One week had passed since the Lopez family heard the first strange sounds in their new home. Raul and Rosa tried to ignore it, telling themselves that maybe it was just the wind or an animal wandering near the house. But every night, as soon as the sun dipped below the mountains and darkness settled over Sitio Pula, the tik-tik-tik would start again. It was soft at first, distant, as if whatever made the noise was testing their patience. But as the night went on, the sound would grow louder, inching closer to the house.
During the day, Sitio Pula seemed normal enough. The people were quiet but polite, always nodding as Raul and Rosa passed them on the narrow dirt paths. The older villagers, however, would sometimes stop what they were doing to watch the family, their faces shadowed with expressions that Raul couldn’t quite understand. Some looked at them with sympathy, others with worry. Occasionally, Raul even caught a few with a hint of fear in their eyes.
It was on the seventh day that the family met two of their new neighbors, Tomas and Lito, who were a bit younger than Raul but had spent their whole lives in Sitio Pula. They were friendly, curious about the family’s move, and eager to hear what life was like in the busier town. Tomas was a slim, wiry man with sharp eyes, while Lito was taller, broad-shouldered, and had a booming laugh that echoed across the fields. Raul found comfort in their company. They reminded him of the friends he used to have back in town.
That evening, Raul invited Tomas and Lito over to their home for a small meal. Rosa prepared a simple spread, and the kids played nearby, their laughter filling the air. For the first time in a week, the house felt almost normal, almost safe.
As they sat around the small table, Raul hesitated before bringing up the strange sounds they’d been hearing. He was worried that he’d sound foolish or that they’d laugh it off as nothing. But something about the dark looks the older villagers had been giving them made him feel that this was more than just his imagination.
After a moment of silence, Raul took a deep breath and spoke up. “I need to ask you both something,” he said, his voice low, careful not to scare the children who were playing on the floor. “Have either of you heard... strange noises at night?”
The smile on Lito’s face faded, and Tomas shifted in his seat, looking suddenly uncomfortable. Raul noticed how both men glanced at each other before Tomas finally cleared his throat and answered.
“We’ve heard things, yes,” Tomas said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. “Strange sounds… but that’s not all. There are things here in Sitio Pula that many do not speak of. It’s best to just ignore them, pretend they’re not there.”
Raul felt a chill run down his spine. “We keep hearing this... tapping sound. Every night. Like something is outside our window, trying to get in.”
“Tik-tik-tik,” Lito muttered, his face grim. “That’s not just any sound, Raul. That’s the Tiktik.”
Rosa, who had been listening quietly, gasped. She remembered the warning from Lola Pilar, the old woman who had spoken about the Tiktik the morning after they first heard the noise. But hearing it from Tomas and Lito made it feel even more real, more terrifying.
“Tiktik?” Raul repeated, feeling the name echo ominously in his mind. “What… what is it?”
Lito took a deep breath, his expression darkening. “The Tiktik is an Aswang,” he began, his voice low, as if he were afraid that saying its name too loudly would summon it. “It’s a creature of the night, one that’s been haunting this village for as long as anyone can remember. They say it’s a kind of shape-shifter, able to transform from human to monster. During the day, it hides among us, looking like any other person. But at night, it reveals its true form—a creature with sharp claws and wings as dark as the night.”
Rosa clasped her hands together, her knuckles turning white. “But why is it here? Why would it come after us?”
Tomas glanced around the room, as if expecting the creature to be listening. “The Tiktik is drawn to life, to warmth and blood. It hunts silently, searching for its next prey. Some say it feeds on the flesh of the living, while others say it has a taste for the unborn. They say if you hear the tik-tik-tik, it means the creature is near, watching, waiting.”
Rosa’s face turned pale. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a strange chill despite the warm air. The thought of a creature lurking outside their home, waiting for them to let their guard down, was enough to send a shiver through her bones.
“But… but how do we protect ourselves?” Raul asked, desperation creeping into his voice.
Lito looked at him, his face grim. “There are ways. Some people hang garlic or salt around their homes. Others place mirrors by the doors and windows, hoping that the Tiktik will see its own reflection and flee. But nothing is guaranteed. The Tiktik is cunning, and it knows how to get what it wants.”
A heavy silence settled over the room as the family absorbed the horrifying reality of what they were dealing with. Raul and Rosa exchanged a glance, their faces filled with fear and uncertainty. They had come to Sitio Pula in search of a peaceful life, but now they felt as if they were living in a nightmare.
Tomas, sensing their fear, leaned in closer and spoke in a hushed tone. “There’s one thing you should remember,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “If you hear the tik-tik-tik, do not look out the window. Do not try to see what it is. The Tiktik feeds on fear, and if you let it know you’re afraid, it will never leave.”
Raul nodded, swallowing hard. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, a heavy, unsettling rhythm that matched the steady tapping sound they had heard each night. He glanced at Rosa, who looked equally frightened, her eyes wide with terror.
As the night wore on, Tomas and Lito eventually took their leave, promising to check on the family again soon. But as they walked out into the darkness, Raul couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching them, lurking in the shadows just beyond the edge of the trees.
Later that night, as they lay in bed, Raul and Rosa listened to the silence that filled the house. It was heavy, almost oppressive, and each creak of the wooden walls made them jump. They held hands, their fingers tightly intertwined, as if that simple touch could keep them safe from whatever was lurking outside.
The children were already asleep, their soft breaths filling the room with a sense of calm that seemed to battle against the fear that threatened to overwhelm them. Raul could feel Rosa’s hand trembling in his, her grip tightening each time a gust of wind rattled the windows.
And then, just as they were beginning to drift off, the sound returned.
"Tik... tik... tik."
It was faint at first, almost as if it were testing them, waiting to see if they would react. But then it grew louder, more insistent, each tap echoing through the silence of the night.
Raul felt his heart race, his body tense as he forced himself to stay still, to resist the urge to look out the window. He could feel Rosa beside him, her breathing shallow, her grip on his hand tightening with each tap.
"Tik... tik... tik."
The sound was moving, shifting from one side of the house to the other, as if the creature were circling them, searching for a way inside. Raul closed his eyes, trying to block out the noise, but it seemed to seep into his mind, filling him with a sense of dread that he couldn’t shake.
"Tik... tik... tik."
The tapping stopped suddenly, and for a brief moment, Raul felt a flicker of hope. Maybe the Tiktik had finally given up, maybe it had moved on to find another victim.
But then, a new sound broke the silence—a soft scratching, like claws dragging across the wooden walls. It was slow, deliberate, as if the creature were savoring their fear, relishing the terror that hung in the air.
Raul clenched his teeth, his body trembling as he fought the urge to scream. He could feel Rosa shaking beside him, her breath hitching with each scratch, each tap that echoed through the night.
They lay in silence, trapped in their own terror, as the creature outside continued its haunting rhythm, a reminder that it was always watching, always waiting.
And as the first light of dawn crept through the cracks in the walls, the sounds finally ceased, leaving them in a silence that was somehow even more terrifying.
They knew, deep down, that this was only the beginning. The Tiktik would return, and each night, it would come closer, growing bolder, hungrier.