Mermaid Blues: Beasts, Giants and Spirits

The Assault

It was a nice sunny day at the sacred lake in another reality. Ana had just come out of the woods. Among the tall ebolo plants, she saw Grace standing still while facing the lake. Ana slowly walked over to her. Grace looked back to see the person at the back who was making those footsteps sounds. She immediately smiled when she realized it was Ana.

"Hi," Ana greeted. "Here we are in this place again."

"Yeah. I am getting annoyed because we don't have any idea where we are," Grace told her.

"This place...(Ana looked around with delight) It is so mysterious. It's like we are out of the world.

"It's been like a year since we haven't met. I miss being here."

Ana agreed by nodding her head. She stares at the lake again. She took a deep breath, taking in the soothing smell of the breeze.

"Maybe we don't need to find this place at all," Ana suggested.

"What do you mean?" Grace was puzzled.

"Have you ever thought of us finding each other in the real world?" She asked.

"I hope so," Grace replied. "I always wonder if you guys are real ever since I met you and Seline."

Ana laughed. "I think I know where to find you," Ana told her with optimism in her eyes.

"What?" Grace reacted with a surprised look on her face. "How?"

"I know you are at Horizon Reached University."

Grace widened her eyes in surprise. She couldn't believe it. She chuckled.

"Don't tell me you are studying there too."

"Let's meet up after we wake up in this 'dream'," Ana told her. Grace smiled with enthusiasm and she nodded.

"I can't wait to see you personally," she said. "I really hope so."

"Guys!" Seline called. She was in the lake. She was sitting on a rock rising above the water. She was in her mermaid form. "Guys!" she shouted again. That time, she raised her hands and waved them. Grace and Ana responded by waving their hands. "Come here! Aren't you going to swim?"

"How about her?" Grace asked Ana.

"Let's see. May be it's time for us to meet each other. And that school might be the place for us to unite," Ana replied.

Grace smiled from ear to ear due to her excitement. She didn't respond anymore. She just nodded instead.

"We're coming!" Ana shouted. And so, Ana and Grace rushed towards the shore to meet her.

*****Blue Water****

Grace Joy was walking along the shaded path at the corner of the wide ground. She was hugging the book she had borrowed at the library. She was scanning around as she moved. She admired how good the pathway she was at. It's tiled and roofed. Golden bushes on both sides. Behind the bushes on each side is a line of shed areas filled in with concrete tables that have pine tree bark designed on their rims. Each of them has two concrete benches across.

Suddenly, she saw Sherdel coming in her direction. She widened her eyes in fright. She turned around to hide her face.

"Darn it!" She panicked. "What should I do? That son of a devil's gonna taunt me," she said to herself. Then, her mind suddenly brought out the moment when they met at Burnham Park and the moment she overheard him and his girlfriend inside the comfort room.

"Oh my God, what should I do? I don't want to be threatened by him."

"No," she then contradicted what she had said to herself. That path was the only way to go to the small building where her class was.

"Relax Grace. That was nothing so, man-up, " she said while making herself calm down. " It just happened that it became awkward," she added. "Breathe in... breath out."

She turned around. However, she gasped when she realized Sherdel was already standing before him. Sherdel who was obviously inches taller than her, lowered his head to look at her. He was looking at her with no expression on his face. Grace looked up. She noticed how close he was to her. It made her feel awkward all of a sudden.

And suddenly, he asked her a question.

"What are you doing?"

"H-hi?" she nervously waved her hands. "I am sorry. I was just thinking of..things..."

"You are standing on my way to that 'kubo' (shed) over there," he said while he pointed at the small shed to his left. Grace turned her head to her right. She realized that she was standing exactly on the path leading to the shed. Grace bit her lips and looked at Sherdel.

"I am so sorry," she smiled. Then she walked past him. While watching her walking away, Sherdel called her by her name. When she heard him call, she halted. She turned around to look at him.

"Grace, right?" he smirked.

"Yes," she nervously smiled.

"Don't take seriously what I've said to you before. About me and you know who," he said.

"Of course" Grace replied with optimism. She turned away and continued to walk slowly. Just a few steps later, she got surprised when she heard another disturbance coming from behind.

"HEY PRADO!" someone shouted. Grace Joy got startled. And so, she immediately turns around. She was surprised to see a boy punching Sherdel on the belly. Just when he did that, Grace Joy gasped as she immediately covered her mouth with her hand.

"You sicko. You are always making my life miserable wherever you go, aren't you?" Sherdel's big brother said. Sherdel coughed and coughed because of the pain he felt after his brother punched him in the belly.

"What did I do?" he asked.

"Do not act like you don't know!" he yelled. "You are the one who told Lolo that I didn't get home for a week."

"What are you talking about?" he was puzzled.

"Don't pretend that you don't know a thing! Thanks to you, I was scolded by him. Are you really desperate to win Lolo's attention, you bastard?" he said.

"What is wrong with you," Sherdel talked back.

"Oh really? I wonder who told Lolo that I wasn't going home because I got wasted in my friend's house. You are the only one I know who is capable of hating me!"

Sherdel grabbed his brother's collar and he brought his face close to his brother. He scowled at him just like his brother was doing. They looked each other eye to eye while letting their hatred for each other out.

"I am not the only one who has a grudge against you, Severine. Look around," he told him with his faint voice. Then he pushed him away and he let go. After that, his big brother turned his head from left to right. He saw a few students passing by while looking at them. Some murmured while others just pretended that they saw nothing and stayed silent as they passed. Until he saw Grace Joy, who widened her eyes in shock.

Grace Joy was shaking with fear. She was spotted by Sherdel's big brother. His eyes were staring at her like she was prey. Because of that, she felt tense and she didn't know what she'd do.

Her mind was in a panic.

"What are you staring at?" he spoke angrily.

Grace Joy's heart raced faster. She immediately turned around as she held her head down in embarrassment and at the same time she's got fear. And so, she walked away.

Severin faced Sherdel once again. He grabbed Sherdel's collar.

Grace Joy turned around again to see if the angry person was still glaring at her. Then, Grace Joy saw a girl approaching them. She immediately tried to remove Severine's hand from Sherdel's clothes.

"Kuya Severine. Stop! Please, enough," she begged.

Grace Joy realized that the girl was Alexa, Sherdelino's girlfriend.

"Stay out of this, you b***h!" then he pushed Alexa away. Because of that, Alexa stumbled back.

Grace gasped.

"Okay. I'll end this now."

And so, she went to a shed near where the ruckus was and hid behind the tree near it.

"You animal!" Sherdel punched Severin in the face just after he saw Alexa fall down. "I don't care about your life, you bullshit!"

"Ah... is that so?" Severin packed his fist. Then, he approached Sherdel.

But before a blow should be taken on Sherdel's face, a pebble of hardened water suddenly came flying at a high speed and it was heading towards Severine's head. Neither Sherdel nor Alexa saw it was coming. They were surprised when Severine suddenly fell off the ground. The impact of a very small solid water the size of a pea that crashed on his head made him lose consciousness. Alexa yelled. While Sherdel watched him lying on the ground with a shocked expression on his face.

Alexa went to the unconscious body and she gently shook him. She was worried and confused about what had just happened. Even Sherdel can't understand what just happened. He suddenly collapsed in front of him. He doesn't know the factor that caused his collapse. He didn't know how to react. He was standing still, frozen. He was silently watching his girlfriend calling for help.

:::::::::::::::::::

In the conference room of the Association of the Marksmen. All the leaders were sitting at the oval table. They were discussing the strategy to find Arthur Agonon. Gordon was the one who was doing the speaking while his four colleagues were listening to him.

"Arthur Agonon was an ex-navy officer. He graduated from Baguio City High School in two thousand five and continued his studies in the Batangas Marine Corps. Fifteen years later, he was lost off the radar after the Scarborough incident five years ago. He's never heard of since then. His ex-colleagues in the marines said that there were rumors of him saying that he impregnated a woman when he was assigned to Aklan."

Japeth asked a question. "How's the woman and the kid? When we went there, we only found him alone in that house. Inspectors confirmed no one was living with him."

"If that is so, Mr. Braced Hips, I have theorized that his family might still be in Aklan and he was planning to go there to see him."

"He fears that the hunters might be looking for them," Gaston seconded. "I gotta call the agents. We shouldn't waste time."

"However..." Gordon said with doubt. "I have searched for the name of the girl he impregnated and I found this on the government's database." He revealed a picture of an ID card through the monitor screen.

Seth squinted as he read the girl's name. "Edina Basil. She is an administrative assistant at DSWD Pangasinan"

"So she is in Pangasinan?" Japeth asked.

"Her f*******: confirms it," Gordon seconded. "She's living somewhere in Alaminos," he pointed out.

"Damn. I'll have Benjie and the two guys there with me right away," Gaston told them.

"I'll go with you," Cielo said as he stood up.

"Okay," he agreed. "Have a nice day!" He said excitedly before he and Cielo rushed to the door.

"I'll text you the address!" Gordon yelled just when Gaston and Cielo came out of the room.

::::::::::::

It was already noon. The sun was at its peak in the Alaminos sky. The temperature was hot. The sky was so clear and only a few clouds could be seen. On the plain of Barangay Limansangan where Edina Bansil and her son live, where houses are standing at least one hundred meters away from each other. Arthur arrived at the house thirty minutes earlier and now he was helping Edina and his son transport their things to the Tamaraw fx. He was in a hurry, eager to take them away from that place as soon as possible.

"Get inside the car now. Go! Go!" he commanded his son right after he put his bag in the back of the vehicle. And so, the boy immediately ran towards the back seat and immediately closed the door.

He can sense them, the enemy who is looking for him. They are already on their way across the plain. It was only a matter of ten minutes before they arrived at that house. He looked at the plain afar and he used his wolf's sense of sight to enhance his vision. They are already near. From his estimation, there are more than twenty of them.

"Come on! What are you still looking at over there?" the driver yelled in panic.

And so, he rushed to the door next to the front seat. He was about to flip the knob to open it but a person suddenly hopped onto him and they both fell to the ground. His son and Edina screamed in fear.

"Go! Go! GO!" Arthur yelled to the driver while he was struggling to get up because of the guy on top of him.

Edina and her son were crying and screaming "No!" while the driver immediately started the car and did what Arthur yelled. The tires were screeching against the graveled ground as it rapidly took the car away from the scene.

The enemy was punching Arthur's face. However, Arthur turned the tables when he caught the enemy's fist and he punched him to the Adam's apple. The enemy choked, struggling to breathe. Arthur immediately stood up. The enemy was still kneeling down and his hands were at his neck. With all the strength in his fist, Arthur delivered a heavy blow to the enemy's head. The enemy was dropped to the ground with a shattered skull. Then, two more hunters were running towards him. He immediately ran towards the house just when he saw them coming.

He shut the door. He leaned his back on it as he caught his breath. He was sweating excessively, fearing his death. His tattoo suddenly shone. He raised his hand to check it. Suddenly, bullets coming from the outside were piercing through the door. He immediately ran away and headed to the living room.

Three people crashed through the living room window and they immediately chased him. Arthur immediately turned right to get to the stairs. He went up. Just when he arrived on the second floor, he grabbed the cabinet facing the stairs and pulled it down, and pushed it to the edge of the stairs to serve as a blockade to the hunters after him. He immediately hid behind it, took out his rifle, and loaded it. He took aim and shot a hunter climbing up the stairs. One by one, he shoots them.

Then, from the window next to him entered a grenade. He immediately noticed it flying over him and was about to land on the floor a foot away on his right. Immediately, he swung his rifle to bat the grenade away from him. BOOM! The grenade exploded on a wall ten meters away. As a result, the wall was demolished.

A hunter successfully crossed the cabinet blockade and found Arthur behind it. And so, Arthur immediately pinned the hunter and shot him in the chest. Arthur crawled away from the blockade, heading to the demolished wall. He never expected that there are Benjie, Kianu, and Wendel downstairs, who are already fighting the hunters.

Aside from gunshots, sounds of glasses breaking, stampedes, and screams can be heard downstairs. Benjie, who had partially transformed, threw a hunter at a wall. Kianu, who is also partially transformed, punches two hunters in the face at the same time. Wendel immediately went to the stairs, passing by those corpses lying on the staircase.

Wendel stepped to the top of the very top staircase when a person with a rifle appeared before him. The bullet almost got into his head. Luckily, he dodged and it landed on the floor down the stairs instead. Wendel was frightened. He looked at the guy who almost killed him - it was Arthur. Arthur was about to pull the trigger again to shoot.

"Wait! Wait! Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Wendel flinched. He showed him his shining tattoo. Arthur was surprised. He can't believe it. Before his eyes, he's looking at another someone who possesses the same magical tattoo as he has. "It's me, Wendel. You know, we met a week ago."

"Hahhh!" a hunter from downstairs cries as he approaches Wendel. He was raising a machete and readying to swing it to Wendel's head.

Arthur immediately shot him before he could chop Wendel.

"What are you doing here?" Arthur asked.

"To save you," he replied. "Come on. We have friends down there!"

::::::::

Grace lowered her head into her hand. She was staring at Sherdel who was sitting next to her. Looking at him makes her remember what she did to Sheredel's big brother earlier. She felt guilty, although there is a part of her that makes her feel relieved that at least she stopped the fight before it got worse. Sherdel was quiet as usual, however, he was not with himself. He was biting the tip of his thumb in stress due to his guilt and worry.

Through his peripheral vision, Sherdel noticed her looking at him. And so, he turned his head toward her. Grace immediately looked to the front. Sherdel rolled his eyes, then he focused his eyes on the teacher in the front. Carefully, Grace rolled her eyes to Sherdel. She didn't know that Sherdel was waiting for her to look at him again. He immediately turned his head.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

"Nothing," she shook her head. "Are you okay?"

"Stop sympathizing with me," he said sternly. "Why do you care?"

"I just heard that your Kuya has been sent to the clinic," she said.

"It is none of your business."

"Okay. Okay." She raised her hands like she was surrendering. "Fine. I'll zip my mouth. I won't talk to you."

Sherdel sneered, then he took his eyes back at the front. However, Grace suddenly uttered something offensive that made him turn his head to her again. She was not aware that he had heard it.

"Such a d**k ."

Sherdel frowned. Grace looked at him as she brought her eyebrows together.

"What?" she muttered as she shrugged.

"Piece of s**t," he said before he brought his eyes to the front.

Grace gasped. She was offended by it. However, she rolled her eyes and looked in front, pretending that she didn't hear him say that nor had she had a conversation with him.

::::::::::;

"Who do you work for?" Benjie interrogates one of the hunters who was lying on the floor. He pressed the hunter's neck with his knee. "Who do you work for?" he asked again. At that moment, he raised his voice. The hunter still didn't respond. And so, he pressed harder. "Who do you work for?"

"I think they won't tell," Gaston said.

"They will tell, alright," he pressed the hunter's neck further.

"Enough, Benjie," he yelled. "We can still settle this if we bring them to the mansion alive, okay? So, please stop this now," he convinced.

And so, Benjie stood up. He spared the hunter's life.

"Who are you, people? And why the hell are they chasing me?" Arthur complained when he and Wendel got to the living room.

"Sir, calm down. You are safe now," Gaston said.

"Safe? How am I safe if there are more of those who will come and take my head? And who are you guys anyway?"

"I told you, they are Cordilleran Marksmen," Wendel chimed in.

"The hell is Cordilleran...men?" he wrinkled his nose.

"Sir, we are an agency that investigates supernatural phenomena and at the same time, we are protecting your rights as a lycant from any threats," Cielo explained.

"And these people?" He was referring to the hunters.

"These are hunters. They have no mercy in killing your kind for profit or any kind of reason. Sometimes, they also tend to kill ordinary people. In your case, they wanna kill you because you have that strange Igorot tattoo."

"What?" he was trying to absorb the explanation.

"I am still trying to figure out the reason why," Kianu said.

"We have no time," Benjie chimed in. "I am sure the hunters are going for your family right now."

Gaston asked. "Where's your family going?"

"They are safe. The place they are going to, they can't find them there," he said.

"To where, sir? You don't know what these hunters are capable of," Gaston refused.

"And why would I tell you? You are a stranger who just came into my house and now you're gonna ask me where my family is. Am I supposed to trust you?" he complained.

"Sir. As I said, we came to protect you and your family from execution. For God's sake tell us before it is too late."

"Just leave his family alone. The more that we are going to intercept them along the road might not help them," Wendel said.

"Wendel is right," Benjie seconded. "Leave them alone. We'll get to them if this is over."

Gaston looked at Cielo with frustration. Cielo nodded. "I agree with Wendel. If we want them to be safe, following them along the way is not a wise thing to do right now. We might be followed or, worse, could be the reason how the hunters found them."

"Okay. Whatever you say, Sir," Gaston replied with disagreement in his tone.

::::::

It was three o'clock in the afternoon. The jeepney had arrived at its destination. It stopped at the turning somewhere along the road in Munticello, Camp 7, Baguio City. All thirteen passengers hopped out of it. Among those passengers is a girl whose face can turn every guy's head toward her.

She has two bulging cheeks and squinting eyes. Her bangs compliment her face, making her look like a Korean girl. She has a light complexion. She's only five feet five inches tall, but that feature makes her cute. She was wearing a pink jacket and a pair of blue jeans. She was carrying a backpack on her back containing her clothes.

She began to walk to search for the house she was supposed to go to. She was holding a box of doughnuts in her hand. She was humming a song as she walks. Her face was giving off enthusiasm. A couple of houses passed later...she finally got to her destination. She was now facing a pair of huge rail gates. In between those bars, she could see an entire front view of the mansion,

Ding! Dong! The doorbell rang as she nervously pushed the button. Ding! Dong! She pressed again. Then she pressed until someone opened the gate. Finally, a guard opened the gate from the inside. As soon as the guard saw her face, he immediately smiled as he greeted the familiar person. "Hi, there, Ms. Beautiful!"

The girl chuckled, acting flattered at the same time. "Ahahahah (flipped her hair). There you go again, making fun of me, Manong Tristan. Stop! Don't be silly," she playfully responded.

"Still beautiful as ever. So, how was the day off?" the security guard asked.

"I bought doughnuts!" she happily announced while holding the box of doughnuts in her right hand.

"Nice! Good thing I haven't drink my coffee yet," he told while showing her his empty cup. "By the way, your Auntie Nime went out to the market. She'll come back late so help yourself preparing your food on your own," he informed.

"Okay!" She replied with optimism in her face. "How about Ate Inday?"

"I don't know about that girl. I don't even think she cooked food. She's been there in her room all day. Right after the master left, she imediately ran to her room. She might be on her phone right now, chatting with her boyfriend," he answered with an irk against Inday.

The girl sighed. "I guess I have no choice but to cook by myself then".

The security guard nodded. "Oh..." before he forgets...he immediately approached the drawer. He then pulled it open and began to rummage for a parcel. "There you go," he gave the parcel to Seline. "Package delivery for Ms. Seline Agyaman".

Seline accepted it. "Nice! The facial wash I ordered from Thailand arrived". She then thanked him. After that, she proceeded to walk towards the balcony of the house. She left Mr. Tristan by the gate to let him continue doing his job.