LEILA

Chapter 2: Red Eye View

Sunrise came up to the Metropolis as fast as people knew. It was only early morning, yet Michael was already up and about. This was the start of his trip back to his home province, which was not even on the same island as the Metro. To his relief, the flight there will only take an hour, not like the long 7-9 hour flight he had from Europe. He honestly was pleased with it, as knowing that it's just an hour flight made him relaxed.

Ever since his arrival yesterday, Michael was literally expecting at least a family member would call him to know that they were making some welcome home party. From what transpired just the night before, he did get a response from a cousin of his, who apparently was the only one who remembered Michael's arrival date. Perhaps 12 years could make people forget.

Carrying his luggage with him out of the hotel room, he turned to the elevator, and pressed the ground floor button. A few moments, then the doors open to the lobby, where he walked casually across the area, his eyes scanning the people present, and then he checked out of the hotel without any interruption.

Michael went out of the lobby of the hotel, and stretched out his hand to flag a taxi. In no time, one approached him and the driver went out to help with his luggage. At first, the driver made no eye contact with him as he helped Michael with his trolley, but when turned to pack the briefcase, Michael was shocked upon seeing who the driver was.

The same driver from yesterday.

To say that Michael was stunned was an understatement. He was that same driver who gave the warning about him going to Capiz. Demanding an answer, he placed his briefcase on the trunk of the car first, then turned face to face with the driver.

"Why shouldn't I go back to my home province?" Michael asked, wanting an answer. He even grabbed the driver's sleeve and glared at him.

The driver remained unfazed, and continued to do his job. It wasn't until he and Michael boarded the taxi that the former began to talk.

"You are still insistent on going back aren't you?"

"I am, and because my family is there!" Michael said in response, beginning to lose his cool over this. "It has been so long; I want to see them." Any more of this, he would literally scream.

Silence.

Then:

"I'm warning you; you should not go to Roxas. Not in this time."

Michael promptly began to scream.

The driver, facepalming at this whole mess, decided to just drive and send him to Terminal 3 for the Domestic Flight to Capiz. His face was unreadable, and fully grim. Yet, he had something in his eyes, as if he knew something horrid, that Michael was unaware of.

To the driver's relief, Michael stopped screaming just as he began. Just barely two days in his homeland, and he's already given warnings by a stranger, who is no doubt an old man in his prime. Still determined to come back to Roxas, he chose to keep the driver's words in mind, just in case something actually happens.

ROXAS, CAPIZ

Michael went out of the provincial airport, luggage in hand, flagged a transport van, in which thankfully it did not have a driver which gave insane warnings about even approaching his hometown. Boarding the van, he sat comfortably at the front seat, luggage already placed at the back, and soon the driver drove the van out of the airport.

Some time during the trip, Michael woke up from his nap, only to hear the driver hitting the car horn over some road trouble. Thankfully, it was only brief and the driver went back to concentrating on the road ahead.

Michael missed the trees that grew in the fields of Roxas, as they gave a sense of natural beauty and bounty when they blended well with the greens of the rice fields. Inside, he wished he could've stayed longer in his homeland, but demands to have a better living urged him to go somewhere else for the next 12 years of his life.

Looking out the window, he saw that the fields were as green as ever, and all was well in this place.

At least, until he saw orbs of crimson red from a distance.