DELIVERANCE BOOK 1: Battle in Chimera [Revamped]

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: THE SECRET OF THE SECRET CABIN

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The Secret of the Secret Cabin

***

Audrey

Gumagabi na at nasa Aqeuldore pa rin kami. After obtaining the Annihilatus ay agad kaming bumalik sa kinaroroonan ng iba, siyempre kasama na si Aurie. Nang makabalik kami, nalaman kong tapos na pala si Elsa sa panggagamot kay Mathew. May malay na rin siya, pero nagpapahinga pa rin.

"It’s getting dark. Mas mabuti kung dito nalang tayo magpalipas ng gabi." Mungkahi ni Zaylee na sinang-ayunan namin.

"What about sa Hidden Cabin?" suhestiyon ni Torin dahilan para tingnan namin siya. Hidden Cabin daw? “Naalala mo pa ba Phoe… este Aurie?” tanong nito sa kaibigan niya.

"The famous Hidden Cabin?" Aurie inquired na agad tinanguan ni Torin. “Oo naman. Usap-usapan yun dito.” Dagdag niya.

"Ano naman ikinasikat ng Hidden Cabin na yan?" takang tanong ni Elsa.

"Pinaniniwalaan kasi na may multo raw doon. Pero nang bisitahin ko ito, parang wala naman.” Tugon ni Torin.

"Ghosts are not something that we should be afraid of. They’re incorporeal. They can’t hurt us." Paliwanag ni Zaylee na sinang-ayunan naman ni Torin at Aurie.

"But what I saw in movie —"

“Tanga ka ba, Eliott!” singit sa kanya ni Elsa. “Pelikula lang iyon. Those are fictions.” Pagpupunto niya.

“And how about the bogey spirit?” Wayne butted. “Hindi naman pwedeng CGI lang iyon ‘di ba?” he added.

“That’s… a different story.” Palusot ni Elsa.

“Zaylee is right. We don’t have time to be scared,” Mathew interrupted as he stood in his feet. Looks like he’s fine already. “Lead the way, Torin.” Utos niya na agad namang tinanguan ng aso. Torin shifted into her beast form and started sniffing the ground, trying to find the smell of the so-called Hidden Cabin.

Nagsimula kaming maglakad deep into the forest, with only an orb of light made by Zaylee, as our source of light. ‘Di naman ganun kadilim ang gubat. I already told you about the tiny little glowing lights na malayang lumilipad kahit saan. Isama mo pa ang nagliliwanag na mga dahon ng puno. Both gave the forest a faint glow, na tamang-tama lang para makita namin ang daan.

“Isn’t it ironic na tinawag nila itong Hidden Cabin kung alam pala ng lahat.” Eliott jested pero imbis na tumawa kami, napafacepalm nalang. He had a point but he should know that what the name tell, doesn’t literally meant that way. It’s more like an idiomatic expressions.

“It’s actually hidden, literally.” tugon ni Torin na bumatikos sa paliwanag ko. Maybe some names, literally meant that way.

“So what makes this place ‘hidden’, anyway?” tanong ni Elsa habang mahigpit na nakakapit sa kamay ko. She’s scared again… especially about the ghost part.

Simula nung insidente kay Dr. Ariex, pinangako niya sa sarili niya na hindi na siya magtitiwala sa mga multo. She even forced herself to believe that all ghosts were bad. We can’t blame her.

“Hindi ko talaga alam, but something is making this place invisible. It’s not magic, but not a machine, either. Hindi ako sigurado.” Sagot ni Torin.

Nagpatuloy ang kuwentuhan namin, hanggang sa mapatigil kaming lahat. Torin was smelling something in front of her na hindi namin alam kung ano.

“Nandito na tayo,” sambit niya na agad ikinakunot ng mga noo namin. Mukhang sira ata ang pang-amoy ni Torin, kasi wala naman kaming nakitang cabin sa harap namin. “Let me check it first, kung ligtas ba siya.” Mungkahi ni Torin pero ni isa sa amin ang tumugon.