Malediction

He Left Me in Chains

I woke up to a place I didn't know where. It was a dark unfamiliar room that smelled of dust and mold. I felt groggy and weak as I opened my eyes. Everything was hazy within my sight, which confused me. I had perfect vision but this was different. I noticed that the lights were dim and focused on two spots. One was a half meter away from me while the other was focused on somebody else sitting on a chair. It was a man with his head slumped on one side and his arms were at the back of the chair that looked uncomfortable to be a typical sitting position. I moved forward by a few steps just to see he was tied on a chair. His figure was so familiar to me that my eyes widened in surprise. It was that one person I kept finding before the apprentice said it was too late. It was Chris, and he was still breathing. I felt overjoyed to see the man in one piece and alive, but he was knocked out.

"Chris!" I said in a loud whisper in an attempt to wake him up. I was being cautious because I didn't know if any other person was in here. I called for his name again but still he was deep asleep. I tried to walk fast to his direction, to release his bound arms, only to realize that I was bound as well. I was tugged by the neck with a thin strap attached to loud chains that rattled upon impact. I choked and was forced to move backward, coughing from being temporarily cut off of oxygen. My neck bled from the strap being held against me. "Agh!" I exclaimed in pain.

Chris woke up from the noise of my chains clashing between each other and my scream. He searched for the noise until he saw me. As his eyes searched for me, I felt the strap tied to my neck. It was like a horizontal noose. But unlike any noose, it was attached to my nape, embedded in my skin, and from pulling it, my skin followed it as well. Some of my skin was left with the bloody necklace but its threads were still coming back to my flesh, like it had a living soul on its own.

The damned necklace was the strap of the chain locking me into captivity.

"Don't pull it further, you moron!" Chris scolded me in concern and muttered curse words to himself. He did that rather than just waking up and checking on his own situation. He moved his chair closer to me by scooting it over carefully just to make sure he wouldn't fall. By the time I could reach Chris, I untied the ropes that were tight around him. "What took you so long?" He asked as he stood up. He stretched his arms. There seemed to be no other person than us in that dimly lit space. He went to the end of my chain, and tried to remove it but it was strong and secured. "I thought you were dead, the apprentice came back for me a day after you were missing." I explained, following him with my eyes.

"Then how come she only took you this time?" He continues to ask. "I'm not really sure but she was there when I was under a malediction. She just stared at me but never went closer." I said, remembering the time I was being strangled with unknown hands pressing the necklace to the back of my neck. "You actually got cursed?" He said in shock. "Isn't being uttered with magical words in the middle of me almost dying not enough to qualify as a curse?" I said, in a way it made me upset. "That's why we're here." I added in a sudden mid-panic rage, pointing to myself all of the misfortunes that had happened so far.

"That's probably why my mediocre life became so f*cked up after the island incident." I told him an assumption as to why my life was going downhill. " I could've stolen the necklace unintentionally and made that crazy witch mad, tagging her apprentice along with her. I don't know. I might end up dying without Andrea even knowing about it. She may be even unlucky to have me now." I placed both of my hands to my face, ashamed of myself, of letting the college kid, Maddie, die when I could've prevented it with persistence of keeping the necklace to myself. She may have had bad luck fast, but it was worse. I was selfish.

I sulked as I expressed my confusion to the only person who'll believe me with no question. Chris sat there silently, listening to me intently like he always did. "It's happened. All we have to do now is to think of a way to fight against them, right?" He said in an attempt for comfort. I sighed. We were unarmed and we didn't know how to be against it. "Yeah. We could, I guess." I answered vaguely, seeing that I was still chained to the wall.

"Aren't you getting this off me?" I asked, mystified that he hadn't done anything but tug the chain like he could pull it apart as any strong superhero would. He shrugged and stepped back.

Then he smiled mischievously.

"Why would I?" He said, smirking and walking backwards, away from me, annoyingly. My heart sank. This couldn't be happening.

Chris felt a wall and pushed it, revealing a door. He opened it. I called for his name.

I tugged my necklace away, despite the unbearable pain from my skin detaching to my flesh. I tried to pull the chain away. I took both of my hands just to do it too but it won't budge. The door was already closing.

"Chris, wait! Don't leave me here! Please!"

I almost jumped from shock with sweat all over my face. I woke up. There were bed sheets, a fan and a concerned Andrea beside me. It wasn't real. I was dreaming! I thought while my heart still accelerated its beat that it was comparable to a person who did a marathon. I inhaled deep to clear my mind.

Andrea sat on the bed from laying down a moment ago, staring at my face with her sleepy eyes and bed ridden hair, and she still looked perfect. "Nightmare?" She asked, as she massaged my hair. "You scared me. I thought you were dying in your sleep." She was upset, with tears in her eyes, just waiting for gravity to take them down. I sat on the bed too and looked her in the eyes. "I look very much alive. It was nothing." I reassured her and held her hand with mine. "Okay." She said but she gazed at me, her concern never fading. I wiped her tears away. "Don't worry, I'm fine. As you said, it was just a bad dream, a nightmare." I told her. I kissed her forehead. "But you were struggling to breathe. Like somebody was on top of you, pressing you down."

"That's not something to think about. What's more important is to get that Manunulat behind bars before he does something to you." I said, changing the topic. She looked another way, to the window. "What if he was looking at the window now? Just like last night?" She asked rhetorically. I followed her gaze. There were just trees outside.

Last night, when the phone chimed, Manunulat left her disturbing text messages, nothing like ever before. I tried not to show it to her but she insisted despite the setback. I may have wanted her to be with a peaceful mind but Andrea insists on planning for our own good, especially in times like this.

The test message read:

'Sandra will inevitably accept her fate soon. Who's going to help you now, except me?'

' Why wouldn't you listen to me now, Andrea? I gave my best when it comes to you. Was seeing you too much of a favor to ask?'

And the last one was nerve racking for her.

'I'll give you everything you need for this case, just come outside your little cave and show yourself. I miss seeing you out there being yourself.' Then pictures of her that she never saw before followed the messages, some of them going back before she was even famous, before she met Manunulat. She was absolutely terrified upon seeing them because most of them were from private gatherings she never told a soul to.

And as expected of him, he had taken one last night. It was before I got home. Andrea just came out of the shower with only a towel wrapping her body.

Manunulat was really here, waiting for her. He wasn't playing.

"Why am I always the one targeted with stalkers? I don't understand. There's a lot of other girls who are prettier than me." She was still searching for the stalker with her eyes, as if every movement of a winded leaf was Manunulat's feet. I blocked her view. I didn't want paranoia to take over her being. "Because you're everything a man wants, Andrea." I answered her honestly. "But I'm here, that's why he can't get any closer. I'll track him down for you." I told her without a hint of joking around. It was true. I'll bring the man down under if I have too.

" So for my peace of mind, please stay inside the house. Tim and I would be alternating to be with you, so you don't have to worry about Manunulat going in." I said firmly. "But I need to show up at Matilda's birthday party to gather the last pieces of information we need." She disagreed. "We can do that." I said to not let her worry but her following expression said otherwise. " No, you can't" She said as she placed her finger to my lips. "You aren't Andrea Sison. You're my boyfriend." She intended to clarify. "It requires my skill set." She said playfully, shushing my contradictions. I chuckled. I know this woman doesn't need me at all, but I wanted to be her safe place at least, in my own little way.