The Black Heritage

Chapter 16: Discovery - Part 1

Many people were waiting outside of Brgy. Pag-asa Clinic due to widespread talk about the encounter between Ethan and the monster. People wanted to inquire to prove the rumor was true. So Ethan had a hard time finding or identifying the source of the pungent odor.

"Is the news I heard true? Are there really monsters spreading here in our village and attacking a pregnant woman?" The driver asked his fellow driver.

"You asked the right person. Just so you know, I was the one who delivered the severely injured young man in the clinic." The fellow driver replied. 

"Where is that man? Or the pregnant woman?"

"I think he's still inside. With those wounds on his, I guess before he can come out of the clinic is after a month."

"What? Too serious?"

"Yeah. I peeked last night in the glass window as the doctors treated his wounds and even the doctors themselves could not explain what kind of animal or beast attacked them because the wounds mark left on his body were indeed a mark left by long and sharp nails." The said driver pointed on the doorway, "Speaking of the woman, it was her. She is coming."

People immediately surrounded Elen and inquired about what had happened last night.

"Elen, was it true that the monsters attacked you last night?" Asked the fat old woman.

"Yes. Fortunately, a man saved me. If it happened that he did not pass, my body would probably explode and my entrails and my baby would be gone." Elen touched her stomach.

"Then, where is the man who saved you now? Is he in serious condition?" The gossip driver earlier asked.

Elen smiled, "Good people are always blessed. He is safe now. Even though he was badly injured, he is a tough man. He came home a while ago."

"Ha? So soon? Whoahh he is indeed tough." The driver said.

"It's a pity, we did not see his face." Said the boy. "He is my idol. Sister, what kind of person is he? What does he look like?"

Elen shrugged, "He is wearing a veil so I can't even see his face."

"Mysterious. Cool. Low Profile. I like it." The gossip driver exclaimed. 

"Brother, where are you going? Let's go home okay?  You need to wash your body." A young man's voice suddenly rumbled around which caught Ethan's attention.

"Brother, they're talking about you. You are so popular now." Said Jotun.

Ethan motioned for Jotun to be quiet so that no one could hear. In Ethan's situation, those who admired him more than an artist might mob around him if they knew he was just around them. He could not afford such attention. It was even more dangerous than the monsters. Besides, his attention was into another thing. The rotten smell. It was not a normal smell. 

"Uncle Fabian, can you hold Jotun for me? Don't let him run around." Ethan said. 

"No problem. Here, Jotun, you stay close with me." Uncle Fabian held Jotun's arm. 

At that time, no one recognised Ethan because he had changed his clothes and the veil had also been removed. 

Ethan's sight followed the young man who shouted a while ago and in front of him was another young man who looked like the first one, presumably, they were twins. The second one was staring on air, not even blinking his eyes and seemed lifeless as he walked. He appeared like a remote controlled robot.

- "What stench smell is that?"

- "It was nauseous."

- "Why does the stench smell like a rotten corpse?" 

A series of complaints from everyone while covering their noses.

"It's him! It's him! He smells so bad." A woman in a blue shirt pointed to the young man who was quietly walking.

"Everyone, I'm really sorry. My brother is sick lately. He seems to have lost himself and has not been able to take a bath for a week. He does not want to take a bath no matter how hard we try. So please be kind and forgive us. I will take my brother home right away." The young man quickly apologised. 

-"Since he is sick, why let him roam around? Why not lock him in your house? What if his illness is contagious, will you hold responsible?" The woman in blue said again with a little bit of annoyance. 

"I'm sorry." The young man held his twin brother. "Brother, let's go home okay?" 

"Celix, what's your brother's problem? I met him last week, he still smiled at me. Why did he end up in that state and smelly." Another woman said. 

"We don't know what happened to him, Aling Tess. He was quite fine a week ago but he just suddenly became like this. He didn't even talk to us." Celix replied. 

In the corner with his palms resting inside the pocket of his pants, Ethan heard the entire conversation of everyone. Most importantly, the young man's abnormal actions aroused Ethan's curiosity.

As far as Ethan was concerned, it was not a simple disease.

"That smell, the young man's actions-- seems familiar to me." Mang Fabian said while silently shedding tears beside them.

"Uncle Fabian, are you all right?" Ethan asked.

"I am fine. I only remembered something."

"Oww," Ethan looked down at Jotun, "Jotun, listen to brother okay? Whatever I say or do later, pretend you don't know me. Understand? We don't know if there are monsters near here." 

"Okay! I will listen to you Brother." Jotun replied. 

"Good boy!" Ethan turned around and put on his veil again. As he returned his sight to the crowd, he saw the young man fall down.

"Oh my God! He fainted. Help! Doctor!" Aling Tess shouted in fret but no one dared to come over. 

"Brother? Brother? What is wrong?" Celix outcried as he kept tapping his brother's arm. 

"Excuse me. Let me through." Ethan's gentle voice made everyone's head turn to him and they whooped in joy as they recognised him.

"Hunter? You're here!" Everybody shouted and even tried to approach him but Ethan shouted. 

"Everybody don't move!" Indeed stopped. "I don't want people touching me. So please understand and let me through. There is still someone lying there."

"Hurry, move aside! Let Hunter pass through." A driver said, waving his arms around everyone.

"Celix, condolence." The first words that came out from Ethan's mouth as he approached them. 

Celix looked up at him, "What do you mean?"

"Sorry for your loss but your Brother has already passed away."

"What? No? That's not true. You liar." Celix stood up and pushed Ethan away. "Go away. I don't need your help."

Ethan moaned slightly as Celix pushed the wound on his right chest.

"What are you doing Celix?" Elen immediately gave Ethan support. "Don't you know that this person you are pushing is wounded?"

"I'm fine Elen. It's not a big deal." Ethan said.

"Blood! Hunter's chest is bleeding." The kid exclaimed. "Celix, what did you do to my idol? Look, his wound bleeds again because of you."

"I said it's fine. Don't blame him. He just can't accept that his brother was gone." Ethan said.

-"Hunter is really great. He even ignored his own wound. If it was me, I might already hit that brat."

-"He is different from you. Don't compare yourself to him. He is righteous, of course, he won't hit back."

Two men from the crowd said. 

"No. No. My brother is not dead." Celix cried. 

Ethan moved closer to Celix and tapped his shoulder, "He is dead whether you believe it or not. If you allow me, I will help you check him. Look, no one dares to come close here because of the smell. Only me, if you can trust me, I will explain to you everything I noticed."

-"Let Hunter check him." Everyone shouted. 

"Okay! I agree." 

Ethan immediately squatted down and examined the corpse. He even fanned the air into his nose with his hand to smell the corpse.

"If you look closely, you will not think that something is wrong with him because he does not have any wounds on his body or some signs of disease. But look at his nails. It turned yellow, proof that his blood is drained. The veins of his arms and legs have jutt out into his skin in a black thin lines because of lacking blood. His chest---" Ethan stopped abruptly and knocked his fingers on the corpse's chest again. And his eyes widened at his discovery. He quickly opened the corpse's shirt and observed his body.

"What's wrong with his body? Why did you stop talking?" Celix grumbled. 

Ethan traced his fingers on the dead body. From the chest to its tummy and everyone wondered why every time Ethan simply pressed his hand on the body, the skin sunk down as if it was empty inside. 

"What now?" 

"Celix, who was with your brother's last meeting before he was like this? " Ethan ignored Celix grumbles. 

"His girlfriend. But what has she got to do with my brother?"

"Just answer my question. When was the last time they were together?"

Everyone around was whispering.

- "What did Hunter discover?"

- "Who knows? Let's just watch."

"We are still meeting my brother's sweetheart but my older brother has changed since the last week after he returned from his girlfriend's birthday. I can vouch, there is no problem in their relationship."

"There's no problem in their relationship, of course, because it was all planned. It was a big lie, an act. Fake." Ethan smirked, "Looked at my fingers carefully." Ethan pressed down his fist on the chest of the corpse. 

Everybody found a hard time to accept the fact that Ethan's fist could sink deep into the bodies. 

"What is going on to my brother's body?" Celix worriedly asked again. 

"All I can say for now, your brother  has been dead a week ago." 

"What?"