Posted by
–
The entire Emergency Room of San Marcelino District Hospital seemed to freeze for a moment when a girl who looked like a seven-year-old, skinny, dusty came in. She was trying to push an old stroller that was about to collapse, on which were stacked with two baby twins, dirty, crying weakly, and seemingly powerless.
The child holds the side of the stroller as he breathes:
“Please… help us… Mom… I don’t wake up… It’s been three days…”
Everyone was stunned. Even the noise of the ER—the usual banging, the laughter of the interns, and the stomping of the nurses—suddenly sank into a kind of panic-filled silence.
Dr. Ramon Jimenez, the lead physician of the shift, approached. He knelt in front of the child to get to his level.
Dr. Ramon:
“Son… where is your mother? Who brought you here?”
Girl:
“I… I’m the only one… I walked from our barn to the end of Sitio Felizaya… Bunso has no milk… Mommy is just lying down… Don’t want to wake up…”
The boy’s chin was trembling. He could scarcely form words.
Nurse Liza:
“Doc, they’re skinny… they all seem to be dehydrated…”
The two nurses immediately grabbed the stroller and ran the twins into the pediatric corner.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ramon turned his attention to the boy.
Dr. Ramon:
“Son, what’s your name?”
Batang babae:
“A—Alya po…”
Dr. Ramon:
“Alya, we’ll go home with you to see your mom. Are you ready?”
The boy nodded, even though he was shaking.
It was only three minutes from the hospital to Sitio Maligaya, but Dr. Ramon sensed that something was wrong. Why was it that for three days no mother woke up and no neighbor noticed? But her brain shuddered even more when she realized:
“If this kid was walking alone, carrying two babies in a stroller… how far did he walk? How hard did he go?”
As they walked into the corner, the medical team immediately noticed the deafening silence. No one was passing by. It was unusual for a crowded area.
As soon as they arrived at the hut where Ali was teaching, they immediately fell silent.
The door, slightly open.
The air from inside, heavy.
There was a smell that sounded like a mixture of junk food and old medicine.
Alyssa rushed in.
Alya:
“Mama! Mama! I’ve brought the doctors!”
Dr. Ramon followed. And when he saw the woman lying on the floor, he almost touched her breast.
The woman—who looked to be in her late 20s—was pale, almost gray. There were burns on her arm, and there were scars that looked like they had been pulled from a wall of yesterday.
But what Dr. Ramon was most worried about was one thing:
There was a piece of paper folded over the woman’s chest.
And it had been laid on purpose, not just dropped.
Dr. Ramon took it very seriously.
Written in dark, trembling handwriting:
“If anyone sees this… don’t wake me up. I
can’t wake up.
Because if I wake up… he’ll come back.”
Dr. Ramon:
“… ano ‘to?”
Alyssa looked at her, terrified.
Alya:
“Doc… Something happens every night… knocking loudly… Sometimes my mom didn’t answer… I am.”
Nars Mica:
“Sino raw ‘yung ‘siya’?”
The boy shook his head, but suddenly a sentence came out that buried a chill in the spines of those within:
Alya:
“Daddy… My father died a long time ago.”
They all looked at each other.
As the team was preparing the stretcher, the mother’s finger suddenly moved.
Nars:
“Dok! May response—!”
But then there was a deep, long moan that was not typical of a sick person.
It’s not a snooze.
It’s not crying.
It’s not suffering.
It’s like… threatening.
An intern was stunned.
Intern Paulo:
“Dok… parang iba ‘yan…”
The woman’s eyes opened—slowly, as if some force was pulling from within.
And in a voice that did not match the body of a weakened mother, he spoke:
“Huli na kayo.”
When medics ran to stop the mother from getting up, someone fell to the floor.
A small box, tied with old rope, had fallen from under the floor.
Dr. Ramon walked over, picked up the box, and slowly opened it.
Inside, there are three things:
A shattered picture of a man.
Receipt from pawnshop — named “Arnel F. Vergara.”
And a small USB.
But what shakes everyone is the fourth thing:
A Birth Certificate.
And on the pillar of “Father” is written:
“DR. RAMON JIMENEZ.”
The document slipped out of his hands.
Dr. Ramon:
“… ano ‘tong kalokohan na ‘to…?”
Alya, trembling, came over and whispered:
Alya:
“Doc… You are our true Father.”
Suddenly, the lights flickered across the room.
The twins screamed from the hospital van.
And the mother, speaking again in a voice that was heartbreaking to hear:
“Ramon… I told you… “I’ll be back when you leave us.”
A loud bang erupted in the crowd as the entire crowd erupted in applause. All the lights were gone, only light from the medical team’s cellphones surrounded the form of the mother who was still lying on the floor — but awake, looking directly at Dr. Ramon.
That doesn’t mean the patient needs help.
That’s the view of an angry person.
Or… Something that is not quite human.
In the dark, the woman spoke softly but clearly:
“Ramon… You shouldn’t come back.”
Dr. Ramon’s body stiffened.
Not out of fear — but because he knew that voice.
She was not the mother of the children.
It was a voice from the past.
A voice he had been burying for a long time.
Nurse Micah:
“Doc… Ano ‘he? Buckit is proficient. What about the fort?”
Dr. Ramon could not answer.
Alya, crying but strong
Alya walked over, still holding the hem of Dr. Ramon’s dress, tight as if she was afraid to let go.
Alya:
“Doc… “Your mother remembers you. He always talks to you even when he’s asleep.”
Dr. Ramon:
“… Talking? How?”
Alya:
“He said, even if you leave us… You will come back when the time comes.
And now that you’re here… Mom is going to wake up.”
Alyssa’s voice was not filled with anger.
but out of fear of what that “awakening” would look like.
Everyone was stunned.
The mother’s body — Marites Vergara — suddenly rose as if pulled by an unseen force. This is not a normal muscle spasm. It was as if something was coming out of his chest.
Nurse Liza:
“Doc! His heart rate—wait, it’s impossible—”
And he began to speak again.
But the mouth didn’t move.
The tongue does not move.
The face did not move.
The voice came from within.
It directly affects the brain and ear.
“Ramon… Do you think you can escape?”
With a sigh, Intern Paulo pulled the USB out of the box.
Intern Paulo:
“Doc… Maybe we should look into this. There might be a clue as to what’s going on.”
Dr. Ramon:
“Not at all. We are not safe here. We’ve got to get them out first—”
Marites:
“Nothing is going to come out.”
Suddenly, the wind inside the cabin picked up, even though the windows were closed.
The table collapsed. The papers flew away.
A picture of Dr. Ramon’s feet was taken.
Kinuha niya.
And he almost fell.
This is a picture of him — when he was an intern.
With Marites — smiling.
And they had a baby.
But that wasn’t the reason for his surprise.
On the back of the picture is a note:
“Ramon, I told you that you were responsible for this for the rest of your life.
When You Leave Us… I’m going to take it all back.”
Napaupo si Dr. Ramon.
(Narrated in Taglish to make the tone of the memory more natural.)
That was six years ago.
Ramon is a young resident doctor in Manila.
Marites — a volunteer nurse, smart but with a troubled family.
They did have a relationship.
One night, after a traumatic incident in the ER, they made a mistake.
A few weeks later—
Marites:
“Ramon… I’m pregnant.”
Ramon was stunned.
He’s not ready yet. He’s not stable yet. And especially — he had a fiancé at the time.
Ramon:
“I can’t stand this. Not yet… Not yet…”
That was the day he left the Marines.
He moved to the hospital.
The number has been changed.
Didn’t show up anymore.
The last text he received:
“One day you will come back. And when you come back… I’m not alone.”
Alya:
“Dok… She is not my mother… Are you going to be surprised?”
Ramon couldn’t answer.
Marites, as she lay there, smiled — a smile not from someone who was gasping for pain.
Tuesday:
“Kids… Take a good look.
The Man Who Left Us… He’s the one who has to pay.”
Suddenly, the ambulance radio rang outside.
“CODE RED! CODE RED! The two twins—the breathing suddenly stopped!”
Ramon came back.
Dr. Ramon:
“Can’t— wait— their breath earlier was weak but stable— why all of a sudden—?!”
But before he could get out of the hut—
The door shut.
Alone.
without being touched by anyone.
From the corner of his eye, Marilyn’s hand went up. It’s not a normal lift. It was as if a string of wind was pulling.
He pointed to Ramon.
And at that very moment—
Ramon felt a sharp pain in his chest.
It was as if his heart had been pulled out.
It was as if something had taken hold of his soul.
Marites (voice, low, non-human):
“You’ve run away from your duty.
I’ll take the replacement.”
Ramon was stunned.
Alya, crying out loud, hugged her.
Alya:
“Dad… Don’t take him! Don’t!”
Marilyn stopped.
He slowly lowered his hand.
He looked at Alice.
And he smiled bitterly.
“There is a trade-off… “But you don’t, Ramon.
You’re not the one I want to take.”
He turned to the door, where the two twins were in an ambulance.
“Alam mo kung sino, Ramon.
Yung totoong ‘sa’yo.’”
Ramon was still holding onto his sweat-soaked hair as he watched the twins. To the side, young Alya was clinging to the hem of the doctor’s white coat, trembling with fear.
“Doc… Are they going to wake up?”
He asked softly, barely audible.
Ramon didn’t answer right away. He stared at the twins, both weakened, super thin, like they weren’t getting enough food. But there was another detail that ruffled his feathers:
The conditions of the two children are very different.
One — cold, slumped head.
One — with a pass on the arm, it felt like it had been held too tightly over and over again.
“Alya…” Ramon said softly. “Who takes care of you when your mother is asleep?”
The child was very stunned.
“Like after.”
The doctor’s shoulder was shattered. Seven years old… Is he taking care of the twins? Impossible. Even as an adult, it is hard.
Ramon turned to the nurses and shouted:
“I-REFER SA PEDIATRIC UNIT! AGARANG LAB TEST, CBC, ELECTROLYTES, TOXICOLOGY, LAHAT!”
The nurses were stunned. Alya, left in the middle, looked like she was about to die.
Ramon knelt down in front of him.
“Alice, come with us. You’re not alone now, okay?”
The boy nodded, but was already crying.
While the ER was busy, a team consisting of two nurses and a guard, along with Nurse Lalaine, accompanied Alya to the barracks in Sitio Maligaya.
As she walked, Alya clung to Nurse Lalaine.
“Sister… “Don’t be so yourself when we arrive.”
“Why, son?”
Alyssa stopped. He looked down at the ground.
“Mom doesn’t want anyone to come to her house when she’s sleeping. He was scared.”
Layla’s friends looked at each other.
When they arrived at the barracks, they immediately smelled the foul smell of medicine and rotten food. But there was another smell—it hadn’t been bathed in a long time.
The door opened.
And they were swept away almost at the same time.
Marites was lying on the floor, not on the bed. Skinny, pale, with empty bottles next to — not alcohol — drugs for depression and sleep.
On top of his stomach, there was a piece of paper sticking out.
Nurse Lalaine took it and read:
“DON’T WAKE ME UP.”
But there’s another note on the back — like a hurry, dirty handwriting:
“I need to sleep so THEY don’t get my kids.”
Silence engulfed the entire room.
“Who… “Is it ‘them’?” Layla whispered.
He listened intently to Marilyn. There is a scar on the neck. On his arm. On the wrist.
And there’s another very odd detail:
There is a mark on the shoulder — the shape of an ADULT MALE’s finger.
The twins were hospitalized. At last, they were able to get a good rest.
But Alya — uneasy, wandered around the hallway.
Ramon nodded and nodded again.
“Alya… I have something to say.”
The boy nodded, a look of tension on his face.
“We haven’t woken up your mother yet. He was safe, but… He needs to stay in the hospital.”
Alyssa was stunned.
There is no fish… Fish or not…”
“Year ‘yon?”
Alyssa shook her head, crying.
“Doc… “Someone came to my house at night.”
Ramon stopped.
“Otherwise?”
“I don’t know the name… But my mother knew it. He always said to me: ”When he comes, hide from him.”
Ramon froze.
“What is he doing?”
The boy shook his head, shaking.
“I just heard it all the time… Mom is crying… He seemed to be in pain.”
Ramon stood up. It was like being stabbed from head to toe.
Suddenly, one of the guards came from Sitio Felizaya.
Breath of fresh air.
“Doc! We saw something last night while checking the house!”
“Year?”
The man pulled out a plastic evidence bag.
He nodded slowly over to Ramon.
A man’s ID. It looks like it’s in the 40’s. Someone wrote:
“Romeo De Luna – Barangay Maintenance Worker”
Ramon stared at the ID, smiled bitterly, and almost let go.
Because he knew his face…
If Romeo… ay HUSBANDO NI MARITES.
Ramon has been telling everyone for a long time that the children’s father is dead.
And now, here’s the ID — new, not faded, not old.
Marite’s husband is not dead.
And if Romeo were alive…
If he goes out at night…
If the Patriots had a chance…
And if Alyssa is hiding…
A question popped into Ramon’s mind:
“If Romeo were to do this… why did Marites say ‘THEM’ — not ‘HER’?”
A ghost of doubt swept over Ramon’s mind.
Not just one…
Probably two.
O higit pa.
Alyssa nodded, looking at the picture.
It was as if all the colors on his face had suddenly died.
“He… “That’s it,” the boy whispered.
“But… There is another companion.”
Ramon nodded his head.
“Otherwise?”
Alyssa looked off into the distance.
in the direction of the ICU door.
where Marilyn was treated.
And in a voice that was almost audible, he whispered:
“There was someone with him… It’s worse.
“You know him, Doc.”
No sooner had the children entered the emergency room than suddenly someone shouted from inside the corridor:
“Dok! Kailangan n’yo pong makita ’to! Agad-agad!”
Dr. Salcedo quickly stood up. Lira obeyed, struggling to take a step but trying to be brave.
When they arrived inside a small isolation room, there was a nurse shivering as she held the twins’ small feeding bottle.
“Doc… amoyin n’yo po…”
The doctor walked over slowly, smelling the bottle—
And he sprang backwards as if he had been struck by lightning.
“IT’S NOT MILK!” The Doctor shouted.
Lyra closed her mouth.
Her tears flowed.
“Year ‘yan, Doc?!”
Dr. Salcedo’s face was stiffened.
“Not confirmed yet… However, it does seem to have some sedatives. Be brave. It is not a baby. Adult Dosage.”
It seemed like Lira’s whole world had shrunk.
It was as if his lungs were suddenly shaking.
“But… but Doc… I don’t give anything to them! I don’t know—”
An intern ran in, sweating profusely:
“Doc! We did a Diaper Diaper… There are red marks on the legs and on the waist. It’s like—”
He couldn’t finish.
Dr. Salcedo’s voice raised:
“PARANG ANO?!”
Internal: “It’s like… It’s like someone slapped or someone pulled them hard. Over and over again.”
Lira’s knee was shattered.
He screamed without a sound.
Her breath catched.
“Who… WHO’S GOING TO DO THAT TO MY KIDS?! We Don’t Have Enemies! We don’t—”
But before he could finish, the door suddenly opened.
A security guard yelled:
“Doc! We have seen something! Outside… On the other side of the stroller… There’s a little SD card inserted!”
They took the SD card to the small office.
Lira sat up, but her knees were still shaking.
The IT technician opened the file.
There is a video.
Dark. A squirrel. Crying twins. Slamming the door.
Then…
A man in a hoodie approached the children.
I am not your face.
But the voice was audible.
A voice that is not normal.
He seemed intent on making a change.
Deep. Cold.
It’s awful.
“It’s just a matter of time… Just sleeping… Sleep…”
He poured the powder into the bottle.
The bottle was then left next to the crib.
But before he could go out, he said something that shook everyone.
“If your mother doesn’t wake up tomorrow… I’m going to get you.”
Lyra nodded in her chest.
It was almost impossible to breathe.
“Oh my God… Oh my god… Who is that?! I didn’t know that! I’m not rich! I am not a politician! I HAVE NO ENEMY!”
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Another guard held up a piece of paper.
“Doc… We found something outside the door of the hospital. Just a few days ago. It might have something to do with it.”
The Doctor arrived.
A white envelope.
There is no name.
He opened it.
Her hand trembled.
A picture.
Photograph of Lira and her three children—
Taken from outside the window of their house.
There is a note on the back:
“IT’S NOT OVER.”
While everyone couldn’t believe it, Lira ran out of the office, shaking, crying.
The Second Staircase. Smell disinfectant. Shout out to the ER.
Dr. Salcedo nodded at him.
“Lira! You can’t go out on your own! Maybe—”
He stopped to see who was waiting at the end of the hallway.
A woman.
Skinny. Pale.
He was hospitalized.
The dextrose arm still has a cap.
And she smiled secretly at Lira.
“Buddy, Lira?”
Lira’s whole body froze.
“TITA ROSEN?!”
The Doctor looked.
“Kamag-anak mo?”
Lyra didn’t answer.
Aunt Rosen approached slowly.
The eyes—sweet but cold as ice.
“Your mother has been asleep for three days, hasn’t she?” He whispered.
The world has come to a halt.
Lira could barely move.
“… What is it… What do you mean?”
Rosen smiled, lips barely moving:
“I didn’t tell you that your mother was asleep…”
He took a step closer.
“… I mean… I put him to sleep.”
Lira’s screams echoed throughout the corridor.
“KAYO?! BAKIT?!”
Rosen laughed softly, like a madman but calm.
“Your mother… He has hidden the truth from you. Do you think you were just born? “No, Lira. You were the cause of my son’s death.”
The Doctor was stunned.
The eyes widened.
“Year?!”
Lira, barely able to speak:
“Aunt… I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
Rosen continued:
“When I was born, my daughter died in the hospital. My mom and I have a schedule together. But he was the one who gave it to the doctor. Me, I don’t. It’s simple. They chose your life over my son’s.”
He came closer.
It was stunning.
Shaking.
“So now… I took your mother—so you could feel what I went through. And then… “Your children.”
While Lira was disappearing, security quickly arrived to touch Rosen.
But before they could get him to leave, he cried out:
“FIND THE FATHER OF YOUR CHILDREN!” He told me where you were!”
Everything came to a halt.
Lyra stopped breathing.
“Yes—Mark?! No. It’s impossible—”
Suddenly, another nurse came in, holding a cell phone.
“Ma’am… Someone is calling you. The name is registered… MARCO.”
Lyra lost her sight.
Hands were shaking.
It was as if he was on his knees.
“Put it on speaker,” sabi ng doktor.
Press.
Squirrel.
And a cold, heavy, familiar voice spoke:
“Lira… I am sorry. I didn’t mean to end up like this. But I had to do this. For the debt…”
Lyra was very close to her heart.
“… And for my life.”
The entire hall fell silent after hearing Marco’s voice over the speaker.
But Lira—almost faint, almost fell.
“Marco… Why?”
Her voice trembled, as if it was slowly being crushed.
On the other side of the line, Mark’s screams could be heard.
Marco:
“Lira… I owe a debt of gratitude to Rosen’s group. It has always been. I thought… When I tell you where you are, they will follow me. I didn’t know that even our children would sympathize—”
“YOU ARE LYING!” Lyra shouted.
“So you go… It’s Not About Work… It’s because you’re hiding it!”
Rosen suddenly responded, as the two guards grabbed him:
“You’re not lying, Mark. You are the one who gave the secret. And now, the game is over.”
But before Rosen could be pushed away, the phone suddenly vibrated.
Marcus called again.
This time, his voice was no longer apologetic.
Calm down.
Dangerous.
Marco:
“Lira… I’m not telling them all. Si Rosen? Yes, desperate. But he’s not the real brain.”
Everything came to a halt.
Even Rosen raised an eyebrow.
Marco (cold):
“I am.”
The phone fell out of Lira’s hand.
Her whole body was shaking.
Mark:
“I’ve been working on this for a long time. I need to lose you… so that I may obtain the insurance and the property in your name. The plan was clean. Rosen is to blame, not me.”
Napamulagat si Rosen.
Rosen:
“YOU?! Are you the one who told me to kill your mother? Are you the one who ordered—?”
Mark:
“I didn’t say I was going to die. But you did. And now you are going to jail.”
Rosen screamed, fought back, disappeared, but the guards held on tight.
Lira, trembling, could barely breathe.
“No… it’s not true… “Mark, my wife!”
Marco (laughs coldly):
“Wife? Not anymore. By the time you and the kids die—I’m the only one who will benefit.”
Suddenly, there was a loud shout from outside.
“Ma’am! Come to the door of the hospital—there’s a man with a gun!”
Siren.
Takbuhan.
Nurses are on the run.
Patients are screaming.
And a voice, all too familiar, called:
“LIRAAAAA!”
Yes, Marco.
He walked into the ER lobby, gun in hand, sweaty, but demonic grin.
He nodded to Lira.
“IT’S OVER!”
But before he could get closer, a shadow jumped off the side.
BANG!
A bullet hit—
Marco’s shoulder.
The gun was destroyed.
At lumitaw…
It was Lira’s mother.
Wake up.
Breathe.
Weak but steady.
He had a hospital taser gun.
Mom:
“Son… I don’t want to let any evil spirit take hold of my family.”
Marcus fell.
Scream.
Tried to stand up.
BANG!
Another taser shot from the guard.
And finally—
he was swept away.
Rosen—taken to a psychiatric facility and never to be near them again.
Marco—charged with:
attempted murder
child endangerment
conspiracy
at financial fraud
The twins—healed after being given an antidote.
Lira—hugging her mother, sobbing, but safe.
Lira:
“Ma… salamat. Akala ko… wala na.”
Mom (weak but firm):
“You’re not going to lose. We’re going to fight while I have my breath.”
And for the first time after three days of nightmares—
Lira felt the light.
Two months passed.
The children are safe.
They moved to a new town.
And finally, Lira fell asleep without shaking.
One night, he received a letter from the court:
“Case closed. Full custody granted. Permanent protection order approved.”
He closed the envelope.
The three children were stunned.
“We are done in the dark. Something new has begun.”
And that—
the end of a nightmare…
Inspired by the power of a mother.