CHAPTER TWO
MABUTI na lang at nawala sa akin ang atensyon ng adoptive father ko kaya nakatakas ako. Our house got into a huge fire and I don't know how did that happened. I wasn't even cooking anything. Hindi kaya bumalik 'yong sumpa ko?
It's already twilight and I still don't have any plans of going back there. I ran towards the mountain and now I'm slowly strolling through the woods. Now I know why my adoptive father loves hiking so much. The cold breeze and the smell of the forest is quite relaxing. Kahit nakapaa ako ay tuloy-tuloy lang ako sa paglalakad. Mabuti na lang at huminto na ang pagdurugo ng ilong ko. Hindi na rin masyadong masakit ang katawan ko. Para ngang namamanhid na ako eh.
Nang kumagat ang dilim ay saka ko lang naramdaman ang takot. May mga sabi-sabi na kapag pumasok ka raw sa gubat na 'to ay hindi ka na raw makakabalik nang buhay. I heard that from the market last week when my adoptive mother asked me to buy something. A vegetable vendor was talking to a customer and mentioned that someone's husband went here and never came back. I also heard that there are werewolves living in this forest. Yeah, werewolves are fictional creatures but whatever.
Nanindig ang mga balahibo ko nang makarinig ng alulong. The sound came from far away. I tried to calm my breathing and continued strolling. But this time, I started to walk in a faster pace. Hindi ko alam kung saan ako dadalhin ng mga paa ko pero nagpatangay na lang ako.
Every now and then, I would hear howls from afar. I would stop and scan the surroundings only to see nothing but darkness. The moon above wasn't bright enough to let me see what's around me because of the leaves of these gigantic trees. I squinted when I saw some lights from a few yards away. There's a lot of them. Where did those came from?
Kahit natatakot ay nagsimula akong maglakad papunta sa direksyon ng mga ilaw. Nanginginig pa ang mga tuhod ko habang naglalakad. Habang papalapit ako nang papalapit ay mas lalong nagiging malinaw sa akin kung saan nanggagaling ang mga ilaw na iyon.
Houses! Tens of houses! I can't believe there's a civilization in the heart of this mountain. And now that I realised it, the howls are coming from there. From where I am, I could smell some food. It seems like someone's cooking and my stomach started to grumble. I'm starving! I've been strolling through the mountain since noon and I haven't ate lunch yet.
"Intruder!" Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang may lalaking sumigaw. I froze on the spot. Oh no. Here we go again with me being a trespasser.
After a few seconds, I am already facing six bulky men. They looks like they are not pleased with my existence and they are glaring at me. I got intimidated so I looked away from them. I can feel the thumping of my chest as if I am surrounded by my preys.
"Anong ginagawa mo sa teritoryo namin?" Tanong no'ng nasa gitna habang nakahalukipkip.
"I... I'm just strolling through the mountain uhm... May pagkain ba kayo? Nagugutom na kasi ako eh." Nilunok ko na lahat ng hiya ko. Nagugutom na kasi talaga ako. Sinubukan kong tumingala para tignan sila. One of them is awkwardly sniffing me like a dog. My eyes widen when he touched my hair. I immediately stepped away from him. What a creep!
"Tignan n'yo oh. Pula ang buhok niya," he stated to his friends. One of them suddenly growled so loud like a lion. My eyes widen when I saw his nails. They were long and talon-like. He was about to reach me but two of the guys blocked him.
"Beta, may bukas siyang sugat," sabi no'ng isang lalaking pumipigil doon sa may mahahabang kuko.
"Hindi ka normal," sabi no'ng nagtanong kung anong ginagawa ko rito. My brows met as I stare at him. What now? Does he have some ability to diagnose someone of mental illness just by staring at them?
