Chapter 20 (2/2)
“You kant! He a bad person not a good!” The police on duty is trying to reply in English, but it went to nothing since the chief himself decided quickly in favor of the doctor and the citizens The tanods iaer
“Wait a elio looks back at his friend while struggling “Bok-bok!”
Bok-bok stops He knows Rogelio has seen sos his hand up to feel the strange sensation on his face To the side of his right cheek, under his ear, he wipes his hand on the beads of sweat Then he looks at his fingers Only then did he realize it was his blood
“Bok-bok!” Rogelio calls for his friend again while struggling against the tanods “Sir, my friend is infected! Sir, wait a minute! Sir!”
“That’s e should hurrythe tent next to an ambulance
The doctors iiving blood He couldn’t catch the fast and si of the men in white American, Filipino, Italian, and people that look like japanese wearing ties He didn’t understand anything that they said except “cooperation”, “immediately”, “consent”, “important”, and “to save the people” Before he could even finish reading the paper on the clipboard they gave hined it despite not fully understanding The nurses started clapping The foreigners were s, son of the cross with shut eyes, and soratitude The line of the citizens are broken, curious of what they are doing to him
“Sir,down and having his blood taken Though not understanding nor speaking Tagalog, a white doctor answers him just to calm him down and shush him
“Yes, yes”
The people are now pushi+ng elio’s blood is the one that will save theelio, save people! Pay us back!”
The ru and the wind on the street picks up The tanods push back the onlookers, but they weren’t prepared for the bigger !” The people ran ahen just a while ago they were pushi+ng at each other Sousted with their fellowthe sickness can be reht it The police tries to control the situation and protect the doctor’s process With the blood of the other citizens no longer needed, the elio to the church They didn’t know that the doctor the on the issue on how much of his blood will be needed and how much could be extracted from the boy
After elio exits the church Dizzy, eyes blurry, alue They took o froainst this but they still continued for the sake of the nores her He continues walking towards the direction of his parents noing the sickness is in Pelaez But he can see nothing but a blurry is, of people barricaded by the police, reaching their hands out to hi, but the boy did not waver in the search for his parents, nor the people looking for salvation
“Father!” he shouts to the people he could not recognize He feels the saht in Michael’s last breaths He doesn’t know if the first thing that left hith, or his mind But he knows, in these moments, that Captain Who has truly left him
A barefooted ets past the tape of the police and co and full of tears Al
“I…Is it true that your blood is the cure?” Asks the shaking er exits his lips Thewhilst asking for forgiveness Rogelio stares at him, unable to speak The turn of the world slon The voices of the people deepen The drops of the rain on his face were like kisses from the heavens His vision spins and darkens, and he then slowly falls down to the ground Thethe child, hand bloodied, steps back, tears still flowing He kneels by the knife stabbed into the body Then dips his hand at the gaping wound And wipes the blood on the unconscious child