Malediction

Nails Digging In

From the mirror, a dark figure formed itself from smoke. The room smelled of sulfur emanating from the air that builds this unknown figure behind me. I wanted to face it but my feet stayed on the ground, in shock of the unknown. My eyes locked to this figure taking the shape of a woman. A pale white and blue-green tone began to show on her arms along with veins lined in her every nook and cranny. This sickly color gave her a living dead look on her, where the only living proof of her is her thin crimson-colored lips. Her face, like her arms, was sickly pale and scoured with veins. Her eyes were two circles of abyss focused on me like a hunter on its prey, waiting for it to attack. 

  Her dress was ragged, dark like the smoke that built her, showing more of how light her skin was. On her waist lined what seemed to be dried severed hands and feet too small to be considered from adults. Her hair was white silver and free flowing. She stood there bare feet.

It was her, the one that the weird lady warned about. This person, or entity is the Mangagaway. 

"James." Her voice continued to echo across the room in soft whispers, calling me to come closer. I turned to face her. She smiled only to one corner of her lips.

"You are now mine to wreak havoc with. A chosen one from destroying my peace first." Her voice continues to linger in my ear, like a siren at bay. She walked closer to me. "Aren't you proud of such a rare opportunity to be a misery to others after experiencing yours?"

" If by misery, you mean being almost killed by a friend or threatened with a gun, I think it isn't enough to be a danger to others." I said firmly. This witch is trying to make me her puppet and I can't have that happening. She laughed after finding me amusing and started to levitate. She sped through thin air to be closer to my face. It was only a few inches more and our noses would touch. She  continued to levitate as her eyes looked straight into mine. "You wished for someone to come to you everyday, wishing for the death of everyone you knew and grew to hate." From a soft whisper, her voice became larger. She bellowed, "Now that I am here, you deny me?!"

Her roar rang my ears where I could feel it vibrate. A white noise shook my ears so hard after, like a bomb exploded before me. I fell to my knees as I felt like my brain started to melt. I closed my eyes and cupped both my ears to ease the noise but to no avail. I shouted in pain.

I felt cold hands touch both of my forearms as if trying to pull my hands away and let me feel more pain than my ears can bear. "Let go! No!" I struggled away without letting go of my ears, digging my nails on it from the pain. The hands held stronger to me, stopping me from moving, barely. I swung one arm at it to let go of me. I heard a whimper and a crash after.

That was strange. A witch can't be like that. I opened my eyes and followed where I heard the crash. She struggled to sit back up from the floor and groaned. Her hair was disheveled from impact, blocking her face. My face turned white with realization. It was my Andrea.

What have I done?

From kneeling, I crawled to her. I felt guilt scouring my heart like tiny needle jabs. I had hit her. Though it was an unwarranted accident, there was no excuse for this. "Andrea..." I held her back to help her. Her eyes were dazed as her head probably hit the floor too. I let her lean on my chest for support as she relieved her dizziness. 

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't-"

"It's okay." She mumbled under her breath. "What happened?" She looked at me more concerned than I was to her. Should I say it? Wouldn't it be absurd if I tell her what happened? I decided otherwise. 

" We should focus on you more." I had to check for bruises I may have caused. She shouldn't downplay this to nothing. "But I have to know, you were screaming in pain." She pressed on. My only excuse was, "It was phantom pain from the island incident. I'm sorry for worrying you, even hurting you."

She stared at me long and hard, skeptical of my words but she didn't ask for more details about it. She turned, facing me. We were both kneeling next to each other. "Oh, damn." Her eyes were in shock after checking my face. "What is it?" I asked. She stood up and walked away. without answering. "Hey, Andrea-" And she was already out of sight. What was it about? I stood up as well and looked at the mirror again. Upon seeing myself, I was drenched in sweat, sticking to my shirt and I saw what Andrea panicked to. My ears bled continuously from my nails digging earlier. Looking down to the mirror stand and drawer, I saw the paper. As soon as I picked it up, I crumpled it again. 

I went to the kitchen to get a lighter and burned the paper slowly by the sink while I heard Andrea rummaging through our bathroom cabinet. I hummed and watched every number turn into flames and ashes. I was glad it was small because it didn't take long for it to disintegrate. Upon opening the faucet, water rushed to the sink, hitting the remnants of the paper. It was an unpleasant reminder. And what was the Mangagaway talking about me wishing everybody dead? What was I before that I would resort to such means? Maybe it was my mind just playing tricks on me. I shouldn't take it too seriously. I was tired after all.

Andrea popped from the bathroom door with a box of iodine, alcohol, gauze, medical tape  and a tweezer. "Why did you let it bleed through? It's already on your shirt!" I smiled, seeing her panicked face worrying about my welfare. If she hadn't said it, I wouldn't even know. In the back of my mind, I thought that  I still have to apologize to her. This was my fault, she shouldn't have been involved in my troubled experiences recently. She has her own to deal with.

___________

With my heavily bandaged ears, I looked like a rabbit. I really wanted to get rid of it but Andrea insisted on keeping it for a while to stop the bleeding. After taking care of me, Andrea brought all the supplies back to the bathroom cabinet. I went back to the kitchen to look for ice in the freezer for her bruises. She wouldn't show it, but I saw her grimacing from pain when she bent her waist even slightly while trying to treat my wounds. The ice would numb the pain, at least. The freezer was empty, the whole fridge was empty. I sighed, remembering Andrea left it empty clean for new stock, and I was supposed to fill it up. It was a really long day and I wanted to sleep but I have to or else I'm going to see that piercing look from her again. I wouldn't want that.

My bunny ears could get attention outside so  I let my hair down. With my wallet in my pocket, I wore my slippers on. "Andrea, let's do some groceries." I called her by the apartment's door.

She just went out of the bathroom. "Can't, I need to vacuum the floor, there are crumbs all over when Tim snacks here. Just lock the door."

"But..."

"James, I will be fine. Don't worry."  She smiled, reassuring me. I hesitated but she walked to me and kissed me before pushing me out of the door, locking it. She left me in the hallway of our apartment building in a daze. Despite me worrying, I know that this is only paranoia from the previous encounter. Andrea told me we've been living here since a year after graduation, so it's been 5 years. I have to calm down. 

The hallway had long light bulbs hanging every three doors. It was fairly lit along its length. But its light can't beat the aesthetic of the sky with a tinge of orange and pink as the sun was about to set. I admired it while the cool breeze from La Mesa Dam passed by me. I inhaled this cold air and let it linger inside me a little. It was peaceful again, even in my mind. 

After a few minutes of enjoying the tranquil scene, I went by the elevator to go down. The grocery was a few blocks away from us so it would take no time for me to gather everything we need for the next two weeks. 

Our elevator was old but functional. It was always working and only needed maintenance yearly for its age. I remembered Chris leaving using this elevator a few weeks ago. Where could he be now? Was he able to track the weird woman? Thoughts ran through my head. He always helped me with things like this since he gets bored easily with his freelance work.

 It's weird enough that I know my past with him since high school, but other memories incorporated with it were really a mess of me focusing my eyes on something, someone and a dimly lit place I try to hide in, searching for something outside that was so bright, it was blinding. But with Chris I remember him always assisting me, he was always there to help me out on how to do things I can't do alone. Still, today he continues to be helpful in a way after almost killing me drugged. 

After the elevator opened, I walked out of it. I saw the guard by the lobby and greeted him a good evening before stepping out of the building itself. Noise from various vehicles surrounded me as soon as I opened the door. There was heavy traffic. Private vehicle drivers were impatiently waiting for jeepney drivers to load their passengers from the sidewalks and road itself. They hurried but there were too many.  Any minute the traffic lights were going red again. I laughed at their pissed faces by myself. It wasn't really the jeepney drivers delaying the road, even if it looks like it. It was the number of the private vehicles filling the road, they were way too much. Amused enough, I continued to walk to the grocery store Andrea likes. Sidewalk vendors were lined on my path and the scent of fried flour-covered quail eggs or kwek-kwek as we call it, caught my attention. It smelled good. 

Upon seeing me interested, the vendor called me and complimented me on various things that could give me confidence in a minute. I smiled at his market strategy and bought about five pieces that would be eaten right before the grocery stop. I asked for a separate vinegar for me from the vendor's stash. I can't be sick with hepatitis just from enjoying my food, can I?

Before continuing my walk, I looked at our building like I could see how Andrea was doing immediately if I did, but I felt less worried about it. I guessed it helped. I should get CCTVs for the apartment, I thought. 

With the last quail egg in my mouth, I entered the store. I went for a cart enjoying every morsel and it tasted better than the other four. Thirty minutes later I was already half on my list. I was getting some new bathroom slippers from Andrea when the knife sale took my attention. After getting the apartment, Andrea told me knives were the longest that lasted there. Maybe it was time to add a new one?

A hand grabbed my shoulder. My instincts were ahead of me. I was so focused on admiring knives that I hadn't noticed the shadow behind me. I turned swiftly, forgetting that the knife was in my hand.