Amilia was getting tired. Getting out of consciousness and waking up in her room alone. She was growing tired of it. She needs to get used to things that were far from normal. She thought as soon as she opened her eyes.
She got out of bed and stare at the mirror. She was still in yesterday’s clothes and her hair was in disarray. Her stomach growled. Not minding her appearance, she walked out into the kitchen.“Oh my god!” Amilia jumped out when she saw a man relaxedly sitting on her couch. He raised his brow in question.“Why are you sitting there?” Amilia throws him an accusing finger.“Why? Do you want me to stand here?” He said.“Well, no… I mean. I’m hungry.” She stuttered a little before proceeding to the kitchen.“Want some cereals?” Amilia offered.“I don’t eat.” He answered.Amilia shrugged. It was just her attempt on trying to start a conversation. She poured a lot into her bowl and added two glasses of milk. Amilia was famished. The last meal she had was before the accident at the mall. That reminds her.“What happened to that guy at the mall?” She spooned some cereal and let them fall again.“He chooses himself rather than having a new life.” He leaned back slightly to inspect the thing he picked up at the table in front of him.“You’re a demon, right?” Amilia sat down next to him.“And?” She faced him, folding her legs, and tucked in under her.“You are seducing people to make a sin. Why?” Her face was full of curiosity. He stopped for a minute and looked at her.That question. It sounds so familiar. His mind was drifting to a distant memory as he stares at her. She is just like her. The way she asked him, the way her eyes lit up in curiosity. It was void of judgment just pure curiosity. He wanted to answer her. Something is urging him to answer.“Hey!” He snapped out of his thoughts as she flicked her fingers at his face.“Are you daydreaming?” Amilia waved her palm at his face. He immediately straightened his back and dismissed Amilia’s hand.“So, are you not going to answer?” Amilia urged.“I don’t see the need to explain anything to a mere human like you.” He answered as he stands up.Amilia followed suit. She’s not going anywhere unless she gets the answer she needed and so is he. By now, Amilia is determined as she felt like she had nothing to lose anymore.“Take me with you.” She commanded like a spoiled little girl.He looked at her for a brief moment before walking past the door. Amilia paused for a moment to calm herself to what she saw before following him out. She raced to the elevator as fast as she could muster.“Hi!” A familiar little girl greeted her.She was the only kid on their floor and their apartment was the farthest one. She was living with just her father. And the tenants knew her for being a lovable child.“Who is he?” The girl asked. Amilia was confused. She looked at the girl’s father with a questioning look.“Who?” She asked the girl.“That guy who came with you.” She pointed something at the back and Amilia look over. He was there.“Lily, what are you doing?” The child’s father scolded her.Amilia stood straight and smiled. She didn’t want to offend the child and she also didn’t want to answer the question. It was a puzzle to her how can the girl see him. When clearly, nobody had seen him so far except her and those the likes of him.Wait, the guy yesterday saw him too.Amilia stared at her reflection at the elevator door. She also eyed the space that he was supposed to occupy. He was a big mystery to her. And she decided then since things have gone this way, she would at least get to know him.When they reached the first floor, Amilia quickly bid goodbye to the girl and her father. With long strides, she was out of the building. She only stopped when she realized that she didn’t know where they were going.“Can I ask a question?” She turned to him who was standing near the building entrance watching her.“Where are you going?” She asked while keeping an eye on her surroundings. Nobody was around but it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.“Nowhere.” He answered and started to walk.“What?” Amilia did her best to catch up.“Do you have classes?” He suddenly asked which made Amilia think.Yesterday she was with Lizzie at the Mall so it should be Friday. Classes would continue every Sunday and students took their break every Saturday. The schedule was kind of weird but Amilia just got used to it.“No. Why?” They stopped at the Bus Stop just when the bus came.“No reasons.” He said as he went up.Amilia paid for herself. She took the one-seater at the back. Riding a bus was always a peaceful task for her. Just watching the scenery pass by makes her heart feel relieved. That’s why she didn’t notice him staring at the baby on her side.“She’s dying.” She heard him say. Amilia look at him and then threw a curious glance at their side.“What do you mean?” She asked in a hushed tone.The woman beside them looked very healthy and bright. She was holding three months old or so baby in her lap who was sleeping soundly.“That baby. She is dying.” Amilia looked at the baby again. She doesn’t look like dying at all.“You can see when will a person die?” Amilia asks which he answered with a shake of his head.“I can only see their soul. When their soul gets weak their death was just around the corner.” He explained.Amilia nodded but did not fully understand the situation. He can see the soul of a person. He can see it getting weak. So, it means that he can see when that person will die.“I can only see their soul gets weaker but I can’t see when they will die.” He further explains.The conversation was soon cut off when the mother suddenly stands. They will get off at the next stop. Amilia’s eyes didn’t leave the baby. She was confused by everything he had said. If it’s true then when and how will she die? Their stop was getting nearer and still, nothing looks wrong with the baby. Maybe he got it wrong?The bus stop was now visible to Amilia’s vision. The mother readied herself, when the bus stop and the door opened, she took a step towards the door. When she reached the gravel platform, she was caught on to something in a flash.The baby flew a meter ahead of her because of the impact. The mother landed on the last step of the bus stairs and bump her head. Everyone was shocked to witness the incident. A woman run to where the baby is and Amilia couldn’t help herself to run at the mother since she was the nearest.Amilia put her fingers at her neck to check for a pulse and visibly sigh when there was a faint beat. She worriedly looks at where the baby is. She also sees another woman talking to her phone probably calling for an ambulance.“Please, let her be alright.” She silently prays as she holds the mother’s hand and waits for rescue. She was not a doctor nor did she have any knowledge of this kind of situation. As long as she can feel the mother’s pulse, she thinks that she will be alright.For now, her greatest concern is on the baby. Is this it? The answer to my question? The foresight of him about the baby? This is it? Amilia feels her chest tighten. Tears are now forming at the side of her eyes and she just wants to let it all go. She looks at him who was now standing beside the man who cause the accident. Something glints in his eyes. Something she can’t fathom.“Why didn’t you do something to save the child?” Amilia silently asks him.They were at the hospital. The mother was in the operation room. The baby? She was proclaimed dead on arrival. Amilia was silent, hanging her head down. Something was pressing in her chest and an unsettling feeling inside her stomach. She wanted to cry and shout to release what she was feeling inside.“Why do you care?”Yeah, he is right. Why does she? The mother and daughter were just nobody. It was the first time in her life that she saw them on the bus. They were not familiar faces and yet, she can’t stop herself from feeling hurt and lost.“You just got curious about them. You don’t need to care. It was not your loss.” With that, Amilia threw him a glare.What does he know? He had the strength to help them but he just declares the baby’s death. He just let it happen and didn’t help. He is not a human so he won’t understand what human feels. Or how is it hard to be eaten by your conscience?“What? Am I wrong?
“What? Is it my fault now?” Mother shouted, her eyes glaring at my father who was matching her stares.“Is it not true? If you hadn’t gone to that place everything wouldn’t be like this! Your daughter would have had a normal life!” Father retorted back.I was watching them from the door frame of the kitchen. Crying silently. Ever since Mother and I got back from what looked like a church they had been arguing. Sometimes Mother would throw things at Father out of frustration. Father would dodge it followed by a remark that would piss my mother more.They didn’t know that I was watching. I was careful not to make a sound or let them see me. I’m scared but I can’t voice it out. My parents were arguing because of me and I was forced to watch it every single time. Because they told me so. They were scared of me.✒✒✒Puffing, Amilia entered her apartment. She looked for her phone and found it lying on the living room table. It is what that guy picked up earlier. Dead batt, Amilia cursed. How
Amilia rushed inside the restaurant. Her nose was blaring and out of breath. She stopped at the door to pause and collect herself and gathered enough breath. She then strides until she reached Lizzie’s back. Zephyr looked at her. His eyes were still that blank stare that you will be sucked in if you are not careful. Lizzie too looked over to see her friend, sweating and gasping for breath.“Amilia, what happened to you?” Lizzie stood up to aid her friend.“Stay away from him, Liz” Amilia pulled her friend behind her and stand as a shield.After spending an amount of time with him, Amilia developed a fear and somewhat braveness of things she thought she can handle. Whatever those are. So far, the thing she can handle was to throw daggers at him with her eyes. But she can’t let Zephyr know.“So, it’s you,” Zephyr said sounding like she was looking for her for a long time.“What do you want?” Amilia answered her with a low and warning tone.There was always something weird about him. From
They reached their destination; the two women were already up. Amilia looked outside scanning the whole place. They stopped at the front of a rundown house. The walls are stripped of color and some had dark spots on them.Amilia tried to picture the place during the day. Zephyr got down and pay for their fare. Amilia cautiously followed but not before throwing Lizzie a reassuring nod. If something is reassuring about this, it’s the man who came with them and that she can only see him.“Let’s go inside. I’m sorry the place is a bit… messy.” Zephyr said.It was an understatement as Amilia looked over the place again. Everything looks rusty and old. The atmosphere screams of danger. They were on the farthest part of what can be called a subdivision. The house was abandoned as if there is an imaginary line between the last house and the place that nobody would dare to enter.“It looks haunted, Amilia,” Lizzie whispered while looking worriedly at Zephyr’s back. It was as if she was afraid t
Amilia was tiptoeing as she descends the stairs. They were still at Zephyr’s place. She didn’t know what had gotten to Lizzie’s head and decided to spend the night here. She just accepted her friend’s decision and get on with it.But Amilia knew she wasn’t supposed to be here. Heck, she wasn’t supposed to be near Lizzie. Amilia was scared to be a monster, to have something evil consume her body, as per Zephyr’s story but she’s more afraid of scarring her friend for life.So, she decided. She’ll have to leave tonight. When Lizzie was in deep sleep and Zephyr would not question her actions. Amilia looked back at the stairs she had descended, no sign of awake people. Sighing softly, she looked ahead but was shocked to see a stoic face in the dark.“What are you doing?”Amilia clutched her chest. Her heart was beating frantically. Her soul almost left her body. Wait. She doesn’t have that anymore.“Are we still pretending that you can’t see me?” He said again when he didn’t get an answer.
“Run!”Adrenaline rushed into Amilia’s body. She did as she was told. She runs. But where? She didn’t know. She just run. Away from the creatures. Away from him. She willed her trembling legs to put a distance with everything the best she could. But before she can get the chance to get to the other side of the park, the flying creature landed in front of her. She once again stared at the blackness of its orb. When the creature opened its mouth, it was as if she was facing a deep cave. Then it all happened so fast.She was mesmerized by its mouth that she had forgotten that it also had an arm. Just when Amilia felt the boney fingers clasp around her wrist that she got awakened. But it was already too late. Black spots consumed Amilia’s vision. She fought through the hazy sight to no avail. She felt herself flying. Then falling. It was dark. Not the darkness during midnight nor the blackouts. It was a different kind of dark. No eeriness and no peacefulness. Nothing was in there. It was j
“Amilia? Aren’t you done?” Lizzie was patiently banging on the bathroom door waiting for Amilia. She was slowly dozing off inside. She didn’t know when it started but sometime last night, she got sleepy. She can’t remember that talk with Zephyr about the ink curse. Nor how did she answer Lizzie’s question about her friend. All she remembers was that her mind was fuzzy and her eyes were dropping. “You’re not sleeping in there, are you?” Look at that! Lizzie was a mind reader? Maybe it is a side effect? Amilia doesn’t even understand herself. She slowly leaned her head at the wall beside the toilet bowl. She was now entering the dream world with Lizzie’s voice in the distance shouting for some keys. Whatever she will need those for. Lizzie found her friend sleeping in the toilet bowl. She looked so peaceful leaning on her side. Legs comfortably stretch wide apart. She put her hands on her hips, tapping her feet. But it had no effect. Amilia continued to sleep soundly. “She fell asl
“Over here!” A small child shouted at her friends. Her friends run over to where she had her finger pointed. She let them get through the hole first before following them. They all snicker while holding their mouths to suppress the smiles as they wait for IT to come to hunt them down. Minutes passed and turn into hours. The children’s arms are getting sore from being cramped up in a small space. Some of them are whining and some of them are just tired. Their leader, the one who led them there keep looking outside. “Aren’t we going home?” Said one girl, clutching her small teddy bear. “He’s not coming. He just tricked us!” Said the boy beside her. “Ssh! Quiet down! Sister said that he will come to find us before giving us gifts. We must stay here.” Said the leader. Everyone whined but remained inside. ✒✒✒ “Finally! Some alone time!” Amilia threw herself on her bed. Getting home after a few days away feels so refreshing. She spent the night at Lizzie too as her mother requested.