Behind His Mask

Chapter 3

"Rashea, wait up." Riley shouted when he saw his sister walking towards the arcade.

Lumingon naman sa kaniya ang kapatid niya at ngumuso ito.

"I want to play!" His sister nagged kaya napabuntong hininga siya at lumapit dito.

"I need to go to the comfort room. Don't wander around. I'll be back."  Sambit niya at pinisil ang pisnge nito.

"Alright. And buy me that, uhm, what do you call that?" Rashea asked at mahina naman siyang napatawa.

"Chips." He answered and his sister's face lit up. 

"Yeah. That. Dad doesn't let me eat it. Come on, Ri-ri, buy it for me. Pretty please." Pagpapacute sa kaniya ng kapatid niya at pinagdikit pa nito ang dalawa nitong palad habang parang batang nakatingin sa kaniya.

"Whatever my sister wants." He answered with a smile and his sister's face beamed with a huge smile.

"Yay! Hurry up! Dad will look for us soon. Let's play together!" She reminded him kaya naman hinalikan niya muna ang noo ng kapatid.

"Mhm. Just stay here." Paalala niya rito at tumalikod.

Riley felt his chest tightening as his surroundings started to darken. He was supposed to be in the mall, however, everything went dark and when his surrounding lightened, he saw his sister's back. Riley ran as he tried to reach for her. 

"Rash! Rashea! Rash!" Riley shouted.. and shouted. However, the woman didn't looked back. 

The sight of her started to become blurry. Riley tried his best to run after her. But he couldn't. He couldn't catch up. If he was a tad bit earlier and faster, would his sister be with him right now?

Riley blinked and the surroundings changed once again. He's inside a car and a woman suddenly passed by him. He turned his head as he followed the sight of her until she disappeared from his sight. Everything felt like its on fast forward. His surroundings felt like its progressing rapidly, however, Riley remained rooted on that very same place.

Then he saw her again. He's in a white room right now, and she's standing in front of him. Again, just like his sister, nakatalikod sa kaniya ang babae. And when Riley tried to touch her, unti-unting naglalaho ang katawan nito kaya nanigas siya sa kinatatayuan niya.

"No. No. No. Don't leave. Don't leave me." Riley desperately cried out as he still tried to touch the blurry shadow of the woman until there's nothing left of her.

And just like that, everything around him started to darken. He was thrown into an endless pit of darkness. Nothing can be seen, but Riley knows that he's there. Trapped inside that eerie and cold place, with no way out. With no one, and nothing to use to help him escape. It was nothing but an endless space of darkness. 

It felt cold. Frightening. Empty. Heavy.

And he continued to remain there. He didn't know kung gaano katagal na ba siyang naroon sa lugar na iyon. Until he saw a very small hint of light. And Riley, felt enticed. So he started walking. He walked as he tried to reach that unknown light, and when he reached it, a woman's hand grabbed his hand and pulled her out.

She was so beautiful. He was inside a very beautiful garden right now, with a lot of different flower petals dancing with the wind. The woman stood in front of him with a smile. He tried to speak, to ask her. 

Who is she?

But his lips won't open. He could only just stare at her while holding her hand. There's a very beautiful sunrise behind the woman who's facing him. But just as the sun rose to completely light up the who place, the woman suddenly removed his hand.