I was working in an occult shop in Quiapo. I usually work until the shop closed and would then walk from there to the LRT station to avoid the crowd during rush hour.

One night while waiting for the train, I noticed that there were only a few passengers around. It was so gloomy that I needed to pause what I was doing to look around, caught in the surreal sense that everything was like a dream. My vision started to blur when suddenly a man tapped my back.

"Hi, pa-Monumento ka?" He asked with a wide smile. He's gay as his shiny red lips and rosy cheeks say so.

"Opo" I answered. I secretly scanned him and assumed that he was an office man or a call centre agent according to the suit he was wearing.

"Pwedeng pasabay? Takot kase ako mag isa." he exhaled, "well, alam mo na.." he continued.

I nodded.

"Thanks" he replied. That's exactly when the last trip of LRT came and stopped in front of us. I checked the time and it's 9:25 pm.

There were a few empty seats, I saw him sitting on the other side, facing the windowpane, watching the city lights with sad eyes.

It's a long quiet ride and the only thing that you can hear is the screeching sound of the wheel.

As we reached our destination, I saw him walking ahead of me. The first stairways have a sign

..."CAUTION...

...Stairwell Closed...

...Please Use Other Access"...

So I walked the other way passing the said stairs.

What frightened me was when I saw him through my peripheral vision pass through the concrete wall!

I wasn't that sure of what I saw so I walked home, went to bed and thought nothing scary about the incident.

However, the following weekend, at the same time, in exactly the same place, the same man, wearing the same clothes, asked me the same question with the same answer as I nodded my head to avoid talking to him.

It freaked the hell out of me when he actually headed the same stairway and passed through the wall once again. I swear I wasn't hallucinating because, unlike the last time, I watched him with my two wide eyes walking and passing through the wall.

I remember the charm necklace from the occult shop which my boss gave me, he said, I should be holding its pendant whenever I feel an uncanny sensation.

Upon holding the pendant, I turned back to him but I was horrified when his bloody face was just an inch away from my face!

His trembling voice whispered,

"Tulong. Ayoko pang mamatay.."

I closed my eyes as hard as I could and prayed for his soul. After a few minutes, his presence was finally gone.

-

I told the story to my workmates and it chills me out when they told me about the call centre agent who's been stabbed to death by a thief in that area.

Dale Hepburn is a Filipino-American underrated vlogger who's spending more time searching rural places in the Philippines and roaming around to create scary content. He is fascinated with the paranormal stories in the country.

"Good morning, travellers!

For today's video, pupuntahan natin ang misteryosong sitio sa San Andres, the Sitio Man-og. Kilalanin natin ang sinasabing ermitanyong nakatira sa mountainside. Taralets?"

Dale said as he ends recording the video on his Sony ZV-1 camera.

After almost two hours of travel from the town, he finally reached Sitio Man-og. The said place is a little bit far from the center of the barangay and is composed of two puroks.

The place is merely spooky-down-town filled with distant nipa houses where most were ruined and abandoned. Green ancient trees and untrimmed vine plants hanging on the wall of some houses added to the chilling sensation as he roamed and recorded video in the place.

His subject for his content is the hermit residing in Sitio Man-og who's known for his black magick spells. Starring at the weedy arch, he entered the path full of thick long grass heading to the house of the hermit.

A bearded old man suddenly appears behind him, his fierce eyes stunned Dale, "Sino ka?" and before he answers, the hermit pulled him to his vintage house.

Dale introduced himself, started to record a video, and secretly took a sneak peek at the weird stuff of the house. "Mang Indoy, para saan po ang mga ito?" He fronts the camera to the glass jars filled with reddish fluid and different kinds of animal organs.

Mang Indoy, the hermit smirked while removing the cloth covering a cage. "Pagkain nitong mga anak ko."

Dale got shocked and amazed at the same time when he saw a huge number of snakes all together inside the cage.

Mang Indoy nudged him, "Gusto mo ba talagang malaman?" He asked with dreadful eyes.

Dale nodded.

With trembling hands, Mang Indoy took the flesh of a goat in the jar and hand over to him. "Kainin mo. Ipakita mo sa akin kung gaano ka ka-interesado."

He tried to refuse to eat the raw flesh by shaking his head.

"Ang nakasaksi at tumanggi ay hindi pinapalad na makalabas pang muli. Ang nakasaksi at tumanggap ay mamumuhay sa ilalim ng alapaap." Said the hermit with his evil ecstatic laugh.

Nervously, Dale understood the meaning of the phrase told by Mang Indoy. He slowly took a bite, and then another, and another one.

"Sa wakas!" the old man laughed victoriously "Matagal na kitang hinihintay. Ang tatanggap at magmamana ng aking paghihirap."

He continued eating the flesh of the goat.

"Oras na dumaloy sa 'yong katawan ang mga orasyon ng pagpapasa, ikaw na ang papalit sa akin at magpapatuloy sa pagpaparami. Magpakabusog ka sa pagkain nyang laman ng tao!" Said the hermit.

Dale nauseously spewed the flesh from his mouth and cried.

From that day, he suffers from a craving for human and animal flesh..

Inilapag ni Deus ang maletang dala at naupo sa malambot na kama. Makalipas ang halos isang araw nilang byahe ay nakarating din sila sa retreat house sa Baguio.

"Napakaganda pala rito sa Mirador, Prater kahit medyo iba ang pakiramdam ko rito sa bahay." wika sa kanya ng kapwa semenaristang si Alfredo. Silang dalawa ang magkasama sa kwarto para sa ilang araw nilang retreat session sa nasabing lugar.

Nagising si Alfredo sa kakaibang alinsangan na naramdaman nya. Takang taka dahil malamig sa Baguio at bukas ang bintana kaya't nakakapasok ang sariwang hangin subalit heto sya ngayon at humuhulas sa init.

Binuksan nya ang lamp shade na nakapatong sa table pagitan ng higaan nila Deus. Pupungaspungas ang mata ay sinipat nya ang oras sa relo. "3:00am" sa isip nya.

Bubuksan nya sana ang aircon at isasara ang bintana nang mapansin nyang wala si Deus sa higaan nito. Agad syang kinutuban nang makaamoy sya ng kandila at langis sa loob ng kwarto.

Dahan dahan syang tumayo at lumakad nang hindi binubuksan ang ilaw. Iniiwasan nya rin gumawa ng ingay sa paghakbang upang pasilip ang banyo kung nandoon nga si Deus.

Bahagyang nakabukas ang pinto kaya't kita nya ang liwanang ng kandila na nanggagaling sa loob ng cr. Lumalakas din ang amoy ng langis at kandila habang papalapit sya sa pinto.

..."EGO SUM ASMODEUS. DAEMONIUM LUXURIAE. EXAUDI ME DOMINE."...

Sinilip nya mula sa awang ng pinto si Deus nang marinig ang ritwal nito. Hindi pa sya mahusay sa mga dasaling latin subalit pamilyar sya sa mga salitang ito.

"Daemonium luxuriae. Demon of lust?" sa isip nya.

Naka clerical na itim si Deus na madalas nila noong gamitin sa pagseserve sa misa. Nakataas ang mga kamay na tila sumasamba. Nakaharap sa itim na kwadradong salamin na may nakasinding pinagdikitdikit na itim na kadila at nakatayo sa garapon na may langis.

"teka.. Ego sum Asmodeus? I am Asmodeus? Kaya Deus ang pangalan nya dahil sya si.. Asmodeus? The demon of lust?" Napagtagni nya ang mga ideya habang pinagmamasdan si Deus sa loob ng banyo.

Nanlamig ang buo nyang katawan nang makita ang repleksyon ni Deus sa salamin na tumingin sa kanya. Nanlilisik ang mata nito sa galit. Humakbang sya paatras subalit laking gulat nya nang lumingon sya at makita si Deus sa kanyang likuran na nakangisi at tila nahahayok sa kanyang amoy. Inaamoy at mariin sya nitong sinisiil ng halik sa leeg at pagkatapos ay doon na sya nawalan ng malay.

Kadiliman.

Nagising si Alfredo sa tila isang kawalan ng liwanag. Mag isa lang sya at napakadilim ng paligid. Tanging sarili nya lang ang nakikita nya. Maya maya pa ay para syang ihinehele ng mga haplos sa kanyang maselang bahagi ng katawan. Gustuhin man nyang tumanggi ay tila nasasarapan ang kanyang katawan.

Nagpakalunod na sya sa hindi mapigilang sensasyong dala nito sa kanya. "Aaasmodeus.." halinghing nya sa demonyong naglagay sa kanya sa itim na salamin.

---

Kumalat sa social media at tv news ang balita ng biglaang pagkamaty ng semenaristang si Alfredo sa isang retreat house sa Baguio. Ang sinasabing dahilan ng pagkamatay nito ay bangungot.