Winged Demon

“Now, for the Breaking News! A mythological winged creature suddenly appeared out of nowhere and tried to attack a marketing executive who just came out of a coffee shop in Fifth Avenue Makati. Security cameras in the area revealed that the said creature seemed to be a half-woman with the wings of a bat. As for the motive why the young lady is attacked by the manananggal, the police investigators are not yet able to search for an answer to the question as we speak. The name of the lady is withheld upon her request. This is Angelica Cruz reporting."

Mark turns the television off. He slumps into his Italian sofa, throws the remote on the couch, and contemplates what he witnessed the other night.

"That winged creature looks familiar. I think I have seen it before when I was younger."

There was a full moon that night. Mark is the only one left in their mansion with their Maids. His parents attended an important dinner function at the Moonstar Hotel by the Bay View Area and they told them that they might come home late.

A slight breeze blew from the West. Old folks used to tell in their bedtime stories by the fireplace that this is an ominous sign. They say that vile creatures hunt for their prey during these times. Mark knew all about this since he is an avid fan of mystery-horror stories. Yet he told himself a thousand times that evening these are just figments of his wild imagination. Nothing horrible is going to befall his parents. They are both good souls and God is watching over them from above.

He closed his eyes and tried to force himself to sleep. But his heart kept on beating so hard. The hairs on his head stood up. Something is wrong. His mom and dad never go home this late and they would've called moments ago to inform the maids.

The clock had just struck two when he heard sirens blaring by their backyard. He tiptoed towards the window where the moonlight was creeping through the cracks to see what the commotion outside is all about.

"Good evening Ma'am, is this the residence of Mr. Roger Bennett and Mrs. Sonia Bennett,?" one of the officers inquired from the maid who opened the main door.

"Yes, it is officer," she answered with a trembling voice.

"Is there something wrong?"

The man in blue stared at her then gradually said, "I'm sorry to notify you that both of them are dead. A bystander found their bodies lying lifeless on a ditch a few kilometers from here with their intestines scattered on the ground."

"He called us to report the incident and upon searching their belongings for identification, we learned that they were Mr. and Mrs. Bennett," the sergeant continued.

Tears began trickling down the cheeks, Mark. He heard everything that the policeman uttered clearly.

"His mom and dad are gone. He is all alone in this world, an orphan at the age of thirteen."

"What is he going to do now? Will the government and the social workers send him to the orphanage?"

Eerie thoughts about his future started to bother him that fateful night.

"No, he wouldn't allow this. I need to find the creature who killed my parents and I can't do that if I'm stashed away within the confines of the orphanage."

Mark hurriedly packed some of his clothes into a backpack and utilizing a makeshift rope he cleverly fashioned by tying together soiled bedsheets he rummaged from his laundry basket, unnoticingly slipped out of the rear window of his spacious bedroom. Without looking back, he sprinted as quickly as his young legs can carry him, out into the open highway. It was too late when the maids learned that he had run away.

"Anna, Mark is gone! He's not in his room when I came up to tell him that breakfast is ready."

"Oh gosh! What are we supposed to do?"

The two gazed at each other with no idea what to do next. Their head maid, sensing that there is a problem, hastily approached the crowd of servants that had mushroomed in the dining room. She investigated and analyzed the situation.

"Anna, call the police. Inform them of what has transpired. I will post a photo of Mark on social media, when it gets viral, the people who would see it can aid us in searching for him. He is the lone heir so it is vital that nothing bad befalls him or no one would harm him. He is too young to even defend himself from the attackers that lurked behind the shadows."

Acting with the wings of Mercury, the house servants were able to pinpoint his exact location. They are relieved to know that he is just a mere three blocks from the mansion. Because he is exhausted, he is not able to gain much ground navigating the concrete narrow routes leading away from the mansion. In a matter of hours, he is brought back to where his home is. They elaborated to him what he is in that household. They reiterated to Mark that he is the lone heir. And when he comprehended the reality of things he came to his senses and accepted his fate. Mark grew up to be a fine young man and despite his arrogance and lack of interest at some points in his life with his studies, the diligence of the servants remind him of the reason why he must get a degree motivated Mark which led to where he is now. Had they just let him be, he would have ended a useless bum on the street.

He received a substantial amount of heirloom from his parents. Besides the mansion and their company, they opened a million peso account for him. This enabled him to enrol in one of the prestigious universities in the United States. He is no longer the Mark he used to be. He is now a man with a single purpose in mind, to seek the demon that murdered his mom and dad years ago.