CHAPTER SIX
🌳 "Siklaon"
Continuation
As expected, the rebels took the vegetable vendors' truck and left the passengers on the road, with the exception of one person. Erik was taken and held captive by them under the command of their leader, Alfredo.
Erik had no idea why he was taken hostage by the rebels, but that was secondary in the young man's mind now. He was more preoccupied with the reason why someone like Alfredo was involved with such ruthless people.
In the eyes of the public, they were criminals, suppressed by the government for causing trouble in the city and attacking people there.
Minutes passed on the journey after traversing the forest on the mountainside. They stopped several times at rebel checkpoints located inside the woods.
The area was very dark, and only the lights of their vehicle guided them towards their destination.
Eventually, they arrived at the rebel camp, which was only half an hour away from the road where they left the vegetable vendors.
Upon dismounting, they were greeted by other rebels who were waiting for their arrival. Shouting and cheerful sounds could be heard, as if they were celebrating. It seemed like a huge victory had been brought back to their group.
Alfredo and the other rebels got out of the truck, and the stolen vegetables were directed to the warehouse.
"Wait, Boss, what are we going to do with the young man we took hostage?" one man asked.
"I'll take care of him. Just focus on the contents of the warehouse and list what we acquired," he replied.
Alfredo walked closer to Erik and gently touched his head. He asked how he was and told him not to be afraid of them.
Erik did not speak and seemed to be observing his surroundings. The place was a small camp with five houses built against the trees. Several bonfires served as the camp's light. The forest was dense and perfect for the rebels to hide, making it difficult for the authorities to penetrate.
Alfredo directed him to follow him towards a large tree. He had no idea why, but he had no choice but to comply. He knew that rebels were harsh towards those who disobeyed their orders, and he was unsure of the true nature of the man he was with.
A few steps closer to the giant tree, Alfredo spoke to him again and apologized for the violence shown by his companions.
Besides being good-looking and having a gentle face, especially when he smiled, Alfredo's tone of voice was calm when he spoke. This made him easily liked by people around him, and he was not suspected of being a bad person by others.
"Sometimes, even if I tell them, they genuinely go a bit overboard, but you can't blame them. If we are soft during an operation, our lives will be at risk," he said.
"Sometimes people fight back against us, and there are times when my men get hurt," he added.
Erik still didn't speak, even as Alfredo kept talking to him about their operations and needs.
Erik just looked down, unable to look Alfredo in the eye, clearly disappointed in him. The young man noticed this and scratched his head. He tried to move closer and touch Erik's head to comfort him.
"I know you're angry and surprised by what's happening, but don't be afraid, because everything will be alright," he said, smiling.
At that moment, Erik suddenly slapped his hand away from his head and shouted angrily.
"Alright? What will be alright? I don't know how you can say that," Erik yelled.
His mood changed, and he was furious at Alfredo, demanding an explanation for his actions. Erik had genuinely thought Alfredo was a good and trustworthy person, but it seemed he was wrong about that, and now he was filled with disappointment and anger toward the young man.
"I thought you were a good person. I truly thought I had found a friend in the city," he said.
The young man had completely trusted him, especially because he helped him sell his goods, and Erik felt comfortable with Alfredo because he told him many things about the city that Erik was eager to hear and learn.
"Calm down, Erik. Just listen to me first."
He didn't give him a chance to explain and angrily shouted at the young man.
He asked if Alfredo had just used him to find out the location and departure time of their vehicle.
Because Erik had utterly trusted his new friend, he had managed to tell Alfredo the information while they were chatting in the city, partly due to Alfredo's insistence.
Alfredo simply sighed and did not deny what Erik said. He also admitted that his help in the city, where they sold carrots together, was just a show to gather information.
Erik seemed heartbroken by the truth he heard. He couldn't believe he was deceived, and because of his mistake, his companions were dragged into trouble.
He knelt on the ground, furious at himself for his own ignorance.
"It turns out my ignorance doesn't just put me in danger."
All he could think about was the condition of Kardo and the others they left in the middle of the road. Like him, they would surely have nothing to bring home to their families, and that was a terrible thing for poor people like them who relied on selling vegetables in other places.
Erik suddenly stood up and grabbed Alfredo's shirt, insisting that they return their goods.
"Give us back our vegetables. We can't go home without earning money!" he shouted.
The place went silent for a moment as Alfredo didn't answer and just stared, listening to what he was saying.
"Our families worked hard planting those vegetables. Do you know how much my mother and father struggled for those carrots?"
"Our food for the next few months depends on those, and my siblings... If I don't bring anything home to them, my siblings' dreams will be ruined," he said, tears welling up in his eyes.
Erik's hands trembled as he held Alfredo's shirt. He wanted to hurt him out of anger, but he couldn't. Perhaps it was because it was clear in his mind that he was a captive at that moment, or maybe because he couldn't bring himself to hurt someone he considered a good friend.
"Why? Why are you doing this?" he said.
He let go and slowly sat down as he thought about what could happen to his family. A moment later, he suddenly knelt before Alfredo. His angry reaction from earlier changed, and he was now pleading desperately for his carrots.
Alfredo knew that Erik's problem with their poverty in the province was serious. He felt pity for him and avoided looking at the young man. Even though he was used to being a bandit, his heart wasn't so cold that he couldn't understand someone like Erik, but even so, he couldn't grant his request.
Alfredo took a step back and apologized to Erik again. Self-disappointment was etched on the young man's face as he said those words to the pitiful boy.
"I'm sorry, Erik, but I can't grant your wish," he said.
He sighed and turned his back on Erik. He began to explain the needs of their group to survive outside the town, which he needed to prioritize for his companions.
He mentioned that he understood the young man, but as the leader of the group, he had to consider the welfare of his men and solve the problems in their area, as they had been running out of food supplies in the past few days.
Even though Alfredo and the others could enter the city, they couldn't bring many things out of the city and into the forest because the Spaniards were monitoring their every move.
One wrong decision or action could lead to one of them being captured and tortured to reveal the other rebels who lived and spied in the town.
"I know you're smart, so I hope you understand why I can't grant your request," he said.
Erik couldn't accept this because, to him, stealing was a crime.
"You want me to understand your evil actions? You are the cause of trouble and tragedy for the people, so I will never understand you," Erik said bravely.
Alfredo couldn't answer what Erik said and simply smiled, admitting the crime they were committing. The place was silent for a moment, with only the sound of crickets audible in the surroundings.
The deafening silence echoed around them until a strong gust of wind passed through, causing Erik to cover his face with his arm to block it.
At that moment, he felt a presence from the surroundings that sent chills down his spine. He couldn't tell if it was due to the cold wind in a dark place or if there was another reason why his body felt a chill.
He grabbed and hugged his own arms because of the goosebumps.
In the silence of the area, Alfredo suddenly spoke.
"I admit that sometimes we can be violent, but that's not what we truly want; it's what we need to do to survive," he said.
"We are doing all of this to fulfill the noble mission of Siklaon," he added.
The "Siklaon" he mentioned was the name of the group he gathered outside the town. A group of Filipinos who had suffered abuse at the hands of the Spaniards.
"We are not just ruffians; we are Filipino soldiers with a mission to free our town from the devilish Spaniards who rule Urdaneta," he said.
He explained to Erik that everyone there were not criminals but victims of abusive Spaniards who claimed their lands. Some of them had escaped because they could no longer endure life in that town.
"That town is full of abusive Spaniards who oppress Filipinos like us. They stripped us of our rights to things, abusing us every day as if we were their slaves to be used and discarded."
Alfredo recounted the abuses he received and endured for a long time while staying in the town. In a place where they had no choice but to obey and beg for mercy. They were powerless to defend themselves in any court, and the truth was often twisted to ensure Filipinos were punished for resisting the Spaniards.
Perhaps what they were doing was wrong in the eyes of many, and they knew that many people might hate them, but they had no choice but to become rebels and join Siklaon outside the town to avoid and hide from the Spaniards.
But because they were far from the town, food and water supplies were difficult for them. Because of this, they had to block roads and rob those passing through. ~
"They will taste the wrath of Siklaon, the strength of the people of Pangasinan," he said angrily.
For some inexplicable reason, Erik saw a black aura coming out of Alfredo's body. It was unclear in his mind whether what he was seeing was real or just an illusion.
At that moment, Alfredo could no longer control himself due to the anger he felt toward the Spaniards and began uttering threats against every Spaniard in their town.
"I will eliminate their greedy officials and make every one of them pay. I will return twofold every abuse they inflicted on Filipinos over the years. I swear I will reclaim Urdaneta and all of Pangasinan from the hands of the Governor-General."
Another strong gust of wind hit where they were standing, carrying the leaves of the surrounding trees as he slowly turned to face the young man.
Erik was stunned when he saw Alfredo's frightening smile, as if he had evil intentions, and his blazing eyes as he offered his hand to him.
"Join me in reclaiming the town and destroying the Spaniards," he said, offering a bandana marked with the Siklaon symbol.
Erik could only swallow hard, still unable to believe what he was seeing and hearing from Alfredo, the man he had once thought was gentle and kind, who now looked like a demon, speaking of nothing but revenge and killing people.
"You're losing your mind," Erik replied.
Even Erik was surprised by his own words and took a step back out of fear of Alfredo. As he continued to retreat, he tripped over a rock and fell to the ground.
Alfredo realized he was scaring Erik too much with his actions, so he forced himself to calm down and briefly sighed to regain his composed demeanor.
"I'm sorry for my actions. I just couldn't help getting carried away by my emotions. Please don't be afraid of me, Erik. Trust me," he said, smiling.
Alfredo walked over to him and held his head to comfort him, just as he had done before. Here, he apologized again and explained to Erik.
"I know this isn't fair to you, but I promise we will pay for your vegetables once we reclaim our town," he said.
Erik couldn't speak at that moment, not because of the offer to pay for the vegetables, but because he had nothing to say to him, or perhaps because he was utterly intimidated by his friend after seeing his true feelings.
He understood what Alfredo and the Siklaon wanted—freedom for their town—but in his mind, the group's actions were criminal. Although he wanted to stop them, he thought he had no right to tell them what was right, because those people had experienced abuse and only wanted to be free from it.
"But how will you fight the Spaniards? They say they number in the thousands, and you are only a few," Erik asked.
"Wait, there are also rumors that they possess extraordinary magic and unnatural abilities. If that's true, what chance do you have?" he added.
Alfredo responded with a smile and suddenly pulled Erik's arm, causing him to stand up from where he was sitting. Erik took a small step forward from the pull.
Alfredo continued walking forward until he reached the side of the colossal tree.
That tree was over a hundred feet tall and nearly ten meters wide. It was the largest tree in the forest and was a different species from the surrounding trees.
At that moment, Alfredo stopped in front of the tree and placed his hand on its trunk.
"Of course, I know about that and the power of the Spanish leader. But don't be afraid, because I have something to fight them with," he said with a smile.
He turned to Erik and smiled at him. Alfredo enthusiastically and proudly introduced the tree as Siklaon, the savior of the entire town of Urdaneta.
"I introduce the guardian of this land. This is Siklaon, and he will help us reclaim the town from the foreigners," he said seriously.
Erik couldn't believe what he heard and was confused by Alfredo's words when he introduced the tree as Siklaon. He couldn't grasp what he was trying to convey and wondered if he could be joking in such a serious moment, introducing a colossal tree as their savior.
He wondered if Alfredo was in his right mind with his plans or if he had completely lost it, planning to confront the Spaniards with the help of an old tree in the middle of the forest.
"Huh?!" was Erik's short response.
~ End of Chapter ~