HAUNTED APERTURE

Chapter 1: The haunted house

We are known as the ones who never back down from an adventure. Kahit saan, bundok, dagat, lumang bayan, basta may bagong lugar na puwedeng puntahan, game kami agad. Traveling isn't just a hobby for us, it's like chasing pieces of life na hindi mo makikita sa loob ng classroom.

Pero lately, parang may kakaiba. Every destination feels like it's leading us somewhere darker, as if the stories we're collecting are not just about joy, but warnings. Hindi ko alam kung paranoid lang, o kung may pattern na talagang sinusundan ang mga lakad namin. Weird!

"Hey, drinks?" Lex lifted his can of coke toward me, smirking like always.

"No, thanks," I muttered, too focused on the screen of my tablet. I was editing some photos from our last trip, sunsets by the sea, laughing faces caught mid-motion, the kind of memories that usually brought warmth. But somehow, habang tinitignan ko sila, parang kulang. Like something was hiding at the edges of those perfect frames.

Andrea broke the silence, her eyes locked on her laptop. "Guys, I think... I already know where we should go next."

Napatingin kami lahat sa kanya. Andrea wasn't the type of person to suggest things lightly. When she spoke, usually may laman.

"Talaga? Ano meron dyan?" Bella asked, her voice half curious, half doubtful. She was leaning back, arms crossed, the usual don't-mess-with-me expression painted on her face.

Andrea hesitated before answering. "I don't know exactly... pero the place looks... creepy. May picture dito, tapos may mapa pa."

The moment she said creepy, tumayo agad ang balahibo ko.

"Creepy?" Clein's eyes lit up, clapping his hands like a kid on Christmas morning. "Finally! Haunted house trip! Matagal ko nang gustong maranasan 'yon."

Bella rolled her eyes "Mag-isa ka na lang dun. Hindi ako papatol sa kabaliwan mo."

And there they went again. Typical. Lagi silang nagbabangayan, parang aso't pusa. Usually, it was entertaining, pero that time, their voices sounded muffled to me, drowned out by the low hum from Andrea's laptop.

I leaned closer. The photo on her screen showed a large house, its windows like hollow eyes staring back. Kahit pixelated, ramdam mong may bigat yung aura ng lugar. Hindi siya mukhang tourist spot, parang... something else. Something that shouldn't be touched.

"Sigurado ka ba d'yan?" I asked, my tone sharper than I intended.

Andrea bit her lip, scrolling a little. "The weird thing is... may naka-attach na map. As if... someone wants people to find it."

Tahimik kaming lahat sandali. Even Clein stopped grinning.

"Game ako," Kyle finally said, leaning back with his usual smug grin. "Kung haunted house, mas okay. Para may thrill."

"Ang hangin mo talaga," Yassie muttered, though I noticed her fingers nervously tracing the rim of her glass. She looked away quickly, but her unease was obvious.

Habang nakatitig ako sa laptop, hindi ko maiwasang kabahan.

The house in the photo looked creepy Hindi siya basta lumang bahay. The walls were faded, halos natuklap na ang pintura, exposing rotting wood beneath. The windows, lahat sarado pero sa dilim ng mga bintana, parang may aninong nakasilip. The roof sagged in places, may lumang balcony na mukhang konting hangin lang ay bibigay na. Overgrown vines crawled across the walls, like veins choking the life out of it.

At sa mismong pintuan... may nakaukit na simbolo, barely visible, pero sapat para magbigay ng hindi maipaliwanag na kilabot. It wasn't some random vandalism. The symbol looked deliberate, circular, almost ritualistic.

I blinked, leaning even closer. For a split second, I could have sworn the shadows inside one of the windows shifted, like something moved behind the glass. Napakapit ako sa gilid ng mesa, is it just my imagination? my pulse quickening. Pero nang tumingin ulit ako, wala na. Damn, that's weird.

It didn'tt look abandoned.
It looks like something is hiding behind those pixelated windows.

"So... Saturday?" Andrea asked, her voice lower this time, almost hesitant.

One by one, my friends nodded. Even Bella, kahit nakasimangot, gave in, though I knew it wasn't because she liked the idea, but because she hated being left out.

I stared at the frozen image of the house on Andrea's screen. My reflection in the blackened window stared back at me; distorted, almost unrecognizable.

And in that moment, I felt it. This wasn't just another trip.

It was an invitation.

An invitation shouldn't be accepted.

Pero siyempre, hindi agad nag-fade yung tension. After that, nagbalikan yung tawanan at asaran. Clein was already making ghost noises, Bella was throwing crumbs at him, Kyle was bragging like he used to.

"Sure ka bang haunted house 'yan, Rea? Baka tourist trap lang na pinagmukhang scary para maraming pumunta." Lex finally spoke up, his voice casual but eyes sparkling with interest.

Andrea shook her head slowly. "Hindi. Look at the details. Yung vines, yung mismong pagkabulok ng kahoy... walang magpapa-tourist spot sa ganitong estado. Tsaka... tingnan niyo 'to"

She zoomed in on the photo. Doon ko nakita ang mas malinaw na kuha ng front door. The symbol was sharper now, etched deep into the wood. Hindi na ako sigurado kung bilog ba talaga iyon o parang mata na nakatingin mismo sa amin.

"Puta," bulong ni Luke, who had just joined us with chips in hand. He laughed it off after, but his voice cracked a little.

"Haunted, possessed, cursed, kahit ano pa yan, I'm in," Clein said. Kahit na nakakatakot yung looks ng haunted house, we still want to go.

"Baliw ka," Bella snapped, tossing another piece of bread at him.

"lam mo, Bella, baka ikaw unang kunin ng multo kasi ikaw yung pinakamaingay," Clein shot back, grinning.

"Excuse me?" Bella's eyebrows shot up, already on fire.

Here we go again. Their voices filled the corner, but I too focused on the haunted mansion. My eyes kept drifting back to the laptop. The house seemed to swallow all other noise, as if the photo itself demanded attention.

I felt something twist in my stomach. Hindi ito parang ibang galaan na pinaplano namin. Usually, I would be the most excited, camera in hand, ready to capture moments. Pero ngayon? I wasn't sure if I wanted to bring my lens anywhere near that place.

"Hey, tahimik ka lang d'yan. Anong iniisip mo?" Reiz asked me softly. He was always the one noticing me when I'm in silence.

I shook my head, forcing a smile. "Nothing. Just... iniisip kung worth it ba."

"Worth it naman lahat ng adventures natin, diba?" he said, giving me that reassuring grin. "Trust me."

But his words didn't sink in. Instead, they echoed in my head, worth it ba talaga?

I glanced once more at the house. For some reason, I could almost imagine standing in front of it already. The creaking wood beneath my shoes, the air heavy with damp earth and rot. I could hear whispers just beyond the door, faint but insistent.

I blinked hard, snapping myself back. Napalunok ako. Imagination ko lang siguro to.

Andrea closed her laptop with a sure snap. "So it's settled. Saturday. Same time, same meeting place."

Everyone nodded, laughter and grinning, following like normal. But inside me, a quiet hesitation grew.

I knew this wasn't just about adventure anymore.

There is something else...

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Enjoy reading! <3