*Season's P.O.V*
Nothing. I pushed open the door, by force even if it wasn't really locked and I saw nothing. The cabin looks like any other apartments I've been in with no partitions whatsoever so all of its parts is visible to me, even if it's kind of dark. However, I did not feel at ease at the stillness inside the cabin, a half part of me is relieved that this might be a false alarm however, the other half is still very keen in observing my surroundings because something is still wrong. I still haven't seen Collin. That's what's wrong. I didn't notice him outside, so if he's not inside, where is he? Or they. Him and his girl. Where did they went off to? Outside the property itself? Numerous possibilities ran through my head as I walked further inside the cabin, my mind can't seem to settle on a single thing until my eyes landed on the bed.
And it sttled there. The covers are wrinkled as if someone, or in this case sometwo (if there is such a word as that), just got out of bed. So there might have been some people inside the cabin. I took in a deep breath as I looked around even more. The bed's headboard is pushed up against the wall, two nightstands flanking each side and a huge open window on the right side of the bed. My hands flattened on the disheveled covers as I rounded the bed. I spotted something unusual leaning on the wall at the left side of the left nightstand and I walked towards it to get a better look at what it is exactly. Why did I not bring a flashlight or my phone again? Oh...
Oh my gosh! My hands flew to my mouth as my eyes widened. Am I seeing things correctly? Is it, is it a human's lower half in a skirt? A female's lower half to be precise. I doubted my vision and actually went as far as touching its side only to feel skin and something wet that trickled from its top, blood. Shit! It really is a woman's lower half! Panic shot through my system although I was already panicking moments ago. Bile is threatening to rise up from my stomach as the sight registered in my brain. A female's lower half is leaning on the wall, fresh blood gushing out from something like the lower stomach, trailing down to the hips, to the legs, down to the floor. Fuck! What the hell is this? Some maniac sliced a woman into a half, crosswise, and decided to put the lower half in here? What a -, my train of assumptions stopped when I noticed the skirt, though dripping with blood and in the shadows, I vaguely recognized the fact that it is what was worn by the girl with Collin earlier.
Fuck! I don't want to acknowledge the thought that's rising in my mind. I don't want to because, I don't believe that it is possible. But I can't help myself and my shaken mind. Did Collin do this? Is he a maniac who have some kind of kink that's really gross? And worse, a kink that involves some sort of brutal murder? NO! NO! He can't do such a thing! He won't!
A muffled scream and some shuffling from just outside the window stopped my inclining accusation and panic. I tore my gaze from the bloody lower half and darted it to the window and this time, my jaw dropped. Fuck! There's Collin! Not escaping from some sort of murder, but is struggling to get out of a monster's hold. A monster with wings and has a body that's only half of a human's body. The upper half, with the intestines and other gruesome insides, dangling right below her belly. Yes her! It's a female! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! It's like I'm frozen in the spot until she took off to the night sky with a protesting Collin at hand. My legs moved and in a blink of an eye, I found myself running out of the cabin and into the woods again, my insides churning at what I just witnessed. My emotions divided into two, one is trying to shrink me down with fear while the other screaming at me to go get help. And of course, despite the strong pull of the former on my system, I'm automatically doing the latter. I managed to reach the house and once again pushed open the backdoor, not caring if I have dirt on my feet from going out barefooted.
"Help! Help! Sean!" I screamed as soon as I'm in, rushing upstairs just in case they didn't hear me. But I guess they all did as Sean met me just by the landing of the second floor, with everybody else in the house following him.
"What happened? Why -" I cut off his questions with a wild compass of my arm, pointing at the backyard as I tried to catch my breath.
"Collin" I panted out, "in trouble." I managed to let out.
"Where?" It was his mother, tita Corazon that asked in panic.
"By the cabin." I informed them, pulling my brother downstairs.
"What kind of trouble exactly Season?" Sean asked, still very much confused.
I don't even know how to explain, because I, myself was baffled. "It's a monster. A monster that splits into half. I don't have time to explain, please he needs help." I practically begged, I don't care if I'd look crazy to them. Thankfully they're able to understand the urgency in my tone and it was Eden who moved first, she dashed to the front door and just a few minutes later, she returned inside with her gun. Oh, apparently she brings that thing with her all the time, probably fetched it from the car. So she, Sean, and tito Lincoln ran outside. I was about to follow them when mama stopped me.
"A monster that splits into half?" She inquired.
I frantically nodded. "Yes mama. She soars to the air with wings, from her head to her belly, her intestines..." This time, I puked at the image that flashed in my mind.
"Gosh, a manananggal!" That was tita Corazon.
"Did you see her lower half?" Mama asked. Then we heard a loud gunshot. Eden must've already found them!
"Yes! Yes! Inside the cabin." I answered, trying to get out of her hold to get back outside to help. But how can I help?
"Corazon, kumuha ka ng asin at bawang!" Mama said and tita Corazon sprang into action. She fished out a bag of salt a some ready minced garlic from the many kitchen cabinets.
"Here, if you're going to go follow them, sprinkle this to her lower half-" tita momentarily paused when we heard another gunshot. "-and, go help save my son." She pleaded as she thrusted the spices to me.
Although I'm still shaking, I ran outside and before I reached the cabin I saw my brother, Eden, and tito, fighting the monster - manananggal - from the ground with bamboo fences and the gun as she continuously dodged their attacks from the air, still holding Collin as hostage. Gosh! I made sure I did not get caught up in the fight as I rushed behind Eden, going straight to the cabin. I quickly ran to where I saw the lower half and followed tita's instructions. I sprinkled every last bit of the salt and garlic on the open cut of the lower half and almost shrieked when I heard another gunshot. I peeked out the door and saw how the monster is flying near the cabin, I rushed to the mini-kitchen, found the knife but before I could run outside to help the others, something crashed through the window. The monster! She carelessly tossed Collin to the room and hurriedly went to her lower half, her wings retracted and she attached herself to her lower half once again, I saw some shots on her body and figured that, that was caused by Eden. I prepared to fight her in her human form but she suddenly convulsed, not fazed by whatever is going on with her, I ran straight towards her and pierced the knife to her back, in line with her heart. So when the other three burst in the room, they only witnessed how her dead body fell on the floor with a loud thud.
This is the second time that I, Season Tarver, killed... I murdered... A monster, another mythical creature.
"Season!" "Collin!" The three simultaneously called as they ran towards us, my brother dashing to my side, while tito knelt beside his son who's now unconscious, blood running out of his mouth. What the hell did that monster do to him?
"Sean, help me carry him to the house." Tito Lincoln said and my brother agreed.
We all rushed to the house and tita Corazon and mama met us by the door as Sean and tito placed Collin on the couch. "Tatawag ako ng police." Eden said, dialing on her phone.
"Tumawag na rin kami ng albularyo kanikanina lang. Hindi natin sya pwede basta basta na lang dalhin sa ospital." Mama informed. I don't really understand what they're talking about but I did get a few familiar words; police, albularyo, hospital. Of course at this case 911 is needed, as well as the ambulance but, an albularyo? What do they need a shaman for?
"Season?" I looked up when my brother wrapped an arm over my shoulder. I didn't know that I was trembling until he did that.
"Y-yes, I'm fine." I stuttered. But he knows that I'm not. None of us is, after what we've witnessed. Even Eden who looks all mighty with her gun earlier actually looks a bit shaken as she put down her phone and wrapped an arm around my brother's torso who brought her closer as well. The Jacob's are huddling close to their son while mama paced back and forth in the open space. We heard a motorcycle stop outside and mama opened the door and a man at his 60's came in.
"Asan sya?" He immediately asked as soon as he's in and mama led him to the couch where Collin is. "Patingin." He said as tita Corazon let him.
"Are you sure we don't need a doctor?" Tito Lincoln protested, not leaving Collin's side.
"No darling, i-it wasn't a normal being that attacked him so it's best not to..." Tita Corazon explained, convincing her husband who just sighed and eventually moved aside to let the man take care of his son.
We all sat on the other couches, watching the man take out his stuffs. Just then, we heard sirens and Eden immediately stood up to meet the incoming police officers, her co-workers in fact. My heart, whose beating was slowly getting back to normal suddenly thundered once again as I heard the sirens getting louder.
I killed her. No. Not just her. I've already murdered two! Gosh! Gosh gosh gosh! Should I just turn myself in? Should I just surrender and admit the crime that I've done? Both of those crimes. But in my defense, they're monsters! And I did what I had to do! You can't blame me right? However, is that enough of a reason to violate the law? I'm a hypocrite! I sued my sisters for the illegal business they're inclined with when I'm here, commiting a heavy crime, twice!
"Oo, manananggal nga iyong umatake sa kanya. Ang bayaw ko na si Season, siya ang unang nakakita sa umatake at tinawag nya kami." Eden told the police officer who's scribbling down notes. When did he ever came in? I guess I was too lost in my thoughts. "Alam ko ang nakita ko." Eden added.
"Sige, sige. Mukhang nabigla pa ata ang bayaw mo officer Tarver, mamaya ko na lang sya kukunan ng statement. Baka makatulong ito sa ibang mga kaso ng pagkamatay na nangyare sa barangay sa nakaraang buwan." The police said. I didn't bother to listen to their conversation because I won't really understand and I don't want to increase the anxiety that's building up on me. Instead, I turned my attention to the shaman who is treating Collin. Just by hand, he's slowly pulling out the red liquid that's flowing out of his mouth. I thought it was blood but apparently, it isn't. It's something jelly-like.
"Ija?" I snapped out of my focused observation as the albularyo spoke to me, apparently I was the only one paying attention to his healing because the others are accommodating the police officers who's surveying the area.
"Y-yes?" I responded.
"Can you pass me that red bottle?" He asked. He must've noticed that I'm not Filipino and I'm thankful that he automatically spoke English.
"Here." I said as I passed the red bottle from his things. He nodded as he poured the contents of the bottle into Collin's mouth.
"You see ija, this is her tongue." He explained, continuing to pull out the thin jelly-like thing. Tongue? A long and slithery tongue? Is she just like an aswang? "Yes." The albularyo answered. I didn't even notice that I uttered that question out loud. "A manananggal is a type of an aswang. In English, she's referred to as the self-segmenting viscera sucker." Gosh! The English term sounds more horrifying, if you ask me. "Tell me ija, are you the one that found her first?" He asked while treating Collin with his oils when he managed to finally get the whole tongue out.
"Yes." I answered. He just nodded and continued to do whatever he's doing. When it looks like he's done with whatever he's doing, he turned to me.
"And you're also the one who killed her." My heartbeat quickened at his statement specially because Eden and the other police officer approached us, right at that moment.
"Ms. Season Tarver?" The police asked. Shit! Shit! I can hear the hammering of my own heart as I glanced at the albularyo then to the police.
"Y-yes..." I stuttered out, answering both of their questions.
"May I have a word with you for a while?" The police asked and I just nodded. We walked to the other couch and sat down there as I noticed Sean and tito Lincoln carrying Collin upstairs, probably to his room. "Can you tell me everything you know about the attack?" He asked in a calm manner. Although I am scared right now, I took a deep breath and told him everything. Everything, from that time I saw Collin outside, to the arrival of the girl, to them leaving, to me looking for Collin, going outside, and finding the lower half on the cabin, the fight after that and...
"... I killed her." That was how I ended my narration. I don't want to go to jail. However, he asked for the truth and to be honest, he doesn't look like he's going to take me to jail anyway. What was I guilty of again? Oh... The murder of a monster. Two, but I'm not saying that.
"I see, so the attack happened at around 11:35, based on what you said, correct?" He asked. I simply nodded. "It's a good thing that you found them when you did Ms. Tarver, or else Mr. Jacob would be included in the statistics by now." He followed on.
"Statistics? You mean, this isn't the first time?" I asked, referring to what happened and it was his turn to nod.
"Yes, some brutal murder of men around his age have been happening in the barangay for the past few months. If our suspicion is right, you just took down the top 1 murderer in the area." He provided with a grateful tone.
I killed a murderer? Of course, I've done that twice. Though half of me is still guilty for doing such crimes and even praised because of my 'brave' act, the other half is slowly convinced that I did it for the common good. Eventually, the police left the house but some stayed on the premises as they took away the manananggal's dead body. I didn't bother to give her a second look because her last image as I killed her was already haunting enough. I don't understand the halves that's my mindset. At some point, I felt foolishly brave to step in from of such beasts, believing that my abilities are enough to go against them. Yet, everytime I emerge victorious, I feel this guilt accompanied by trauma. Such combination is never pleasant, it's pulling me down to the depths of insanity and I don't really want that right now.
"Oo, magiging okay na sya, paggising nya painumin nyo neto." I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the shaman, descending the stairs with mama and tita Corazon. Apparently he's going home now. Perhaps Collin is already stable? Hopefully. When he passed by me, he momentarily looked at me and smiled. "I'd be seeing you again." I don't know why he said that but it didn't help with the turmoil that's already inside me. Why is almost everybody here spooking me out?
"Season?" Except my brother. I turned to see Eden and Sean, ready to head upstairs.
"Yes, I'll be there in a while." I nodded at them and they proceeded upstairs. I just sat in the couch, staring at nothing in particular. That was until the sounds of the crickets got hauntingly loud and I dashed off upstairs as if some sort of monster is chasing me. Perhaps, there are still monsters chasing me but they're not those nature lurkers anymore, they'd be the monsters of anxiety and another sleepless night.