bc

The Invisible City

book_age16+
133
FOLLOW
1K
READ
dark
independent
brave
journalists
bxg
scary
brilliant
magical world
supernatural
like
intro-logo
Blurb

Liz is a novelist and a hopeless romantic. She also happens to be a thrill-seeker and very curious about everything supernatural. She was living a high life before embracing her now geeky personality. She had no idea that she’s up for the greatest adventure that will change her life forever.

She went to an unknown location to have her new story written. Thinking that she had nothing to lose, she discovered the mystery of The Invisible City that only exists from a local urban legend in her country. She knows that the moment she stepped foot on the carriage that brought her, there’s no way to return to the real world she used to live in.

In the middle of all the mystery and impossible things that she witnessed in that place, she seems to want to see more. She just can’t get enough of Biringan City even if she’s the first person who had the chance to get back from where she belongs.

Something is stopping her, and she has to find out the reason why even if it means that she will be trapped there forever. It’s a tough choice to make since she needs to give up her life and die first before staying and being one of them.

chap-preview
Free preview
The Invitation
755 Biringan City, Samar, Philippines I looked again from my phone to check if I got the correct address. I have to take the bus to Batangas for almost 4 hours and take the ferry from Batangas Port to Samar. I'm not sure how long I've been on the ferry, but I arrived in Samar at the break of dawn. Alone with my medium-sized suitcase, I have just a few of my belongings. I also have my laptop bag, and all my necessary gadgets are in there. I hope that I will have enough clothes to last until I'm done with my next novel. Being a writer is not always easy. But traveling makes it more enjoyable. The invitation I received is very unusual. It's a letter from the town Mayor for their festival. It's called "The Aswang Festival." It's pretty spooky, mostly if you translated its meaning. Based on the folklore, "aswang" means hideous monsters. If there's a festival for them, does it mean they also have humans for the feast instead of the usual food? Now, that's very interesting. The invitation also includes a direction on how to get to the city proper. "Take the carriage by 7 PM to get to Biringan City. You'll find it near the port." I decided to arrive during day time. It's best to go around the area first when I can find some locals to interview. This assignment will be fun. I didn't tell anyone where I'm going. I need to take a break from my healthy life. Maybe this place will be kind enough to settle down. But I'm not sure about it yet. I need to check it out first, write my story, and enjoy it! My life in Manila is not that great. I have to live in a tiny room for rent to get by. Being a hungry writer is not a myth. I know all about that fact, but I still dive into this mess. I graduated from Psychology from college. I was supposed to become a doctor. But s**t happens just when your future has been planned out to be perfect. My parents died from a plane crash to attend my graduation from pre-med school. I couldn’t attend the graduation ceremonies since I have to go and identify my parents’ bodies. It was a cloudy day in my life. I lost everything in a blink of an eye. My future as a doctor was forgotten. After the funeral, I have to get away from it all. I could claim some of my parents’ insurance benefits and decided to start living a new life. But since I was still young and inexperienced, nobody hired me for work until I got lucky and became a Customer Representative in a call center company in Makati. Life, when you’re younger, is fascinating. With nothing to care about, I lived a high life and party almost every night. But things will change when you get older. I no longer enjoyed being the life of the party anymore. Then I discovered that I'm an introvert. After living an extroverted life, I suddenly realized why I'm not making real friends, not relationships. Understanding yourself late is not easy. My so-called friends even thought that I'm suicidal. I withdrew from them and decided to become a writer. Becoming a writer is not as hard as I thought it would be. I read all the writing courses online that I can get ahold of. I applied to numerous job boards to become a copywriter, ghostwriter, or whatever they call writers these days. None of them seems to fit since I don't have qualifications on paper. I'm not a journalism graduate either. That makes it hard to pursue my new career. Then one day, while I was on my nth time application process, my email notified me. I have one unread message. Curious, I saved my application first and went to my email. It was from an online publishing company. They said that my use as a writer was a success! I reread the email and double-check if I've just read it differently. Since by now, I'm very used to them, I'm sorry for the response. "On behalf of Pinoy Publishing, we would like to welcome you on board!" That's the last part of the message, and it's a perfect piece! They were asking me to start writing my first story, and the rest is history. The ferry docks to the port and advises the passengers that we have arrived at our destination. I feel scared to set foot in this unfamiliar place. But I have to admit that I’m more excited. As I got off the ferry boat, I looked at my new surroundings. It’s very different from Batangas and way too different compared to Manila.  I looked back to the coastline, and the sight was mesmerizing! The ocean is very calm and peaceful. The sunrise is on display.  Great timing! I have to stop for a while. Sunrise is like a magical event, and you can enjoy it when you're near the shore.  The sunrise makes me feel like I’m starting a new life again from this place. It’s a new city for me to explore. Maybe it will be different from Makati City. But I should check out my new city. Who knows? Might I stay there for good? Ever since my parents passed, I keep on moving from one place to another. I want to start over whenever something terrible happens. A new home can erase those bad memories and avoid them from happening again. My editor didn’t know that I would be traveling to Manila in this place. However, she approved this project since Biringan City is an extraordinary place. Nobody can go there without an invitation.  But I wrote a letter from the city mayor and invited me to their festival! How lucky for me to experience that mysterious place?  Or should I say unfortunate? They said that nobody could return anymore once they set foot in Biringan. Well, not me! I’ve been to a lot of places already.  Nothing can stop me from leaving the place if I don't like to stay! Or am I deciding on things in advance? I faced the way opposite from the shore. I have to go around the area before I go to Biringan later.  I wonder if I should buy some supplies I might need for my g6 trip there. But I’m heading to the festival. Maybe the food there is so much better.  But I can’t stop myself from wanting to buy something. It looks like Allen, Northern Samar Port, has many things to offer the tourists who visited their island. It’s still early in the morning, but I suddenly felt hungry. Maybe since I haven’t eaten anything since I boarded the ferry. According to the arrival time, it seems that I’ve been there for more than 24 hours.  Well, it feels like it, but I was sleeping most of the time. I don't feel like eating anything because I’m also afraid to get seasick. But I have many candies in my pocket, so I don't feel the hunger. But now that my feet are on the solid ground again, I’m starving. Based on my research, their specialty around here is the Binukohang Pancit. It’s a noodle dish with shredded coconut meat, vegetables, seafood, and pork.  Sounds appetizing! I heard my stomach growling. As if protesting and demanding some food right away. I didn’t waste any time and just went into the first restaurant nearby. The restaurant that I have chosen has the dish, and I ordered it right away. The waiter informed me of the waiting time and left. I heard my phone notification sound and checked it right away. My editor is reminding me about my assignment and asking for a follow-up. I informed her that I’m already conducting my research and told her that I’m now in Samar. I hit on the send button, and my phone rang instantly.  “Hi, boss! Good morning!” I greeted her cheerfully. “What are you doing there? You can do your research online. Why do you even have to go there?” she asked in a raised but concerned tone. “Don’t panic! I’m just going to go around and feel how the place is to write my story based on my experience here. Isn’t that better?” I tried to calm her down. “I’m not sure what you're thinking, but make sure to stay in Samar Island. If somebody asks you to go to Biringan, don’t follow them!” she said. “What? Don't tell me you believe in those stories about that place. If I have a chance to be in Biringan, I will take the opportunity.” I said while chuckling. “Let’s say I don't believe in that story, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. I’m giving you three days, and you have to get back here by then. Don’t do anything stupid, alright?” my editor sounds concerned about me, so I tried to cooperate. “Yes, boss! Don’t worry. I’ll be back after my research. I’m about to eat now, and I’m so hungry. I’ll call you later. Bye!” I saw the waiter with my order and just hung up without waiting for my editor’s reply. 

editor-pick
Dreame-Editor's pick

bc

CHAOS

read
32.4K
bc

Year of Goodbyes

read
3.2M
bc

My babies father is Alpha

read
213.0K
bc

Beta Tyler

read
5.9K
bc

You Broke Me

read
24.9K
bc

Energy of the Omega

read
239.9K
bc

Embracing my Luna

read
79.3K

Scan code to download app

download_iosApp Store
google icon
Google Play
Facebook