In The Arms Of An Angel (ON HOLD)

CHAPTER 77

They have been trekking for past three hours now. They immediately climbed the mountain when they arrived at the jump-off point, both eager to start their adventure. RJ is walking ahead of her to clear the obstructions on the narrow path before them.

The whole time they are together they were just chatting and goofing around nonstop about anything and everything under the sun. Its as if they have been doing this kind of stuff for a long time already. Dei is really enjoying the trek despite the fact that she has never been an avid fan of mountaineering before. Maybe it has something to do with the person she is with on this trip. RJ was very attentive to her needs and that made her feel very safe and comfortable with him.

Dei brought her camera with her and she keeps on taking photos of the things they see along the trail.  She is also secretly snapping photos of her companion which she can't wait to check when she is alone later.

"Kainis! Ang gwapo talga ng lalaking 'to. Pawisan na at lahat pero mukhang ang bango pa rin. Samantalang ako sobrang haggard na. Tao ba talaga 'to?" She asked herself while still secretly taking stolen shots. Good thing RJ is too busy giving her commentaries about the trail and the mountain itself to notice.

"This trail is for beginners, perfect para sa mga tulad mo na di talaga mountaineer...hey, okay ka pa ba, Dei? Do you need to rest? Malapit na naman tayo so pwede tayo huminto muna para magpahinga. Here inom ka muna ng tubig..." He said then passed on to her his extra bottle of water. She tries really hard to hide her giddiness because of the way he looks at her. He seemed extra attentive today and its wrecking havoc on her equilibrium.

"I-I'm okay. Thank you." She stammered before she opened the bottle and took a gulp of the water. He just smiled at her and then gazed around the trees.

"Malapit na tayo sa camp site kung saan sinabi mong una tayong nagmeet. May kakaiba akong nararamdaman habang naglalakad tayo pero di ko pa mapinpoint kung ano. Do you feel anything out of the ordinary?" He casually asked her. This made her look around as well as she try to listen more closely to the sounds around them. She can only hear bird sounds and other insects aside from the rustling of leaves.

"Wala naman akong naririnig or nararamdaman. May mga tulisan or rebelde ba dito sa bundok?" She asked him back, a little worried.

"No, its relatively safe here in this mountain. Madalas ako dito so kabisado ko ang lahat ng pasikot sikot dito so safe tayo basta wag ka lang lalayo sa akin. Halos kakilala ko na din lahat ang mga locals dito so wala tayong problema with them. What I mean with my question is if you feel anything weird or creepy? Kilala din kasi ang bundok na ito for supernatural activities..." He asked her while staring at her face as if gauging her reaction. She frowned.

"By supernatural activities, you mean mga multo, enkanto, nuno sa punso, kapre, ganun?! You believe those kind of stuff?" She asked him skeptically.

"I know there might be no scientific basis for that  but it still better to be careful. I've heard a lot of stories from fellow mountaineers and didn't you tell me that you had an encounter here as well nung magshoot kayo? That was not something ordinary, don't you think?" He asked her with raised eyebrow. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Y-yeah, but I could have been just dreaming...di ba nga sabi ko karamihan sa mga instances na nagkita tayo or that being who looked exactly like you ay sa panaginip. I'm fully aware that I was in a dream that's why I'm not sure if they really happened. Kaya lalo akong nalilito..." She explained with a hint of frustration in her voice. She hates it when she is confronted with a situation that she can't fully explain.

They followed the same trail that she and her team used during their ocular and photoshoot in the hope of finding anything that would lead them to answers to their questions but so far they did not find any yet.  

"Okay. We'll sort this out together. Pagdating natin sa camp site we'll talk some more and check the area. Like you, I also want to get to the bottom of this para makapagfocus na ko sa isa ko pang agenda for this trip." He said this while glancing surreptitiously at her. Her heart starts beating double time again.

"Kalma lang, self! Parang malalaglag na ang puso ko sa kaba eh mag-uusap lang naman kami. Ito nga ang pinunta namin dito bakit ganito ang pakiramdam ko? At ano ang iba pang agenda nitong mokong na 'to?" She asked herself as she follow him on the dirt path leading to the camp site. Her nervousness is making her catch her breathe.

"Relax, Dei. I won't let anything bad happen to you while we are together in this mountain. You can trust me." RJ suddenly said as he turned towards and extended his hand to assist her as they climb an outcropping of rocks to get to the area where the camp site is located. She felt cold then hot the moment their skin touched, sending shivers down her spine.

Dei immediately looked up to his eyes and she saw a flash of a sudden emotion cross his eyes as they stared at each other for a few seconds. That increased her heart rate again causing her to stumble a bit as he pulled her up that he immediately encircled his arm around her waist to steady them both. She gasped as their bodies touched from chest to their thighs. She saw his eyes turn darker at the contact.

They remained in that position for what felt like hours but she knew it was really just seconds trying to catch their breaths. He was the first to recover.

"S-sabi ko syo akong bahala syo...okay ka lang ba?" He asked her in a breathless voice.

"I-i'm okay...thank you." She stammered then placed her hands on his chest to put some distance to their bodies so she can think. She can't think straight when he is that close to her.

"Careful, Dei. Medyo madulas at uneven ang lupa. I don't want you to get hurt." He reminded her while assisting her.

"Yes. Kailangan ko ngang mag-ingat. I don't want to get hurt pero parang huli na para protektahan ko ang puso ko." She mumbled to herself.

They reached camp after a few minutes. RJ started to set up their tents in the center of the clearing while she rummaged inside their bag of food supplies and check what she can cook for their lunch.

She was putting out packets when something caught her eyes among the trees. She saw something move among the shadows of the dark forest on the right side of the camp site. Instead of becoming afraid she stood up and walked towards it.