Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A middle-aged woman was standing by the bridge, her left arm was resting on its handle.  Her right hand was holding a Samsung phone. She was calling her daughter. The phone rang three times until her daughter picked it up.

“Hello, ma,” her daughter said. “It’s already late in the evening.  Why have you called?”

“Oh, you know, I’m just checking in on you.” The middle-aged woman said in her cheery voice. She told her daughter that she visited her sister in their new house in Laguna. Her car was running out of gas, so she topped by a gas station near the bridge in Las Pinas.

“How are you doing at the beach?”

“Oh, we’re good. Silas is roasting marshmallows while Tala and Damien are, umm, they are swimming.”

“Ooh, they’re making out, aren’t they?”

“Ma!” Salome yelled embarrassedly. Her cheeks flushed.

Salome’s mother laughed. “Oh, by the way. Are you busy tomorrow night?”

“Why?”

“We’ll have a dinner at Racks in Las Pinas.”

“Oh, wow. Sure, I want to come.”

Salome’s mother was excited for the upcoming dinner with the family. This would be the first time that the whole family would dine together. She was sure that Salome and her dad will forgive each other and all will be well. Their family will be complete and happy again.

Suddenly, a sharp wind blew Salome’s mother’s hair.  A dark figure, more like a shadow, swooped down in front of her. Then she realized that someone was standing in front of her. She could not recognize whether it was a man or a woman. It was barely human. It had a long dark hair, cruel eyes, and fangs. Yet despite its horrible presence, something divine surrounded it. She did not know whether to pray to it or flee from it. But before she could do anything, the creature lunged towards her. Its fangs dug into her neck and drank her blood. Then the creature clawed the center of her chest and took out her heart and ate it.

The creature enjoyed eating the heart like a child would enjoy eating a takeaway fried chicken.

After satisfying its hunger, it flew away with great speed.

 

Salome and her friends were dancing and drinking at a bar on the beach. The DJ played EDM, hip-hop and other upbeat tunes as the people partied wildly. Everyone was having a great time. Even Salome who was used to playing and listening to rock music was enjoying the show. It just feels good to belong in the crowd, Salome mused. It’s amazing how music unites us all. She bobbed her head and danced as she let the music consume her soul. She felt like she had been having an eclectic taste in music.

The party lasted until 3 am. Salome and her friends left the bar. Tala got drunk so Damien had to support her while walking. Salome laughed at the silly jokes Silas told her.

A few moments later, Salome’s phone rang. She picked it up.

“Hello,” she giggled. Her brother called.

“Sal, you have to come back to the city ASAP. Something… something happened to Mom.”

“What happened?!” She panicked. Her friends looked at her. They were all concerned.

“She’s gone.”

Tears trickled down her cheeks.

 

They were in the bridge where Salome’s mother was killed. One of the policemen who found her body was talking to Salome’s older brother Franco.

Franco Evangelista was handsome and had a stylish hair. He was wearing a light blue shirt and faded jeans. He approached Salome and they hugged each other. She introduced his friends and boyfriend to him. They greeted one another.

“Sal, the police told me that Mom was killed,” Franco said.

“By whom?” Salome asked.

“I don’t know. The police officers, the coroner and forensics team are about to find out the cause of her death yet,” he replied. The word death sounded strange when he said it. Mom is dead. I can’t believe it. She was too young. She was too nice. She doesn’t deserve such a violent death.

 As the policemen carried the dead body of Mrs. Evangelista, he looked in their direction. There was a yellow tape in the crime scene.

“There were holes in her neck and deep slices on her chest. Her heart was taken out,” he said. Then he muttered, “What the killer did was utterly inhumane.  One of the policemen even said it looked like the killer was engaged in the occult.”

“One of them has a wild imagination,” Salome said sarcastically.

Then her brother looked at her. “I know Mom had told you before to stop using your powers. But you still use them anyway. I have a big favor to ask from you: I want you to find out who killed our mother by using your powers.  This is for Mom.”

“Of course, I will do that.” She promised.

“And after that, we will turn him or her over.  We’ll punish him or her the right way.” He looked into her eyes. His message was clear: Don’t take the law into your own hands. Or in her case, into her own telekinetic mind.

“We’ll help you find who did this,” Silas said. He kissed her forehead and embraced her. Tala and Damien hugged her.

Three days later, Mrs. Evangelista’s funeral was held. A mass was held and all the family and friends came. A lot of people loved Salome’s mother. She was the kindest soul they all have known.

Emilia Evangelista was beautiful inside the coffin. She was wearing a plain white dress which illuminated her fair skin. Her bob-cut hair looked softer and fuller on white satin. She was smiling. It looked like she was just sleeping.

As her mother was being buried six feet under, Salome cried hysterically. “Nooooooooo!” She screamed. She did not want her mother to go. When she tried to reach the coffin and almost fell on the ground, Silas grabbed her tightly.  “You have to let go,” he said to Salome. Her nose was so red and her skin was dry because she had been crying for hours and hours.

It rained heavily when the people were leaving the cemetery. Only Salome, Silas, Tala and Damien were left. Silas was holding an umbrella to keep Salome dry.  

Tala and Damien said goodbye to Salome. They needed to go home to their families. Salome said goodbye to them and let them go home.

“I’ll stay here with you,” Silas told Salome.

“No, it’s okay. You should go home. I’ll have a few moments with my mother.”

“Okay, then. Take care.”

Salome nodded. Silas kissed her on the cheek and went off.

Salome stayed by her mother’s grave and stared at her epitaph. Her epitaph had a quote from Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” She was the most precious soul.

“I’m going to make sure that whoever killed you will pay for their sin,” she promised her mother.