"No Rebels Here"

           I was running through a huge forest filled with thousands of huge acacia trees which looked like they were a hundred years old. I had traveled with a troop of more than twenty soldiers in the Philippines with a mission to rescue civilians held captive by rebels. It has been three days since we had started our search and with no luck, we have not located the rebels’ hideout where they have kept their hostages. With each passing day, the echoing chirps of birds being heard all around the forest became louder and louder, and I was also getting used to being bitten on the neck by random bugs. The days of our search were quite slow, and I was starting to think that our coordinates towards the rebels’ possible hideout may be wrong or so I thought. It was about 6 am in the morning when we suddenly heard a loud explosion coming from behind our troop’s line. It was then followed by a series of loud gunshots, coming from different directions, being fired at us. We were surrounded!

            

           “Get down! Get down!” Our commander shouted before getting shot on the head.

            

            We all scattered onto the ground, some of us crawling under a pile of dead leaves to hide from the rebels. Most of the members of the troop were not so lucky as they were either shot directly on a vital part of their head or their chest, killing them instantly. I did not stay very long in the spot where I hid myself since I knew I had to get away to live so I crawled further away from where the shooting was happening. When I had realized that the coast was clear, I quickly got up and ran as fast as I could, not bothering to think about where I was going. I ran deeper and deeper into the forest. Eventually, I could no longer hear the explosions and gunshots. Realizing that I had ran far enough, I stopped in my tracks and had looked around, trying to think of where I should go. Panting and exhausted, I hear footsteps from behind me.

            

          “Don’t move! Put your gun down!” A man shouted as he pointed his gun towards the back of my head. 

            

           Shaking, I slowly lowered my weapon and rotated my head over my left shoulder to catch a glimpse of the man who spoke. He wore a gray colored long-sleeved top, some black cargo pants, black boots, and a bandana over his head which was in a dark shade of green. I knew he was one of the rebels. I heard more footsteps coming towards me. By then, I was already anticipating my capture. I knew I would be dead soon. Panting, I kept thinking about what I could possibly do. With my heart palpitating, I remembered, under my uniform, I had strapped a grenade over my chest. Slowly, I unbuttoned my top and reached for the grenade.

         

            “What are you doing?! I said, don’t move!” He shouted with his voice trembling.

           

           I quickly turned around to face him with the grenade in my hand but before I could set it off, he shot me on the chest. Feeling lightheaded and hearing this ringing sound in my ear, I got down on my knees as blood poured out from my chest. I started feeling numb and my eyes were starting to blur out as my body had dropped on the ground, losing its strength completely. Suddenly, the surrounding started to change shape before my very eyes. The trees started to turn into electricity posts. The forest became filled with homes from each corner. I start to hear sounds from beeping cars and rustling exhausts from jeepneys. Civilians went out of their homes and had laid their eyes on me. I found myself laying down on the cemented ground in front of a bakeshop by the streets. I was being surrounded by police officers who were pointing their guns at me. One of the policemen in uniform, surrounding me, had the same face of the rebel who had shot me in the forest. Pressing my chest with my right hand, I felt excruciating pain as blood continued to flow out. I looked around for the grenade I was supposed to set off yet, I only found a red capped water bottle on my left hand. The shot must have made me lose my mind!

            

            “What is happening?!” I thought to myself, confused.

           

            “Ronaldo!” A familiar, wrinkly old woman wearing a white over sized t-shirt with denim jeans cried as she ran towards me.

           

             “Ma?” I said, realizing that she was my mother as she got closer.

           

            Sobbing, she enveloped me in her arms and hugged me tight while I continued to lose more blood. I do not understand why she is here. She must have been captured by the rebels and managed to escape. She started screaming and asking for help but, everyone around us looked frozen and in shock. As my body started to shake, I could no longer hold back my tears from the pain. I knew I had to tell my mother to run away before anyone takes her captive again.

            

              “Ma… get away from here…. The rebels might catch you! Go!” I said, in panic.

            

            “Anak…. There are no rebels here… There are no rebels here…,” she whispered, crying as she rocked me in her arms back and forth.