florencita and Lorenzo?

...........