chapter 15

harrowing haunted house
​

One thing about being a writer is your imagination is not only vivid, but you can form a story out of it.

Pagkatapos i-announce ang next challenge ay halos manigas ako habang nakaupo sa swing. The sky looked pretty since the sun was setting, but I couldn’t even enjoy it because of that announcement. I was already imagining the things that could happen, and all of them weren’t good for my heart. Why did it have to be horror?

I could see some of the writers making a fuss about it, too, but most of them looked excited, especially those who write horror and paranormal stories.

Hindi ko alam kung ilang minuto akong nakatula lang habang nasa swing pero nang unti-unti nang dumilim ay dali-dali akong bumalik sa cabin. While walking back, I saw the three gathered in the porch.

“Elix!” Arin called and waved me in.

Pag-akyat ko sa porch ay nakatingin lang ang tatlo sa akin kaya napakunot ang noo ko. “Bakit kayo nasa labas?”

It turned out the staff were changing our bedsheets and toiletries. Every Wednesday night and Sunday afternoon ang schedule ng pagpapalit. Sunday din ang schedule ng laundry at iiwan lang ang mga iyon sa porch with our names written on the laundry bag at sila na ang kukuha.

“So, what’s your plan?” Arin asked habang naghihintay kami sa porch.

“Plan?”

A playful smile escaped her lips. “Sabi ni Zion magugulatin ka raw.”

My gaze immediately shifted to him, and he just shrugged smugly. God, why did he have to find out my weakness?

“I’ll be fine,” I said, but it sounded weak.

“Matatakutin ka pala, Elix?” commented Roi. “Pero nakakasulat ka naman ng brutal scenes madalas.”

Yes, I could write crime fiction and gore without flinching, but paranormal and horror stories are different. At least doon, alam mong tao ang gumagawa o pumapatay, habang sa horror, involved ang otherworldly beings. And it’s normal to be frightened by situations that could not be explained by logic.

We stayed in the living room and talked about what could happen tomorrow while writing and updating our stories.

“Horror house daw, ‘di ba? Parang wala naman akong nakitang gano’n,” sabi ni Arin habang nagta-type.

“Baka ise-setup pa lang nila,” dagdag ni Roi.

“No, it might be on the other side of the hanging bridge.”

Napatingin kaming lahat kay Zion nang sabihin niya iyon. He had a point. Kasama rin naman ang part na ‘yon sa camp pero hindi pa kami pinapayagang pumunta ro’n. Was it because of the horror house?

“Paano mo nasabi? Nakapunta ka na ba ro’n?” tanong ni Arin.

“Not yet, but that makes more sense than setting up one here.”

“Hmm. Sabagay.”

“Excited na ako,” Roi said, grinning.

Ako, hindi, I wanted to add.

Bigla namang napangiti si Arin. “Paano pala kung individual ang pagpasok sa loob, Elix?”

I must have turned pale because the three of them started snickering at me. Crap, baka puwedeng mag-back out or mag-give up na lang kung individual ang gagawin. Wala na akong pake kung bumaba ang score namin. Hindi ko talaga kayang pumasok sa horror house mag-isa.

“‘Pag individual, hindi ako papasok,” mahina kong sabi.

“Hindi ‘yan,” Roi said, waving dismissively. “Mas masaya kaya kung partner o group. Para rinig mo ang sigaw ng lahat.”

Hanggang sa mag-dinner ay puro tungkol sa challenge ang usapan. Maging ang mga kumakain sa camp store, horror stories na ang pinag-uusapan. Buti na lang at dinala ko ang earphones ko kaya hindi ko masyadong naririnig.

By 9 p.m., we had to return our gadgets in the main cabin. Mabuti na lang talaga at nakapag-update ako kahapon dahil wala talaga ako sa focus ngayon.

“Sino pala gustong gumamit ng tablet ngayon?”

“Ako,” sabay taas ko ng kamay kay Arin.

“Okay! Ayoko muna magsulat ngayong gabi.”

Nag-stay ako sa couch para magsulat dahil wala akong nagawa buong hapon kaiisip kung anong puwedeng mangyari bukas.

“Dito ka magsusulat?” Tanong ni Zion.

Doon ko lang na-realize na pumasok na sa kani-kanilang kuwarto sina Arin at Roi. Wait, matutulog na rin ba siya?

“Aalis ka na rin ba?”

“Hindi pa naman. Bakit?”

“Uhh . . .”

“Ah, kailangan mo ng kasama,” sabay tingin niya sa wall clock. “Mag-t-ten pa lang naman. Hindi pa lalabas ang mga multo.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Gumaganti ka ba dahil doon sa word count?”

“I’m not,” sabay upo niya sa kabilang dulo ng couch. “Why would I? I’m not that petty.”
“Sigurado ka?”

He chuckled in response. “Magsulat ka na bago ka pa abutin nang madaling araw.”

Hindi naman na ako nakipagtalo at muling humarap sa tablet habang kinuha naman niya ang libro sa lamesa.

***

I was so confused the moment I woke up.

Ang huli kong naaalala ay nagta-type ako sa tablet pero paggising ko ay nakahiga na ako sa couch at mayroon akong kumot at unan, habang nakatabi naman nang maayos ang tablet sa lamesa.

“Good morning,” Arin greeted groggily as she rubbed her eyes. “Dito ka pala natulog.”

“Nakatulog,” I corrected.

Bigla namang napakunot ang noo niya habang nakatingin sa akin. “Nasa room ang unan at kumot mo, ah? Kanino ‘yan?”

I stared back at her, more confused. “Hindi ‘to sa akin?”

Sakto namang lumabas din si Roi mula sa kuwarto nila at huminto sa tabi ni Arin habang humihikab. He gave the same confused look as Arin but grinned a second later.

“Kaya pala naka-jacket at jogging pants ‘yung isa habang natutulog,” he remarked.

Kay Zion ‘to? Pero sabagay, ang weird naman kung papasok siya sa kuwarto namin para kunin ang unan at kumot ko. Or dapat ginising niya na lang ako. That would have made everything easier.

Arin smiled playfully, too, at bago pa mauwi sa asaran ay pinigilan ko na silang dalawa. “Don’t start,” I warned. “Ang aga-aga.”

“So, puwedeng mang-asar mamayang hapon?”

Napabuntonghininga na lang ako dahil wala akong energy para mag-retaliate. Siguro ay nasa three hours lang ang tulog ko dahil ang huling tingin ko sa oras habang nagta-type ay 2:47 a.m. I must have dozed off few minutes after that.

I forced myself to get off the couch and neatly folded the blanket. Inaantok pa ako pero hindi na rin naman ako makakatulog for sure.

“Gisingin ko na ba si Zion?” tanong ni Roi.

I checked the time, and it was just 6:05 a.m. “Maaga pa naman at wala pang announcement.”

“Tara, labas muna tayo,” Arin chimed in, and both Roi and I nodded.

Nag-prepare lang kami for a few minutes at saka lumabas. Ako para mab-breakfast at ang dalawa, para mag-workout. Dahil maaga pa ay wala pa ring masyadong tao sa labas liban sa ilang nagjo-jogging at workout katulad nina Arin at Roi. Pagdaan namin sa obstacle course ay nagpaalam na sila sa akin at dumiretso naman ako sa camp store.

May iilan ding kumakain na pero buti na lang at marami pang bakanteng table at hindi ko kailangang maki-share. I ordered my favorite longsilog paired with a cup of coffee.

What I liked about eating alone was that I didn’t have to match the pace of others or talk to them. Mabagal pa naman ako kumain dahil gusto kong nag-o-observe sa paligid at nag-i-imagine ng scenes for my stories kaya madalas kailangan kong pilitin ang sarili ko na kumain nang mabilis kapag may kasabay.

Na-realize ko lang na medyo matagal na ako ro’n noong naabutan na ako nina Roi at Arin.

“Dito na kayo,” sabi ko nang makita ko sila.

“Katatapos mo lang?”

“Medyo. Saka nagkape pa kasi ako.”

Niligpit ko ang kinainan ko at ni-microwave ang tasa ng kape para mainit pa rin ‘pag bumalik ako sa cabin.

“Una na ako,” paalam ko sa kanila.

“Okay. Pagising pala si Zion kung tulog pa,” paalala ni Roi at tumango na lang ako.

I was walking carefully because the mug was still half-full and hot. Pagdating ko sa cabin ay sakto namang kalalabas lang ni Zion mula sa kuwarto. He was wearing his black sweatshirt, its hood hiding his tousled hair.

“Nag-breakfast na kayo?” he asked, still dazed.

“Mm,” I nodded while placing the mug on the low table. “Kaka-order lang nila and wala pa silang ka-share sa table.”

Bigla naman akong napatingin sa unan at kumot sa couch. “Uhm, thanks pala rito,” sabay turo ko ro’n. “Pero ginising mo na lang sana ako para hindi ka nawalan ng unan at kumot.”

“Saktong 3 a.m. na kasi no’ng napansin kong tulog ka na,” he said. “I assumed you wouldn’t want to be woken up at that time.”

“Oh.”

Thank goodness, he didn’t wake me up. Kung hindi ay baka hindi na ulit ako nakatulog dahil paniguradong maiisip ko ‘yung horror theme.

He tried to suppress a smile but failed. “Sinave ko nga rin pala ‘yung sinusulat mo and I deleted a page of aaaaaa,” he said as if he just uttered a good joke. “You were pressing the A key while asleep.”

Hindi ko alam kung mahihiya ba ako o maiinis. He was surely getting back at me for what happened yesterday.

“Well played,” I muttered.

He lightly snickered in response. “Ako na magbabalik niyan sa kuwarto,” sabay turo sa unan at kumot niya. “Kakain muna ako.”

“Okay.”

Pumunta siya sa banyo para mag-prepare habang nanatili naman ako sa living room at kinuha ko muna ang tablet since mukhang hindi pa naman sila magsusulat. Few minutes later, he left.

One of the good things about coffee is it makes you hyperfocused. Hindi ako madalas magsulat sa umaga dahil hindi pa nagfa-function ang utak ko pero dahil distracted ako kagabi ay ngayon naman nagf-flow ang creative juices. And mind you, I usually lacked creativity when it comes to romance, but I had so many scenes that I wanted to write right away.

My focus was interrupted by a loud thud. Agad akong napatingin sa kung saan nanggaling iyon at nakita kong nahulog ang isang decoration mula sa hanging shelf. I was staring at it for a few seconds before picking it up.

Baka dahil sa aircon, I thought.

Muli akong umupo at nagpatuloy sa pagsusulat pero ilang minute lang ang makalipas ay nagulat ako dahil may nalaglag na naman, and this time, it was the pen on the table.

“Oh-kay . . .”

That wasn’t a ghost, right?

Dali-dali kong binitbit ang kape ko at tablet palabas sa porch matapos kong kilabutan. 

I just finished setting up my workspace on the coffee table when the three came back.

“Bakit nandito ka sa labas? Ang init kaya,” komento ni Arin.

“G-gusto ko sa mainit,” I blurted out.

She looked at me as if I was insane. “But you can’t even sleep without the aircon on.”

“I-I have a change of heart,” I insisted.

Zion rested his fingers on his chin. “She’s either telling the truth, or she’s scared.”

I scoffed in return. “I am not scared—oh fck!”

If it weren’t for the wooden rails behind me, I would have tumbled backwards while sitting on the chair and screaming because Roi grabbed my right ankle from the other side of the railings. Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin at buti ay wala akong hawak na kung ano dahil baka nabato ko siya.

“Yup, she’s scared,” said Arin.

Zion whistled in amusement. “If looks could kill . . .”

“I’d be dead right now,” Roi continued while chuckling.

Nag-sorry din naman agad si Roi after that at sinamahan nila ako sa porch pero napatingil kami nang may biglaang announcement.

“Good morning, Challengers!” The familiar voice of Ms. Hanna blared from the speakers. “The challenge will take place at Eden Plateau at 7 p.m., therefore, you are free for the whole afternoon. Start steeling your nerves everyone! Good luck!”

The announcement was met with mixed reactions. I saw others rejoicing while some looked worried. And I belonged to the latter.

Bakit gabi? Nakakatakot naman na ang kahit anong horror house kahit umaga o hapon pa pumasok. And we had to cross the hanging bridge to go to the plateau. Wouldn’t that be dangerous?

“Oh my gosh, na-e-excite na ako!” squealed Arin.

“Walang matatakutin sa inyo?”

Sabay-sabay kaming napatingin sa cabin ng green team dahil narinig namin ang boses ni Lan. Nasa labas na rin pala silang apat.

“Sa amin meron,” sabay turo niya kay Les.

“Sorry,” she murmured.

“Mukhang volatile ang ranking sa challenge na ‘to.”

“’Di ba?” sabi ni Arin. “Kasi sa amin—”

“Wala,” Zion suddenly interrupted kaya napatingin ang lahat sa kanya. “Wala sa aming matatakutin. Right?” sabay tingin niya sa amin.

Hindi ko alam kung sino ang pinaka-confused sa aming tatlo habang nakatingin sa kanya. Ano ang tawag niya sa akin kung gano’n? Or was it because his competitiveness had been stirred up and he didn’t want to show them our weakness?

For some strange reasons, they believed him, and the topic naturally drifted to their real-life horror experience.

“I think it happened during my first year in high school,” Yena started telling her story. “Nagising ako bandang 2 a.m. dahil may kaluskos akong naririnig sa ilalim ng kama ko. I thought it was just my cat, so I opened the lamp on my bedside table and peeked below my bed.”

The group was intently listening while I wanted to escape from there. Lalo lang lalala ang mga naiisip ko dahil dito.

“I saw a pair of red eyes staring at me . . . and I realized my cat’s were blue. Kumaripas ako ng takbo papunta sa kuwarto ng parents ko at lalo akong natakot nang makita ko ang pusa namin do’n.”

“Shet, scary,” komento ni Arin. “Nakakatakot talaga kapag may space sa ilalim ng kama. Parang may manghihila sa ‘yo.”

To that, I agree. One of the reasons why I dislike bed frames with feet and prefer platform beds instead. Pakiramdam ko kasi parang may probability na may mag-stay sa ilalim na multo or kung anumang nilalang.

“Mine’s sleep paralysis,” sabi ni Zion nang tanungin naman siya sa experience niya. “You can’t shout nor move your body in that state, right? May nakatabi sa aking babae at nakatitig lang siya sa akin. Ang lapit pa ng mukha niya at halos luwa ang mga mata niya. Tapos natatakpan din ang kalahati ng mukha niya ng buhok.”

“Parang si Sadako?” tanong ni Lan.

“Yup. Like her. Mga ten minutes yata akong sumusubok na igalaw ang katawan ko no’n at gusto ko nang sumigaw dahil natatakot ako sa kanya.”

“I don’t want to experience that,” kumento ni Arin. “Parang mamamatay ako sa panic ‘pag ganyan. Tipong gusto kong sumigaw pero hindi ka makasigaw.”

That sounded scarier than Yena’s experience. Imagine not being able to move and scream for a long time while a being was staring at you. My skin crawled at that thought.

Sumunod naman na nag-share si Roi. “Recent lang ‘yung akin. Bago grumaduate. Nagra-run kasi ako ng program sa computer lab para sa thesis ko tapos overnight ‘yung duration. 9 p.m. ‘yung sched ko that time. Papasok na sana ako ro’n pero parang may naririnig akong nagta-type sa keyboard so akala ko may tao pa pero pagbukas ko, wala naman. Tinry kong isarado ulit ‘yung pinto tapos narinig ko na naman ‘yung tunog na nagtitipa sa keyboard. Dahan-dahan kong binuksan, pero maliit na awang lang kasi baka imagination ko lang pala. Pero puta biglang may sumilip na mukha ro’n sa maliit na awang ng pinto.”

“What the fuckkk,” sigaw ni Lan.

“Gagi, kinikilabutan ulit ako. Katakot ‘yon kasi biglang silip siya, eh, tapos alam n’yo ‘yung parang nanlilisik ang mga mata? Gano’n. Tumakbo talaga ako tapos tinanong ng night shift na guard bakit parang nakakita ako ng multo. Sabi ko, parang meron nga po sa computer lab. Sabi niya, meron nga raw talaga ro’n. Babae. Parang ayaw magpapasok do’n ‘pag gabi na kaya una niyang chinecheck ‘yung room na ‘yun ‘pag nagro-ronda para may tao pa kahit papaano.”

Hindi ko alam kung paano nila nagagawang magkuwentuhan ng nakakatakot nang hindi worried sa kung ano ang puwedeng effect no’n mamaya sa isip namin. Or maybe, it only had an effect on me.

Hanggang hapon yata ay nagkukuwentuhan ang mga tao about horror stories at may ibang nang-prank pa (yes, it was Ben, and I almost hit him in the head).

Around 5 p.m., we were asked to gather in front of the hanging bridge so we could cross while the sun was still up. Napaisip ako kung paano kami babalik pero baka may lodge naman doon na puwede naming pag-stay-han after.

“Are you ready, Challengers?”

“Yes!”

“No . . .”

Ms. Hanna chuckled at the different responses.

My heart was already racing in fear and my hands were turning cold. Puwede kayang mag-backout?

“Huy!” My shoulders flinched and I stifled a scream when I felt Arin’s hand on me. “Omg, sorry, Elix. Itatanong ko lang sana kung okay ka pa ba. Looks like I now know the answer. Pero seryoso, kaya mo ba?”

Honestly, no, but I didn’t want to be the reason why our team could lose.

“Yeah, sure,” I flatly said.

Isa-isa nang nagsisilakad sa hanging bridge ang mga tao kaya nagsimula na rin kaming gumalaw. Oh, how I hope someone would just cut this bridge so we couldn’t go on the other side anymore.

Bigla naman naming narinig ang tawa ni Roi sa likuran namin kaya napalingon kami.

“Tanong n’yo rin kung okay pa ang isang ‘to,” he said while pointing at Zion who looked as pale as a ghost, much to my bewilderment.

Wait, don’t tell me he’s afraid of heights?

Just then, realization hit me. Noong naghahanap ako ng coins sa bridge before, hindi siya sumama sa akin. I thought he was just letting me have the chance to get the coins since I failed spectacularly the first time, but it seemed like I was wrong.

“He’s either scared of heights or having an indigestion at the moment,” I said, and the two laughed at my words.

“Baka may c.r. do’n sa kabilang side, Zion,” Arin added.

His gaze shifted on me and pulled a tight smile. “Ha, ha. Funny.”

“Back at you.”

Nauna naman nang maglakad sina Arin at Roi kaya sumunod kami sa kanila. Nang makarating na kami sa bridge ay muli silang lumingon sa direksyon namin.

“Kaya mo ba, Zion?” tanong ni Arin.

“Yeah, I think,” he answered meekly.

We were already in front of the bridge and even I got a bit nauseous when I looked down. His lips were getting paler, too, and I knew that wasn’t a good sign. “Are you sure?” tanong ko.

He nodded, seemingly steeling his resolve. “I could use some help though.”

I heaved a sign and tapped my left shoulder. Might as well help him get through with this or we’d lose more points without him. Besides, medyo nabawasan ang kaba ko dahil nalaman kong may weakness din pala ang katulad niya. Well, besides having no sense of direction. “Hold onto my shoulder. ‘Yung isang kamay mo, ihawak mo sa rope.”

“Okay.”

He carefully placed his right hand on my shoulder, and we slowly crossed the hanging bridge. We were okay on the first half, but it suddenly swayed strongly when we were on the middle.

“Woah, woah, careful, careful,” he nervously said as he tightened his hold on my shoulder.

“Wait, don’t pull me.”

“Oh, shit, this is crazy.”

Yup. He couldn’t hear me anymore.

I wasn’t sure how we arrived safely on the other side given that his left arm was wrapped around my shoulders and neck, and I thought I’d get suffocated before we could finish crossing the bridge.

“Sorry about that,” sabi niya nang makarating kami sa Eden plateau at naglalakad patungo sa kung nasaan ang mga tao. “Okay ka lang?”

Napatigil ako nang makita ko ang isang malaking building sa harapan namin. “Not anymore,” I replied as I stared at the creepy Haunted House sign.

​Crap. I should have cut that damn bridge ropes.

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Chapter 16 >>

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