ABS CBN LADDER OF FRIDAY

4

Finally, as I stood there as motionless as one can be, the line ended. The door closed. No sign of the woman.

Fuck, I need to clear the theater before I can close it up. My guts were turning as I mustered the strength to open the door. “God help me” I said, and shit, I don’t even know if I believe in god yet.

As I opened the door, my legs gave in and I almost fell to the ground. Do you have younger siblings? Have they ever scared you by jumping out of a dark corner or, I don’t know, from under your bed?

Did you get that auto-response, that feeling of helplessness where your body just shuts down? That’s what happened to me.

On the ground, right by the door,I sat on all fours, the woman in the black dress. She was looking up, only I was what she was looking at this time.

I was paralyzed man, I’m ashamed to admit it now, but in that moment, I was so afraid, I couldn’t even move.

She slowly stood up, less than a foot away from me. Her eyes maintained contact with mine. I wanted to look away, but couldn’t.

As I was about to say something, she leaned towards my face again, hers only inches away from mine.

She opened her mouth again, and said what looked like a same sentence she tried saying before. Still no voice, still completely deafening silence.

I looked to the side to see that the line of silent customers had stopped. They were all standing motionless in the middle of the lobby. What in the fuck is going on?

I looked back at the woman, now angry more than afraid. I won’t let people fuck with me like this.

“Can I help you?” I mustered, my voice surprising lacking cracks. “And you didn’t pay for your ticket ma’am.”

She started opening and closing her mouth violently, as if she were yelling at me. Still no noise, just a mouth with nothing to say. Her head wobbled left and right as her mouth struggled to produce anything.

I looked to the left again and now the whole line of people had turned around towards me. They were all looking at the ceiling, with their mouths now wide open as if they were yelling at it.

Look, I’m going to pause for a second here. I can’t blame you if you don’t believe me. Reading this now sounds so surreal to me, I wouldn’t believe it if I read it on No Sleep either.

But at that moment, as incredible and terrifying as situation was, I was in it, and I didn’t know what to do. One crazy woman? Sure, it happens. But other 28,30 people? How’d they get in on this? Was it all a prank?

“Stop that,” I said, “just stop it and go, please.”

She stopped her mouth movement. All I could hear now was her lungs whizzing as she struggled for air, but the lack of air didn’t seem to bother her. She moved her face even closer to mine, I would be able to smell her breath if she had any.

“Set me free, why don’t you babe?” she whispered into my face, maintaining eye contact that would make any of you fucking freeze.

As I was about to respond, her eyes rolled back up again, and she started moving. The line of people also turned and walked out, with their heads pointing up and mouths still stuck open.

I stood motionless for another minute. My mind was racing but unable to produce any coherent thoughts. How do you put reasoning behind what just happened? How do you respond?