The Rogue Werewolf

It was yet another rowdy night as the people continued to gather around like a swarm of fireflies. Shouting here, shouting there, there was no corner for silence because of the conversations between the sales staff and their customers. Divisoria was still running as it always was. Full of energy despite the time being late and the breeze getting colder each minute passes by. “Hurry up, boy! The time’s running late!” A shout of a middle-aged man echoed inside a huge 4-cornered storage room full of newspapers. Not long after, a teenage boy came to him, sweating and catching his breath. “I have finished everything, sir,” the boy replied, wiping his sweat with a towel on his shoulder. Mang Torpe, the middle-aged man, the owner of the newspaper shop, looked at the list in his hand. “Wait up, Elam. I forgot something,” he said before leaving the boy, Elam. After a minute, he came back lifting a pile of newspapers. “Give this to Doña Domirita. You know her mansion, right? After you give this to her, you can go back home. I’ll be the one locking the store tonight.” “Got it, sir,” Elam obediently replied, taking the pile of newspapers with him. When he left the shop, the people who were flocking around like birds before started to vanish. For him, it was a relief because it won’t be difficult for him to move around since the street was getting empty. Several minutes passed by but Elam was still far from Doña Domirita’s Mansion. It was located two and a half kilometers away from the shop, plus the weight of the newspapers slowed him. But it was fine for Elam because Doña Domirita was one of their loyal customers, so going to her mansion could be considered an everyday thing. “Donya Domirita! Newspapers!” Elam shouted as he reached the mansion. Soon after, the huge and tall steel gate in front of him opened gradually. Elam took a deep breath before entering the place. The area of the white mansion was immense, even fifty limousines weren’t enough to cover the place. The land where the mansion was resting was a hectare big and the height of the mansion itself was fifty meters. The field was covered in grass, flower bushes, and different types of trees, such as pine trees, triangular trees, oak trees, and much more on every corner. Huge mosaic windows that give off a Mesopotamian look, and black-painted arch doors for the entrance. The place was such a magical place, you would think that it came straight from a fairytale. “Oh, dear, it’s already late. You should just have given it to me tomorrow.” Doña Domirita, who looked like a woman in her prime despite her age, came out of the door in her sleepwear with a pitiful face. She then gestured to one of his bodyguards to take the newspapers inside. “Mang Torpe should give you a little rest and easier orders.” “It’s alright, madam. I can manage all of them,” Elam replied with a smile on his face, as if the fatigue he was feeling was nothing but inspiration. Doña Domirita sighed heavily after listening to what he said. “How old are you again?” she asked, crossing her arms. Elam looked at her with confusion in his eyes. My age? “I’m 19, madam. Why?” he asked. Doña Domirita stared at him for a couple of seconds as if she was thinking if she should say what was on her mind or not. “I have a job offer for you. Come back here tomorrow. Same time,” she answered then went back inside her mansion, leaving Elam bewildered and stunned. But even though he was confused, he was glad because a job was waiting for him the next day. It’s a great opportunity for him, another source of income. Elam went home past midnight in his small hut in an abandoned lot. He looked inside a small drawer to get food and, luckily, he found something. A single cup of noodles was enough for him to fill his hungry stomach because he had no choice. That’s the only food he always had. After eating, he immediately went to sleep. Tomorrow will be another battle he has to get through. “Good morning, boy! Why are we so early today, huh? In a good mood? Hahaha.” Mang Kanor approached Elam after he arrived at the jeepney station. Elam smiled and waved at him. His daily routine. To work as a barker in the morning, his first job for the day. And you could say that working there was a good start to his long and tiring day. “What are you saying, Mang Kanor? I always go early! Hahaha,” Elam replied, then continued with a little laugh. After a couple of minutes, commuters started to come one by one. Elam was shouting loud and clear just so he could finish his job faster. He had no time to waste. Being a barker was not his only job. When he’s done at the jeepney station, he will then go straight to Divisoria to help shop owners organize their stores. Due to this job of his, almost everyone working there knew him pretty well. Even loyal customers were calling his name every time they saw his face. Sometimes, some of them gave him food as a prize for his hard work. Next on the list was delivering letters around Manila. From the heat of the sun to the distance of every house he had to go to make it a tough job. Out of all his jobs, this was the one that took more time, and even more, depending on the situation and circumstances. That’s why he was eating lunch as he traveled around the city. He needed to keep moving, or else he would be late for his last job. Selling newspapers. It was his last job up until nighttime. All of his jobs were the ones that helped him get through day by day. Being a multi-worker even made him famous. For three years, his everyday life was like that. No school, no games, no love. He had nothing that a normal teenager has. At a young age that was supposed to be the time that he enjoyed himself, he was working his ass off just to put food in his hungry stomach. “Oh, dear, you surprised me. You came early. Come on. Let’s talk about the job inside.” Doña Domirita walked inside with Elam behind, following her. After his newspaper job, he went straight to the mansion. At first, he was agitated for no reason. Maybe because of the thought of a job offered by a rich and powerful woman that’s bothering him. As soon as he entered the mansion, his jaw dropped instantly. His eyes were fixated on the view that he was seeing at the time. Words weren’t enough to explain the thoughts running through his mind. He was a man of composure, but for a second, he was thrilled and completely shocked. “This is my first time entering a palace,” Elam unconsciously said, and was heard by Donya Domirita which made her chuckle. “You’re making me flustered,” she replied. Elam ignored what she said and just continued looking all over the place. It seemed like his eyes were still hungry. The inside of the mansion was really wide, you could be lost. There was a huge hanging diamond chandelier and a gold-coated spiral staircase going to the second floor. The walls were painted white with a gold lining. Furniture was made from either gold or diamond. At the center of the living room, a wolf diamond statue shone bright as if blinding Elam’s eyes. Everything was magnificent. Every little thing. When they went to a certain area, which was called the living room for guests, a total of ten well-built bodyguards in suits were standing. Elam became even more brittle after seeing them. For him, it felt like he was in some kind of illegal transaction. His knees trembled as he sat on the curved sofa with Doña Domirita. “Let’s not waste any more time, shall we? Let’s proceed to the job I would like to offer. It’s pretty simple, so you don't have to worry.” One of the bodyguards then gave Elam a glass of orange juice just so he would have something to drink while listening. How kind, but I don’t drink orange juice, he thought. However, he couldn’t bring himself to say that. “You’re sending letters, right?” Doña Domirita asked, and Elam nodded as an answer. “Then, this would be a piece of cake for you. Once a week, you’re just going to send letters to the addresses I will give you. Some of them are not located in the city, but they’re not far from here, so I’m pretty sure that you’ll be fine. Any questions?” “Just one. Is there an exact time when I should give the letters? Like morning or afternoon?” Elam asked. His drink was not even moved just a tiny bit. He was so nervous he forgot about it. Plust, it was orange juice. “Oh, about that. Any time of the day will be fine. It depends on your free time. I don’t want to bother you about your other jobs. And… regarding the payment. You name the price.” As soon as she said those last words, Elam accidentally dropped the glass of orange juice. “Sorry! I’m very sorry!” he apologized, panicking. Doña Domirita then called one of the bodyguards to clean the floor. She seemed calm after what happened. Perhaps a glass can’t hurt her huge amount of riches. “Oh, dear. Don’t worry about it. I was expecting your reaction would be like that,” Doña Domirita then chuckled. But Elam was still shocked and thought that she was just playing games on him. Name the price? Just how much money does she have? “Are you sure…? I can name the price? But what if I want ten thousand pesos for each letter?” Elam hypothetically said, laughing a little. Of course, she wouldn’t agree with it. If I were her, I wouldn't either. “Ten thousand pesos only? When I said ‘name the price’, I thought you were going to say fifty thousand or something,” Doña Domirita replied with her brows furrowed without any hint of dishonesty. Elam, on the other hand, was put to silence. He just accepted the fact that no matter what amount of money he might say, she had it. This is ridiculous… “Ten thousand pesos is more than enough, madam.” Doña Domirita smiled after hearing his approval. But the surprise wasn’t over yet. She called the same bodyguard and took a stack of money from his hand. Elam shook his head as if he already knew what was going to happen next. “Here. Twenty thousand pesos. A thank-you gift for accepting the job.” Doña Domirita then handed Elam the money, but he kept on refusing. “It’s a down payment, Elam. Not because I’m pitying you, so please, accept my gratitude.” Elam looked at her confusingly. Down payment? It looks like she’s not just going to buy my manpower but including my soul. Immediately after they talked, Elam went home. On his way back to his small hut, he was still thinking if he should have given the money back to Doña Domirita. It was the first time he held a huge amount of money, especially given by another person. But even so, that night, he ate a delicious meal after a long time. He was far from just being happy, he felt blessed. He couldn’t even remember when was the last time he ate such a wonderful meal. Maybe last year? Or maybe in his past life? But what was important for him was that a tiny glimmer of hope was starting to emerge from his hollow spirit to survive. That perhaps a chance was still alive. Even just one. From that point on, he thought that there was still hope. That maybe he could continue pursuing his first and only dream. *** [Palawan Rainforest - 11:40 P.M.] In the overgrown forest of Palawan, as the moon strikes its guiding lights to the ground and to the lovely bougainvilleas and almaciga trees, the chilly breeze patrolled every corner of the place. But it seemed like something was up because the crows weren't stopping from their scorns. Someone was running. Someone was escaping. “I’m begging you…! Please, let me go!” A shout from a man outweighed the silence lurking in the forest. It was loud. The crows flew away as the man continued to run for his life. “The order is absolute. No one is above the law!” Another shout echoed inside the forest. A response to the statement of the man running away. But the man who shouted next was not alone. He’s with someone like him. Both try to catch the escapee. Not long after, time struck twelve. The moon was now at its full power. The man who was running looked up to the sky as if he was seeing a ray of hope. By the time he looked down, his body was gradually changing little by little. His clothes were ripped off, his muscles got bulkier, his fair and dense skin started producing thick brown hair, and then the man who was running on two feet before became a 15-foot creature, a child of the moon. He has turned himself into a werewolf. Now, he can run thirty-five miles per hour with no fatigue or shortness of breath. That meant it became a lot easier for him to escape from the two men before him… Or so he thought. When the two men noticed that he was not in their line of sight anymore, they immediately realized that he had turned into a werewolf. Unfortunately, the two men following him were also werewolves. They then turned into the said creatures and, unluckily for him, they were a lot faster and bigger than him. Due to the strength of the two compared to the escapee, they managed to reach and corner him on a cliff where a small narrow river is located below. “Adan, just surrender already. We’ve got you cornered now. We promise that your death will be painless.” The two of them smirked at him, Adan, as they went back to their human form. Adan swallowed deeply as his sweat continued to fall down his face. He was feeling anxious. “I have a family… My little brother is waiting for me… I can’t leave him alone…! So please!” he pleaded with his knees touching the cold dirt. But the two had no time for that. Their eyes emitted a terrifying intent to kill, regardless of circumstances. Adan knew that pleading for mercy would never work, but at least he tried. He then looked down at the river below the cliff. And there, he saw yet another hope to survive. Even if he can’t swim, it didn’t matter. There’s still a small chance. “You son of a b****!” And so, Adan jumped. Despite the fear of getting drowned, he still did it. Perhaps the adrenaline was the factor that pushed him. However, adrenaline and courage weren’t going to teach him how to swim. The water current of the river was more powerful than he had expected. Each second passed by, the harder for Adan to breathe, and the more he struggled to make himself float. He’s starting to lose his ‘will’ to fight. Not long after, that ‘will’ completely disappeared when he saw a huge pointed rock in his direction. He crashed against it. His human body failed to withstand the impact, and it cost him his life. He failed to escape death. It seemed like the law was working pretty well. Another one was killed. Another rogue werewolf has been put to his end. *** [Philippine United Government of Fangs (PUGF) Palace - 6:00 A.M.] “Gentlemen, please have a seat. We’re about to start the meeting.” Soon after, all the officials involved in the meeting were seated in front of the table. The leaders of every existing pack in the country with their co-leaders standing beside them. The tension was getting heavier as they started dropping fearsome glares to each other. “Let’s start the meeting, shall we?” The man sitting at the head of the table said with a smile on his face. Everyone immediately fixed their postures as soon as they heard the words. They were afraid of him. The president of PUGF—the alpha of the “Dawnbreak Clan”—Uno Valentino. “Let’s start with you, Mr. Hugo. Any updates in your territory?” he calmly asked. Mr. David Hugo took the documents from the table and gave them to Uno before he answered his question. “Rest assured, sir. Every single one of them was killed already.” Uno then smirked upon hearing his reply. It was a good thing that the meeting started with good news, After that, he then started asking the other alphas about their updates. Each of them said the same thing: they were all annihilated. Uno couldn’t help but smile because the law was working according to their plans. He was right in assigning these alphas to handle all the work. “Thank you for your time and cooperation, everyone. The meeting adjourned.” All of them then bowed to Uno before leaving the room. Uno sat down on his swivel chair and stared at the view of the city through his window. It was such a good day for him. Because of that, he didn’t need to worry when he faced the grand elders. He had something to be proud of. And maybe a promotion was waiting for him. Just like what he always dreamt of. Who knows? “Elder Valentino, huh? That doesn’t sound bad,” he whispered to himself while grinning from ear to ear.