GHOSTLY RIDES

Part II

Swept Away

"Two violations?" Miguel's voice wavered slightly, his posture rigid as he sought clarity.

"Does the Verona office agree to this?" His question lingered, probing for answers.

The spirit guide's gaze faltered, a subtle indication of unease, as one of his guides extended a scroll towards Miguel.

"It needs to be signed," Miguel stated, his voice betraying a sense of urgency and uncertainty as he scanned the contents of the letter.

The words on the scroll detailed a cooperation agreement with a brief sentence outlining the terms: cooperation in exchange for the revocation of violations, but failure in this mission would result in immediate consequences by noon the next day.

The scroll bore the stamp of authority, a black feather ink signature beneath the name of Supervisor Wendel Hokalm, Head of Spirit Guides overseeing Office C. Manages the spirit guides, overseeing the station's operations, including different kinds of spirits and cultivators.

"Only now? It may take a while before it is signed," I countered, looking at the mountain of paperwork on Aunt Veron's desk in her office, where the workload is overwhelming.

"Then move, we only have 11 hours remaining," the lady spirit ordered, her voice cutting through the tension like a sharp blade, urging us to action with a sense of urgency that left no room for hesitation.

Glancing up at the clock above the waiting sheds, the time displayed in Roman numerals indicated the standard time was now 10:50 pm. The pressure of the looming deadline weighed heavily on us as the spirit guides respectfully distanced themselves, allowing us a moment to collect our thoughts.

The four of us exchanged anxious glances, the weight of the situation settling heavily upon us along with the scroll in our midst.

"What now?" Karen's voice trembled slightly as she rolled the scroll closed, uncertainty clouding her expression.

"12 hours?" Miguel whispered, his voice tinged with doubt as he pondered the limited time frame, weighing the options and consequences of potential failure. The gravity of the situation loomed large, the threat of punishment hanging over them like a dark cloud.

"The bus is stolen, and that cultivator clearly knows what he is doing," Rence analyzed, his voice laced with a sense of concern and determination to overcome the challenges ahead.

Looking back at the clock above, its hands ticking away the precious minutes, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease creeping in.

"How can this be? It's already been a long night," I murmured silently, the weight of the impending deadline pressing down on me, each passing second feeling like an eternity in the face of uncertainty and urgency.

" buti na lang na agapan tong paa ko " , I murmur in relief , looking at my feet .

Karen approach me as she notice I was looking at my feet.

" sumasakit ba ? " she ask sincerely, glancing down at my injured feet .

" Hindi na gaanu " I smiled at her , it's not that painful endurable na man .

She looked at the clock too, 5 minutes before it strikes 11.

As the clock ticked closer to 11, Karen and I shared a moment of reflection, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

"Who knows how our night will end," Karen breathed heavily, her voice laced with apprehension.

A small laugh escaped me, the tension momentarily broken as I voiced the stark reality, "Totally screwed."