Takipsilim

Chapter 60: Monster

Katherina's pain was bewildering.

She could not understand, could not make sense of what was happening inside of her.

There was fire building inside of her, coming from where she knew her heart should be. The warmth intensified with each ticking of the clock, getting warmer and warmer. Hotter.

Too hot. Much, much too hot. It was like touching a hot flat iron in full blast, but without the capability of detaching from it.

The burning grew - it rose and peaked and rose again until it surpassed all the pain she felt in the last two months.

She raised her arms, wanting to claw her chest open and rip her heart from it - anything to get rid of the torture, but she could not. She was chained.

All the physical pain, all the sickness she had throughout her life - she would take them now, a hundred times. She would take them and be grateful.

She wanted to beg for someone to kill her right then and there before she lived one more second in that pain.

All she wanted was to die. To never have been born. The whole of her existence did not outweigh her pain.

Patayin nyo na ako. Pakiusap. Patayin nyo na ako.

Seconds, minutes, and hours passed by when suddenly, impossibly, her pain was doubled. The fire was still there - it did not decrease one tiny degree, but it was as if the fire was knitting together each and every part of her body that was torn apart.

Each blistering tongue of flame licked through her veins - but Katherina's hearing got clearer and clearer, and her body became stronger.

Despite her pain, she could now hear the noise around her. First there were footsteps, and then there were screams and shouts.

But there was one voice that stood out from it all.

She knew, without doubt, it was him.

"Mahal ko.." The voice said weakly.

It was almost a whisper, but she was able to comprehend the sadness and longing in that voice.

She wanted to respond, but the racking fire suddenly bursted and ate her whole. Her heart took off and she felt like it would grind through her ribs. The fire flared up from the center of her chest, sucking the remnants of the flames from the rest of her body to fuel the most scorching blaze yet.

"Tapos na ang ating paghihintay! Nandito na ang Sugong Kataha!" Sigaw ni Elder Marius.

She felt her body lift up and her limbs finally being freed from the chain that held her.

"Ka...the...ri...na!!!"

The pain was finally gone and Katherina fell silent.

She felt her body has been fully restored - it was now stronger, bigger.

There was anger on her face that was never there before.

Then finally, the clock struck twelve. It was the 26th of November.

Katherina opened her eyes and gazed around her with hunger.

Hunger for blood, for power.

▪️▪️▪️

Yael's worst nightmare was happening right before his eyes.

Katherina, his Katherina, was clearly suffering and he could not do anything about it. She was mumbling incomprehensible words with a shriek that clawed at his eardrums.