"I saw you go out last night!"
That’s how Meissy greeted him as he entered the kitchen. She was looking at him while making coffee. He had no intention of acknowledging her, so he just made his own coffee.
His head ached because since he arrived home at midnight, he hadn't slept at all. He had been thinking all night, worried about many things. He was considering all the possible intentions of the stranger who chased him in the woods. Whatever this person’s intentions were and what message he wanted to convey, he didn’t know. It was beyond his understanding.
"Are you listening?" Meissy raised her voice. "Where have you been? I thought you weren't okay?"
"I'm okay," he said calmly, his voice cold. "I didn’t see Tito and Tita," he decided to ask.
"They left a while ago; they start work early." She took some bread from the oven and placed it on a plate. She gave it to Gael.
"Why did you go out? Weren't you scared?" Meissy asked while sitting at the table, quietly sipping her coffee.
Gael sighed. "I want peace."
"You need to be careful, Gael. What’s happening here is no joke," Meissy reminded him, her tone serious. "After Ethan's funeral, did you hear? There were rumors that someone is showing up at the cemetery and in the forest."
He forced a smile. "Perhaps it was just a prank. People can be crazy." He took a sip of his coffee, hoping to change the subject. "How about you? Any plans today?"
"I was planning to visit Anya. We have a project to finish," Meissy replied. "What about you? Any plans?"
"I might just rest," he said. "I need to clear my mind." He took another sip of coffee. "Maybe I'll sleep the whole day. I didn’t get any sleep last night. I have a lot on my mind."
He felt lost. That was how he had been feeling lately. He didn’t know what would happen in the coming days, and no matter what happens, he couldn't prepare himself. He wondered if going back to Manila would stop everything. Would he not experience what was happening? But everything started in Manila.
His face brightened. What if he confided in his best friend, Matteo? Why hadn’t he thought of that sooner? Perhaps Matteo knew a lot about this, or at least he had some idea of what was going on with him.
Meissy left the kitchen without saying a word after finishing her coffee. He quickly finished his coffee and went back upstairs to his room. He checked his phone and found messages from his friends Eir and Xinc. They were checking up on him. They wanted him to come back.
"I miss you, guys." He smiled and closed his phone.
He flopped onto his bed, facing the door. His mind was racing. Maybe talking to Matteo could help. Matteo was his best friend, and he might have some insight or at least a different perspective on what was happening. Matteo had been in Sitio Tanglaw for a long time and he was sure he knew something. Matteo was the one who told him about Ethan Rodriguez’s death.
He wasted no time. He went to the bathroom, took a shower, and was dressed within minutes. He put on shorts and a simple t-shirt. Before leaving, he looked for Meissy but couldn’t find her. He remembered she mentioned visiting her friend Anya, so he assumed she had already left.
He took his bike and headed towards Matteo’s house. He was confident he remembered where Matteo’s house was. He knew the way to the room well. But the path had become overgrown and dense. The trees seemed taller and more menacing, their branches intertwining overhead to form a thick canopy that barely let any sunlight through. The air was thick and humid, filled with the scent of earth and decaying leaves.
What was wrong with this place? he wondered quietly to himself. It seemed deserted.
The path became narrower, almost disappearing under the wild undergrowth. Tall grasses and shrubs brushed against his legs, and thorny vines seemed to reach out to snag his clothes. The once-familiar route was now a maze of greenery and shadows. His imagination was active, the forest and trees seemed alive with eyes watching him.
But the other side of his mind remained positive. What if, like on his first day, this wasn’t the right path to Matteo’s house? What if it was an old road?
But it was the same road he had taken several times when going to Matteo’s house. What had happened? He couldn’t understand why the road to Matteo’s house had fallen into such disrepair. It was as if no one had traveled this way in years. The dense foliage closed in around him, and he had to dismount his bike several times to push it through the thickest parts.
The deeper he went, the stranger everything felt. The usual sounds of the forest, normally filled with chirping birds and rustling small animals, seemed muted, replaced by an eerie silence. It was as if the forest itself was holding its breath. Every now and then, he heard faint, unidentifiable noises that made his skin crawl—rustling leaves, snapping twigs, and distant whispers that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.
He pressed on, determined to reach Matteo’s house. His legs burned from the effort, and sweat trickled down his face. He remembered that Matteo’s house had no neighbors nearby, but now the isolation felt more profound, almost as if Matteo’s house was in another world entirely. The overgrown path seemed to stretch on forever, winding through the dense forest with no end in sight.