“Ahhh… Finally! The smell of fresh mountain air!” Monty moaned as he stretched his arms up in the breezy air.

“Uhm… Why is he with us again?” Triggs whispered at Lae.

“Calla still needs to rest. So, Lola Vega asked Monty to go with us instead,” Lae answered.

Again, the team sent for this mission consisted of 4 persons: Triggs, Lae, Zaine, and the replacement for Calla, Monty.

Currently, the team was traveling a path where the trees were dense and the canopies were thick. Dried leaves crunched with every step they took in the woody foothills.

“Hey, Billie Joe Armstrong. Where are we going, by the way?” Monty asked Zaine. “Vega didn't give me much details about this mission.”

Zaine didn’t answer Monty. He just stared at him with leery eyes.

“Oh, did I hurt your feelings?” Monty asked sarcastically. He then started chuckling. “Sorry, I just can’t help it, Haha! It’s already 2018 and you still have that hairstyle? I guess being Emo is not just a phase for you, eh?”

The solemness of the forest was tainted with Monty’s devilish laughter as he continued teasing Zaine.

“Monty. Don’t make me fight you again,” Zaine replied with all seriousness.

By then, Monty replied with the lyrics of a song, “Oh, really? But do you know what’s worth fighting foooooor?” He burst into laughter again.

Although not evident in his outer appearance, Zaine was getting irritated deep inside. “If you don’t stop. I’ll put you to sleep.”

Monty just replied with a chuckle. “Oh, no, no, no, no, no… Why would you say that? Hahaha…”

Zaine just bowed his head in annoyance. With him saying that phrase, he knew what Monty would do next.

“Put me to sleep? Then…… Wake me up when September ends,” Monty sang with his soul to add salt to the wound.

“Fucking cringe,” Zaine murmured.

“Guys! We’re here to do our mission, not to fool around!” Lae scolded Monty.

“Oh, here’s Ms.Principal again,” Monty murmured. “Stop being so stiff, Lae! You won’t get a boyfriend with that kind of attitude!”

“Wha - What!?” Lae blushed. “Stop it! We should take every mission seriously…”

“Tch! Always the killjoy…” Monty muttered. Finally, he began being serious again. “Hey, Lae! Mr. Billie Joe Armstrong over here didn’t answer my question. So, I guess you can explain to me what this mission is all about?"

“We’re somewhere on Mt. Iriga in Camarines Sur,” Lae answered. “Lola Vega received reports that there’s a small barangay around here that is being pestered by mysterious creatures. We’re here to investigate it.”

“Mysterious creatures, eh? Do you have any idea what they are?”

Triggs answered this time. “We don’t know what exactly they are. But according to reports, these creatures kept killing the farmers’ chickens and pigs. They also said that the incidents only happen at night.”

“That’s why we need to hurry,” Lae urged. “If we make it there before sunset, we might have the opportunity to catch those creatures in action.”

“Well… okay…”

The team continued their journey. After almost an hour of walking, the trees became less dense, indicating that they were nearing the end of the forest.

With a few more strides, the ground they were walking on became less inclined, and rays of the setting sun finally shone in their faces - they finally set foot at the edge of the forest.

There, they found a grassy pathway that ran through a rural area. As the team followed the track, the breeze that previously made their skins shiver slowly turned to a stench that made their spines quiver.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

With every step they took, the eerie aura got heavier, in sync with the disappearance of the sun on the horizon. The chirps of the morning birds were gradually being replaced by the caws of the crows.

The gloom of the journey was fortified by Triggs’s silence, Lae’s seriousness, Zaine’s dullness, and Monty singing,

“I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known……”

After a few more moments, they finally saw the first sign of civilization. In the distance, there was a small house with walls made of light materials and a roof covered with nipa.

The front yard of the house was protected with bamboo fences, and the backside was barricaded by the dense trees that lead to the forest.

“We’re here, I guess…” Lae uttered.

“Should we wear our robes now?” Triggs asked.

“No. The investigation requires interaction with the residents of the area,” Lae answered. “But to keep our identities secret, Lola Vega told us to introduce ourselves as vloggers.”

“Well, I guess that would work…” Triggs replied.

Moving closer to the house, the team felt the stench becoming heavier and heavier. In the front yard, they witness a very dire image: a pile of dead chickens with bodies slowly rotting.

The corpses were pestered by flies, and the maggots slithering in the carcasses were being feasted by the few chickens that were still alive.

Any person with a weak stomach would vomit their guts out if they witnessed the scene.

There, the team also saw a farmer. Using his shovel, the farmer was transferring the dead chickens to a wheelbarrow one by one.

The team approached the farmer to interrogate him.

“Hello po!” Lae greeted.

“Oh! Hey, there…” the farmer replied. “I’ve never seen your faces before. You’re not from around here, are you?”

“Yes po. We’re amateur vloggers.”

“Wow. That’s new,” the farmer uttered. “Then what brings you here, Young Fellas?”

“Our content focuses on paranormal activities. We came here because we heard that there is something unusual happening in this place.”

“Ooh! Indeed!” said the farmer. “I guess this pile of dead chickens pretty much shows what’s happening in our barangay.”

“Can you please tell us more about it? Is it okay if we’ll interview you?”

“Sure!” the farmer replied. “You can come in. Just quickly shut the fence so the chickens won’t escape.”

The team gladly accepted the invitation. They entered the premises, took a seat on a wooden bench, and started interviewing the farmer.

“Can you tell us your name, Tay*? Lae asked.

“Melchor Rodriguez.”

“Okay, Tatay Melchor. Can you please tell us more about what happened to your chickens?”

“Hmm… How do I start?” Melchor mumbled as he tried to recollect his memories.

Seconds after, the farmer started narrating,

“I believe it started with Mang* Edgar’s pigs. One morning, he woke up to discover that 2 of his piglets were already dead. At first, Edgar thought that it was just another incident of wild dog attacks. Feral dogs are common here.

But days after that, Edgar woke up again to see 4 of his fully-grown pigs already dead. When he examined the pigs’ bodies, he discovered that the hearts of the pigs were missing.

That’s the time Edgar knew that it was not the work of feral dogs. Wild dogs don’t waste any part of their prey; they tend to eat everything as much as they can.

It didn’t only happen to Edgar. Days passed and there were multiple incidents of dead animals being found in the morning - Bertha’s cows, Lando’s goats, and even Marie’s pet dog. And now, here, my chickens.”

“We’re really sorry about what happened in your barangay. But can we ask if you have any clue about what might have caused this? Was it perhaps an animal? A creature? Or maybe a person?”

“Sorry. But although this has been happening for a month now, we still don’t know what exactly is causing this. We tried everything we could to catch the culprit: setting up traps, and baits - we even had to patrol the nights ourselves.

It seems like the culprit is smart enough to avoid our traps. It’s very elusive, and also mysterious…”

“That’s… interestingly terrifying…” Triggs murmured.

“Sorry if I sound repetitive or annoying, but don’t you have any speculations? Assumptions? Or anything?” Lae insisted.

“Give the man a break, Lae! Don’t you have any mercy for him?” Monty blabbered sarcastically. “I mean look at that damn hairline! It’s like he’s carrying all the stress of everyone in this place!”

“Monty, you could offend someone if you keep doing that,” Triggs whispered.

“Pfff!!”

Fortunately, it seemed like Melchor didn’t hear what Monty said. He just proceeded to answer Lae’s questions,

“Hmm… We heard folklore about creatures called Sigbins* that used to attack farms in rural areas. These creatures also target the innards of their victims and leave the rest of the body.

We believe that such stories are true. However, these stories only happen in isolated cases. For it to happen to this extent, it sure is very alarming for us.

These passing weeks, numerous bizarre incidents were happening in our barangay, and they were not only limited to the death of our livestock.”

Lae was slightly confused by the last statement. “Can you please elaborate on it for us?” she asked Melchor.

“Other alarming incidents are happening in our place aside from the dying animals. There were cases of locals ‘getting lost’ in the forest.

Mind you, these are locals; they have been exploring the forest for all their lives. But lately, they report cases of being lost and going around in circles inside the forest.”

“Well… That’s strange indeed…” Lae replied.

“But the most alarming incident was when Michael, the Barangay Captain’s eldest son, went missing for a few days. Kapitan* Mario had to form a search team to look for him.

After a few days, they found Michael deep in the forest, unconscious but luckily unharmed. I believe that was the last straw for Kapitan Mario. After that incident, he hired ‘Paranormal Investigators’ to investigate our barangay.”

Triggs and Lae were surprised.

“Who are these Paranormal Investigators?” Triggs asked.

“Oh, they just arrived yesterday - a thin old man with a sunken chin wearing a black bonnet. He is accompanied by his 2 apprentices. I think they are the same age as you.”

Lae and Triggs glanced at each other as if they were talking telepathically.

Lae nodded his head at Triggs and spoke to Melchor once again, “Can we meet these so-called ‘Paranormal Experts’?”

“Sure,” Melchor replied. “I believe they’re currently staying in Lorna’s shop. I can take you there once I’m done with this.”

“That would be great!” Lae’s response.

“But it would be better if you help me bury these chickens, right? Right?” Melchor said with a weird smile.

Triggs and Lae stared at each other again. They shrugged their shoulders as they accepted the farmer’s request.