THE SOUND of the gun continued to murmur throughout the outskirts of the forest. Israel continued to fire his weapon over and over as though he had been drilling bullets into a person's head.The nearby animals are nowhere to be seen, fleeing from the place where the gunshots occurred."Jefe," a man called out.He, who was unfazed, just fired his weapon one more time before he lowered it through the ground."Don't waste my time if it's not important," he remarked immediately. He didn't even bother to look at his subordinate and just aimed right at a figure in the distance."It's about the madam, Jefe," the man continued.Israel aimed his gun back at the target and pulled the trigger. "Continue," he ordered."The doctor has finally finished checking up on her and said that she just suffered from shock that day. She had a slight fever since it was raining hard but will recover if given plenty of rest," the man reported before the sound of the gunshot echoed through the place again."Abo
AN ENDLESS nightmare—that's how Althea describes the thing that kept haunting her in her waking hours. Her hands were trembling, holding onto the sleeves of her pajamas, while the man in front of her would lean forward slowly in her direction.His eyes were glowing red, his lips curled into a frightening smile, and the shape of his teeth was sharp and rigid. He was a monster, a devil of some sort. And in one instance, the man comes, launching himself in her direction, and she almost screams at the top of her lungs."Horrible . . ." Althea mumbled to herself when she realized it was all a dream. She found herself drenched in sweat, her chest gasping for air as she almost flew through the bed with her disheveled hair.When she looked through the four corners of the room, the first thing she noticed was the flare of the candlelight and a chair by her bedside.It looked like time had passed since she fell asleep after dinner. The sky was still dark and rigid, while silence was her only c
ALTHEA took a deep breath as she felt the gust of wind hit her face. The cold breeze of the wind was brushing past her bare face as she looked at the night sky with a longing look in her eyes.It has been quite some time since she was able to get a full glimpse of the night sky. However, her body seems to tremble quite often, more so whenever she is alone in a room with the windows open.She stared through the emptiness of the sky, the stars blinking and the cotton clouds forming.Despite the beautiful scenery in front of her, she couldn't help but long for her hometown. She knew that she lived a vulgar life ever since she was young, but for some reason, there doesn't seem to be any memory left in her, starting at the time of her waking state in his vehicle.She rested her chin on her left palm. It seemed as though her dream of escaping this place was like a distant dream now. She exhaled a sigh.It has been a week since the doctor said that she had longed to recover from her fever. H
AN INTOXICATING moan escaped her lips as she felt the man plant kisses all over her body. His lips traced each and every nook of her skin, which sent a shiver down her spine.Pleasure—that was the only thing that engulfed that night. Althea could feel the desire in his eyes as he stared right at her with those same dark brown orbs. She thought that she hated them, but it seemed like today she yearned for them to look at her.The man's hands traveled towards her waist, his clothes roughly scruffy as he pulled her close to him.It didn't matter if Althea felt numbed by the uncomfortable position of lying down on the table. What matters to her right now is the unbearable sensation she wishes to continue.A groan escaped her lips when she felt him bite her on the neck. Despite the numbing pain from his action, she still wouldn't stop moaning at the sensation of his hand lowering towards her legs.Slowly, Israel went down to her thighs, his hands softly caressing her legs as he put his lip
LOVE could be a dangerous weapon. If not handled well, things could take a turn, and you won't even notice until you're the next victim.Israel crossed his legs in front of the people kneeling. They all had that pathetic look on their faces as he stared at them with a detached look on his face.As he played with his gun above the table, the sound of the men's heavy breathing engulfed the four corners of the room. The fear in their eyes was visible, as though they knew what would happen next."So, you were all the survivors of the night, Peter put our work at risk," he started after a short while. He lit a cigarette stick hidden in his pocket before he looked at the man kneeling in the middle."Y-Yes," the man uttered in response. The people in front of him were foreigners from a country named the Philippines. Their skin is close to tan with black hair; they are commonly mistaken for Latinos rather than Asians.Israel suddenly grabbed onto his collar, and with his cigarette, he burned
THE PLACE was surrounded by the chatter of the crowd, while the place was neatly decorated with distinguished lighting all over. Fancy cars could be seen everywhere, from the parking area to the side of the road, while men and women wearing luxurious attire had a smile on their faces.Just as a car suddenly stopped in front of a huge building, a man came out of the door, his hair combed upward, wearing a black tuxedo. Clenching his jaw, his eyebrows immediately arched into a frown as he looked at those who would dare stare at him.The gossips immediately died out at the sight of the man, and they all felt fearful, lowering their gazes at the sight of him.Meanwhile, the man stood there proudly as he adjusted his necktie. He wiped a gloss of tainted lipstick across his lips before his eyes darted at the door of his vehicle, where a woman suddenly came out of nowhere.Adorned in a black strapless dress with long gloves across her arms, the man pulled her close to him and put his arm aro
ALTHEA let out a horrendous shriek when her eyes met the man's eyes for the first time. Her heart was pounding hard, and she was catching her breath as she found herself almost trapped in his domain.She ran towards the gate, her hands sweating and trembling in a panic. When she successfully opened it, what greeted her was the thing she feared the most."Hopelessness."Her eyes watered in desperation as the man came nearer and nearer to her. She sobbed hard as the man lifted her chin a little, staring into those black orbs of hers. If only she could escape this hell.* * *ONLY THE sound of the teacup cluttering above the table engulfed the four corners of the room as the two of them remained silent. Althea, who was dumbfounded by the woman's sharp words, suddenly felt uncomfortable with her, knowing full well that she didn't seem friendly and inviting at all."Are you mute?" the woman continued to ask her, which reverted her back to reality. Immediately, she shook her head."N-No,"
DARKNESS was the first thing that could be noticed in the vast place, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps and groaning echoing through the four corners of the room.In one instance, a person drops to the cold, hard ground, his blood dripping down from his forehead.His face was swollen from all the bruises and wounds he sustained, and it was obvious with just a glance that he was having a rough time breathing.A foot suddenly stopped in front of his vision, and his eyes slowly lifted to look at the person with black leather shoes.Immediately, a man fills his eyes with a dark expression on his face. The man looked at him with coldness while lighting a cigarette stick."J-Jefe," he uttered in a weak tone. His eyes were immediately filled with tears, as though he wanted to beg his master for a drop of mercy.Israel didn't say a word. The thoughts in his head couldn't be discerned as he heard the man sobbing in small whimpers."Please, I beg of you . . . I won't do it again," the ma
"Endless Nightmare."• • •SHE STOOD there lifelessly as she let the water overflow her body. As it dripped down to her skin, she could feel warmth engulf her all over.Once she finished her agenda at the grave, she quickly rinsed herself off the dirt. It was a good thing the man did not put up a fight and just died peacefully in her hands.She even heard him mutter words of disdain to her, but she could care less about him.She rolled her eyes in the back.Now that she had seen him again after a year and a few months, she couldn't help but feel annoyed.She remembered catching a glimpse of that man named Israel Sibal at an auction party held by the other mafiosos.She attended the event with a man she seduced named Erickson Harrison in an attempt to infiltrate their business information, but she learned nothing worthwhile.However, when she saw him before shooting him dead just earlier, she couldn't help but pity him.It seemed as though he was resisting the curse as best as he could
"Te amo, Amor."• • •ISRAEL stared right at the window of his office as he played with the gun right across his hand.He could hear the people from the outside chattering in delight as a new woman entered his household and slowly changed the mansion into a so-called "home."His eyes turned to look at his subordinate, who was silently writing his draft when he opened his mouth to speak."Say, what do you think of the woman I brought home?" Israel asked Carlo, which made him lift his head for a second."Señora Althea?" the man inquired before Israel realized his words. He gritted his teeth and just took out a cigarette stick from his pocket."Nevermind," he muttered to himself before he lit the end of it and started smoking in his office."The señora is a meek lady," the man replied after a short while. "She is a beauty I have never seen, but she always had that fear flushed through her face."A smirk suddenly drew attention to his lips."Really?" Israel asked before he leaned his chin
"Amor."• • •THE SOUND of the leaves brushing past each other engulfed the whole place as the scenery filled the surroundings with nothing but a pitch black night sky and the dull white color of a full moon.The night had just started, and at exactly twelve o'clock in the morning, the sound of digging could be heard from miles away."Theodora Althea Corazon Sibal." A baritone voice speaks in a slow, emphasized manner.His hands were wrapped around a shovel; he was dressed in a white polo shirt and dirty black pants from the soiled, muddy ground.His perfect forehead started to drip sweat while his muscles from the arms flexed to his legs from the constant action of digging.A place for the undead.The cold touch of the air kissed the dry tombstone of a person not too far away from him as he continued to dig through the land. He needed the perfect place to fit his wife, as she would rest for a long, long time."No te preocupes, Amor, nos volveremos a encontrar," [Don't worry, Love, we
ALTHEA GASPED as soon as she woke up. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in the same bedroom she used to sleep in and saw a man's face not too far from her. It was none other than her husband who had a worried look on his face while holding onto her hand. "You're finally awake, Amor," the man said, which immediately gave her a sense of guilt. She couldn't help but remember the piece of paper she found at the library and she feared that she was cheating with her husband. "Y-Yes," she replied, stuttering. She couldn't look straight into his eyes upon discovering what she had been doing. "Why won't you look at me in the eyes? Are you hurt anywhere? Is your head still throbbing?" the man asked her one after the other that just made her more guilty. She gulped and then slowly looked into his direction. "I-I'm sorry for causing you trouble, I-I'm fine," she commented. Behind Israel was a man wearing the same white coat but he was a different man from before. He looked familia
"THERE has been no news yet about the whereabouts of the man named Carlo Manolo Cabrera, who was soon revealed as the ring leader of the leading human trafficking and illegal drug distribution throughout the country.""He is said to be hiding from the local police after his dark secret had been found out, and he is now renowned to the world as one of the leading international criminals that should be attended by the world's government.""If in any case you find the man roaming on the streets, please make sure to call the authorities with this number and—"Althea blinked her eyes at the sight of her maid closing the television. Her name was Susan, a 25-year old woman who has been serving the Sibal since she was in her teen years."I'm sorry, madam, but it's already time for your lunch," the woman followed, which just made her nod her head."Alright," she replied before she sat down in the dining area of the vast room while the woman started preparing her food in front of her.For some
HER VISION was filled with the brightest color of white, which made her squint her eyes as soon as she opened them.She could feel her head throbbing badly and her body aching all over.When she roamed her eyes again to look at the place, she was met by the unfamiliar furnishings, which made her crease her forehead."W . . . Where am I?" she asked, almost in a panic at the sight of unfamiliarity. She couldn't remember anything at all, especially how she ended up in such a bad state.Coincidentally, a man wearing a white coat and a woman wearing a uniform came inside her room.The two of them looked freshly cleaned. As soon as their eyes met hers, their eyes widened in shock for a second."Y-You're finally awake, madam!" the man uttered in a stuttering manner. The relief in their voices could be heard, followed by the woman quickly grabbing the telephone to call someone over."What happened? Who are you?" Althea inquired. It feels like her head would explode at any moment at just the
LINDA feared the lights out of her when she heard those words echo from the vast room of the headquarters. As soon as his voice dominated the place, she feared that something bad would have happened to her mistress, but to her surprise, nothing did. The loud, deafening sound of the gun was not aimed at her or Althea at all. It was aimed directly at the man who was about to attack her mistress. Meanwhile, Althea just stood there emotionless, not even blinking at the sight of a body dropping to the ground in front of her. She was like a corpse that was breathing but lifeless. It seemed that her trauma was surfacing on her more and more, and she became an immobile doll.Linda came rushing towards her mistress' side; however, she was immediately halted at the sound of the trigger clicking."A dónde crees que vas?" [Where do you think you're going?] the man repeated. She slowly turned around to look at Hugo and noticed that it was aimed directly at her. She stretched her arms into the t
THE EXPRESSION on her face grimaced as soon as she noticed the doubts in Linda's face. Her eyes were almost crazy-looking as she panted over and over while holding onto her maid tightly on the shoulders. "You won't help me?" Althea asked in a horrid tone, sending Linda a shiver down her spine. "W-What?" Suddenly, she felt her mistress' nails dig into her skin. She could feel her skin scrape as Althea looked at her with those same devouring eyes. At that moment, it felt like her mistress was not the same person at all. "If you're not helping me, I'll kill you," she added, which stopped her breathing for a second. The woman then removed her hands from around her shoulders, and in one instance she felt a knife close to her stomach, inching toward her to stab her slowly.It looked like Althea was determined to stab her if she makes noise or does anything that displeases her, which makes her fear her. She might be a trained subordinate in the Sibals; however, her strength wasn't that gr
"ALTHEA," a man's voice called, which made her open her eyes slowly. As soon as a figure erupted in her sight, her orbs widened in shock, letting out a gasping sound. And in one instance, she woke up from a terrible dream with the face of the man's face engraved in her mind.Those terrible red eyes were staring right at her, lusting after her body. It felt like, for a moment there, she was back in the past.After just a few seconds of her hyperventilating, she noticed she was drenched in sweat. She found herself in the same room she had been sleeping in for the past few months, and beside her was the monster who oppressed her in this small cage.She got up from the bed, her thoughts jumbling all over the place. She walked straight to the washroom, the silence of the room accompanying her. Judging by the moonlight from outside the window, she can tell that the time is moving slowly and that it is only past midnight.She washed her face on the sink, letting the cold touch of the water r