SEVEN: Cursed Souls

CHAPTER 1: INTO THE DARK

Days before Ryder's capture. At dusk in the streets of Bukang-Liwayway (Daybreak) City, Corazon.

"I HAVE A FAMILY! Please don't do this!" A man shouted.

"Have you thought of that when you tricked others and ruined their lives?" another asked and only received silence. "I don't think so!"

The other started to run for his life after seeing the man aiming to smash him with a piece of heavy metal.

*** 

The darkness is shooed away by the blood-red eyes that surrounded the man. The screeching of a heavy metal being dragged from the ground was echoing in the empty streets. 

He can hear the perpetrators deep breaths and steps behind him while he desperately ran for his life. He continued without looking behind and was only halted when he took a breath. Shockingly in that few seconds is that when he breathed, his breath was not cast alone. Because the breath of his perpetrator was also heard close to him. He was about to run again when a heavy object banged into his head.

He do not remember what happened next when he woke up but he knew that his time is ticking down fast when he felt a knife pounding against his chest and thick sticky fluid were oozing from his ears. His vision started to blur out but he was certain of what he was seeing beside him, which was the shadow of a man. He is even more certain that it was his end when he faced the man and saw him through his silhouette, holding a gun.

RYDER CRUZ

April 7, 2018.

I was reaching for air when I woke up. I experience the same feeling of taking my last breath when the person in my nightmare dies. I can't remember who they were when I wake up in the morning, but I keep track of these nightmares by writing them in a journal.

I was about to write down my nightmare of when creaks, stamps, and screams filled the house.

"Ryder! It's already late, and you're still in bed?! Get up and go downstairs at this instance! Eat and sleep. Are those the only things you know?" my mother, Victoria, uttered as she knocked and pushed the door to my room.

I often think that my mother's clock is deranged, as if 6 AM is 9 AM for her. I know I woke up a little bit later than usual, so I hurried downstairs, but by the time I got there, something banged into the kitchen door. Debris were everywhere when the door opened, broken glasses from a bottle of liquor.

My father came home drunk early in the morning.

"I told you to open the door!" He yelled avoiding the broken glasses, pointing his hands as he walked in zigzagging steps and an unfixed posture. My mother also went downstairs when she heard him.

"You wanted to come in? I thought you had decided to live with your friends and drink all the time?! Why are you here?! GET OUT!" my mother shouted, shoving my father away. Ironically, she ran to help him when a broken glass lacerated father's right foot. She's helping him, but they continued fighting, shouting at each other.

I didn't interfere because I would also get what my father just received, a strong push and outrageous shouts. This is how I would usually begin my day—a chaotic morning.

***

The same day  at a convenience store...

"Hey! Fatty, poor Fatty! Give us your food," I overheard as I got out of the restroom. I proved my instincts right when I ran inside the store. A group of teenage men surrounded Logan. One of them is cracking his fingers in front of him.

"Let him be! Will you guys stop bullying someone just to feed your masculinity? What? Are you all that hot that you bully people?" I yelled immediately.

Few come at that convenience store, so there is no guard, only a cashier.

"Oh! Do you think that someone as skinny as you, could come against..." I punched him in the face before he could even finish. Someone recognized me after I punched their leader.

"B-Boss, I know his brother. Let him be. Let's go!" one of the bullies said. But their leader is unfazed, as he was about to punch back when, luckily, Lazy came in and grabbed the bully's hand.

"Boss, it's not the place. Let them be!" The others pulled their boss out of the store. They might've recognized Lazy too. They know that his family is capable enough to punish them if they do anything to him.

"Logan, are you okay? These people are sick. Tell me if they do anything to you again," Lazy told while helping Logan get up. "And Ryder, it's good that you stood your ground. Let's go before it gets any later. We will miss the sunset."

We paid for the snacks and went on our way.

We are on our way to the church at the mountaintop of Busilak (Pure). It is not that far from us, but we must go through the woods to get there. The sun rays that pass through the thick leaves of the trees light up the area, but there are rumors that this road becomes eerie at night. We were able to easily pass through the woods since there few vehicles passing in the area, but just as we were nearing the end of the woods, we saw an old woman looking at us uncannily.

We were all distracted by the look that she gave us, and as if all three of us got fixated towards her with her piercing stare that  followed us even after we passed by her. Just a few meters away, I was snapped out of her gaze, and the moment I looked towards our way, I screamed as my body froze.

"STOPPPP!" The word just came out of my mouth out of shock. Lazy is already meters from hitting a middle-aged man passing through the road. He is carrying logs behind his back.

I closed my eyes, thinking that we had run over someone. Lazy was fast enough to hit the brakes. What confused us is that no one was there: the woman ran away while no traces of the man that I saw were seen.

I calmed myself and apologized to Lazy instead. It had been a long time since he asked us to go out, and I don't want to ruin it. I may have just hallucinated. 

"Look! We are already here! Look above," I pointed, "I can already see the old church. The wind is great!" I said just to calm them down.

"Ryder, I don't think that this is a good idea. Let's go home," Lazy said.

"Lazy, we've traveled this far, and the church is already seen at the distance. The sun is almost setting, so let's get there and leave immediately. Okay?" I insisted.

"I think Ryder is right, Lazy. We're not that far from the destination," Logan added.

"You two," he glanced at both of us. "I guess both of you are right. Plus, my parents would scold me once I got home. Let's not spoil the fun then," Lazy agreed, so we got back into the car and went to the church.

The church is not only old, but it is almost abandoned due to having been burned once. Only a few devotees come and there are no priests who stays there, they would only come during patronal fests.

We were just minutes away before the sun set so we rushed to climb the bell tower, the darkness slowly engulfing the land behind us.