Moonlight Curse: The Hunger

Chapter 10

"Prepare for battle, young one." Ama instructed an eleven year old me.

We were somewhere in Bicol chasing a family of aswang. Nana was with us too, and she was already marching forward holding out her favorite weapons, a pair of Chinese butterfly swords made from pure silver and steel with a kamagong hilt. Those blades were sheer perfection and gave the bearer a sense of strength, agility and flexibility like kung-fu warriors. Definitely, Nana's fighting skills were the extensions of those magnificent sword sets. 

Amongst seasoned hunters, she was called Nana Balitok. Balitok is an Ilocano word meant for gold in English. It's not because she was wealthy or had hidden gold bars, but because of her signature fighting move called the "Balitok common sense technique" of acrobatic flip or back-flip to evade enemies and combination of kicking to hit opponents. 

Ama marched on too following his younger sister, he too was holding out his weapon, the impressive Hagibis he himself had forged under a full moon using the purest of silver hair and coats of a she-wolf matriarch or popularly known to the locals as "Kiwig". The knife's design dated back to the Spanish occupation, which was made for only one purpose... to kill. It was popularly known in the 1960's as "the killing knife". Being the patriarch of the Rapisura clan, Ama had to make this weapon for himself.

While I was summoning my inner strength, my legs trembled. I could hear the screams of the terrified barrio folks.

The aswangs were terrorizing a village near the foot of Mount Mayon. Children were screaming for their parents. And amongst those chaotic sounds, were the angry screams, monstrous growls and shrill cries of the aswangs. They created a symphony of hell which I clearly heard just meters away from where I stood.

In my right hand was a long weapon loaned to me by Aunt Gloria, it was her beloved Northern Spear with its halberd style razor sharp spear head permanently fastened to a solid hardwood shaft. It was too long for my height to carry properly so I awkwardly lunged forward and into the gloomy scene of pure nightmare.

People were running in every direction. Houses were set on fire. A birdlike creature landed on my shoulder, pushed me down and I was thrown face down to the muddy ground. At lightning speed I turned to lie on my back, wiped off the mud from my brows and saw the aswang swooping down on me. I used both feet to kick it on its midsection and then thrust the long spear into its neck. I kicked my feet on the air and jumped landing in a squat position, getting ready to finish my enemy. It was still flapping its huge wings above me while clutching its b****y neck. Holding the spear by the middle horizontally over my shoulder, angled and slanted a little higher to target the agonizing aswang, I threw my weapon as hard as I could hitting its chest. The shot shocked the creature. It clutched the spear as it crashed to the ground screaming like a tortured giant dog. I walked slowly towards it and pulled the spear making it scream louder in pain. I fumbled for my oil bottle while trying to hold the spear on one hand. I emptied the boiling hot content on the aswang's face and threw my lighter on it. I ran as fast as I could away from the exploding monster. Boom! Dust and ashes were everywhere.

I then reached the center of the village and saw Nana and Ama fighting the biggest meanest looking aswangs I had ever seen and I just stood there frozen with fear. The aswangs were circling my grandparents who were back to back. They flew simultaneously towards the pair of hunters on the ground, with just two swift movements of Ama's and Nana's weapons wounding the creatures who screamed like dying exorcised demons. They landed hard on the ground and were about to transform, when Ama and Nana lunged forward to chop their heads. Two more came out of nowhere, flying above their heads, mad with anger for their fallen comrades. I could not leave my spot.

Until a girl about my age caught my attention, she too was watching the battle transfixed as I was. She was on the other side of the scene. Like we were facing each other, seeing each other, yet our attentions were both drawn by this epic battle.

Ama was fighting a male aswang then, while Nana was fighting a female one. I assumed they were husband and wife. Ama struck the right wing of the creature then slashed his head in a single stroke. Nana in an alternate strike of her Butterfly swords also decapitated the female creature. They never stood a chance from them.

Then, the girl screamed, her face turned from being an angelic feature to that of a deranged animal. Her shrill cry pierced and silenced the night. Ama and Nana found the girl but before any of my grandparents got to her, she was gone.

"Maya, what are you doing? Find the girl!" Ama bellowed and I ran after her, forgetting my fear. Along with some men from the village, we scoured the forest. At some point, I got separated from the rest.

I was far too deep into the forest then. Daybreak was just two hours away when she jumped in front of me and sent me crashing on the ground. Lying on my back, surprised and disoriented, she crawled onto my chest and her face was distorted and pure evil. Her eyes were glaring red. Her mouth was that of a predator with sharp teeth and long slimy tongue. She hissed and clawed repeatedly on my chest. I was paralyzed and in pain. And her thoughts were in my head.

"You're people killed my family, my friends and my parents. When I am ready, I will find you. When you are ready... we will meet again."

I knew my chest was bleeding and it stung with unbearable pain. I heard a shout and she was gone.

Nana reached my side and she was shouting instructions to the other men... but I was conscious no more.

They never found her. I was carried back to the village to be healed by the local healer. He cleaned my wounds which consisted of deep scratches. He patched the raw skin and gashes with medicinal leaves and bandages.

He said, "I could stop the bleeding and ease the pain but could never erase the scars it would leave."

I thanked him and refused to lie down no more. The wound stung like thousands of fire ants were gnawing on my flesh and bones, it felt like it was slowly burning too. It was the aswang's venom, explained the healer. If I would not bathe in salt water every day until it aches no more, apply virgin coconut oil every night, and pray for healing to St. Raphael, I would die! I promised I would do everything he told me before he could let me leave.

When I left the hut, I had an uneasy feeling at the pitch of my stomach. Ama was furious at me for not killing the girl. Nana, instead of being worried for my injuries, was as mad as Ama. I failed them, and I understood their reactions.

As we were wrapping up in the village, daybreak was setting in and the villagers were setting the dead and dying aswangs on fire, were praying, crying and lamenting the loss of their houses and most especially, the death of 3 brave men, when I had an undeniable feeling that I was being watched.

Ama was still disappointed in me when we left Bicol. And Nana was just tired and grumpy as usual. Deep within, I knew that someday, that demon girl or aswang would come and find me as she promised. And I vowed to be ready for her once we meet again.

*

I woke up when I heard the bus conductor yell, "Mangantay pay apo!" which meant lunch time.

I had goose bumps on both arms. I touched my chest and felt my heart beat. The wounds had healed and thankfully the scars were no longer that visible though I could not go topless anytime in nude beaches in Europe. I had not thought or dreamt of that night for a very long time. I usually remember that aswang girl whenever I got news in the Bicol region about aswang sightings wondering if it was her whom I let escape that night almost 15 years ago.

I shook the feeling of dread as I stood up and went out of the bus. My legs were cramped after sitting for almost 6 hours then. I looked around and I knew I was somewhere in Nueva Vizcaya already due to the mountainous surrounding and the cool mountain air. 4 more hours and I would reach my destination just after sunset.

I went inside the restaurant to order Arroz Caldo and coffee. Alone, I ate as fast as I could. I needed to empty my bladder, so even if there were long lines in the public toilet, I patiently waited my turn and paid 5 pesos for using the facility. As expected, the smell was putrid, the floors were wet and so was the toilet bowl. I had no choice but to squat and held my breath until I got out of there. 

While waiting for boarding time, I stood in front of the bus and just stretched my legs, arms and rotated my neck. I knew someone was watching me, but my instincts told me I was safe. Still, I scoured the crowd gathered in front of their buses, mostly men smoking cigars, eating hotdogs on sticks and pork barbecues. A long-haired young man wearing a black wind-breaker and dark shades stood out. He looked familiar, as if I had seen him before in Ilocos. Could he be one of the cousins or nephews? 

I was about to go up to him when I heard the bus blowing its horn signaling boarding time. I looked back at the long-haired dude and he too seemed to be about to board his own bus. I wasn't able to check where he was headed. 

And even as I sat down, I was racking my brain, "Where have I seen him before?"