Reassimilation of a Balikbayan

Ferdie struggled to raise himself out of the old pieces of appliances that surrounded him--discarded pieces of people's history; his hands sank into inches of muddy water as he tried to stand. He has been running and stumbling in the dark for who knows how long. The old televisions, radios, wardrobes and other appliances were strewn across the stream, lined up straight almost like a barricade. He jumped through them all, heading to solid ground. What is important to him right now is running away, getting to somewhere safe.

He did not even know how he got there. He just woke up, stunned, and left wondering how he arrived there in the first place. He had a gut feeling so strong that told him he had to get as far away as possible from that tunnel he escaped from. The tunnel was under a bridge, connecting one barangay separated by a stream to another. It's purpose was to let the water pass under the bridge, but was utilized, he assumed, to let him lay there and drown when the water got high enough. He figured following the stream would be slower, so he was going to find the road near where he is and follow that, then shortcut through the rice paddies surrounding the town.

He ran, looking behind him to check if he was being followed every time he hears scrunching other than his own feet landing on the ground, afraid that someone would drag him back to the tunnel and never to return home. Every now and then he would see a shadow, or two tiny lights (that he thought resembled eyes), or both of them at the same time when he peeked. Ferdie was not sure, though, because they'd disappear in the blink of an eye. After running through a thicket of trees, he could no longer hear moving water from the stream. It was silent near the road, not even whirring of engines from speeding motors could be heard. Then, ah, he remembered, there was a curfew now, so there was probably no one out there he could ask for help from. He could see no houses near as well.

Just this morning, he was enjoying himself, eating good, local food, catching up with relatives he hasn't seen in a long time, opening Christmas presents and going to church to thank the Lord for every good thing; it was wonderful. Never during the day, did he think that something like this would happen. Was the Lord testing him? What a cruel test this was! He silently prayed to be saved.

After almost twenty years of being away from this rural town, he found that everyone had better lives than before. No one in his town had to work two jobs or live hand to mouth. They lived in concrete houses instead of the nipa huts they once had, each one larger than the next. There were also new establishments, like fancy cafes and restaurants, and a branch of a popular twenty-four hour convenience store he could visit now. It was too small to be a city, but it looked like it.

Although, it was not as lively and loud, since people he once knew passed, like his parents, and some old folk. The place, without them, was not as engaging was it was because everyone mostly kept to themselves. Folks meeting under a tree, setting up tables and chairs doing all kinds of socializing, are a rare sight now. Some of the people he knew even went to Manila, or some other parts of the country, he was told by his neighbors. They wanted to find new frontiers and never come back; enjoying their new lives in the big city a bit too much, not concerned of the people they left behind in this little town.

Sure, Ferdie was away for so long as well, but never forgot about this place. This place was where he grew up, matured and had experiences, both happy and sad. He wanted to come home as soon as he can. He gave back to his friends and family who helped him through his education while he was away, through remittances and packages. He felt like it would have been better if he was the one to personally give those gifts to them. It was not as soon as he wanted, but he's home now to do just that.

Still, he did not expect for this to happen here, in such place. Was anyone else terrorized like this in town? Or was this the first time it happened? All these questions swirling in his head made him run. The memories of his past kept him going. The memories of the present made him worried for his family and friends. He was thinking that once he was home, he was sure of what he was going to do first. He planned to call the authorities and get this all sorted out.

How he missed his home already; his loud nieces and nephews, his three brothers and two older sisters, even their wives and husbands. They were family. He wanted to feel their warmth again. To feel safe.

However, safety was still far away. the lights from the town are just distant flickers from where he is now. He continued to run through his exhaustion, wadding through the rice paddy, making a bee line to the town, to his home.

Eventually, he got nearer and saw people walking around near the edge of the lights. He saw two local tanods, patrolling to see who broke curfew. He called out to them.

"Pre! Call the cops! Something happened! I was kidnapped and--"

They were pointing a gun at him. They looked scared and alarmed by his presence.

"We know you're in there! You've got half a dozen guns pointing at you and we don't care who we shoot!" said the short man, lying through his teeth about their numbers, sweating, and almost in tears.

"We don't wanna hurt you! Just leave! Please! Thank you for all you've done for the town but please, don't take anyone else!" said the taller man, holding the gun so loosely that it made clicking sounds whenever his hand trembled.

Ferdie walked closer, his hands above his head as a sign of surrender. As he came into view, the two men backed away with a single step. Ferdie wondered about why even the tanod had guns. Did the town now have a higher crime rate than before that they had to carry those? He did not want to get shot, that's for sure.

"It's me! Pareng Ferdie, the one from a day ago who came back from Saudi! Jusko, is that you George? 'Chard?"

"No, it took Ferdie! It possessed Ferdie!" shouted the taller man.

"S-s-stay back! I will shoot! J-just take him and leave! Don't take anyone else!"

"Pare, that's Ferdie, what are you talking about?! Should we really let it take Ferdie's body?!"

"He's too far gone! He had been to it's lair! It will come back for him!"

"...Pareng George...that's cruel..."

"We have no--"

The three of them screamed as a large, a blackness emerged from the ground and grabbed Ferdie, pulling him down to the ground, like a million hands. It was honestly nothing Ferdie has felt or seen before. He struggled and tried to run but ended up tripping, landing on his face. He swallowed and inhaled at the same time, mud from the rice paddy entered his nostrils and throat with a sting, while being dragged down below the earth. He scratched at the earth, holding on to whatever he can---rice stalks, stone, roots, anything!-- to not be dragged but the grip by the tendrils on his ankles were too tight. He couldn't breathe, then his face turned blue, to purple, and eventually a pale white as he passed out. Now that Ferdie was no longer putting up a fight, the ground opened up and swallowed him whole. The ground closed, as if no struggle had happened.

"I'm sorry," the taller man screamed again and again, while the shorter man cried in silence.

The two tanods ran to safety, leaving Ferdie to die; a noble sacrifice for the town.