[A/N: please play the video for more feels about the story.]
I guess we asked for it.
It started as a harmless adventure to go ghost hunting in the infamous Diplomat Hotel in Baguio City. We learned that the building had seen its share of tragedies as it was a place where the Japanese massacred children and beheaded nuns and priests were during the World War II.
We wanted to experience it first-hand. We wanted to hear the children's cries; we wanted to have an encounter with wandering souls.
We dared each other to stay there for a week with the gates locked, and we all agreed.
We were stupid.
All seven of us entered the gates of the abandoned building. The moonlight gave its stained white walls a haunting glow.
"Are you sure about this, guys?" Thomas asked us as he held the padlock.
A part of me wanted to turn back and run but we all nodded in agreement instead.
Thomas seemed to have noticed that I was starting to get scared so he clasped my hand tighter and gave me a wink.
"Don't worry, Ara. This is going to be fun!" he whispered.
That relaxed me for a moment and he proceeded to locking the gates.
We entered the building and camped in one of its rooms. We were waiting for the noises and for a ghost to come up behind us. However, that night was an uneventful one.
×××××
"Rise and shine, everyone!" Ricci said as he shook us one by one.
"Shut up, Ricci!" Jeron said.
"Someone has to cook breakfast!" Ricci said.
"Perhaps that someone is you!" Thomas joked as he hugged me tighter.
Since no one wanted to prepare a proper meal, we settled into eating bread and canned food. That was enough to fuel us with energy for the morning when were scheduled to explore the area and dig its grounds.
×××××
Jeron led the team but it was Kim who hit the jackpot. As she dug a little deeper into her spot, her shovel hit a metal box. All four guys helped to bring it out.
"Who's going to open the Pandora's box?" Kib asked.
"Let me," Jeron said.
He opened it and we saw a creative collection of materials used for torture. One by one, he brought out the items including a pair of rusting pliers, a chainsaw, daggers, a set of needles, a whip and syringes.
And as I started to imagine how these items were used, Jeron brought out bottles of teeth, fingers, and skin soaked in some fluid.
"These are nasty, man!" Jeron said.
"I think we should put them back," I said. "This doesn't seem right."
"You're such a baby, Ara!" Mika teased.
"These are harmless now, babe. Don't worry." Thomas said.
We proceeded into discussing how these items must have been used in the past. The stories went on until lunch and we barely noticed when the sun began to set and darkness has taken over the Diplomat Hotel.
×××××
I opened the rechargeable light and laid down our sleeping bed. I think that even if everyone decided to stay for a second night, all of us are starting to realize what we've gotten ourselves into.
We were trying to sleep at around 8pm but the creepy noises kept us from peaceful slumber.
"Are you hearing this guys?" Kib whispered.
No one answered Kib and we listened instead to the sound of a sobbing child.
Suddenly, we heard a hair-raising scream and we all knew that it didn't come from any one of us.
The scream was followed by the clanging and banging of metals.
"This is what we came for, right?" Ricci said.
No one answered Ricci. All of us just listened as footsteps started getting louder and louder.
"I think we better go," Kim said.
Immediately, we all started packing hurriedly. I just took everything I could get with one swoop and ran with the rest of the guys.
We were sure that more footsteps were running with us as we raced the hallway. We didn't open our mouths but the sounds of the screams continued as we ran. It was as if they were running with us.
×××××
It felt like forever when we reached the gate.
"Open it, Thomas!" Mika shouted.
"The key's not with me! I hid it somewhere but now I don't know where it is." Thomas replied.
"Perhaps we left it in the room!" I said.
"Then go back and get it!" Jeron said.
"We all agreed to this so we're in this together. I say let's all go back," I declared.
No one was moving until we started to hear creepy laughter that seemed to have come from people who are with us in our huddle.
At this point, all of us ran back to the room.
Surprisingly, the building was quiet then. We scrambled around to look for the key but no one was finding it.
"Where is the damn key?!" Ricci said.
No one answered Ricci. Everyone of us was desperately trying to find the key.
Suddenly, the screams and the sound of objects breaking came back and it was louder than it was before. As we search for the key, I looked around the room with frightened eyes.
That was when I noticed that Thomas was not beside me.
"Thomas?? Thomas!!" I cried out.
"Nooooo!!!!!" Thomas was screaming somewhere and we all went out of the room to look for him.
He was kneeling beside the metal box that we found and he was swinging the pliers.
"You cannot do this to me!!" Thomas continued to scream as he brought out the bottles of body parts and started smashing these one by one, onto the ground.
"I think Thomas has been possessed by one of the spirits." I declared.
"Babe, this is Ara.... Please calm down." I requested.
Thomas stopped screaming but he looked at us one by one with eyes that could kill.
"NO!!" He shouted at us. He started banging the items from the torture box onto the wall.
Jeron bravely approached him to stop his violent acts but he got hurt instead. Thomas cut his arm with one of the daggers and as he writhed in pain, Ricci punched Thomas in the face.
He knocked him out and brought him into the other room. I followed them.
Ricci laid Thomas's unconscious body on the floor then he pulled me.
"Ara, I'm sorry but I think we should leave Thomas here. Let's just ask the police to get him after we leave this place. I think we should go now." Ricci suggested.
"No way, Ricci! I'm not leaving him!" I said.
"Put some sense into your mind, Ara! Thomas is dangerous! Whether he's possessed or just crazy, he can hurt us! Look at what he did to Jeron!"
"You don't understand, Ricci!" I said.
Then out of nowhere, Thomas appeared behind Ricci and cut his throat with one swipe.
"Are you really going to leave me, Ara?" Thomas asked me.
I was trembling in fear as the rest of the gang appeared on the doorway.
Kim's scream was deafening as they stared at the lifeless body on the floor.
"The ghost in Thomas killed Ricci!" I said.
"Yeah! He made me do it!" Thomas said as he tried to control his laughter. Slowly he began to pick up the blood-stained dagger.
I have to admit that at that moment, I got scared of the love of my life.
Surprisingly, one of my friends pulled me out of that room and sprinted to one of the corners of the hotel to hide.
"ARA!!!" Thomas screamed.
Tears started to fall from my eyes.
"We need to plan for something to get out of here." Kib whispered.
"It's impossible for us to get out of here, especially if Thomas is there searching for us. The ghost that possessed him definitely wants us killed!" Mika whispered back.
"It's not true...." I said and cried harder.
"Ara, keep it down." Kim scolded.
"What do you mean it's not true? What's not true?" Jeron asked.
"Thomas is not possessed! He's mentally ill, okay?! He has schizophrenia!"
All of them looked at me with shock lingering on their faces. No one was talking, so I took it as a sign to continue explaining.
"I promised to keep his secret.... b-but I broke it." I started to stutter as I cried harder.
Suddenly, a loud bang was heard from outside.
"ARA!!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!!?!"
My whole body shivered and my face turned pale as soon as I heard Thomas screaming for me.
"What can calm him, Ara?" Kib suddenly asked. I did not give any answer for I was too scared to even open my mouth.
"Thomas is hopeless, okay?! Calming him will never work, especially with all the noises in this place. He'll just attack us!" Jeron frustratingly said.
"Except Ara." Kim said and looked at me. I looked back with a confused expression.
"Ara, we need you to kill Thomas." Kim said.
"What?! No! I can never do that to Thomas. Please! No one will kill Thomas!"
"I know how much you love your boyfriend, but if you want to survive.... I'm afraid that this is the only choice, Ara." Kim said with pleading eyes.
I didn't know what to say but my head was shaking in disagreement. I can never hurt my boyfriend.
Everyone's attention left me and turned to the noises near our place.
"ARA!!!!"
Everyone started to tremble in fear. They knew that Thomas was just outside of our hiding spot because of how loud his screams were.
They looked at me and pleaded. Mika and Kim were already crying while the boys hugged them as comfort.
I had to choose.
My friends or Thomas.
I took the dagger from the floor and stared at it. I suddenly imagined how life would be without Thomas as tears fell from my eyes again.
My train of thoughts were cut short when I heard footsteps coming near us.
I held the dagger tightly and hid it behind my back as I went out of our hiding spot.
There I saw Thomas.
His right hand, holding a dagger similar to what I was holding and his left hand, bloody from the killing and smashing that he did.
"Ara..." Thomas said softly as he walked towards me.
The comfort in his voice made me cry harder.
"Baby? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Thomas asked as he caressed my arms for comfort.
"I'm so sorry, Thomas. I didn't want this to happen. I'm so sorry." I said as I held his face with my left hand. My other hand is still holding the dagger behind my back.
"Hey, Ara... Don't cry... I don't know what you did wrong but I promise that I'll forgive you... I love you, Ara."
I closed my eyes shut and held the dagger tightly. Seeing Thomas like this made it harder for me
But I wanted my friends safe.
With a heavy heart, I swung my hand and stabbed Thomas on his chest.
His eyes were open widely as blood started streaming out of his mouth. He held onto my hand tightly as he fell down on his knees.
"I'll a-always forgive you, Ara.."
His lifeless body then fell to the ground, the dagger in this chest.
I immediately let go of the weapon. My knees trembled making me fall to the floor.
That's where it started to sink in.
I killed Thomas.
I killed the love of my life.
I pulled my knees to my chest and sobbed hard.
I can't believe I did that.
"Ara!" I looked up and saw Jeron running towards me. He shivered at the sight of Thomas's lifeless body.
"We need to go now!" Jeron said. The others ran towards me as well.
The noises were starting to become as loud as possible. It was truly deafening.
My friends were trying to pull me away but I didn't move. I stayed on the floor, looking at Thomas's lifeless body.
"I'm staying here." I said firmly.
"Are you crazy?!?! Ara, come on! Leave Thomas already!" Kim shouted.
I crawled to Thomas's body and inserted my hand in his pocket. I then threw the object, that I got, to them.
"Leave! There's the key that you wanted."
They were left dumbfounded but Kib still took the key. He stared at me for awhile then ran to where the others were.
As soon as they left the hotel, I took the other dagger Thomas was holding from the floor.
My bloodshot eyes stared at the weapon.
"This is all my fault. If I told them about your true condition, this wouldn't happen. I'm so sorry, Thomas." I cried out.
"I don't deserve to live."
I closed my eyes shut as I slowly stabbed my chest with the dagger.
It was painful but it was enough to pay for the mistakes that I've done, especially to Thomas.
Then, everything was dark.
I stopped feeling the pain but I felt heavy.
Our bodies were taken by the police the morning after that night.
However, my soul remained here in this hotel.
I never saw Thomas after that night.
As many years have passed, I gave up on the chance that Thomas will come back. So many what ifs are still running in my head, but I guess I just have to deal with it.
Forgetting everything about that night will be a hard thing to do.
But this is what I have to do, and maybe... this is what I deserve.
I guess, the Diplomat Hotel is my new home now.
×××××
HAPPY HALLOWEEN PEOPLE!