The Moonlight Assassin

The Struggle

Miguel continued with his civil engineering degree, and finished magna cum laude.

Yet, through the 5 years he went through, he looks on to the calendar every day, checking on the schedules of a full moon. It was easy to know why.

Every full moon, Miguel did not go to school, did not entertain anyone, locked himself up inside his apartment, and covered his bedroom with thick curtains and blinds. Because for as long as the light of the full moon shines through his skin, it made an immediate effect on his body.

When the full moon shines through Miguel's body, as soon as he feels the strange sensations, he chains himself onto the sides of the bed, because he knew he will lose consciousness and transform into something he doesn't know. He wanted to avoid danger.

The mornings after, he would often see himself seeing bloodstains on his bedsheets, and scratch marks all over his bedroom furniture. Miguel knew something wasn't right.

One day, Miguel called one of his friends, Doctor Earl Konar, a general physician who moonlights as a minister at a local church, and invited him into his apartment.

"How can I help you with your condition?", asked Dr. Konar.

"I want you to witness how I become when I get struck by the rays of the full moon," replied Miguel.

"Are you sure it's safe?" asked Dr. Konar again in a worried state, "I could sense in your soul that another person lives inside your body."

The full moon peeked through the clouds from the apartment window beside Miguel.

"Really?!", exclaimed Miguel as he turned his back. Nobody seems to be there, but when he turned his head, he saw an ugly-looking man: red eyes, pale skin, veins all over, long grey hair, and sharp fangs, but wore Dr. Earl's suit.

"SURPRISE!", the ugly man shouted.

"AAAHHH!!!", Miguel screamed.

The clouds then covered the full moon temporarily.

Dr. Earl calmed Miguel down. "It's me, Dr. Earl. It's alright, Miguel. Are you seeing someone else?"

"Yes, Doc. I feel he's coming after me...", Miguel said in tears.

Dr. Earl embraced Miguel, who was trembling in fear. He told, "We need to do the experiment, right now."

Miguel took Dr. Earl to his bedroom, with windows covered in thick curtains and blinds. He shows the doctor how he ties himself up to prepare for the imminent event.

He asked Dr. Earl to slightly open the curtains and blinds at his mark.

Dr. Earl's hand gently opened the blinds and unwrapped the thick dark curtains covering the bedroom window. The full moon's rays slowly penetrated through the window glass.

As the rays touch Miguel's skin, his body started to shake. He was sweating profusely. A sharp piercing pain radiated through his back. His muscles started to swell. And in the blink of an eye, Miguel succumbed to the pain and screamed.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Dr. Earl knew another entity is engulfing Miguel's body and soul. He tells the spirit, "By the power of the Holy Ghost who lives in me, identify yourself!"

The spirit did not reply, yet continued to ravage Miguel's body. By then, bat-like wings emerged from Miguel's back, ripping his shirt off. His hands became claws. His muscles grew bigger. His waist begun to split open, spilling guts and blood on the bedsheet.

"Again, you spirit of the devil, by the power of the Holy Ghost, identify yourself!", Dr. Earl told the spirit again.

"I... am... Alexander.. Del.. Fierro... prince... of the manananggal... kingdom! The vicious... murderer! The Moonlight... Assassin!", the spirit declared himself as he let out an evil laugh.

"In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ," Dr. Earl told the entity, "I command you to leave Miguel's body right now!"

Upon hearing the name of the Lord, the spirit named Alexander Del Fierro twitched and screamed in fear. Suddenly, the spirit stopped torturing Miguel, and the man went back to normal, unconscious.

Then, Miguel woke up in tears. Dr. Earl hugged him tightly.