15: The Blind Maiden
(Spanish Urban Legend)

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

ROMANA'S RESIDENCE - 12:00 A.M.
In the silence of that moonless midnight, Allen huddled in his dark room. His only companion was the eerie glow of his computer screen that cast a light upon him.

He hesitantly pressed the enter key, which instantly transported him into the depths of a bizarre website. His eyes widened as a haunting collage of bloodied and eyeless faces unfolded before his eyes. Unsettling texts, which served as a warning, then materialized on the screen.

This website will take you to a whole new level of horror.

A horror that will use all five of your senses.

You must be very careful not to click on anything by accident.

You will be faced with a real experience of absolute horror.

Click the accept button to engage actively in the experience.

Accept | Decline

Allen struggled to swallow the lump in his throat while battling his fear. Despite his instincts warning him otherwise, he covered it up with a facade of reckless bravery and clicked the "accept" button.

In a flash, the images on the computer screen transformed and revealed the silhouette of a woman. Her long, unruly black hair cascaded, her figure was skeletal and pallid, and her eyes were hollow, much like the ones he had seen in the earlier montage.

The eerie figure moved and navigated through what appeared to be Allen's house and approached the door of his room with unusual speed. Allen gasped in shock and horror as the monitor suddenly zoomed in on his back. The air turned icy with dread when a cold, bony hand began tapping his shoulder.

He resisted the urge to turn around, for there was no need. The screen reflected the horror unfolding behind him. The malicious entity persisted with its slow tapping on his shoulder to get his full attention.

His eyes slammed shut, his lips quivered, and his entire body shook with fear. He desperately covered his eyes with his trembling hands.

He recalled the pact he made with his classmates. They had all agreed to face this digital horror simultaneously from the safety of their respective homes. It was supposedly a simple courage test that turned into a nightmare.

Allen wished desperately to awaken and break free from it. But the chilling touch on his shoulder lingered, and the playful pact with his classmates now felt like a haunting agreement that bound him to a terror he had never anticipated.

"Tama na... Ayoko na po..." he cried.

The room was suddenly filled with complete silence, and Allen could see the lights flickered through the gaps between his trembling fingers. He was nervous, curious, and hopeful that the monster was already gone, so he slowly uncovered his eyes. However, his relief was short-lived when he saw the terrifying entity beside him, just waiting for him to fall into its trap.

The menacing figure thrust its sharp, bony fingers into his eyes and ripped them out in a grotesque instant. A gut-wrenching scream tore through the silent night as the young man breathed his last. Unbeknownst to him, the horrifying moment was captured into a photo and added to the macabre collection of eyeless faces on its sinister website.

──✧❁ 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 ❁✧──

𓆩◇𓆪꧁ 𓆩◇𓆪 ꧂ 𓆩◇𓆪

"BALIKAN NIYO NA lang po 'to bukas," I told the customer who visited our Library to avail of our book repair service.

"Bukas po agad?" gulat na tanong niya saka nagkamot ng ulo. "Sira-sira na po 'to dahil nabahaan pero may sentimental value kasi kaya ipapaayos ko sana kahit papaano."

"Huwag po kayong mag-alala, sir. Pulido po kaming magtrabaho rito. Mukhang bago na 'yan pagbalik namin sa inyo. We can actually finish it this afternoon but since my father, the master of book repair, is out, it would be better for you to get it tomorrow."

Isang kumpas lang ni Papa sa kamay niya ay balik sa orihinal na porma agad ang librong 'yan, walang mintis at walang duda.

"Maraming salamat po, ma'am. Babalik po ako kasama ng kalahati no'ng bayad para r'yan bukas."

"Okay, sir. Have a good day!"

After the customer left, I carefully put his book with its details in the repair basket on the counter. This way, Papa could easily spot it when he got home later. Sunod ko namang binalik sa shelves ang mga librong nakakalat. I want our Library to be as neat, orderly, and aesthetic as possible.

Tumunog ang windchime, hudyat na may bago na naman kaming guest. Bukod sa mga tatlong estudyanteng nandoon ngayon, isang matanda, at dalaga na nagbabasa ay may isang asungot pa ang pumasok.

"Anong ginagawa mo rito?" I asked Jared. "Hindi ba ang sabi ko ay banned ka rito?"

"Believe me, I don't want to come here either. Sinama lang niya ako," aniya at tinuro si Raegan na kasunod niyang pumasok.

"Pasensya ka na, Alohi. Sinama ko na kasi hinarangan ba naman ako nang papunta na ako sa inyo. Manghihingi raw ng report para ro'n sa bagong kaso."

Naiiling na iginiya ko na lang sila sa isang table upang maupo. Nilayo ko sila sa mga bisita ng Library para hindi maistorbo ang mga ito. Nagpalinga-linga si Raegan kaya napairap naman ako.

"Nasa trabaho pa si Ate Keena," I informed him.

He scoffed and argued, "Si Tito Levi ang hinahanap ko."

"Busy 'yon, may meeting," sagot ko na lang, nagiging maingat sa mga binibitiwan kong salita lalo na at may estranghero kaming kasama.

We are Keepers of century-old secrets and guardians of this Library. Kapag hindi ako naging maingat ay parang binulgar ko na rin ang mga iyon at nilagay sa panganib ang buhay ng pamilya ko.

Hinanda na ni Raegan ang mga file na dala niya upang ipakita sa amin bago niya sinimulan ang mahaba-habang paliwanagan.

"Four bodies of senior high school students were found dead in their respective homes last night. Nag-match ang sinabi ng mga magulang nila. They heard their children's screams from their rooms and hurried to check, only to discover them lifeless with empty eye sockets, as if something inhuman had gouged out their eyes. Another of their classmate was found unconscious and, thankfully, not dead in his home. Duguan pa rin ito dahil tumama ang ulo niya sa lamesa niya."

"Nagkamalay na ba 'yong bata? Nahingan niyo na ba ng statement? His statement would be important in explaining why it happened to his classmates," pang-uusig naman ni Jared. Sinamaan tuloy siya ng tingin ni Raegan.

"Pwedeng kumalma ka lang, sir? Pupunta rin tayo r'yan." Naiiling na nagpatuloy naman si Raegan. "Gising na 'yong bata at nakapagbigay na rin ng statement niya. Aniya napagkatuwaan daw nila ng mga kaklase niya ang pag-access sa isang horror website na tinatawag na The Blind Maiden bilang test of courage nilang magkakaibigan. Pagpatak ng alas-dose, sabay-sabay nga nilang ginawa iyon. Pero sa lima ay siya lang ang nakaligtas dahil sa sobrang takot niya no'n, nag-attempt daw siya na tumakas kaso nadulas at nabagok ang ulo niya sa lamesa."

"Ano pa ang sinabi niya tungkol daw do'n sa website? Did he describe it?" Ako sana ang magtatanong niya kaso naunahan ako ni Jared.

"He said that the website is always offline and only appears when you successfully follow three conditions. Kapag na-access mo na raw ang site, it will ask you to confirm your decision to accept or decline the experience. Tapos magpa-flash daw ang parang montage ng mga picture ng mga bata, lalaki at babae, na lahat ay walang mga mata at parang mga takot na takot daw. We tried accessing the said site with the help of the IT Department, pero wala talaga kaming mahanap maliban sa ilang articles lang."

"It's always offline not unless you dare follow its conditions. If that's so, there's no doubt that this is all the work of The Blind Maiden," pagkukumpira pa ni Jared at dahil bida-bida siya ay nagpatuloy pa siya sa pagpapaliwanag kung ano ang Urban Legend na ito.

The urban legend of The Blind Maiden started in schools in Spain and was one of the relatively new macabre tales making the rounds on the internet today.

The Blind Maiden is described as the ghost of an eyeless woman with a chilling mission-to kill and add to the featured gallery those brave enough to enter her website.

Legend has it that the site is typically offline, but there's a rumored method for access if you're daring. You must be entirely alone, with all the lights off, and attempt during moonless midnight. Only under these ominous conditions will you gain entry to the dangerous website.

Upon entering the website, rapid images will flash across your screen. The disturbing pictures showcase children with faces contorted in terror, their eyes eerily hollow, as if cruelly gouged out.

A disclaimer in Spanish will then appear and prompt you to confirm whether you wish to accept or decline the experience.

It is strongly advised not to click the accept button. However, if you choose to do so, be prepared for the dire consequences. Upon accepting, your monitor will transition to a video of your home, revealing the Blind Maiden advancing toward your residence and making her way to your room. The video will then focus on an image of your back and her ominous presence behind you.

She desires your attention, and you'll feel her touch on your shoulder. The moment you meet her gaze, that's when the horror unfolds...

Her long, sharp fingers plunged into my eyes, but I quickly seized those fingers and snapped them immediately, which prompted a piercing scream from the Blind Maiden.

I had successfully followed all the conditions to access the site, and we were now down to this critical juncture.

I yanked her broken fingers away to give my eyes a brief moment to regenerate. The blood continued to stream down my cheeks, and the lingering pain reminded me of the Urban Legend's failed attempt to add me to its grotesque gallery.

"Argh, ang sakit ng mata ko," I complained and continued breaking its fingers until it included its wrists.

Sumigaw ulit siya. Hindi pa ako nakontento sa sobrang panggigigil na makaganti sa kanya. Kahit madilim ay tumayo ako at hinablot ang buhok niya.

"I hereby return this enti-what the hell, Alohi?!" gulat na bulalas ni Ate Keena pagkabukas niya ng pinto ng kwarto ko.

Dahil nakabukas na ang ilaw ay nasulyapan ko tuloy ang windang na reaksyon ng buong pamilya ko habang pinapanood kami ng Blind Maiden na nagsasabunutan.

"Ate, si Blind Maiden sinaksak ako sa mata!" reklamo ko. "Ang sakit kaya!"

Hindi man makapaniwala sa nasaksihan ay napailing na lang si Ate Keena at nagpokus sa pagbabalik ng Blind Maiden sa Monsters Playbook.

Nang masolusyunan ang problema namin sa panibagong Urban Legend ay pumasok ako sa banyo at naghilamos ng duguan kong mga mata. Pinunasan ko ang panga ko gamit ang likod ng kanang kamay ko bago ko itinuko ang mga palad sa lababo.

I stared at the reflection of my drenched face in the mirror. The water mingled seamlessly with the very emotions I struggled to conceal.

With this unique ability, the duty to protect my family and the residents of Westwood City rested on my shoulders. Yet, why did this role seem to inflict a different kind of pain in me?

Despite enduring punches, stabbings, mutilations, and more, one might assume I'd grow numb to it all. Strangely, though, despite developing what seemed like an impenetrable exterior, my insides remained fragile.

I didn't honestly feel like a hero responsible for everyone's safety at all. Instead, I felt more like a shield that constantly absorbed the blows to protect others. Though it didn't affect me physically, the pain seeped through the cracks beyond my steel covers.

I turned on the faucet, let the water cascade, and washed my face more to allow my tears to blend with it while muffling my sobs.

While my physical body may withstand death, why was it such a challenge to resurrect my inner self?

I always felt like I am not allowed to feel weak just once and seek the same protection I'm always giving.

I may stand brave and strong, yet I feel broken all at once.

It's draining, but I must keep pushing forward.

If I open up to my family and honestly share my feelings, I fear they might try to shoulder the burden for me, but that's not my intention...

I simply wish to be understood and to let this all out.

I was jolted back to reality when I heard knocks from the bathroom door. "Ate, tapos ka na ba? Naiihi na ako."

I swallowed the lump in my throat to prevent my voice from cracking when I answered, "Sige, sandali lang, Tav, ha."

KINABUKASAN AY DINALA ako ng mga paa ko sa café ni Griffin. I got inside and took my usual place at his counter.

"Hi," he greeted.

Napangit ako at sinabing, "Hello. Isang taho saka dalawnag bibingka, please."

Pagbalik ni Griffin dala ang mga inorder ko ay nanatili siya sa tapat ko at itinuko ang mga palad niya sa counter.

"Is there a problem?"

Tahimik na umiling ako kaya nagpatuloy siya sa pagtatanong. "Your bright smile didn't reach your eyes. Do you want to share something with me?"

"Wala akong problema," I reassured.

He shook his head and said, "I don't buy it. Tell me, and I'll listen."

"Okay, fine."

While I talked a lot and even confessed the emotions I couldn't quite comprehend about my self-crisis, Griffin just stood there and patiently listened to all that I had to say.

"I would appreciate it if you could be straightforward with me and tell me my problem," I said. "I need a reality check to function normally again."

"Well, you said you were experiencing emotional troubles while trying to protect others, but you also didn't want to stop protecting them. Your problem, my dear Alohi, is that you want to find someone capable of protecting you as well. You need someone more powerful and capable than you or the people around you to provide you with the protection you need," he said in a tone that was both teasing and honest.

I tightly held onto my cup with just enough strength to avoid causing a scene. He hit right at the spot where I needed it most. I looked up at him. It was always Griffin who could easily see through me and understand me.

"If I'm in danger someday and need someone to protect me, will you be there to save me?" I asked him.

He locked eyes with me as if attempting to read my mind and tailor his response to what I was thinking and wanted to hear, as he always did. However, he threw me off guard by responding with a question of his own this time.

"Do you trust me?"

Nagtataka man ay tumango ako bilang tugon sa kanya. Unlike his usual sunny demeanor, he was dead serious right now.

"What if I ask you something big in exchange for that request?" tanong niyang muli, tunog nanghahamon na. "Will you still trust me?"

I gazed at him intently and listened to a part of me that couldn't remain silent whenever I was with him. I lowered my head in shame and whispered, "Yes, I will always trust you."

"Then I'll come and save you." I looked up upon hearing that and found him smiling reassuringly at me.

「 ✦ 𝓛𝓸𝔀𝓵𝓪 𝓟𝓲𝓷𝓴𝓸 ✦ 」

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