Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
My heart was pounding so hard.
Then from below, we heard a loud thud.
Even if I couldn't see them clearly in the darkness, I knew the others were listening intently too. Because I knew they already realized who the killer was. Inang had already told us everything, answering questions I couldn't solve before. It was enough for me to want to kill HER without fear.
Damn her! Did she ever really love me? Or did she just use me to bring "Ara" back to life? All for that Ara? That's why she cuts off FEET—it's for HER sister.
I will kill HER!
I will be the one to kill HER! And the one appearing to us is Ara—her sister. Not my daughter Ara.
I will kill HER. I will kill them both, her and Roli—I'll kill them all!
That gunshot to her forehead—it was all an act. She even used Mrs. Ocampo's name to lead us on and be with us. She even used Mrs. Ocampo's cowboy hat so we wouldn't suspect the killer was—HER.
Now that everything is clear to me, I want to kill you myself, NANA. I will avenge our daughter, Ara!
I realized I had fallen to my knees, sobbing. Arthur immediately held me. "Mr. Santos... stay strong..."
"I'll kill her, Arthur... I'll kill her..." I whispered through gritted teeth.
Everyone was quiet, clearly sympathizing. Even if I couldn't see them in the dark, I knew they were terrified. Even I was trembling—how much more them, who hadn't encountered Nana yet?
Arthur helped me up. "Roger, where is Clarisse now?"
"She's on the first floor. In the emergency room," Rico answered.
"Okay. I'm going there. Stay here," Arthur ordered us.
"Arthur..." I whispered. "...do you have any other weapons here aside from that handgun?"
"We have an axe here," he replied quickly.
"Where?" I asked again.
"It's on the—first floor."
"Shit!" I slapped my forehead.
"Why?" I heard Arthur swallow hard.
"Nana has it now." I pulled my phone from my pocket. Fvck! Low battery. I turned to Marvin. "Marvin, let me borrow your phone." But when he pulled it out, the screen was blinking. "Arthur, don't you have a flashlight at least?"
Arthur used his phone light. Rico and the two other nurses did the same. The surroundings lit up slightly.
A moment later, Arthur dialed for backup.
I turned to all of them. "She will wipe us out. She will kill us all."
"Attorney, she's just a woman. We're all men here," Marvin said beside me.
"But we don't have eyes as sharp as hers in the dark."
Arthur cocked his gun. "What do you mean?"
"This killer wiped out my companions in the old Villaverde house. I saw how she moves in the dark."
"When I was a child..." Inang suddenly chimed in. "...I was more afraid of a madman than a ghost. Because a madman isn't just scary. They can actually kill."
We all looked at each other. Terror was written on their faces. "Okay. Here's the plan," Arthur said. "Mr. Santos, come with me downstairs." He handed me a lighter. "The rest of you, stay here."
"I'm coming too," Marvin said from behind me.
Arthur just nodded.
"Be careful, sons. You are fighting a beast, not just a person," Inang added. "She's different now... worse... I thought she had finally changed... She did change, but for the worse."
I didn't look back at her. I just walked out.
Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
There goes my heart again.
"There are three ways down. The first is here. The second in the middle. The third at the end," Arthur explained.
"What do you mean, are we splitting up?" There was fear in Marvin's voice.
Arthur looked at me as if asking for a suggestion. "I think we're stronger if the three of us stay together."
He just nodded. And there we were—slowly descending the stairs.
From the third floor.
Down.
Second floor.
Down.
First floor.
What was that?
I heard something.
I heard a—
MOAN!!!
We looked at each other.
Then we stepped forward slowly.
Slowly walking toward Nana's room.
Just slowly.
The moaning grew louder and louder.
It made me even more nervous.
Arthur lit the way.
Step by step.
Slowly.
Then—there was the door.
We headed toward it carefully.
The door was open.
We peeked inside.
Dark.
Arthur shone the light.
Nana.
Nana wasn't there anymore.
Someone was moaning.
Arthur shone the light again.
Then I saw it.
The person moaning.
He was still breathing.
But—his mouth was split open.
As if hacked by an axe.
It was the nurse on guard!
The one I left here.
Then I noticed.
My two companions.
They were frozen like statues.
Stunned by what they saw.
I was the only one who could move and I immediately went to him. He was gasping for air. I was shaking, not knowing what to do. A person was dying right in front of me. I looked back at the two, they were just staring at me. "H-Help me..." I ordered them, trembling.
A moment later, the male nurse convulsed.
"Damn! Help me!" I shouted at the two.
Arthur was out of it. He spoke like he was delirious. "I-I'm going back to Inang." He suddenly ran off and left us.
"Arthur!" The light was gone. He was the only one with the phone flashlight. Good thing I remembered the lighter he gave me. I flicked it.
CLICK! CLICK!
Damn, it didn't want to light up.
CLICK! CLICK!
There, it lit up.
But this male nurse—
He seemed to have stopped breathing.
I looked at Marvin. "Marvin, we need light." But he was still staring blankly. He was tearful. I approached him. "Hey!" I slapped him.
It was like he woke up from a dream. He was shaking.
"We need light."
But he just stared.
He was looking behind me.
Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
I felt nervous again.
"M-Marvin?"
He was just staring behind me.
"W-Why?" I asked.
Then the flame on my lighter died.
As if someone blew on it.
I flicked it again.
CLICK! CLICK!
It lit up.
It died again.
As if someone blew on it.
CLICK! CLICK!
It lit up again.
Then someone blew again.
It died again.
I was terrified.
Should I even light it again?
Then I looked behind me.
And I flicked it.
CLICK! CLICk!
It lit up.
No one blew on it.
Suddenly I heard Marvin.
He was panting.
He whispered to me.
"A-Attorney, above you..." He was trembling.
"Huh?" What's above me?
"O-On the ceiling, Attorney... above you..." he said.
I swallowed hard. Then I slowly looked up.
I was shaking. While slowly looking up.
Water was dripping. Coming from above.
There I was—looking up.
There was a woman there. Crouched on the ceiling.
Looking at me and whispering.
Her eyes weren't blinking.
Her back was arched forward.
Then—my lighter died again.
Hell! I didn't want to light it anymore.
I just—ran.
Just to get away from there.
I realized I was dragging Marvin. He was still in a daze. I didn't even know where I was stepping. I just ran and ran. We were already on the second floor. I was nearly out of breath. Wait—
Why—
Why am I alone?
Where is Marvin?
"Marvin?" I whispered.
But there was no answer.
Where was he? I was dragging him. I flicked my lighter again.
CLICK! CLICK!
It wouldn't light. One more.
CLICK! CLICK!
There, it lit up.
Then in front of me,
I saw something.
A man.
He was double the size.
I couldn't make out the details.
I moved closer.
It seemed impossible that—
This was Marvin.
Then—I went weak.
When I recognized who it was.
The lighter died—
As I fell to my knees.
He approached, taking a step.
Then—I heard Nana behind me.
"You took so long... why only now?"
The man in front of me spoke. "I still had to find where this place was..."
This man had a hammer. He threw it behind me. "I'm not used to using this, oh..."
I heard Nana catch it behind me. "I prefer this over the axe I'm holding..."
She threw the axe—to the man in front of me.
He caught it!
These two, it was like they could see clearly as they exchanged weapons. I was caught between these two madmen!
"You seem bloody?" Nana noted to the man.
"There were two cops outside. I killed them already," he replied. As if what he did was normal.
Those cops he mentioned. They must have been the backup Arthur called earlier.
"How many more are here?" he asked Nana.
"About six more..." Nana replied.
"And what about Roger?"
I almost ran out of breath.
The way these two talked,
It was as if I wasn't even between them.
"Don't touch him. I'll save him for last. I'll be the one to kill him..." Nana instructed.
Damn! The way these two divided their prey. Like those b*tches were just about to eat!
I didn't know what to do, but I was speechless. Could I take on these two? All I knew was I was shaking. I couldn't move—I was terrified.
"Fine, as long as Inang is mine..." the big man said as he stepped past me.
That was when I looked back at them.
Nana was holding a cell phone.
I couldn't see much.
But I caught a glimpse of them.
I was tearful as they left.
We're doomed, what now?
We were already struggling with Nana.
Then came—
ROLI!!!
We're probably going to die—
We're finished tonight...