Anathema

May 26, 2019 (pt 8)

May 26, 2019, 6:17 PM

Humahalakhak si Murphy. Kinakalampag ng mga undead ang pader sa labas ng bahay.

Hindi ko alam kung anong gagawin ko.

Ito na ba ang katapusan? Dito na ba ako mamamatay?

Hindi. Kailangan kong lumabas. There must be a way out of here. Hindi ko hahayaan na ito ang maging huling hantungan ko.

Tumingin ako sa paligid. Marty and I will be safe here for now. As long as the undead stays outside, we will be fine.

But what about Asmodeus?

Paano kung naisipan niya kaming pasukin dito at patayin? Would I be able to go against him? I have no idea how to fight an ordinary person, much less an evil entity.

But it's either I die trying, or do nothing at all.

I was about to stand up when I noticed something moving at the window. Napatingin ako roon. Hindi ko masyadong makita dahil may kurtinang nakaharang, pero parang may gumagalaw mula sa labas.

Dahan-dahan akong lumapit sa bintana at sumilip. At first, I saw nothing but the heavy downpour of rain. Then I jumped back as a sinister face appeared. He was smiling wide, red eyes staring straight at me.

Mr. Harold.

Despite the rain, he was fully-naked. His ashen-white skin was glistening against the pitter-patter of the rain. From his back, a pair of huge, black-like wings was beating, keeping him afloat.

He opened his mouth to speak, and even if we were separated by a thick glass, I was able to hear what he was saying.

As if he was just right next to me.

"Takbo."

Dali-dali kong binuhat ang natutulog na si Marty at lumabas kami ng kwarto. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw Murphy's closed door. Behind me, the glass of the window shattered.

I broke into a run. Pero nang makarating ako sa hagdanan, muntik nang manlambot ang mga tuhod ko. Mom and Dad were at the base of the staircase, slowly making their way up, hand in hand. I stifled my urge to scream and turned around.

And saw Beelzebub standing at my doorway.

Panic seized me by the neck with its cold hands. Left with no choice, I dashed towards the room closest to me: Murphy's.

Darkness greeted me as I entered. The air was cold, even colder than outside. I can't see anything but a dim, square light where the window was located.

Everything was quiet. I was just realizing that Murphy, or Asmodeus, had stopped laughing. Marty stirred on my arms, breathing softly. I felt relieved that he was still fast asleep.

Sinubukan kong buksan ang ilaw, pero mukhang hindi na ito gumagana. Niyakap ko nang mahigpit si Marty. Pakiramdam ko ay palamig ng palamig ang paligid. I drew a shaky breath, trying to make out what was in front of me.

Then I saw a movement in the darkness. My breath hitched.

"M-Murphy?" tawag ko.

There was a rustle of bed sheets, and then--

"Hannah?"

Pakiramdam ko ay biglang nawala ang lahat ng takot sa dibdib ko. Napalitan ito ng matinding ginhawa. It was Murphy, he was finally back, he was--

The lightning suddenly striked, illuminating the entire room.

Whatever relief that I felt moments ago went down the drain.

The light only lasted for a split second, but it was enough for me to see everything.

Murphy was kneeling on his bed, fully-naked. His entire body was covered in black hair, and there was a huge, bat-like wing at his back, like Mr. Harold's. A pair of huge horns was protruding from his forehead. His eyes has no color but white, and his lips were pulled back from his sharp set of teeth.

Hindi ko na napigilan ang sarili ko na mapasigaw. Mabilis kong binuksan ang pinto ng kwarto. Tumambad sa akin si Beelzebub, kasama ang mga magulang ko. Malalapad ang kanilang mga ngiti at namumula ang kanilang mga mata.

All of a sudden, Marty was yanked from my arms and I was thrown violently into the air. I landed on my left leg, and I felt as my bone split into two. Nawalan ako ng balanse at dire-diretso akong nalaglag sa hagdan. My face slammed into one of the steps and then there was nothing but darkness.

Darkness, and excruciating pain.