05: No Fictional Character

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

THE BIZARRE TRIO halted suddenly, mere moments before reaching mine and Ate Keena's seats. They stopped right in front of the fellow passenger seated before us.

The man in the middle slowly lifted his head and stared at us with his pitch black eyes. The two men beside him opened their mouths wide and revealed their sharp fangs before hissing loudly. Their eyes also gleamed with an otherworldly hunger.

Akmang aatakehin na ng nasa kaliwa ang pasaherong nasa harapan namin nang maagap na tumayo si Ate Keena at sumigaw, "Armúm!"

She held her small book of Latin Spells and lifted her hand to create a purple force field around all the passengers to protect them from possible threats.

Tumayo ako mula sa pwesto ko at hinawakan ang bus handlebars sa magkabilang panig ko saka inangat ang sarili ko bago sinipa nang malakas ang lalaking nasa gitna dahilan upang bumulusok ito palabas ng bus mula sa harapan.

The female member of this Urban Legend barely dodged getting hit by her monster friend. The bus jerked to the side after that close call. The already scared driver tried to steer it to safety, but the woman grabbed his wrist.

He screamed as his skin started to decompose. She then ordered him, "Keep driving to the reservoir!"

The unusually rapid decomposition of the bodies at the crime scene was a result of her ability, and the blood-filled gas tank was the work of her fellow vampiric characters. These Urban Legends have undoubtedly grown more powerful and cunning.

I let go of the handlebars. The two remaining monsters attacked, but I was ready. I kicked one, then stepped on his head, smashing it into the already shattered bus floor.

I quickly dodged the next monster's attack, then moved behind it. I grabbed its arm, twisted it, and snapped its neck. I then released its dead body on the floor.

Pagbitiw ko sa wala nang buhay na katawan nito na bumagsak kaagad sa sahig ay sunod ko namang nilingon ang huling karakter ng Urban Legend na ito - the woman who was supposed to be wearing a red dress, but hinted it instead through her bright red lipstick.

Fear flashed across the female character's face as she witnessed everything. She rushed toward me with extraordinary speed and seized my arm tightly. Her laughter was manic as she watched my skin begin to decompose.

I simply withdraw my hand from her hold and quickly inspected the sleeve of my utility jumpsuit. Napaawang ang labi ko sa inis at ipinakita sa kanya ang malaking butas sa manggas no'n at ang braso kong bumalik lang sa dati na parang walang nangyari.

"Kabibili ko lang nito kahapon gamit ang severance pay ko! Limited edition 'yong kulay na 'to!"

The woman recoiled in terror as she watched my skin regenerate. She might have realized that her efforts to decompose me had been in vain. She shifted her attention to the bus driver and quickly laid her hand on top of his head.

"Hindi!"

Naalarma ako pero huli na ang lahat dahil nilamon na ang sigaw ng kawawang drayber nang mabilisang pagkaagnas nito.

"I hereby return this entity to these pages and seal it within them!"

Hinigop nang nakabukas na Monsters Playbook ang lahat ng mga karakter na mula sa Urban Legend na ito pabalik sa mga kulungang pahina kung saan sila nararapat. Sinubukan pa ng babaeng karakter na kumapit sa upuan upang hindi matangay nang malakas na puwersa ng libro na humahatak sa kanya papasok.

Nabigo rin siya sa huli at napasigaw na lamang nang malakas, "Babalikan ko kayo! Isinusumpa ko 'yan!"

Mabilis na niyakap ni Ate Keena ang Monsters Playbook pagkasara no'n nang kusa. Naglaho na rin ang force field na pumuprotekta sa mga pasaherong nakatulog habang nasa loob no'n. The spell was cast not only to protect them from harm but also to ensure they remained unaware of the dangerous existence of Urban Legends, the very monsters who fed on people's fear and the popularity they could gain.

"Alohi, 'yong bus!" paalala ni Ate sa akin. "Mahuhulog na tayo sa bangin!"

Wala nang nagmamaneho no'n kaya dire-diretso na iyon palapit sa bangin. I leaped out of the bus and smashed through its roof before landing in front of it to prevent it from moving any farther. After it came to a full stop, I used my right hand to drag it to the safe side of the road.

Sa sobrang pagod ko ay napasalampak na lamang ako ng higa sa kalsada at pinagmasdan ang mga bituin sa kalangitan. Whenever I see the starry night skies, I'm always reminded of my late mother who also came from the stars.

Ang kuwento ni Papa ay ganitong-ganito raw iyong unang pagkikita nila ni Mama. May babaeng mahaba ang buhok siyang nakita sa malaking crater na nasa madilim na gubat na binibigyang-liwanag ng mga bituing kumukuti-kutitap sa kalangitan.

The funny thing was that he attempted to seal her within the pages of the Monsters Playbook because he assumed that such ethereal beings only existed in literature. However, he soon discovered she was no fictional character but an out-of-this-world being.

She was an alien with incredible powers. She aided Papa in overseeing the Library and sealing back the escaped monsters from different books since that fated rendezvous. Then their love blossomed into a beautiful, happy family that was us.

──✧❁ 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 ❁✧──

𓆩◇𓆪꧁ 𓆩◇𓆪 ꧂ 𓆩◇𓆪

"FUCK! THEY GOT them!" a woman frustratedly exclaimed after witnessing everything from a distant clifftop.

"I've made that woman smarter, but she still failed in the end," another woman spoke coldly.

"Don't worry. We're just getting started," said the man beside them calmly. A sinister smile played across his lips as he gazed at the original Monsters Playbook in his hand. "This is just the beginning of our hundred tales."

Sunod na binalingan ng lalaki ang isa pang kasama nila na tahimik lang sa tabi. "They will soon have the real taste of our comeback, brother."

Sa halip na sumagot, tahimik na tumalikod ito at nauna nang maglakad sa tatlong kasama. "Umuwi na tayo. Ayokong magsayang ng panahon dito."

After their departure, a mysterious man, who was unnoticed by the whole group since the beginning, remained at the scene. One hand was tucked inside his lavish trousers while the other casually held the lit cigar he was puffing on. A big nine-tailed fox also stood loyally beside him.

He removed the cigarette from his lips and exhaled a puff of smoke. An amused grin then played on his face as he continued to watch the weary woman lying on the road who was gazing up at the starry night sky with a serene smile.

"This is the show I've been waiting for," he murmured, and the embers from his lit cigarette that drifted into the night sky transformed into twinkling stars. "Very entertaining.”

The blaring ambulance siren, accompanied by the police cars, neared the scene, yet the woman wriggled her body in protest when her elder sister tried to lift her up and take her away.

"Ate, pabayaan mo muna ako rito!" pagmamaktol ni Alohi. "Pagod na ako!"

Annoyed, Keena playfully slapped her sister's arm while trying to help her up. "Tumayo ka na kung ayaw mong maabutan ni Papa rito!"

Mabilis pa sa alas-cuatro na bumangon si Alohi nang marinig iyon. "Bakit siya pupunta rito? Binuking ba tayo ni Raegan?"

"Raegan didn't say anything about us. Basta kasama raw niya si Papa. Let's go!"

"Okay, okay!"

Kumaripas ng takbo ang magkapatid palayo roon para umeskapo. Sa sobrang pagmamadali nila ay nadapa pa si Keena at nasubsob ang magandang mukha sa kalsada.

Tatawa-tawang huminto naman sa pagtakbo si Alohi at binalikan ang nakatatandang kapatid saka binuhat na parang sako sa may kanang balikat niya bago kumaripas ulit ng takbo palayo.

「 ✦ 𝓛𝓸𝔀𝓵𝓪 𝓟𝓲𝓷𝓴𝓸 ✦ 」

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