"These white trucks just keep coming," Kiko remarked."Yeah, we see them," Jamie responded. "They must be the scientists who will be doing the investigation."
"The journalist in me wants to know what"s happening."
"Oh no, Kiko," Bogarts said in disbelief. "Leave it. We should not be involved in something that might be bad."
"Bogart"s right," Tonton agreed. "Let"s get going."
Kiko was hesitant to leave. After a moment"s thought, he finally gave in. They maneuvered their bikes in silence. From time to time, Jamie attempted to open up menial talks, like their favorite superhero characters or their game schedules; still, they always ended up with a heavy quiet.
"Do you think that the school is safe?" Bogart finally adressed the issue that was bothering them. "My teacher said that the meteor should hit the school but it did not."
"Yeah," answered Kiko. "Ms. del Mundo also said the same thing. And the scientists arrived to search for fragments or anything from the meteor."
"What if they find some alien life forms and then attack us?" Bogart asked worriedly.
"That"s impossible!" Jamie barked. "If that is the case, Subangdaku would have been attacked since yesterday."
"But it would be better if they find something in school," Tonton said coldly. "That way, we will finally know what happened last night."
"Will it not be more exciting if they find an alien?" Bogart remarked and flashed a mischievous grin. "It"s interesting to see one."
"You bet," Kiko answered. "Subangdaku would become a hub for alien bounty hunters."
"We can be hunters as well," Jamie said.
Loudly, the boys chuckled with the idea. The air gently lightened and the four relaxed. Finally, they found it amusing to talk about the event. As they pedalled their bikes, they exchanged wild theories and expectations.
After pa.s.sing by the haunted house, the roofs of the villagers" modest dwellings loomed from a distance. They used to be welcoming sights for the boys, but for now, they were overshadowed by tents and vehicles parked everywhere. People were also busy all over the streets. The boys felt a little sadness.
"The end of the world is near!" a man"s hoa.r.s.e voice boomed near them, disturbling the fleeting reverie in their heads. "The signs have already started appearing. This is just the beginning!"
"Psycho," Kiko whispered.
"I heard you, my child," the man exclaimed. Immediately, he ran towards Kiko and held the handlebars, preventing the child to move.
"Let go of my bike!"
"Hey, stopped that!" Jamie ordered him. "Let him go!"
However, the man did not paid heed; instead, he kept shaking Kiko"s bike. Impulsively, the three got off their bicycles and rushed towards the man. Bogart and Tonton pushed him away as Jamie tried to loosen his grip on the bars. He must have felt the pressure as he later stepped back and raised both hands, as if in surrender.
"You better not think lightly of these things," he spoke with an air of both fear and authority. "I am speaking the truth. The end is near!"
Several people had seen the incident and some flocked to help the kids, if not to hear news or rumor that they could share.
"You are not helping, " Jamie reproached him. "You are just scaring people away."
"Yes, my child, I may sound like that but I can only say what I had seen."
"And what is that?"
"It"s despicable and unimaginable."
The crowd was silent for a moment. While they tried to absorbed what he could mean, the man"s head turned to his right and his eyes widened upon seeing Tonton. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed Tonton"s left arm and looked intently at him.
"My boy, you have seen it, right?"
"What are you talking about?" Tonton answered defiantly and tried to break free from his grip.
"You have seen what I have seen!"
The crowd gasped. The man slowly moved both his hands and lightly touched Tonton"s neck. He moved them upward and cupped the child"s jaw with both his hands.
"Teriya...." the man whispered gibberish words, his voice too low that people strained to hear what he was saying.
Much to everyone"s wonderment, his hands began to glow and envelop Tonton"s jaw. It was bewitching that people stood frozen, staring at the radiant hands. Even the three boys were transfixed. But before the light could entirely cover Tonton"s head, he quickly slapped the man"s hands. It was forceful enough that he howled in pain. Tonton immediately ran to his friends.
"My boy, you cannot run from it. It could even be a gift from the heavens."
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The man smiled at him. He seemed to have transformed into an angel - sweet, kind, and giving.
"Mang Tomas," Bogart called him, "what did you really see?"
He smiled again. Bogart knew him very well. He lived just six houses away from Bogart"s. He was in his fifty"s and living alone. His wife died years ago and their two daughters transferred to other cities. Regularly, they sent him supplies and money so he could survive by himself since he refused to live with either of his daughter"s family.
"Yes, Mang Tomas, please tell us," the crowd demanded. They knew him too well and his health was perfectly good for his age. So it was a wonder to them why and how he could claim that the world is ending.
"I see blood everywhere," he started telling them his visions. "In the river, on the trees, on the houses, and everywhere, there is blood. Dead bodies are scattered, some were piled over another."
He paused and stared at the crowd gathered around him. The eagerness in them seemed to encourage him further.
"Then the world suddenly darkens. Gunfires echo through the air. Laser blasts, explosions, and fires are everywhere. The devil laughs and in an instant, mountains of dead bodies are created. Few men in mask and body suit stand in the highest mountain. They are celebrating the fall of humanity. The devil laughed even harder. "
The people were depressed with his visions. While some remained motionless, the others started to weep.
"I can only tell you the things I saw. But a voice keeps saying that the end is near...."
He trailed off as the crowd began to move. Suddenly, Mang Tomas screamed. He covered his ears and shook his head. He was also in the verge of crying.
"A second star will fall.... And it will be much stronger."