Prologue:
RED ALERT!!! RED ALERT!!!
''A girl in Bacolod City right now is trying to commit suicide, but I am in Cebu. The reasons are relationship problems and melancholia. Her name is Kayrose Cortes. She has just checked into a room on the eighth floor of a hotel and is burning charcoal to gas herself. Citizens in Bacolod please help to find her. If we can find her in less than an hour, we might save her.''
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Synopsis:
At 2 am one night last July, Kelly James Cubero was thinking about going home from his job as a computer technician in Cebu. Surfing the internet, he clicked on a bulletin board that usually had messages seeking advice about purchases and wanting to chat.
The newest post got his attention. Signed by a user called CuteKiKay, it said simply: ''
I need to talk.''
Intrigued, Kelly James sent CuteKiKay his phone number. Moments later, his mobile phone rang. A young woman was on the line. ''
I can't sleep at night,'' she said, her voice soft and weary. ''
I am a bit upset. I don't like to be so alone.''
''
Hey, Little Princess,'' Kelly James said cheerfully. ''
Don't be like that!''
By the time they got off the phone two hours later, a friendship was born.
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Kelly James spent long, lonely nights at the Cebu Daily newspaper, standing by to help fix computer problems. In his fourth-floor office, cluttered with discarded screens, keyboards, printers, disk drives and wires, he often passed the time on the
iStorya.net, a local bulletin board. With about one million users and 10,000 discussion groups,
iStorya.net is the biggest of its kind in the Cebuano world.
Refined and good looking with oblong glasses, Kelly James would chuckle as he scrolled through the messages posted on a group called Hate – a hot-bed of gossip, news, jokes and outrage for
iStorya.net users.
Kelly James's name meant ''bright-headed'' and he liked to reach out and help people. He quickly learned that Cutecat's real name was Kayrose Cortes and that she was a 22-year-old studying English at a college in Bacolod City, a large industrial centre, some 300 kilometres from Cebu.
Every night they talked, sometimes for hours.
''
If I was sitting beside you right now, would you give me a hug?'' Kayrose asked one night.
''
Of course – the biggest hug in the world,'' Kelly James promised.
When Kayrose said she wrote a blog, Kelly James looked it up. In her picture, she looked petite and as fragile as a big-eyed doll with a pert smile. But Kayrose was clearly troubled. She admitted to Kelly James that she had taken pills to kill herself several times, but was always found in time. ''
I have a huge hole in my heart and it will never mend,'' she told him.
Little by little, Kelly James uncovered the reasons behind her depression. When she was 15, her father had an affair with a colleague. She had two serious boyfriends, but drove each one away because she was ''
so afraid of being alone.''
In 2004 she had a heart with wings tattooed on her abdomen. ''
One day I will fly away,'' she vowed.
Kelly James's cheerful voice on the phone did more for Kayrose's depression than the medication from her doctors.
But on December 20, everything changed.
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Kayrose parked her scooter outside a hotel. The bright lobby was decorated with artificial roses spangled with glitter. ''
Do you have a room?'' Kayrose asked manager Ray Star Recamadas, who was working reception.
''
How many of you?'' he asked. He took little notice of the girl.
''
One.''
She paid Php1,800 and took the key to room 808. Sitting on the bed, Kayrose pulled out the prescription sleeping pills and, one by one, swallowed about 20.
Next, she unwrapped a barbecue set she had smuggled into the hotel. The starters caught at once, heating the charcoal briquettes and quickly filling the room with deadly fumes.
Kayrose sat on the bed and wrote in a notebook: ''
I'm sorry. I'm just too tired and my future has no answer. Dear Daddy, dear Mummy, and my baby sister, I love you.''
Then she dialed Kelly James Cubero.
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8:55pm
Sitting at his office computer, Kelly James smiled when his phone rang. He knew it must be Kayrose but her voice was different – lethargic, spaced-out.
''
Do you know what I'm doing?'' she asked dreamily.
''
What are you doing?''
''
I'm burning charcoal.''
Kelly James sat up sharply, his heart racing. Burning charcoal emitted deadly carbon monoxide fumes. It was one of the most common methods of suicide in Taiwan.
''
Where are you?'' he demanded.
''
I'm in a hotel so you won't find me.'' As she slurred her words, Kelly James realised she'd taken pills as well.
''
What's the hotel's name?''
''
No way. You'll never know where I am. I'm flying away.''
''
OK, what's your room number?''
''
I won't tell you.''
''
What floor are you on?''
''
Oh, what does it matter?'' Kayrose sighed. ''
I'm on the eighth floor.''
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9:07pm
Fingers flying over his keyboard, Kelly James called up
iStorya.net's Hate board, opened a new post and typed:
''
A girl in Bacolod City right now is trying to commit suicide, but I am in Cebu. The reasons are relationship problems and melancholia. Her name is Kayrose Cortes. She has just checked into a room on the eighth floor of a hotel and is burning charcoal to gas herself. Citizens in Bacolod please help to find her. If we can find her in less than an hour, we might save her.''
He wrote ''
RED ALERT'' in the subject line and sent the message.
It went first to a moderator who checked messages as they came in. He fired a message back to Kelly James: ''
Is this real or a practical joke?''
''
Of course it's real,'' Kelly James replied. The moderator attached a yellow star to the post to show that it was important and cross-referenced it to other boards. Almost immediately, responses flashed in.
''
Quickly,'' posted simodskii. ''
Citizens go to her rescue.''
''
A number of hotels in Bacolod are more than eight storys,'' wrote another. ''
Can the scope be narrowed?''
'
'Please help make a list,'' said yekok11. ''
Call the hotels and check whether there is a guest by this name.''
The dramatic speed of the posts gave Kelly James hope. He called the fire and ambulance services and explained what was happening; they promised to alert emergency services in Bacolod.
He dialled Kayrose's number. No answer. Kelly James imagined the deadly fumes – tasteless and colourless – steadily filling the hotel room. But there was nothing more he could do.
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9:45pm
Alan Anthony Catantan* logged on to
iStorya.net. Strongly built and 1.88 metres tall, the shy 28-year-old university student lived with his parents in Bacolod. Tonight, on a whim, he did something unusual – he clicked on Hate.
Instantly Kelly James Cubero's message jumped onto his screen. It already had 40 responses and more were coming in every minute. ''
Does anyone know her?'' asked haraldcapoy. ''
Let's call her folks, her boyfriend or her classmates.''
Then somebody recognised Kayrose's name and gave the name of her college. ''
Classmates of hers, please call and soothe her!'' said alanthony333.
VGA reported that Kayrose was in her class at secondary school but they had lost touch.
"
What can I do to help?" Anthony wondered. Reading the messages again, he jotted down the most important points.
The college was in La Salle Avenue. That's not too far from here.
The hotel has at least eight floors. That's something to go on.
The girl is a student. The hotel will be a cheap one.
He decided to start with the BhorBhor Hotel – it had ten floors, it was near his home, it was cheap.
He dialled and a man answered. Anthony knew that hotels were usually reluctant to give information about guests, so he made a reservation. ''
Could you give me a room on Sunday?''
''
Yes, we can,'' the manager told him, and started to take his details.
''
By the way,'' Anthony went on. ''
I've got a friend called Kayrose Cortes. She might have checked in already. Is she there?''
''
Oh yes, she's here.''
Anthony could hardly believe what he heard. ''
Listen,'' he said urgently. ''
This girl wants to commit suicide. Go and knock on her door – hurry!''
Ray Star Recamadas, the hotel manager, called emergency services then dashed upstairs. He banged on the door. No answer. His skeleton key opened the lock, but the door was chained. With two sharp blows he smashed it open.
The room was thick with smoke, but the girl was breathing. He flung open a window and, slapping Kayrose's cheeks to keep her awake, laid her on a luggage trolley and got her out of the room.
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10:23pm
A message from Anthony flashed up on every screen: ''
Just called and found this person in BhorBhor Hotel.''
Now the messages sang a new song. ''
I want to cry,'' wrote ecyojoligna. ''
Is she all right?''
''
Hope it's not too late,'' said omnezz.
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11:30pm
In Cebu, Kelly James was relieved and thrilled. Smiling broadly, he posted a last message: ''
Miss Cortez is in hospital and her family has asked me to say thank you. She might be angry with me, but at least we have to let her know that people won't give up on her – so I hope she won't give up on herself.''
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A month later, Kayrose travelled to Cebu to meet Kelly James. They talked about what happened. '
'You owe me one thing, remember,'' Kayrose said.
''
Yes, I know,'' Kelly James said. He leaned over and hugged her tightly.
''
Thank you for everything you did,'' she told him.
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TO BE REVISED
this story is made-up .. but a real situation like this really happened in taiwan..
the names used here are my barkadas & this is our TRIP LANG..
will be making a cinematic trailer of it (if it gets good ratings from readers.) would you care to rate? thanks..
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Heroes - Red Alert (last cry for help)
Originally Posted by majidemo
ay, haha.. sorry bro.. its just made up..
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