Vengeance

No one knows how these mysterious killings brought about by a veiled creature began. Some of the people interviewed by Mark in the past admit that such a being is just a myth, it only exists in one's wild imagination. Yet he believes otherwise. He is a victim of the handiwork of the manananggal. He became an unwilling orphan at a young age because of it. He vowed on the grave of his parents that he will leave no stone unturned in searching for their killer.

Before he applied for a job at Crypto. PH, Mark traveled to the United States for his Master's Degree in Business Administration. He enrolled at Mountain View University and honed his skills in crypto trading. After 3 years of hiatus, he came back to the Philippines and was hired as a Marketing Executive. His credentials spoke of how good he is and soon enough was awarded the gold anvil, a testament to his exemplary sales contribution to the company. All these went unnoticed in the eyes of Sarah. She still holds a grudge against him during the first quarter of stay in her institution. Although she hired him and admitted at the onset that she has forgiven him for what happened to their relationship, the pain remains embedded deep down in her heart.

Unknown to Sarah, her ex-boyfriend is suspecting her to be the manananggal who has been terrorizing the streets of Makati and the killer of his parents. During the times he is in the United States, he hired a team of researchers who are experts in the field of mythical creatures. He instructed them to focus on learning about the way a manananggal hunts its prey and how it masquerades itself as an innocent member of society. And cross-reference this with the evidence he gathered while in the Philippines on the lifestyle of Sarah.

After gathering enough evidence, he came home and decided to dig deeper. To do this, he disguised himself as an applicant.

"Good morning team!" he greeted his members with exuberance as he entered the office. This is how he motivates them so they would be inspired to aim for more sales daily.

"John, can you come over to my room? I need to clarify some things about last night." John gazed at him and winked his right eye, an indication that he comprehended what it meant.

"Were you able to take a photo of the creature?" he immediately inquired without wasting any time.

"Yes, I did. In fact, I had it printed. Here,"extending his left arm to hand Mark the brown envelope containing the photo.

"Okay, I'll take a closer look at it when I get home. Thanks, John."

Later that day, Mark brought the photo to his friend who is a professional graphic artist. He told him to make a comparison between the facial features of the manananggal and those of Sarah using an app that matches several facial contour points. A grade of 85 or higher indicates a strong resemblance and a possibility that the beings are the same.

The process would take an hour, so he opted to leave it and attend to his other concerns. The shop is a stone's throw away from the mall, so Mark proceeded to take an early dinner at a world-renown sushi bar. He loves Japanese food and he definitely cannot resist the temptation.

An hour has passed and he is back at the shop. His pal handed him the envelope containing the printout of the results. Slowly, he untangled the string the secures the cover of the envelope and pulled the rating sheet out.

Mark's eye grew big as a gopher when he read the score. It's a 95.8 match! He is correct after all. Now, all he needs to do is back up this evidence with more photographs that show Sarah is indeed the manananggal.

Acting swiftly, he groped for his phone in his side pocket and dialed the number of the Spirit-Hunters, a group of individuals from various walks of life who have devoted their lives in hunting down ghosts and mythical creatures. Through them he knows light will be shed on the mystery behind the death of his parents. This group is well-known all over the world for cracking the code on the most difficult cases. Hiring them can cost Mark a huge sum of money, but this does not bother him. He would exhaust all the resources that he has if only to catch the killer and get his vengeance once and for all.

"Tom, I've got a job for you." He then proceeded to give Tom the details.

Starting that day Sarah's life is put under the microscope. He vowed to keep a close eye on her and never miss a beat. He is dogged at unraveling the skeletons in her closet.

The detective that he hired tailed Sarah wherever she may go. Every hour he sends a report to Mark to update him on her whereabouts.

Not satisfied, he also posted a bounty on her head. He shared this ad in all the social media platforms knowing full well that this would make her life miserable. These hunters will turn the world upside down if only to find her and get the coveted prize.

"Yaya, I'm going to the gym. Don't cook dinner for me. I'm just going to grab something to eat at the nearby resto when I conclude my workout."

“Sure Ma’am. I understand.”

Stressed from a long day's work, she chose to unwind and let go of some steam. This is her habitual way of getting rid of the toxins in her body. In her reckoning, the sweat that flows out of her pores drives away the microorganisms that have clung to her. Aside from her exercise routine in the gym, she believes that tonight is special. It is forecast that a full moon will be rising from the East. It is time to go hunting and quench her thirst for blood. Yes, the blood of unsuspecting and innocent humans.