"No one will leave, unless you tell me what is happening here!" Edna shouted angrily. She was filled with frustration and needed to let out her irritation about the events unfolding.
"Calm down, this is not the time for this, my dear wife," Roland said, approaching Edna to comfort her.
"Calm down? I won't calm down until you tell me what's going on, Roland," she replied firmly to her husband, breaking free from his hands just as he was about to embrace her.
Rose remained silent, bowing her head, holding her slapped cheek. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't because she knew it was her fault that her mother had slapped her. This was the first time her mother had laid a hand on her. Julius, on the other hand, embraced her tightly, crying because of what their mother had done to his beloved sibling.
"You need to calm down first, please. We need to get away from here because your life, and our children's lives, are in danger," Roland pleaded. "Please, Edna, just listen to me this once," he pleaded with his wife.
A deafening thunder roared, almost causing them to jump in surprise. Then, a strong mixture of the smell of sulfur and decaying flesh suddenly wafted through the air. However, only Roland and their two children noticed it. Roland's anxiety grew stronger as he detected the foul stench in the surroundings.
"Rose, grab the bags and other belongings, and take your sibling to the car, quickly!" Roland commanded his eldest child.
Hesitant to comply with her father, Rose swiftly grabbed their bags and tightly held her brother's hand as they made their way into the car. However, before they could depart, Rose was abruptly startled by something she saw. Julius, on the other hand, began shouting and clung tightly to his sister.
Through the hotel's glass dome, they could clearly see dark figures cloaked in black soaring through the air. Their eyes burned fiery red, seemingly reveling in the events unfolding around them.
Edna grew increasingly concerned as she observed the fear in her children's eyes. She approached Julius, who still clung tightly to his older sibling, trembling with fear.
"Julius, what's wrong?" she inquired, her voice filled with worry.
Roland, too, became alarmed by what he witnessed. Though uncertain of the situation, he understood the malevolent intentions of these shadows. Hastily, he comforted the terrified Julius and held his wife's hand.
"We don't have time, Edna. Whether you agree or not, we need to leave this place," Roland urged his wife.
Edna looked at him, her face devoid of expression.
"No, if you want to go, then go. Leave me and your children behind," Edna retorted, her words laced with harshness.
"Mom?" Rose reacted, taken aback by her mother's statement.
Edna turned to Rose, her face still emotionless.
"If you want to go with your father, then go. But leave Julius with me," she declared, attempting to grasp their youngest child.
"Edna, what's happening to you? Our children's lives are in danger, can't you see that?" Roland implored.
"Mom, please. Just this once, listen to Dad," Rose pleaded with desperation.
"I'll explain everything to you, but please, for the sake of our children, we need to leave," Roland once again pleaded desperately with his wife. This time, Edna managed to compose herself, recognizing the fear in Julius' eyes. She sighed and picked up the other bag, handing it to her daughter.
"Thank you," Roland whispered barely audibly, as he breathed a sigh of relief at his wife's action which is a sign of submission. Without wasting any time, they hurried towards the hotel's exit door.
The rain started to pour heavily, while the wind outside howled like a fierce lion. Suddenly, a bolt of crimson lightning struck the nearby building's lightning rod. The resulting thunder was deafening, causing screams from the people inside the hotel lobby. The power went out, enveloping the lobby in darkness, but within seconds, the emergency lights attached to the walls restored some illumination.
As they approached the door, Roland and his family were stopped by one of the hotel crew members.
"Sir, shouldn't you wait out the bad weather to subside? The rain and wind are intensifying. It would be safer for you to stay here," one of the male hotel crew members suggested.
"Thank you for your concern, young man, but we need to proceed," Roland responded resolutely to the hotel crew.
"Very well," the man replied, opening the exit door. In an instant, they were confronted by the powerful gusts of wind and sheets of rain.
"Are you certain it's wise to leave in such dreadful weather?" Edna asked hesitantly, her concern evident in her voice.
"We have no choice, we must leave," Roland replied with unwavering conviction.
Under Roland's leadership, they swiftly faced the powerful storm as they made their way to their car in the parking lot. Rose couldn't remain calm in their current location, as dark and terrifying figures approached them. Meanwhile, Edna was bewildered and still unaware of the unfolding events, particularly concerning her husband and their two children. Among the four of them, she alone couldn't see or sense the enigmatic creatures in the sky. Filled with fear, Julius pressed his face against the shoulder of his older sister, who carried him. In contrast, Roland deftly opened the car door. He knew that the shadows wouldn't easily approach them, especially when he and his family were together. His main concern was the possibility of these beings possessing individuals and using them as instruments of harm.
Edna quickly took her place in the front seat, then assisted Rose, who carried a frightened and crying Julius, to settle in the back seat. Once the children were inside, she promptly closed the door and went inside the front seat. After she settled in, Roland was already seated in the driver's seat and started the car's engine.
Roland nodded and then started the car, driving it out of the parking lot of La Paradiso Hotel. Along with the terrible weather, they were being followed by some dark figures flying freely on the dark sky.
"Wouldn't it be better to wait out the bad weather before we leave the hotel?" Edna asked her husband, her face clearly showing excessive worry.
Roland glanced at his wife and quickly looked back at the backseat of the car to make sure their children was okay. Then he looked back at his wife and focused his attention on driving. However, Edna grew more concerned when she noticed that the car was going too fast despite the strong wind and rain surrounding them.
"Roland, slow down, it's too dangerous," Edna reminded her husband, especially since she noticed that the visibility was almost zero due to the heavy rain.
"We can't afford to be complacent, my dear, I can only find peace if I ensure your safety," Roland replied, periodically wiping the windshield of the car due to accumulating droplets.
"Safety for us? I don't understand, what's happening? I need an explanation. I'm your wife, so tell me what's going on," Edna said, her voice trembling with near-tears.
Roland felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked in the rearview mirror and saw Rose, trying to smile even though fear was evident on her face. It seemed like she understood what his daughter wanted to say, so he thought it was the right time to reveal the secret he had kept hidden for so long. It was his wife and children's right to know the truth about his identity.
"What I've been afraid of is happening now, Edna," Roland began.
"W-What do you mean?" Edna asked, her confusion evident in her question.
"They're here," Roland shortly replied, as a reddish light emanated from a sharp beam. Suddenly, a loud thunder resounded, making Julius cry out of fear.
"You've been saying they're here for a while now, who are they? And what do they want from us?" Edna asked again.
"They're called watchers," he looked at his wife.
"Watchers? Who are they? And do you have any debts with them that's causing you to act like this since you woke up this morning?" Edna inquired. "Do you want us to go to the town's police station so we can wait out the bad weather there and ask for their help?"
"The police won't be able to do anything about them, my dear. I-I don't know how to explain this to you, but I hope you open your mind and believe everything I'm going to say," Roland explained.
Suddenly, a large tree branch snapped off and was about to hit their car. Rose saw it coming but her father, who was focused on her mother, didn't notice.
"Dad!" Rose shouted loudly as the large branch was about to hit their car.
Quickly, Roland turned the steering wheel to the right, narrowly avoiding a fast-approaching dump truck. The truck's blaring horn startled Edna and her two children in the backseat of the car. Roland also thought that the dump truck was going to collide with their car. He quickly pulled the steering wheel to his left to avoid the collision. However, as he turned the wheel, he accidentally stepped on the accelerator, causing the car to lose control. They collided with another vehicle that was trying to avoid them. The impact was so strong that their car spun around five times before coming to a stop at the side of the road. The other car, on the other hand, collided with a massive Narra tree on the side of the road, leaving its front end severely damaged and the windshield shattered.
Upon regaining consciousness, Roland immediately unfastened the seatbelt of the car and checked on the condition of his family.
"Is everyone okay?" he asked, while nursing the pain in his head. Rose and Julius, frightened, began sobbing and held each other tightly in the backseat of the car. Roland opened the car door and stepped out, then opened the backseat door.
"Are you both alright?" He asked. He clearly saw the fear on his childrens faces. Then he noticed his wife, tears streaming down her face, staring at them.
Edna breathed a sigh of relief as she composed herself. But then, she started sobbing even harder as she realized that she had pressured her husband with her questions, not even considering the safety of their children. She unfastened her seat belt and hugged her two terrified children tightly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, forgive me," she pleaded, asking for forgiveness from her family. In that moment, Edna looked at her husband, tightly holding his hand.
"No, don't blame yourself. If it weren't for me, we wouldn't be in this situation," Roland replied, kissing each one of them on the forehead.
"Are you all okay, Uncle Roland, Aunt Edna, Rose?" a voice from behind Roland suddenly asked, startling all three of them.
Everyone turned to the familiar voice, their concern growing.
"Vanessa?" Rose exclaimed in schock.
Roland wasted no time in gently guiding Vanessa to sit on the grass, taking notice of the blood covering her face.
"What happened to you?" He asked her. "Edna, quickly get the first-aid kit," Roland instructed his wife, who promptly followed his command. Rose's panic was palpable as she saw her friend in such a state, but her priority was to ensure Julius was safe, away from the traumatic scene caused by Vanessa's injuries. Instead of responding, Vanessa weakly pointed towards their mangled car, its twisted frame barely recognizable after colliding with a large tree.
"Oh my God, it's your..." Roland's words trailed off as the realization of their close call with the other vehicle hit him.
"Rose, keep Julius in the car for now. We need to check on your friends in their car with your mom!" Roland directed his daughter, her quick response evident as she tended to Vanessa's head wound with dressings.
Edna and Roland hurriedly made their way towards the smoldering wreckage of the car. Roland couldn't help but notice something peculiar in the surroundings. He glanced up at the sky, the dark clouds still looming, but the torrential rain and powerful winds had inexplicably ceased. How had he not registered the abrupt change in weather immediately after the accident? It was possible he had been too consumed by the chaos, but the absence of any evidence of the previously intense storm left him puzzled.
"Oh my God, Roland, the condition of Vanessa's two companions looks grave," Edna gasped as she caught sight of Chantelle and Agnes inside the car.
Chantelle's face and head were covered in blood from the shattered windshield, her body slumped against the steering wheel. Her left leg was visibly broken. Agnes, though not as severely injured as Chantelle or Vanessa, had blood on her face.
"I'll take care of this. Go to the side of the road and try to find help quickly," he instructed his wife, before approaching Chantelle to assess her condition.
"Alright, help them. Don't let their condition worsen, my dear," Edna responded with concern, rushing towards the road which was about fifty meters away from the accident site.
Roland immediately assessed the critical state of Chantelle, knowing she needed urgent care. He cradled her head, taking a deep breath. These were his child's friends, and he would do everything in his power to help them and Agnes, whose condition he was still uncertain of as she lay unconscious in the back seat of their car. The accident was his fault, a consequence of swerving to avoid the dump truck in their path. But he had no intention of allowing further harm to befall them. If not for his evasive maneuver, they would have collided head-on with the truck, resulting in far more serious injuries.
Placing his hand on Chantelle's forehead, Roland murmured a soft prayer, focusing his energy and channeling it from his body. Suddenly, a radiant light formed in his palm, manifesting a healing rune.
Though unconscious, Chantelle seemed to respond to the warm light radiating from Roland's hand. A slight groan escaped her lips, and her closed eyes twitched. Slowly, her fractured knee began to mend as the broken bone was concealed by the miraculous power of healing. In a matter of moments, the wounds on Chantelle's body closed, but she remained unconscious.
Meanwhile, Edna stood by the roadside, ready to flag down passing vehicles for help. Yet, an unsettling feeling enveloped her as she realized that no cars were passing by on what was typically a busy National Road in Zambales. It was puzzling not to see a single vehicle on the road. She reached into her bag for her cell phone, only to discover that the screen lay shattered and useless.
"F*ck!" Edna exclaimed in frustration. She surveyed her surroundings, noticing the absence of any nearby houses, only an expansive rice field stretching as far as the eye could see. She strained her memory, attempting to recall the last house they had passed before the accident, but found herself drawing a blank.
A short distance away, Edna's eyes fell on the dump truck they had narrowly avoided colliding with. It stood in the middle of the road, alongside a luxury car and a motorcycle. Fear and concern washed over her as she realized that others were also caught up in the aftermath of the accident.
"Roland!" her voice trembled as she called out desperately to her husband.