Chapter VII: The Assassin

The Buencamino family has been so supportive of Lynette since the day she came home from the hospital. She was suffering from a concussion-induced amnesia. The doctor advised her to take some feel-good medicines, lengthy rest away from work, and a lot of attention and love from family. The nightmares were gone and she was slowly remembering things; a big part of that was her family’s resolve to bring her back. She showed determination in learning things again, that’s her small way of showing her gratitude to them. In addition, she was inspired by a man who visits her everyday, conversing and walking with her in their garden. Her family welcomed him in their mansion with open arms, although the Buencamino matriarch secretly despised the budding attachment because the man was not a Roman Catholic. Everyone could throw in their own argument to that issue but to Mrs. Buencamino, that’s all there was to life.

It was almost time for her visitor to arrive, just thinking of him sent chills in her spine. Lynette wondered why she felt safe and loved around him. He must be a big part of my past, she thought, but her family pictures said otherwise. Not even one picture of him. Her family said he was instrumental in saving her life; he was the ERUF team leader who responded to the accident. Lynette opened her enormous walk-in closet and was lost for an hour in there. Then she emerged wearing a pink sleeveless blouse and a white skirt that succeeded in showing off her flawless skin. She wasn’t just excited, she was in love.

Philippines’ Emergency Rescue Unit Force, ERUF for short, was first conceptualized in the city of Zeebu. It helps the populace in all kinds of emergency situations, patterned from the US mainland’s 911 Rescue Unit. It was so successful that a bill was passed to form an ERUF for the whole archipelago. In Camp Rock City, ERUF headquarters is strategically stationed at the foot of PC Hill to be able to answer emergency calls in a matter of minutes. The building is old but was carefully retouched to breathe out an air of prestige and integrity. It had three floors and a basement where the fitness center was located. The gym smelled sweat, iron and protein-coated snack bars. Paul was finishing his morning work-out, when an alarm rang through the walls. It wasn’t just an ordinary alarm, the red lights in the four corners were all lighted, it meant code red - a serious accident just happened and all servicemen were required to report immediately to the headquarters. Every human soul in the gym discontinued what they were doing and dashed to the nearest exit.

His large, modern binoculars were mounted on a tripod beside the window of an upscale mansion in Rosary Heights. The binoculars were aimed at a moving subject some 400 meters away. He waited for an hour for the subject to emerge from his residence and at 8:45 in the morning, he spotted him. Just as they have predicted and timed. A lovely lady followed the subject, probably his secretary, he thought. She was very attractive in her skirt showing her short but firm and almost flawless legs; her boss must be screwing her for sure, he wondered. He buckled down to work, refocused the lens of his telescope to the best resolution it can get at that time taking into consideration the sunlight. Took a last guzzle at his diet coke; a far cry from the original coke, taste-wise, but he was suffering from diabetes so sugar is not allowed. Nevertheless, the soda was enough to pump him up.

Sean hurriedly drank his iced, blended coffee-milk beverage while scanning the daily papers on his kitchen table. It was a big day for his company, RC Victuals; they are on the verge of winning the bid to cater a very big convention of State leaders in Zeebu. This was the kind of event he had been waiting to showcase what they’ve got to the rest of the nation. The company Vice-President and Virna, Sean’s secretary, were waiting for him in the living room. They were all anxious to go in anticipation of a big day. He finally emerged from the kitchen with a big smile.

“Are we all set?” Sean asked

“Ready to go, sir! The car’s waiting outside.” Virna was trembling

“I think everything is in place sir. The committee will be arriving this morning to hear our final proposal. I had our best artist do the final touches on our presentation. We will be serving samples later for the committee. And our tuxedos have the same colors!” Bryan proudly announced.

“Ok, then. Let’s kick some ass!” Sean addressed his Vice-President

“I’m with you all the way sir! It’s time to rock and roll!” Bryan shared the enthusiasm of his boss.

They were all ushered out by Sean’s house assistant. The company’s Mercedes was waiting for more than 30 minutes now. Just as Sean was about to go outside, he remembered something important, kissing a pendant his grandmother gave him. It is a good luck. He went upstairs and found the pendant atop the Bible beside his bed. He said a small prayer and kissed the pendant. He never had the time to say Amen as he was thrown on the floor as if somebody pushed him hard. The whole world around him shook violently. There was a big explosion outside the house and it sent shrapnel everywhere; a small glass made it to Sean’s right forehead and a gush of blood came pouring. He was still dizzy but rallied himself to get up. He peered over the window and saw the remains of their car. His Vice-President and his Secretary were in it when it exploded. Sean lost consciousness; he lost more than that.

His binoculars lost focus for about 3 seconds to readjust to the sudden light emitted by the car explosion. Goodbye Sean Calloway and to your lovely mistress; he scoffed at the thought. He gathered his gizmos and threw his bottled soda in the bin. He dialed Malacañang, it is done.

Rhea grew up in suburban Sacramento where pure Filipinos or of descent, occupy more than half of the former capital of California. Year 2007 saw the changing of capital from the laid-back relax mood of Sacto to the home of Hollywood, Los Angeles. The proximity of her home to Hollywood enabled her to land a character part on several films and advertisements that require sexy outfits. She is a certified vegan and it shows on her curves with only a little trace of fat on her arms, aside from that small imperfection, she is a goddess. She has spent most of her life in mainland US that she remembers vaguely her motherland, the Philippines, and speaks Tagalog no more except for “salamat” and “mabuhay.” Never in her mind has she thought of having the chance to go back to the Philippines especially with the negative security advice coming from Washington. Somehow, faith intervened, as her homeland is no longer a terrorist haven and is in fact already a US state. She planned to have a grand vacation on summer, but a poignant call from her aunt moved her homecoming sooner than earlier planned.

Dark smoke engulfed the whole block where Sean’s house was located. The middle-to-top level residences near the bomb were blown apart by the very strong blast. What was once a Mercedes car was now just a car seat on fire; the car’s roof blown into bits and pieces. Glass littered the sidewalk; a couple of houses were on fire; six were instantly killed by the detonation, two of them were Bryan and Virna, Sean’s associates. The driver’s torso was separated from his limbs and his intestines were all over the place. Several live bodies were scattered on the pavement. A 10-year-old girl, who was in their garden when the car exploded, wasn’t spared. Two media helicopters were transmitting the gruesome images worldwide.

Sirens overwhelmed the confusion that was Euclid Heights. ERUF workforce immediately went to work and put out the flame that was swallowing up two houses. The fire was seriously threatening to jump to neighboring houses. The ambulances immediately took the bodies to the nearest hospitals; medics were roaming the neighborhood for injuries sustained. Four went inside Sean’s house led by Paul, without knocking or ringing the bell; there was neither bell nor door present. The house facade was damaged by fire that was put off before it can cause serious damage. The second floor, shaken by the strong discharge, was one jolt away from collapsing.

“Hello! Is anyone in here?” One medic asked while poking around through the smoke.

“Is everybody ok?” asked another.

“Eric, you come with me upstairs, you two search the kitchen and the back. If you see no one in there, immediately leave the vicinity. This place is going down.” instructed Paul.

“Ok, we have the back.” affirmed the first medic.

“We’ll take one step at a time. Grab the railings and no extra motion. This room is going to give up, any minute now.”

“I’m right behind you, sir.” Eric responded.

The two continued their quest to the summit, less the frostbite of the Everest.

“Somebody in here?” Creaking floorboards drowned his voice.

“I hear a groan, sir, to the west room.” The younger medic guessed.

“Are you sure?” Paul hesitated.

“I’m not guessing, sir. I’m telling you, there’s somebody in there.” He lied

“OK.” Paul turned to the right. Suddenly, everything shook and the whole floor went down an inch and tilted to the left.

“Whoah! Look out!” The chandelier atop the staircase went crashing down, missing Eric by a hairline.

“Good Lord! That was close!” Eric sighed.

Due to the slant of the floor, Paul can see the whole west room without having to take another dangerous step. He saw Sean’s body lay helplessly on the floor; there was blood on the floor, a lot of it. Paul decided to go downstairs with his colleague. Their extra weight would surely bring the house down. A crane was used instead to help take Sean out of the house without further harm; it took them almost two hours to do so. He was rushed to the hospital along with others.

“This is a very unfortunate incident in our lives and it is regrettable that our sons and daughters will have to deal with this. We are once again faced by the evil of tomorrow. But we will not be threatened, terrorized, forced to hide, nor give into submission. Instead we will be as resilient, as brave and heroic as before. We will let them taste the full force of the law. There is not enough space in the world for you to run. You can never hide. We will hunt you down for the rest of your lives.” A strong statement was issued immediately by Governor Concepcion.

The guy in black suit inched his way to the crowd. He tried real hard to look like one of the crowd; it would have been easier if he came in casual clothes. Perseverance rewarded him by taking him to Sean’s room unnoticed. He turned the knob; it was unlocked, very unusual but then again he was always very lucky, he thought. The patient was lying on his back with tens of pipes either attached to his body or inserted through his nose. It was nauseating. He wasted no time and immediately pulled the plug that controls Sean’s heartbeat, the artificial pacemaker machine. The patient went into seizure for a minute. The screen instantly flatlined. The assassin hurriedly left leaving no trace.

“Baby, wake up! Hey!” Cherry slapped Rizniel on the face.

“Huh? What?” Riz looked around, dazed.

“You are having nightmares again, baby. Snap out of it. Are you OK?” She swiftly got up to get some water.

“Yeah. I guess.” He was sweating profusely.

“Here. What is it this time?” She handed Riz a cold glass of water.

“It’s Sean. He was murdered in his hospital room by the same man I dreamt of last night, who butchered…” He couldn’t bring himself to mention his best friend’s name. “The murderer wears the same black suit, the same one Federal agents and Presidential Guards wore. Looks like Will Smith with the sunglasses on. I have to see someone who can help me with these dreams.”

“Can you give a detailed description of this man? Facial features perhaps?” Cherry tried to stay awake.

“Maybe, with a good artist. There must be someone who can help me.” Riz was fully awake.

“It’s 3 in the morning. We’ll find someone good later, OK? Let’s go back to sleep.” She kissed him on the forehead like a mother kissing her son goodnight.

“I don’t mean psychiatrist, I meant an interpreter of dreams.” Riz continued.

“Yeah, whatever. If you say so.” She was gone.