Blood Secrets

The Past Knocks

She never met her parents and she never had someone tell her a bedtime story. She thought bedtime stories are supposed to be happy stories. But then again, she also knew those weren't real. At a very young age, she had witnessed how cruel the world could be and that's when she stopped believing in bedtime stories. Hindi siya naniwala sa mga kwento ng mga kaibigan niya.

"They're just used to scare the kids. My friends were often misbehaving so maybe their parents wanted to make them behave and told them all those creepy stories," she reasoned out one day during breakfast with her uncle. Katabi niya ang pinsan na si Leon na noong panahon na iyon ay limang taong gulang pa lang.

Her uncle Zach looked at her from his almost burned pancake. "So you find them creepy, Nadia."

She stopped chewing on her pancake. Naalala na naman niya ang kwento ng kanyang kaibigan kahapon bago sila umuwi galing sa paaralan.

"Malissa told me about what her grandma told her the other night. Sabi niya, may isang lugar na puno ng mga nakakatakot na nilalang. That they only go out at night and that they would take anyone who goes out of their house at night."

Zack flipped the pancake one last time before serving it to the plate and putting it on the table. Leon was quick to get it and she frowned at her cousin. "Dalawa na ang nakain niya. I'm still hungry."

Ngumiti naman ang unle Zach niya at nilagay sa pinggan niya ang pancake nito. "You can have mine, Nads." Then her uncle ruffled her hair. Napasimangot ulit siya.

"You're changing the subject," she said.

Narinig naman niyang tumawa ang uncle niya. "I wasn't changing it, Nads. You were asking for pancakes."

She played with her fork and even though the pancake was a bit burnt, it looked delicious to her. Natatakam na rin siyang kainin iyon lahat. But something bothers her and she wanted to ask her uncle about it.

"Do you think..." She swallowed hard. "Do you think they're real?"

Her uncle was looking at her with raised brows. "What is?"

She bit her lip. She doesn't like it when her uncle wants her to say things she doesn't want to say. Ayaw niyang sabihin ang mga nilalang na nasa kwento dahil ayaw niyang maniwala sa mga nilalang na iyon. It wouldn't make sense.

"Those creatures, Uncle Zach. Do you think they're real?"

Her uncle Zach leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms. He looked like he was genuinely thinking of what to say to her but she knew he was just buying time for himself time to think of what excuse he would come up this time.

"All I can say is, I do believe that humans are not the only creature living in this world, Nads."

Kumunot ang noo niya sa sinabi ng tiyuhin. Bago pa man siya makapagtanong ay nagpatuloy ito. "There might be other...beings. Although I haven't had any firsthand experience with them so I wouldn't know if they are blood-suckers, breath stealers, or full moon transformers. One thing is for sure, Nadia and this is something you'd do well to remember: there are many things concealed in the darkness of the night."

Simula noon, hindi na niya maalis ang sinabi ng kanyang tiyuhin. And worse, the more she listened to her friends' stories, the more frightened she become. But she got her uncle Zach telling her she's going to be alright if she stays inside the house. Whenever she feels scared outside, she would always hurry home and stay there. Isa pang bilin ng kanyang tiyuhin ay hindi siya makipag-usap sa kahit kanino at huwag magpapasok ng tao sa loob ng bahay. Sinunod niya ang mga payo ng kanyang tiyuhin.

Isang araw, mag-isa siyang natira sa kanilang bahay. Her uncle Zach was off to take Leon to his mother. Uncle Zach was divorced to his wife and they were taking turns in taking care of Leon. She wasn't able to come because she said she'd stay home. For some reason that day, she was exhausted.

She was in the middle of doing some homework when she heard someone knocking at the door. Alam niyang hindi ang tiyuhin niya iyon. Uncle Zach wouldnt have knock. Slowly walking towards the door, she opened it. She was greeted by an unfamiliar man.

"Nadia?" he asked. Nagtataka siyang nakatingin sa lalaki. Hindi niya ito kilala ngunit nakatingin ito sa kanya na para bang kilalang-kilala siya nito. Her hand gripped the door knob tighter as she recalled what her uncle had told her.

Don't let strangers inside the house.

The man was definitely a stranger. She went to shut the door but the man called her name again. There was something at the way he called her that made her stop. The man knows her but how?

Ngumiti ang lalaki sa kanya. The kind of smile Uncle Zach gives her when he was trying to assure her that it's going to be alright. The man looked friendly and he seemed nice.

"Can I come in?" he said.

In am instant, the friensly image he had created inside her head vanished. Alam niya agad na kailangan na niyang isara ang pintuan.

"No, you can't," she said and was about to shut the door when she heard another voice. This time, she knew who owned it. Nakita niyang nanigas sa kinatatayuan ang lalaking kaharap niya. He seemed like he also knew her Uncle Zach.

"Nadia," he called, not leaving his eyes from the stranger. "I want you to close the door and get back inside. I'll get in with you shortly."

Uncle Zach's voice was the same kind of tone he uses when he talks to her on a normal day. Ngunit hindi pa rin naitago nito ang tensyon sa paligid. She was old enough to know that the man and her uncle Zach are not fond of each other. Following what her uncle said, she closed the door and went running to the stairs and straight to her room. Agad siyang nagpunta sa kanyang closet at nagtago doon.

Kung nag-uusap ang dalawa, hindi niya alam dahil hindi niya marining kung anong nagaganap sa labas. She doesn't have a good feeling about it. Idagdag pa ang tono ng pananalita ng Uncle Zach niya. Something is up and something tells her not to go back downstairs and see for herself.

Nanatili siyang nakatago sa kanyang closet. Hindi niya alam kung ilang minuto siyang nanatili doon. Maya-maya pa ay narinig niya ang kanyang Uncle Zach na tinatawag ang pangalan niya. Ngunit tila may kakaiba sa boses nito.

"Nads," he called. His footsteps seemed near yet his voice was weak. Her heart thundered and she went out of the closer where she was hiding. Agad siyang naglakad papalabas ng kwarto ay tila natuod siya sa kanyang kinatatayuan nang makita ang Uncle Zach niya na nakahiga sa sahig. Blood pooled beneath his head as he lied face down. Agad siyang tumakbo sa gawi ng kanyang tiyuhin at nakitang humihinga pa ito. Although she doesn't know where the blood was coming from.

"Uncle!" she called and shook his shoulders. Hindi niya alam ang gagawin. She should have called the police. She should have done it if her Uncle Zach hadn't grabbed her wrist and called her name. His grip was firm and made her think that whatever he was going to say is something that couldn't wait.

"Tha vampires--" he choked on his words "--they killed your parents."

"Uncle, what are you talking about--"

"Listen to me!" His grasp on her arm tightened. "You need to listen to me this time, Nadia. We don't have much time. If I die here, that man outside would be able to come uninvited."

Nanginginig ang buong katawan niya sa takot ngunit pinilit niya ang sariling makinig sa kanyang tiyuhin. Her eyes had become blurry with tears but she hastily wiped them away.

"Just behind the cupboard, there's a small vault there. The password is your birthday. Open it and you will see everything there. You will know everything."

"Uncle," she sobbed. But then her Uncle took his last breath squeezing her hand until his head fell lifeless to the ground.