The Soul Eater

Have you ever wondered what happens while we sleep through the silence of the night?

There was once a teenager who went along the halls of the prestigious Kolehiyo de San Ignacio. His name was Gin Miguel Walker, or Gin for short. He was a 3rd year student taking up BS Accounting. He stood at about 5’6″ and had a well-built slim body. He had the looks that matched those Korean singers that girls in his school fell head over heels for. But, despite these great characteristics, Gin was always a loner.

Every day, during 12:00 noon, a girl’s heart (or two) would fall victim to this superior entity; which would end in the misfortune of trying to ask Gin to have lunch together. Of course, being the loner that he is, Gin almost, if not completely, ignores this request. This type of behavior has caused him many unpleasant encounters with other guys who are envious of his uncanny charm. Once, he was beaten up badly, by the basketball varsity’s ace player. Apparently, a girl, who the varsity player had been trying to woo for 2 years, fell for Gin in a matter of 2 days.

Poor Gin. The people around him did not know the situation he was going through.

Gin was a fine lad who grew up under the care of a very outstanding father and a very loving mother. He was raised to have a sense of responsibility when it came to taking care of his self and of others. He was taught at an early age to be friendly, kind, and most importantly, to be brave. But all his belief in those ideas went down the drain when his parents died. The worst part was not because his parents were dead, but because he was there when the event happened.

He did not know what to do, or understood what went on. All he heard was moaning and wailing. What he was sure of though was the spine-chilling sounds that he heard which came from his parents’ room. He felt movement along his legs. It was him, unintentionally quivering under his blanket. The bone-chilling melody did not stop but instead, got even louder. He shut his eyes tight. He then started to recite a prayer for bravery which his father taught him.

Before finishing his prayer, the voices stopped. He opened his eyes to stare at the darkness. He was so caught up in praying, he forgot that he slept with the lights off. A thought then raced in his head: “Should I go check?”

Those were the words he wished he had not thought of. The feeling of fear that welled up in his body a couple of minutes ago was washed away by curiosity. At once, he got out of his bed. He reached for the light switch of his room. He felt the coldness of the walls. After randomly pressing areas near the switch, the lights went on.

The bulb, which was the lone fixture of the room’s ceiling, flickered once, then twice, until finally it became steady. It made an eerie sound, which made Gin think twice of going to his parents’ bedroom. He counted to three and then went outside of his room. He walked along the hallway, illuminated by small night lights that were lined up near the walls heading towards his parents’ room. With one long intake of air, he knocked on the door.

To his surprise, nobody answered. He thought that maybe the force he exerted was not enough. He knocked again – this time, with more force. His knocks echoed through the hallway.

“Still no answer…” He thought to himself.

He was now beginning to feel pressure in his chest. He knocked again. He struck the door with the knuckles of his clenched fist. Before he could even make a second strike, the door slowly
opened, with it was the sound much like that of creaking floors.

He was about to run back to his room, but curiosity nailed him at the entrance of his parents’ room. Not only was he anchored to the ground, he was also being pushed inside by an unknown force, either by his own will or that of another. He decided to take a peek inside from the small slit that was made by the mysteriously opened door. When he lined his left eye to the crack, he saw a gray eye looking back at him.

He withdrew. His breathing was now fast and heavy. He was afraid yet at the same time exhilarated by what he just saw. Maybe it was adrenaline rush that blocked the fear in him, but he decided to take another look. For the second time, he lined his eye again to the crack. He was ready to see the gray eye, but to his disappointment (and also to his relief), the eye was no longer there.

He could not see anything in the darkness that enveloped the room. Mustering his bravery, he pushed open the door and quickly pressed the light switch on. What he saw was a spectacle of both dread and terror. His parents were both floating in the air. Gin saw they were suspended by… something.

Was it a beast? No.

Was it a man? No.

The thing was but a tall dark mist of pure malice. It took the form of a human, but it had the emanation of a beast. This aura was enough to make Gin’s legs lose their power to support his whole body. He was forced by gravity to sit on the floor.

He saw his parents’ mouth open, where two balls of light appeared. The one that came out of his father was as red as flickering flames. The other ball, which came from his mother, had a pure cerulean hue that made even the clearest of skies look pale.

He heard a maniacal laughter from the being that held his parents.

After which, the glimmering balls went towards the creature as if these were being sucked through a straw. After “consuming” this grisly feast, the creature stared down at Gin with its gray eyes. The entity attempted to touch Gin, but a shield of flames prevented the monstrosity from having him as dessert.

With one last laugh, the creature vanished.

The bed where Gin’s parents laid on was messy, but all the other things around the room were left untouched. Gin slowly got to his feet. His legs were still shaking, but he forced himself to walk towards his mother and father. He touched their hands and their feet. They were cold. He checked each one for heartbeats or pulses.

Nothing.

He did not know what to feel. His sadness was drowned by emotions of anger, fear, and curiosity toward the creature that “stole” his parents.

He knew that he was now alone. Only bodies were in front of him. He wrapped the two most important people in his life in the same blanket that kept them warm through the cold night. He took his time, and made sure that the bodies were fully covered.

It was 3:30 in the morning when he finally called 911.

—
Alfredo Carlos P. Montecillo is currently enrolled as a 3^rd year BSC-MA at the Ateneo de Davao University.