29

GRAYSON

I was starting to drift off to sleep when the shrill ringtone of my phone shattered the silence. Irritated, I reached over to the bedside table and picked up the call without bothering to check the caller ID.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice laced with annoyance.

"Fiumara, si Sabino 'to," ani boses mula sa kabilang linya . "Handa na ang pangalawang parusa ni Atty. Hart sa'yo."

Atty Elliot had already informed me about the impending second punishment, so I wasn't surprised by Sabino's call. Atty Hart, the head of one of the rival factions, was always looking for ways to assert his dominance and strike fear into his enemies. It wasn't the first time we clashed, and I knew it wouldn't be the last.

"Sige, pupunta na ako. Tell me the exact location and time," wika ko. Humigpit ang pagkakahawak ko sa telepono.

"Ime-message na lang kita."

With that, the call ended, leaving me with a lingering sense of anticipation. Atty Hart's punishments were known to be brutal and unrelenting, and