the visitor (3)

ling finally paused. for almost the entire afternoon, having already overturned almost every file on her disheveled desk, she had been trying to figure out why her accounts would not balance. this unnecessary hassle is not good, she thought while her patience was slowly beginning to wear thin. maybe she overlooked a file, she reasoned to herself. ling was not prepared to throw in the towel yet for indeed, there has yet been a problem that she could not solve. as she sat on her old narra chair again, a sudden uneasiness befell her. she was about to brush off the feeling as mere nonsense but the discomfort persisted. something was amiss. "something is wrong" she mumbled. she felt the key resting on her bosom. she took it on her hand and held it tight. despite not knowing what was happening, she swore she was starting to feel anxious. she had to know. she had to check. she then did something completely out of the ordinary, she left her work behind. she rose from her chair and quickly went out into the corridor.

tasya was just about to doze off into her nap when she heard a loud knock on her door. even before she could get up from her bed, naynay ling entered, looking unusually worried. "where is he?" she asked. "i don't know. in his room most probably. why? anything wrong?" naynay ling did not answer. she simply frowned as if tasya's reply was not enough. "i have to do something. if it's not too much of a bother, kindly go to his room and stay with him until i say everything is ok. whatever happens, do not leave him until i come for you. do i make myself clear?". "why? what's happening?" "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" surprised by naynay's sudden outburst, tasya nodded. and as quickly as she came in, naynay ling exited back into the corridor, her heavy footsteps fading fast as she walked away from tasya's room. "what's up with her?" tasya scoffed. still feeling the fatigue of the afternoon and toying with the idea of sneaking in a brief nap, tasya, feeling rather defiant, ignored naynay's request and made herself comfortable again on her bed.

the child rested quietly in his slumber. nestled in his large bed, one would think such a precious thing was now being cradled in his dreams. however, this was far from truth for his slumber was devoid of any such pleasantness. his sleep was hallow, like his mind was frozen in time and space. his body laid still on his large bed, almost looking dead apart from the fact that his chest still gently rose and fall with each breath he took. rest then, little one. rest well for the worse is coming.

* * * * *

the sound of naynay ling's voice roused ate tasya from her nap. she heard her running down the corridor and the sound of her urgent steps got her on her feet as well. "natas'ya! natas'ya!" shouted naynay, her voice filled with panic. ate tasya ran out of her room, just in time to meet naynay running by her door. her face was ashen and her expression was filled with fear, made even worse when she saw tasya emerge from her room. "what are you doing there!? didn't i tell you to stay with your brother? GO! there's no time to waste. i will try to buy us more time. hide him quick! he must not be found!" screamed naynay, almost in a frenzy as she shook tasya by her shoulders. letting go and looking crazed, she ran back up the corridor and disappeared when she turned the corner. startled by naynay's words, tasya found herself running towards the child's room. she ran down the same distance as the child's quarters was only across the corridor yet upon her arrival, to her utter disbelief, his room was not there. indeed, where once was the door to her brother's room, now stood in its place, a solid wall, and it was a strange wall for it did not look familiar to her at all. she then took her gaze away and at that moment, took a look at her environs. she was in a different corridor. nothing was the same, everything was different as if she was in another house. her heart started to race as this was not making sense at all. she had to crouch as she was starting to feel light headed. where was she? where was her brother? she tried to look around again, desperate to find something she could recognize. she finally did, to her shock for she found the locked door where it should, two doors down from the room that she came from, only this time, the door was ajar.

"aaaaaaahhhhh!!!!! ate!!!!!!" shrieked the child at the top of his lungs, it almost made tasya jump out of her skin. desperate to find him, she quickly called out to the child, hoping his voice would lead her to him. "ate!!!!!!! help me!!!!!" screamed the child again. his voice coming from a room not far away. tasya ran towards it and rushed into the room, only to behold a sight that made her knees go weak. "ate..... help...... me......" cried the child as he convulsed in mid-air, his clothes being ripped into shreds with each ballistic flaring of his little body. he wriggled in pain as he contorted to almost inhuman configurations. "stop it!!" screamed tasya as she jumped up to grab the child from floating, using her own weight as an anchor to bring him down. the air offered no resistance and both siblings fell down to the floor, crying and shaking in pure fear.

"i won't let you! no!!!" the voice of naynay broke the two from their tight embrace. it came from outside in the corridor. "i have to see, naynay may need my help" tasya said. the child began to cry again. he was too afraid and did not want to be left alone, not now, not after all that has happened. he wanted everything to stop, for everything to go back to how things were, but knew it was just an empty wish. "i can't just leave naynay alone. she needs me! you have to hide now. i will come back for you. don't leave this room. i will come back for you, i promise. here, take this, and don't leave this room!" she gave the child a large maglite flashlight and quickly rushed out of his room and locking the door behind her. "don't let anyone in unless it's either naynay or me." she said from the other side of the door, then ran up towards where they heard naynays voice last.

the child was trembling again now. he wanted his ate and naynay there with him. he wanted them there so bad. he began crying loudly, chocking on his tears, himself being overrun by this intense sense of dread. he could still hear naynay's scream. he could also remember his own cries as he floated above his bed. he also remembered the voice, the low, deep, calm voice that was whispering in his ear as he levitated from his bed as he slept. how it said that it had been looking for him all this time. he remembered how that voice made him feel, the same faint feeling he had before he collapsed in front of the door. it sucked him dry. "stay away from him!!!!!!" he heard ate tasya's voice scream, followed by banging sounds and smashing glass. he then heard a cry, ate screaming, a loud thud then followed by dead silence. "ate..... naynay......." the child cried. he didn't want to entertain what the sounds could mean. he didn't want to believe it. he remembered then what his ate had instructed him, to hide. they will come for me, he kept saying to himself. they will come for me. he then stood up, hand clutching the metal flashlight, and went inside his room's closet and waited for his rescue.

outside, the corridor laid still now, apart from the shadow that now loomed over the far end, it's owner looking rather pleased.

to be continued