Curse Of The Aswangs (The Vasquez Brothers #1)[COMPLETED]

PROLOGUE

2013

Ash was singing along with the radio while his papa Lando drove into the province road.

The rice field was bathed in hues of gold, orange, and crimson, painting the sky with the warmth of a final embrace.

The distant mountains fade into a soft silhouette, their jagged edges softened by the glowing light.
It was almost dark.

He and his papa were travelling from Iloilo city to the town he had never been. He had heard Nueva Bonifacio a couple of times but he never been there. He'd never been in any of the provinces in Iloilo.
Ash looked at his papa and was about to ask why they were going to live in Nueva Bonifacio, he gasped when a hand clamped down on his right shoulder.
"Cursed beings live in these woods." said Jose, papa's friend. He was sitting at the backseat. He looked like he was on his late twenties with black hair and wide eyes. Ash considered him sometimes...mentally unwell. "You don't want to lure them, do you?"
"Lure what?"
"Jose." Papa warned. "We are just going to live in Jessica's house."
"He's singing too loud, Lando!" Jose scowled in a low voice. "Bad luck to be singing loud in these unnatural night. The Asw--"
"It is his first time going to the province, pare." Papa said.
"Think again, Ash." Jose didn't stop. He picked up his knapsack and rummaged it to get the book. It was covered with H&M plastic. "Vampiric aswangs and demonic creatures, lots of them. We intend to see to it that the world can be rid of such maligno."
"I appreciate your concern, Jose. But I'm more scared on the effect of the subject you have on my son." papa drove a little faster on the road, the headlights flicked, and there was a bus coming from the other side of the road.
"Sorry pare." Jose apologized. Ash didn't understand his papa and Jose sometimes. They argue a lot like brothers.
Usually, they dispute about the supernatural which baffled Ash. Why would they argue about things that didn't exist? One time, he entered the library at their house and Papa would find excuses that they were playing guessing games. "But this is a dangerous place for him to stay, and finally marrying Jessica wouldn't even help you." Jose resumed.
What were these guys so serious again? They were just going to live with papa's girlfriend. They had been dating for almost 9 years now.
"I think it's fascinating to hear magical creatures." said Ash in an enthusiastic tone. He was always adventurous, ever since he was just 7. He and his dad were travelling all over the Philippines.

Siquijor was the only place he avoided. He didn't ask at all. His papa always avoided the topic. "And I hope we could stay here a little longer."
"See? Ash's excited to live here!" Papa laughed joyfully.
"You're doing it wrong, Lando." Jose sounded disappointed. "They will come after him."
"Who will?" Ash's asked.
"Your aunts and uncle, son. They're very bad people." Papa smiled, but he knew there was a big problem underlying those hindered positivity. He kept his eyes on the main road as he turned the headlights on. Darkness had devoured the road by time they were near the town. There were no streetlights until they saw the sign: WELCOME TO NUEVA BONIFACIO. it only took five minutes before arriving to town. They stopped in front of an ancestral house adjacent to the rice field and a mountain looming at the distance. The house looked like it was modernized with white paint and there were few vines dangling on the gate.
Ash climbed out of the car, surveying the property. "Lando!" a female voice came from the gate. "Zade! Jasper! Tito Lando is here!"
It was Jessica, Papa's fiance. She immediately wrapped her arms around Ash and ruffled his hair. "Oh, you've grown taller!"
Ash just smiled at her and before he could ask.
Two kids came out of the house, one was eight years old kid and the other was around nine.

"Kuya Asher!" Liam and Zade ran in excitement towards him. Liam always shared about his interest in pokemon while Zade was more interested in Dota or Left 4 Dead game.
They sat at the front porch. Ash told them fictional stories of sorcerers fighting other sorcerers and bad guys.
Then their final boss was a shapeshifting human-dragon. groaned.
"Li, what is it?"

"You've told this story last week. You said I was the sorcerer."
"Come on. Next up, they fought in the castle."
"Well, I hope you're not lying..." said in a playful tone. "To the other sorcerers! Roar!" He charged at his older brother.
Ash laughed. It only lasts for a few seconds until that creepy Jose spoke in mumbling words.

"Lando." Ash's skin pricked. He swore, this guy was giving him plenty of PTSD if he spent one more day with him. He turned around and saw fire was eating the trees in the field. A monstrous roar burst from the woods ahead, sending chills down to Ash's toes. He had never heard such feral and terrifying roar.

"What was that?" Zade asked.
"Most likely someone burned dead leaves at this hour." Jessica said.
"Everyone's thinking it." Jose breathed deeply.
"Not in front of the kids." Papa warned in a calmer tone, not to scare them.
A man with bolo suddenly came out of the gate and followed by three more. They were covered in black ash and sweating profusely.

"Lando, we need to go there." The man said. His eyes were filled with unspeakable rage.
Ash stared at his Papa, waiting for his response. Then, not for long, his papa glanced at him. "Ash, son, I want you to accompany the boys. They'll be in your charge. Take care of them."

Ash didn't ask any more question when his papa said something serious. They were in a hurry. He just obeyed while the others began to move into the bahay kubo.
The boys went inside the living room and watched through the window.
"What's he holding?" Zade whispered to Ash. "Is that Mom's Kampilan?" Sure enough, it was a Kampilan. A single-edged sword with broader and thinner blade.

"Your mom keeps a weapon?" asked Ash.
"Yeah. It's cool, right? I don't why she keeps but it's cool. She told me that it's our from our great grandparents." Zade said coolly. "She promised to them that she will keep us safe."
Safe from what? Ash thought.
Papa and his friends walked towards the source of the flame.
Ash couldn't see anything in the dim light.

Everyone in the house fell silent. He heard a distant noise of something he couldn't decipher. It was hard for Ash to see what was going on.
"I wonder what the problem is." Zade said.
"Maybe some rude neighbor started it." Ash replied.
In a nervous voice, Little Liam said."Kuya Asher, I don't wanna be here. I'm scared." Now, he squeezed his hand over Ash's.
"It's okay, Liam." Ash assured him. "Don't worry. I'm here."
He grew tired from the travel.

He yawned and stretched his arms up, it was almost an hour from the city.
A sudden movement in the dark caught Ash's attention. It pounced through the road like a wild animal. There was something behind the coconut tree.

At first he could barely make it out. But beyond it, a shadowy outline of a human standing. His back against them. He turned around to look at the house.
Ash clutched a grip on the sofa. He was so terrified his fingers went cold and numb. Ash didn't believe in the supernatural as sometimes they were just made to discipline the community.

Shivers crawled down his spine. Ash couldn't just believe that he locked gaze with the red eyes of evil itself.