Saturday, 7:00 A.M.
Ara's P.O.V.
"Noooooooooo!!!"
A loud scream from a woman erupted behind me. Because of it, I almost jumped out of my skin in sheer shock. That scream was deafening—it hurt my ears. I immediately turned around to see who it was.
A woman, who I estimated to be around Uncle Roli's age, appeared before me. She was wearing a dirty sleeveless shirt paired with a white but filthy skirt.
Without hesitation, I stepped back in fear when I saw her appearance. She looked normal at first glance, but I was deeply unsettled when I saw a massive scar marked on her neck. My body was trembling uncontrollably.
How could there be another person in this house when I was under the impression that only Uncle Roli and I were here?
"Don't be afraid, child," she said in a gentle voice. That was when I noticed her kind face. "Are you Roli's niece?"
I calmed down when she mentioned Uncle Roli's name. I breathed a sigh of relief. I had thought something supernatural was happening in this house. But when I realized she knew Uncle Roli—and that he likely knew them as well—my mind was put at ease.
"W-Who a-are you?" I asked stammeringly.
"Ah, we were hired by your Uncle Roli to look after this place." She approached me slightly with a smile.
"I-Is that so?" My gaze shifted back to the cabinet under the sink. "U-Uh, a child just went inside there."
"Ah. Just leave her be. That's my daughter." She remained calm. "Just call her Tanek."
"She might not be able to breathe inside."
"It's okay. Once she falls asleep in there, I'll take her out. She'll throw a tantrum if I force her out now."
Even though I felt uncomfortable, I forced myself to return her smile. "What is your name, child?" she asked.
"Ara, ma'am," was my brief reply.
"I am Ane. Just call me Aling Ane."
I just nodded in response. After introducing ourselves, she helped me clean the entire house. An hour passed, but Uncle Roli was still nowhere to be found. I didn't get bored because Aling Ane was talkative. She never ran out of stories and seemed genuinely kind.
According to her, her mother, Aling Aming, was the former caretaker of this house. But when her mother fell ill, Uncle Roli and Nana entrusted the management of the mansion to her. In exchange, Uncle Roli sent her money every month.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're Clarisse's daughter. Clarisse Villaverde," she asked me while we sat resting after the long cleaning session.
"Yes. But she's Clarisse Santos now."
"Ah, that's right. She married a lawyer. Atty. Santos is your Dad, right?" she asked while looking out the window.
"Yes," I replied shortly.
"What matters is that you're still a Villaverde," she commented with a smile.
A few moments later, Tanek emerged from the cabinet under the sink. Honestly, I was worried knowing she did that often.
That cabinet was sturdy, and as far as I could tell, it had no holes; I couldn't imagine how she managed to breathe inside. When Tanek finally approached us, she hugged Aling Ane.
"You know, child, the Villaverdes were the wealthiest in this province back then. Your grandfather, Emilio Villaverde—the father of Roli and Clarisse—almost became the leader of this province." She paused for a moment. "But one day, Emilio suddenly vanished. Even the workers and some servants disappeared as well." She suddenly turned serious while I just stared at her; at that moment, she was wiping the sweat off Tanek.
"Only Clarisse and Roli were left here in the mansion. Fortunately, one servant remained and stood as their parent." Her mood shifted again.
"Really?"
"But just a few years after they moved to Manila, that servant also vanished into thin air. They were abandoned again." She smiled faintly. "Despite that, Clarisse and Roli still found their partners in life."
When Aling Ane said that, I felt a slight pang in my chest. Right—Uncle Roli's wife was my Aunt Laurie, and they had a child, my cousin.
Damn! What am I thinking? Because of the relationship between me and Uncle Roli, I felt like a mistress in my own eyes.
"B-but Auntie Laurie and their child are gone now, aren't they?" The words came out of my mouth involuntarily.
"Yes, child. It has been ten years since they were murdered. It's a good thing Roli didn't go mad because of their loss."
For a reason I couldn't explain, I felt a surge of annoyance at what she was saying. I couldn't stand talking about Uncle Roli's family. Because of this, I decided to change the subject.
"Would you mind if I ask? What happened to your neck? Where did you get that scar?"
Her eyes suddenly became evasive. "Ah, child, we have to go now. I have a lot of things to do at home. We'll leave you be." She immediately picked up Tanek and hurried out of the house. She seemed in such a rush that I didn't try to stop her.
Two hours passed, but Uncle Roli was still not back. Three, then four hours went by, and he still hadn't arrived. Due to the long wait, I didn't realize I had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
I sat bolt upright when I heard a loud noise. What was that sound?
Where was it coming from? I listened again, but silence reigned. Perhaps it was just my imagination. I lay back down.
My body jolted from the bed when the disturbing sound started again. It felt like the walls were going to collapse from the force of it.
It was coming from the wall near the head of the bed I was lying on.
I stood up and moved away. From where I stood, my eyes caught the line of ants I had suppressed earlier. They were heading toward the hole in the wall again—
Oh my God!
I backed away when the noise started again. It really sounded like the wall was being pounded. Unable to contain my fear, I ran downstairs.
I couldn't stand staying inside any longer.
I went out of the house, hoping I could see the source of the noise from there. I was shocked to see how massive the house looked from the outside when it didn't seem that wide from the inside.
I observed and scrutinized the second floor. The oversized windows caught my attention; from the inside, they didn't appear that large. I suddenly remembered what Nana said. Just as she mentioned, I noticed there were five windows upstairs, which meant there were five rooms. Every window corresponded to a room.
In the middle of my thoughts, I realized that Aling Ane and I had only cleaned four rooms earlier.
How could there only be four rooms when there were five windows on the second floor?
I counted the windows again, thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me. One...
Two...
Three...
Four...
Wait? Five?! There are five rooms?!
I quickly went inside and ran up to the second floor to count the rooms from within. I checked the first room, the second, and the third. After that, the fourth and—damn! Nothing else.
Why?
There are only four rooms when counted from the inside. If so, what is the fifth window for if there is nothing after the fourth room?
"Ara..." I heard a voice. It was faint but very clear. My heart pounded even harder.
"Ara." There was that voice again; I heard it clearly, and it was louder than before.
"Ara!" It was getting louder and louder. I started backing away.
"Ara!!" It grew even louder, as if it were approaching me.
"Ara!!!" At the sheer volume of that shout, I couldn't help but run into the end room.
I immediately slammed the door shut.
I didn't know what to do, so I just leaned against it, gasping for air. Every breath was deep, and I was drenched in sweat.
After a few moments, the disturbing voice vanished. Once I finally calmed down, I slumped to the floor, still leaning against the door. I felt fear once again, thinking that until now, Uncle Roli was still missing.
I slowly stood up. Terrified as I was, I gradually opened the door to go out and find where that voice was coming from.
Slowly.
I was trembling.
Gradually.
Here it goes.
"Peek-a-boo!!!"
"Ahhhhhhh!!!"
I screamed when a large man suddenly lunged at me and hugged me. He chuckled loudly when he saw how terrified I looked.
"Uncle Roli?"
"Did I startle you?" he asked with a grin.
"What took you so long?" I replied, on the verge of tears, as I hugged him back.
"I didn't realize it would be so hard to catch a ride back. But don't worry, I bought lots of food. Good for three days!" He was hugging me too.
"Huh?"
"Yes, Ara. Go home on Monday dawn instead. I'll take care of your Nana."
"Are you sure, Uncle?"
"Yes, I've got it. This is my birthday treat for you." He gave me a mischievous smile.
After that, we went down to eat. When we reached the bottom, I immediately looked at the things he bought inside several bags. There was a hammer, chains, an axe, and candles, aside from the instant food. Though it was strange, I just shrugged it off—why would he need these tools?
After eating, we talked in the room.
"Uncle Roli, how many rooms are really here?" I asked him.
"Five," he replied confidently.
"But there are only four."
"Ah... yes, I think there are only four. I can't quite remember." He pouted at me. He was truly handsome when he did that.
"But when I counted from the outsi—"
"Ara, did you get enough rest?" He didn't let me finish. He grinned at me, and I just nodded.
Moments later, he started moving. He kissed me on the lips, then down to my neck.
"U-Uncle Roli, your caretaker stopped by. She's..." I was feeling awkward with what he was doing. "Uhmm... yes, Aling Aming." He continued what he was doing to me. "No... the—"
"Please, Ara! Just focus, okay?" He stopped and stared at me.
I looked down. I was afraid he might get angry again if I refused him once more. He continued what he had started. His lips traveled down my neck while he slowly unbuttoned my sleeveless shirt.
"Ah... U-Uncle Roli?"
"Uhmmm..."
"E-Earlier, I heard a l-loud knocking from... behind that wall."
"M-Maybe the neighbor next door is just fixing something." He kept going.
"B-but Uncle, we don't have neighbors..."
"What is it now, Ara?!" He stopped again. "Do you want this or not?"
"B-because Uncle..." I looked down again. "I'm not ready yet—"
A hard slap landed on my face, sending me sprawling onto the bed. He immediately let go of me and stood up abruptly.
"Shit! How much longer are you going to keep me waiting, huh?!" Furiously, he kicked the large wardrobe, which slammed against the wall. "We've been together for months, but you haven't given me a taste even once!" He slammed the bedroom door and stormed out.
I couldn't help but burst into tears, especially when I discovered my lips were bleeding. This was the first time he had ever been that angry with me.
I was stunned. I never thought he was capable of hurting me.
True, he is a man and has needs, but I was still too young for such things, and he needed to understand that.
I felt him speed away. He was likely heading to town. I didn't think my refusal would have such a severe effect that he would leave me in this place alone.
I wept because of the deep resentment I felt toward him. I was paralyzed, still unable to believe what had happened.
Was that really Uncle Roli? He seemed like a completely different person now.
One hour passed, then two. Night fell, but Uncle Roli still hadn't returned. Perhaps his resentment toward me was too deep.
After a while, I decided to get up from under the covers. I was surprised to see it was already dark. I also noticed that the entire house seemed to have no electricity.
Anyway, I wasn't afraid of the dark.
I checked my phone and found there was no signal in the area. Since I didn't bring a flashlight, my phone served as my light to find the things Uncle Roli bought. I quickly found the candles and matches. I lit one to at least have some light.
Until now, I was still processing everything. It was etched in my mind how Uncle Roli hurt me. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he did that to me.
I went downstairs to place a light there, and I froze again when I saw Tanek running toward the cabinet under the kitchen sink.
Maybe she was going to sleep there again. I just shrugged and didn't call her out. But where was Aling Ane?
After lighting the candle, I went back to my room. When I entered, I noticed the damage caused by the large wardrobe Uncle Roli had knocked against the wall. The wooden wall of the room was broken and had a hole. I slowly pushed the wardrobe away from the damaged wall. While doing that, a dust-covered photo album fell from inside it.
Before I could pick it up, that pungent smell wafted through the air again. It was nauseating and stung my nose. I was about to reach for the album when I took a closer look at the hole in the wall. My suspicion was correct—it was made of thick plywood. When I peeked in and shone light through it, I was absolutely horrified by what I saw.
Oh my God!
I saw through that hole a vast space that I estimated to be as wide as the room I was sleeping in. Even the floor and ceiling were the same. It also had a window just like the other rooms. This is it! This must be the fifth room.
I ran downstairs to grab one of the things Uncle Roli bought—the hammer. When I got back to the room, I started pounding on the wall.
One!
Two!
Not enough.
Three!
That time, I used all my strength to hurl the hammer at the wall. After that, it finally gave way and broke. I had made a hole just large enough for me to crawl through.
Carrying my candle, I carefully entered. As I moved inside, the sickening smell grew stronger. I shone the light around and noticed it was identical to the previous rooms in terms of style. But what I wondered was why it was hidden. What was kept here?
I scanned the entire room again. At that point, I couldn't even take a step from where I stood. I tried to pinpoint where the foul smell was coming from, but I couldn't see anything that could be its source.
Just as I was about to leave that place, my eyes caught a suspicious object in a corner with the help of the candlelight. What was that?
I had a bad feeling the moment I saw it. Though trembling, I shone the light on it again to see it better.
When the light hit it, I immediately backed away in intense terror! Oh God!
I dropped the candle I was holding, but its flame stayed lit.
Though shaking, I picked it up again. I focused the light on the figure I glimpsed and slowly brought the candle closer.
A person?
No.
But it looks like a person!
Yes, it is a person!
A...
Corpse!
A decomposing human corpse! I closed my eyes and screamed.
I wanted to run, but I couldn't even stand up. While my eyes were closed, I realized tears were already racing down both my cheeks. I slowly opened my eyes again. This wasn't a hallucination. It was indeed the corpse of a woman in front of me. My fear momentarily vanished as I stared at it. Its head was slightly stuck to the wall, as if it had been slammed there with immense force multiple times.
A large gash was also visible on its neck, likely one of the reasons for its death.
Was this the reason for the loud thuds I heard the other day that woke me up?!
After a few moments, I also noticed the ants slowly spreading around. This was likely why no matter what I did to exterminate them, they never ran out. The corpse was rotting, so it wasn't impossible for the ants to be feasting on it.
Due to intense fear, I managed to move back out through the hole I created. My hands moved automatically and even managed to pick up the photo album. After that, I ran downstairs. I had nothing else in mind but to get out of this place.
But before I finally reached the door to get out, I suddenly remembered Tanek, who had entered the cabinet under the sink earlier.
"Tanek!" I shouted to her. "Tanek, come on!" I ran to the kitchen and immediately opened the cabinet. I was going to take Tanek so we could leave this place together. I couldn't leave her here alone.
But when I opened the cabinet, a pungent smell greeted me.
Oh my God! Help me please!
I backed away and slumped to the floor because a child's corpse appeared before me. It was also decomposing. From its appearance, it looked as if her body had been forced and squeezed in there. The child's appearance was gruesome; her face was almost unrecognizable because her body was nearly mangled, likely due to how long it had been hidden inside.
Terrified as I was, I didn't let go of the candle I was holding. At that point, it was the only thing accompanying me through the horrific events I was experiencing. But after a few moments, I did drop it, yet the flame remained alive.
I brought the candle closer to the photo album to illuminate the picture. Sh*t! Is this real? This is a picture of... Aling Ane and Tanek hugging. But one thing shocked me in that photo—the man hugging them.
Uncle Roli!
I flipped through the photo album and was utterly shocked to see Aling Ane and Tanek with Uncle Roli in every picture. I wept even more when I read the words repeated on the back cover.
'ROLI AND LAURIE ANNE VILLAVERDE: A HAPPY FAMILY'
But a few moments later...
"Ara..." A voice automatically made me turn toward what was behind me.
I was enveloped in terror when I glimpsed a man slightly smiling while holding a hammer.
"Uncle Roli?!"