Surging Of Affliction (WWS)

The Witness III

Huminto ang detective malapit sa pintuan at tahimik na nakinig. Mula sa maliit na siwang ay kita niya ang mukha nito.

Kumpara sa naturang disposisyon nito kanina, maayos na ang kalagayan ng babae. Hindi na ito nanginginig at wala ng bakas ng takot ang mukha. Para bang ibang tao ito. If he didn’t recognize her voice and face, the detective might even think that the girl who was talking right now was a different person.

Muli ay dahan-dahan siyang sumilip mula sa maliit na siwang. Maingat ngunit taimtim niyang tiningnan ang babae. Maaliwalas ang mukha nito ngayon. Presentable.

“Totoo nga. Sinabi niya sa akin. Papatayin niya ang detective dahil sa pangingialam nito gaya ng pagpatay niya kay Bernard. Ang detective na ang susunod. Maniwala ka sa akin,” sambit ng babae. Ginulo niya ang sariling buhok. Ang kanyang boses ay may bahid ng takot. Hindi nanginginig at nauutal ngunit nag-aalinlangan. Maingat sa bawat pananalita na pawang may ikinukubli na bagay na hindi nararapat na maisiwalat.

“Nagkakamali ka. Hindi niya palalampasin ’yon,” dagdag nito.

Kunot ang noo ng detective habang nakatayo at tahimik na nakikinig sa babae. Pawang may kausap ito ngunit wala siyang marinig na ibang boses bukod sa boses ng witness. Imposibleng may telepono ito dahil wala itong dalang cellphone nang pumunta ito sa kanilang opisina.

Baka nanghiram.

Detective Raj furrowed his brows. He moved slightly and peeked. After he saw her, he gulped.

She was already grinning, looking back at him. Kalaunan ay muli itong humarap sa kawalan na pawang hindi siya nito nakita.

Creepy. She’s a creep. Insane.

Agad na umatras ang detective at isinandal ang likod sa malamig na semento. Walang ibang tao sa loob ng silid. Walang telepono ngunit patuloy sa pakikipag-usap ang babae. She was staring at the empty wall and talked as if there was some creature inside the room aside from her.

“You should quit hanging your neck every time you visit me.”

Silence.

“Kahit na. If someone saw you coincidentally, they might have a heart attack. See it for yourself. Laylay ang dila, nanlalaki at namumula ang mga mata, at higit sa lahat, lumulutang. Idagdag mo pa ang pagngisi mo.”

Silence.

“No. He might kill me if you leave.”

Silence.

“Someone’s outside?”

Detective Raj ran towards the dark corner of the floor and hid.

His actions were just based in his reflexes. Hindi niya rin mawari kung bakit ba siya nagtago. Ang alam niya lang, kung sino man ang kausap ng babae ay alam nitong nakikinig siya sa labas.

He couldn’t think of any more possibilities. Walang ibang tao sa floor sa kasalukuyan dahil ang lahat ay nasa bâba’t nakikiusyoso sa pangyayari hinggil sa kumakalat na balita ukol sa serial murder na gawa ng isang sociopath.

Bukod sa mga tulog na pasyente, sa witness, at sa kung sino at ano man ang kausap ng babae ay wala ng ibang tao roon.

“Detective, lumabas ka na riyan. We already saw you.”

Base sa boses ng babae, alam ng detective na malayo pa ito sa kanya.

“Stop hiding on that dark corner, detective, and face us. Baka sunduin ka ni Celeste niyan at mamatay ka ng wala sa oras.”

That statement didn't sit right with the detective. Nagpanting ang tenga niya nang banggitin ng babae ang pangalan ni Celeste. Base sa pananalita nito, pawang may nangyaring masama na rito. Hindi magandang pakinggan.

Lumabas siya mula sa tinataguan. Masama ang kanyang iginawad na tingin nang piliin niyang tingnan ang babae.

Their eyes met.

She really knew where he was hiding.

Ngumiti ang babae. Ibang-iba ito sa babaeng humarap sa kanila bilang isang witness. Pawang ibang tao ang kaharap niya ngayon.

“Ano ang kailangan mo’t naparito ka, detective?” she asked.

The detective gave her a cold glare. He was clenching his jaws. “Tell me about Celeste.”

“I don’t know her, detective, if that’s what you want to know. But I could tell you some exhilarating news about her.”

“What happened to her?”

“Hindi ko alam. I don’t know the details, but I heard that she was found dead?” Ngumisi ito. “Haven’t you heard about the sociopath lurking around Manila? Celeste was his last victim. When she left the crime scene, the sociopath followed her. He dragged her to the rundown building at the deserted part of Metro Manila. That was what I heard earlier, at least. Patay na siya bago pa man madakip at mamatay ang lalaking ’yon,” paliwanag nito.

Detective Raj cracked up. He knew that it was a falsified statement. Celeste emailed a letter to the department head that she couldn’t work because she wasn’t feeling well. She sent the email to the head the next morning after they delivered the charred corpse of Bernard to the Philippines General Hospital mortuary. The time relevant does not match. Moreover, she couldn’t be killed that easily. Naniniwala siya sa kakayahan nito.

Detective Raj threw the book towards the woman.

Tiningnan lamang iyon ng babae at hindi nag-abala na pulutin ang libro. Nang maliwanagan siya sa kung ano iyon, agad itong napaluhod sa takot. Just like last time he saw her, she quivered in fear.

“You shouldn’t have brought it here, detective!”

What was it that made this woman this afraid? Detective Raj tilted his head. He has no idea. Baka nga baliw ito. Ngunit ang ipininagtataka ng detective ay kung paano nalaman ng babae kung nasaan siya nagtatago?

A psychic, maybe?

Detective Raj knew that now wasn’t the time to be curious. He had to check if Celeste was okay. Although he believes that she was okay and well, he needed to be sure. Hindi siya mapapakali hangga’t hindi niya makikitang buhay at nasa maayos na kalagayan ang babaeng sinisinta.

Gumalaw patalikod at akmang maglalakad paalis na ang detective nang higitin ng babae ang kanyang kamay.

He halted and turned to face the woman.

She was staring at him with vehemence. Her hands were shaking. Fear was visible in her eyes. She was gripping Detective Raj’s hand tightly. Ang mga kuko nito ay bumabakat at nag-iiwan ng maliliit na sugat. She handed him a portrait. It was a man.

Detective stared at it. He was familiar with him but he couldn’t remember who the man was.

Questions formed. Thoughts obfuscated.

The woman’s grip got even stronger. “He was alive... alive when cooked," she finally declared. "He was asking for help but nobody came. He was shouting... begging... crying for help.” Pilit itong ngumisi. “His voice sounds like a cry of death. It was a song with a rhapsodic anthem. I... I saw him kill himself. He killed himself, Detective Raj. In a pyre. The gas. In a swift, seconds, the fire ignited."

Huminga ng malalim ang babae. Kalaunan ay pinulot nito ang libro gamit ang nanginginig niyang kamay at inilahad iyon sa detective. "The book was cursed. Whoever reads it will be dead. Whoever sees what's inside would be haunted. The author poured his soul and whoever read it would be followed. I warned you, Detective Raj. The book was cursed."

The detective pushed the woman away from him. Of all the cases he handled, he never met a woman this creepy. It was the first time and the detective wished that this would be the last.

“You will be haunted, detective. Sinabi ko na at sasabihin ko ulit ito sa’yo sa huling pagkakataon. Ikalabing-tatlo, sa araw ng Biyernes, sa ikatlo ng umaga, may kukunin. Muling liliyab ang apoy. Humihiyaw sa sakit ang naiwan habang humuhupa ang umaapoy na galit ng pumapatay.  Labing-tatlong buhay ang kabayaran sa isang librong sinunog at ninakaw.”

She laughed hysterically. “Bawat yabag patakbo, ang kapalit ay isang kataga. Bawat bakas ng pagkagimbal, ang kapalit ay hatol. Walang pang nakatakas sa kaniya, detective. Ang kahuli-hulihang arko ng libro ay ukol sa pagkondena ng may-akda sa nagkasala. Mag-ingat ka detective. Malapit lang siya. Nagbabalat-kayo.”