Administering the flu shots went smoothly at Subangdaku Elementary School. Most of the kids cried when injected, especially the first up to the third graders. A few seemed to have allergic reactions as they experienced sneezing or shoot up of body temperature. However, a number of students had already colds and itchy nose earlier that day. Several had been sneezing on the streets and even inside the cla.s.srooms. Others were feeling weak, tired, and hot like the onset of a fever.By the afternoon, Jamie had been sneezing as well. His nose was beginning to get runny. His friends noticed it when boarding their bikes.
"Hey, Jamie," Tonton called his attention, "are you alright?"
"I"m not sure," he answered. "I did not feel well after our fight with the thugs. I was not sick this morning. One of them must have transferred it to me."
"Yeah," Kiko said. "Or one of your cla.s.smates. People had been sneezing all day. They said it is because of the meteor, but we know that it is not."
"It"s just the flu season," Tonton added.
"Thank you again, guys," Bogart spoke up. "Sorry if I was not being totally open this lunch."
"I understand," Jamie said. "But we are brothers now. Call us whenever you need help."
"And your enemies will be our enemies, too," Kiko concluded which made everyone chuckled.
They boarded their bikes and began their ride home, their pace slow and easy since Kiko and Bogart still had difficulties with their wounds. The sun was still up, giving the afternoon a hopeful and blissful brightness.
"So what do we actually do now?" Kiko asked them. "I mean how do we investigate the real story about the alien?"
"We can start by roaming around the campus," Jamie said after a long thought.
"The scientists found nothing last time," Bogart reasoned.
"That"s what they said," Jamie answered him. "They could be telling the truth or not."
"If not," Tonton"s turn, "then we must find out what it was."
Kiko: "How?"
"If something unusual happens in the school," Jamie said, "then that"s it. They would come back to the school after what they discovered in the second impact."
There was a moment of silence as the three pondered on Jamie"s words. He had a strong point and that was there starting point.
"So let"s keep our eyes open from this moment on," Jamie said after a strong cough. "Something off could happen in the school anytime soon."
Once again, Jamie coughed and they all paused biking. He coughed so hard that it seemed he would spit out his esophagus.
"Hey, Jamie," Tonton worriedly said and went up to his friend and rubbed his back, "try to relax and breathe slowly."
"Have some water," Bogart offered his tumbler which Jamie instantly gulped.
"Feeling better now?" Kiko asked.
"I"m fine now," he answered after catching his breathe. "My throat was really very itchy."
They rested for few minutes and then resumed biking. They soon entered their village and life seemed to be back to normal again. But what was not quite normal was the small crowd gathering in a corner. A man seemed to be preaching on the sidewalk while a group of not more than ten men were listening or watching around him.
"Is that Mang Tomas?" Tonton asked.
"I don"t think so," Bogart answered. "He looks much younger."
Indeed, the preacher was a younger man, somewhere in his late thirties. He was Loduvico Gaspar. n.o.body was with him as he delivered his words to a half-listening crowd.
"He could be like Mang Tomas," Tonton said. "He could see something in the future that could help us in our little investigation."
"That"s right!" Kiko exclaimed. "We"d better hear his speech."
The Biker Brothers stopped and walked up to the crowd. They squeezed through and positioned themselves right in front of Loduvico.
"I am not lying," Loduvico said. "I am who I am. My presence had been predicted and I am here to bring salvation to everyone...."
"He is not predicting the future," Kiko whispered.
Bogart: "So what is he?"
Tonton: "A prophet?"
"I am not a propher, my child," Loduvico answered when he heard them. "I am the promised savior."
At that, the crowd laughed.
"So you are saying you are Jesus?" someone
asked mockingly.
"I did not say so," Loduvico said. "You said so."
"But that"s what you are implying!" another shouted back.
"Someone had already came ahead of me to prepare the world. He told you of the things that were about to come but you did not believe him. So why would I expect that you would believe me either."
"Is he talking about Mang Tomas?" Kiko whispered again.
"Yeah," Jamie whispered back after some thought. "I think he is."
"If you are the promised savior," someone challenged him, "then show us some miracles."
"How faithless these people are!" Loduvico said in exasperation.
He scanned the crowd and most of them had a look of ridicule in their eyes. They were testing him and he was not going to back down. He sensed that two of the boys had injuries, and swiftly, he went up to them. He held both Kiko"s and Bogart"s hand and as if some powers flowed into him, he stiffened and looked up. He remained motionless for several seconds before relaxing and loosening his grip on the boys" hands.
"You saw everything," Loduvico said in a soft tone. "You know the truth and that"s why you got these wounds. Fear not, my children, the merciful hands of heaven will free you of the pain."
A gentle wind blew and enveloped the sidewalk. A soft glow of light radiated from Loduvico"s hands. As sudden as it came, the wind and light disappeared. Mildly, he touched Bogart"s bandage. The boy resisted at first but after feeling warmth coming from his hands, he gave in. The man"s hands stayed on his injured arm for several minutes while the crowd waited impatiently.
"He"s a fraud," someone whispered. "Nothing will happened."
Feeling a little ease, Bogart rocked his arm back and forth. He felt no pain. Hurriedly, he untied the bandage with Jamie"s help. To their surprise, his burn was gone and not even a scar was left behind.
Loduvico then knelt down and touched Kiko"s knee. He also felt warmth flowing through the man"s hands. Like Kiko, he also felt pain disappearing from the wound. When none was left, he took out the adhesive bandage, and alas, the graze was gone.
The boys were stunned and no words left their mouth. The crowd also gasped but after an initial shock, they began doubting again.
"These are just kids," someone said. "They could just be playing tricks to us."
"Yes, just another fraud."
One by one, the people left, leaving Loduvico and the boys. For the boys, it was a true miracle. For the people, it was just another magic show to fool everyone. When the last one had left, Loduvico stooped low and gave the boys a piece of advice.
"Search the truth because you will not only free yourselves but the people of Subangdaku as well."
The man turned around and walked without looking back, leaving the boys in uneasy wonder.