Chapter 3

He didn't want to play the hero in this story. And even though he was the protagonist, he absolutely refused to take responsibility and simply accept his so-called fate of protecting these indigenous people from something that only eight year old children believed. Actually, make that eight year old children from the barrios believed. And those descriptions didn't fit him. He was born and bred in the big city, far from the mountains and its dwellers. He lived and breathed industrialization and modernization. Not myths and fantasies.

Gabe wiped the sweat off of his forehead and sighed. How in the world did his life get so complicated?

"Are you going to help us or not?" Grumbled one of the men who was up on a coconut tree. Actually, Gabe didn't exactly know how he got there, but he supposed it was the prowess of a mountain dweller who was used to these usual stuff. Gathering coconuts, palm leaves and harvesting crops and meat. Some of the women had to come down the mountain to sell off the stuff they harvest at a small kiosk at the foot of Isarog.

To be honest, he wanted to tag along and take in the provincial city. He had been staying in the damned province for nearly a month now but he hasen't set foot in the heart of the city yet. He was sure there were malls and clubs and libraries. He needed to go to a library. At this point, any library would do. He just wanted an intellectual to reason to him and affirm that his situation is quite the absurdity of the century.

"I would like to help you, but as you can see, I am incapable of doing anything that fits as helping." He said and glared at Isko. Some of the people in Isarog were nice to him, but there were still certain people who looked down on him and to Gabe, it seemed as if they hated him. He would like to have a friendly relationship with them, but some people were just plain difficult. Like Isko, for an example. He would keep asking Gabe to do things that he was sure he won't be able to do and once Gabe admits he can't the man would say,

"Useless foreigner." in a spiteful tone and glare at him condescendingly. Gabe hated the feeling of being the receiver of such spite, but he didn't know how to deal with it properly nor could he figure out why he was being hated.

"I'm sorry for being born, okay? I get it. I'm the source of all misfortune that you guys are into and I'm honestly trying my best to help." Gabe would respond, frustrated, and would promptly pick up anything he could see that might be considered as helping.

The worst part of living among them was the death threats and schemes that were whispered in the dead of the night. It was very troubling. Schemes of ending his life, with the logic that if the first born male dies, all worries and misfortune would die along with him. And just like any other man, Gabe feared death. He didn't want to die. He was only 21, after all. He still wanted to get a job, a girlfriend, get married, get a nice house and a car, a large balcony, have kids and even see his grandchildren. He wanted to live long enough to tell the tale of Haliya to his grandkids. Especially about how he got dragged back to Bicol just to appease a non-existent life force that was sucking the luck out of people.

He wanted all of that.

Everything that life could possibly offer.

"Yeah, you do that." Isko added sarcastically and dropped a coconut carelessly. "I forgot to say watch out, so watch out." And he would probably prefer it if the fruit would fall straight on Gabriel's head.

But with people planning his demise, he couldn't be too careful. Couldn't be too trustful. Everyone thinks that killing him would be the answer to their problems. After all, he was the root of all their problems. They have lived happily with no care for the age old myths haunting them for centuries. But now, it has come to this. All because of a caesarean delivery at the Philippine General Hospital on that fateful summer night. It couldn't even be more perfect because of the beautiful full moon that shone in that star studded sky.

"God, I'm leaving this wretched place, I swear. I don't even care if you get eaten by monsters anymore! I hate this!" Gabe said and stormed back to the tiny village. He entered the hut he was living in and hurriedly grabbed all his clothes and chucking them into his backpack. That's right. He didn't care. Why should he, anyway? He was the one who willingly came here to help them and this is how they repay his kindness and compassion? With death threats and actual ploys?

This is insane.

"I'm going home! To hell with all of this shit!" He said and tossed in his extra shoes and the odd native clothing the kids gave him.

They were all ungrateful ingrates who only cared for themselves, anyway. He thought angrily as he tried to fit all of his belongings inside his bag. He still had some shirts that were hanged outside to dry. But he could leave those here. Those were just some cheap stuff he got from a thrift store anyway.

"You do know they're just scared, right?"

Gabe jumped out of surprise when a voice startled him from his thoughts.

"Tesa!" He blurted out and went silent for a while. Although Gabe continued packing.

"They're just scared and they're only doing what they think would help ease the situation." Tesa continued and sat in front him. She took out some of his clothes and neatly folded them before placing them back in the bag.

"But it's stupid."

"It might be, but that's the only way they know. Not unless we find something out." She said," but for the meantime, endure it and try not to fall for their traps and get killed in the process." Tesa has been always logical and nice. She was the daughter of their current priestess. She was pretty cute too, even with her kinky hair and dark skin. She also often goes down to the city to work. Gabe even believes that she was the only one who has a normal job among the tribesmen.

She's pretty smart too, since it seemed like she was the only one who graduated high school.

"I want to go home, Tesa. I really do, but I also want to help you guys, you know? It's not like I want to abandon you and just let those monsters rip your belief apart. I'm culturally and faith agnostic, but I don't want to deprive you or belittle your own set of beliefs."

"You're being overly dramatic, Gabe."

"Maybe I'm just getting tired of the scenery?"

Tesa sighed and shot the man a glare.

"Fine, I'll ask the chief if you could come with me on Monday."

To think that all it took was that offer to calm the man down was already horrifying. He has been like a child throwing tantrums just to leave the house. And once the chieftain agreed, Gabe was very pleased.

"FINALLY!" he said and hugged Tesa when she brought him the news.

Right now, Gabe couldn't be happier. And the only thought that ran in his mind was that he could finally spend some of his money for something province-like to bring home. Like a souvenir. Although he wasn't sure when he could finally go home. Maybe it would take him some more months or even years. But he would definitely go home. Even if it kills him.

Although he really would prefer it if he wouldn't get killed.

So then came Monday. It seemed like it would have been a perfect day. Especially since Gabe would finally be able to go the places he looked up on the internet before he left Manila. He would surely want to stay in a hotel even for just a day or two. Then maybe go clubbing. His thoughts were all positive and full of excitement. He even dreamt it. The things he would do, the places he would see. Everything.

Except when he was on finally on the good part of the dream, he was roused by a hard kick in the stomach. At 2 in the morning.

It would have all been good if he was given a cup of hot chocolate or maybe a freshly brewed coffee. But Tesa made him run on mere stream water. Gabe had to admit that the water tasted different from that of the water he drinks in the city. This one tasted sweeter, if that was possible. Plus, it really felt like it was placed in the refrigerator overnight. Tesa merely told him that 'of course, it's fresh and cool. It's from Isarog, duh.' As if not knowing that certain information was moronic.

Although he really would like it better if it had caffeine in it. He was someone who lived on three cups of coffee as a minimum and living up here felt like a rehabilitation for caffeine addicts to him.

So now, here he was walking down the steep slopes of the mountain, trying his hardest not to step on anything dangerous, like a snake, for an example.

"Why do I feel like we've passed through here already?" Gabe said as he flashed his torchlight around the tall trees that towered over them.

He felt Tesa grab his hand and squeezed it tightly.

"It's because we have." She muttered under her breath through gritted teeth.

Gabe felt fear climb up his spine and squeeze his heart, sending a shiver down his back. He could feel something bad about the way she responded to him. It was as if Tesa was scared. But what could she possibly be scared of?

In the few weeks he stayed with the tribe, he had only been with Tesa for about six days. Every Saturday and Sunday. And in those six days, he found out that she was the type of person who would never show her weaknesses to anyone, not even to the little kids. She was smart, nice, but very stern and firm. Kind of scary, to be honest.

"What is it?" Gabe whispered to the woman, fear eating up his own shadow as he tried to walk beside Tesa. But she didn't even answer and it only made his fear worsen. In the myths that he heard his grandfather shared, there was a certain mystical being that confused travellers and once those travellers are lost, those beings would prey upon them, devouring every last bit of their humanity.

A tikbalang! He thought. "I think we should start turning over our clothes.." Gabe suggested, but just as the words escaped his lips, a dull laughter resonated in the forest. This made him cling closer to Tesa.

It sounded almost forced and, well, dead.

"That would be pointless. We're being stalked. God, why didn't I even notice it?" Tesa said and glared at the distance. Gabe wasn't too sure with what's going on, though. Who was stalking them? Could it be one of the tribesmen planning to kill him again?

But they wouldn't be able to replicate a whole 500 meters of the mountain just to do that. Something different was at work here. He knew it. But couldn't bring himself to believe it.

"Ah, the descendant of Haliya. You're truly beautiful as the rumours say."

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