UNPSYCHIC.

Case 01 :: Chapter 02

"Heaven, Earth, Hell, Hell-Hell-Hell-Hell-Hell.."

The childish whispers echoed throughout a deserted hallway. No, not a hallway. The passage was heavily covered with dirt while the air was damp as though an underground tunnel. My hands groped the walls, hard as stone beneath my touch but caked with soil that clung to my skin.

"Stab the heart...out comes blood…"

There were doors. Two metal doors on each side that were firmly shut by rust, clearly haven't been open for so long. But what caught my immediate attention was the farthest door that stood slightly ajar at the end of the passageway. The voices of the children continued to reverberate in urgency as I stepped closer, their chants reaching its crescendo.

"Dead, alive...and out you go…"

I pushed the door open. It swung forward with an eerily creak that sent chills to travel down my back. 

The voices stopped.

My body screamed at me to turn around and run. But instincts had me approach inside the darkened room lit with nothing but a single lightbulb. There were no children, but a medical table just beneath the weak yellowish light. My gaze fell at something laying on it that was covered by a white sheet.

No. Someone.

"Kuya, wake up. Kuyaaa…"

My eyes flashed open and I jolted upwards. My lungs gasped for oxygen as though I was drowning, my skin covered with a thin film of perspiration. It took me a few seconds to gather myself and realize that I was no longer in some underground location, but in the safety of my own bed. 

With a deep exhale of relief, I slumped back down on my pillow and massaged my eyelids with the heel of my palms.

It was that damn dream again. Ever since we moved in this house, I'd always find myself walking down that same passageway every other night. I could practically feel my heart beating against my rib cage whenever I entered that last room down the hall. Just when I was on the verge of pulling away the blanket that cloaked whoever laid there, I'd wake up to cold sweats and gasping for air. There were times I'd get so frustrated, I'd rather push myself to do overtime instead of heading home only to dream again. 

"Ugh, kuya, get up! Mom said breakfast is almost done."

I peeked up from beneath my hands to look at the blurry figure of my sister. Once my vision cleared, I could see Danni's lips arched in a scowl and her eyebrows scrunched up in frustration. Her stern replication on how mom used to wake me up was uncanny, yet the colorful pajamas she still wore contradicted her serious look, making her somewhat adorable instead. 

"Mom said if you don't get up I have the right to kick you on the butt." She declared as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Not a chance." I mumbled and stretched my limbs as the remnants of the dream faded to the background. My hand wandered to the bedside table until I found the little clock and brought it up to my face: seven-ten a.m. Yawning, I pushed myself back up into a sitting position on the bed, and studied the little fireball before me. 

"Remove that frown from your face. It doesn't suit you to be like mom just yet." I cupped my hands on her face to run my thumbs on her eyebrows until the deep scowl flattened out. And being the annoying big brother I was, I pinched both of her cheeks at their chubbiness. 

Inciting a growl from her, I chuckled as I let her escape from my hold. "I'm gonna get back at you!" She screamed as she ran out of the room. 

Now fully awake, I swung my legs off the bed and stood, flexing my neck as I headed to the only bathroom on the second floor. Grabbing the side of the sink, I leaned in to study my face in the mirror; an exhausted 21-year-old college student stared back, with dark circles under their eyes and with hollow cheeks indicating the loss of a few pounds due to juggling two part-time jobs.