BADA LEE as Your Deranged Stalker

s e v e n t e e n

"Ba't di ka pa kumakain?" As I glanced at Bada's direction, I noticed her methodically drying her hair with a soft face towel.

She appeared perfectly clean now in her freshly laundered clothes and with each step she took toward the dining table where I am seated, a delightful, strong scent of mint wafted from her.

As I dwelled on the unsettling events from the basement earlier, the vivid memory of that poor woman's body being dismembered flooded my thoughts.

It was overwhelming and before I knew it, I involuntarily retched right in front of her. My stomach churned and I had to act fast, redirecting my focus towards the sink where I could no longer hold back and ended up vomiting.

Her sarcastic laughter echoed in my ears. A mocking taunt aimed squarely at me. "You're incredibly feeble," she jeered, her words laced with a hint of cruelty. "Well, rest assured, you won't have to witness such things again once I'm through with you."

Napalingon ako sa kanya na kumukuha na ng ulam at inilagay niya ito sa plato niya.

Did she really threaten to end me? I pondered in thoughts.

My fear of being killed by her has ebbed away. Infact, I am more scarred of the thought of her departing from my life.

Paradoxically, I found myself in a peculiar emotional struggle. I'd rather embrace death by her hands and as morbid as it may sound, I would find more solace in the idea of finding lasting peace through it.

I eased myself into the chair, a deliberate, almost cautious movement as I shifted my focus to the meal spread out before me. I delicately lifted the main course, gently arranging it on my plate and then reached for the steaming mound of rice.

Its warmth seeping through my fingertips as I scooped a portion onto my plate beside the viand. Ilang sandali ay isinubo ko na ang pagkain sa bibig ko.

Can you fathom the situation?

Here I am, sitting at the table, sharing a meal with a psychopath who holds the power to snuff out my life at any given moment, and yet, an unusual calmness envelops me. Leaving me strangely free of the primal fear one would expect in such dire circumstances.

I was taken aback when Bada abruptly struck the table with a resounding thud. My gaze instinctively turned towards her...

and there, in her eyes, I see an intensity that pierced through the very core of my being.

It was as if her gaze held a myriad of unspoken emotions. A silent storm brewing beneath the surface and I found myself oddly captivated... and somewhat unnerved by the palpable intensity in her stare.

"Why are you so quiet?!" galit na tanong niya.

I frowned at her question as I thought about what it meant. I couldn't help but wonder about her intentions. Did she truly expect us to share laughter in this moment, given what I had just witnessed earlier?

She scuffed with annoyance at me, propping her elbows on the table. Her fingers were entwined, and her chin rested upon them.

"Tell me what you're thinking right now."

I reacted instinctively, nonchalantly shrugging my shoulders but it became evident that she wasn't pleased with my casual response.

Out of nowhere, she rose from her seat and walked towards me without breaking eye contact.

In an abrupt and terrifying motion, she seized me by the neck and brutally propelled me against the unforgiving sink!

A sharp cry of anguish escaped my lips as the unyielding concrete met my lower back, leaving me stunned and in excruciating pain.

Napahawak ako sa kamay niya na mahigpit na nakahawak sa leeg ko.

She wasn't speaking; instead, her gaze was fixed squarely on my eyes.

It was as if she wanted to convey something through the intensity of her eye contact but was forcibly denying to herself something that I couldn't quite comprehend.

"Bada, nasasaktan ako!"

"Huh! Akala mo ba special ka?!"

Her hold on my neck became more forceful, causing me to narrow my eyes in discomfort. "Bada, masa—kit!"

As my words reached her, I noticed a fleeting pause in her response.

A palpable hesitation that flows across her expression. For that brief instant, her eyes betrayed a glimpse of inner uncertainty, a trace of guilt and compassion that momentarily flickered within their depths.

It was as though she engaged in a close fight with an internal conflict.

A struggle to confront her feelings, perhaps? Yet, her resolve to maintain her composure remained determined, concealing any emotion that might have welled up within her.

"Huh! Well you're right! I will kill you in one of these days! And you will not have the chance to see your parents anymore!" may diin niyang sabi sa'kin pero hindi ko alam, napatingin na lamang ako sa mga mata niya na nakatitig din sa'kin.

The air between us grew thick with intensity and our breaths became increasingly labored. Despite her words my heart continues to soften beneath the weight of her gaze.

My soul remains willing to humble itself, ready to kneel before her.

"Kiss me, Bada" I blurted out. A spontaneous confession that caught me by surprise in a second later .

In an instant, her eyes locked onto mine, radiating an enormous desire.

It felt as though I had somehow succeeded in calming a once-terrifying and untamed creature, and now, a sudden enchantment enveloped her.

Perhaps?

"Fuck!" and to my complete surprise, her lips descended upon mine with a passionate, hot... burning intensity...igniting a fiery connection that neither of us had foreseen.