May 21, 2020
Eastwood Cemetery
9:10 p.m.
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"Bakit hindi ko mahanap sa mapa ang address?"
Inis na sumulyap si Arturo sa kanyang smartphone, hindi mapakali sa mga nangyayari. Sa ilang buwan na niyang pagsa-sideline bilang isang delivery rider, naranasan na niya ang lahat. Mula sa pekeng booking at galit na customers hanggang sa pagbibitbit ng mga babasaging gamit at pagsabak sa matitinding trapik.
In all those months, Arturo thought that he had already experienced the worst.
But now, as he sped along the deserted road in the middle of the night, with barely any street lamps and establishments in the area, carrying a parcel that had been loosely tied in a plastic bag... something definitely felt off.
"'Di kaya isa na naman itong prank?"
Huminga siya nang malalim at hininto sa gilid ang kanyang motor. Inayos niya ang kanyang helmet at binasa ulit ang address na nakalagay sa booking. Higit kalahating oras na yata siyang nagpapaikot-ikot dito sa lugar at sinusubukang tawagan ang numero kung kanino niya ida-drop off ang item, pero hanggang ngayon ay walang sumasagot.
Idagdag pa rito ang misteryosong note na nag-instruct sa kanyang i-pickup na lamang ang package sa tapat ng isang apartment kanina. Moreso, the name of the person who booked the delivery was familiar.
'Saan ko nga ba ulit narinig ang pangalan niya?'
Napakamot na lang siya ng kanyang ulo.
"Hay! Hindi pa 'to bayad, eh..."
Sometimes people really need to be more considerate. Akala ba nila madali ang paghahanap-buhay? Sa panahon ngayon, isang pribilehiyo na ang magkaroon ng disenteng trabaho na may disenteng sweldo. He takes pride in what he does and (thankfully) earns enough from this job to help his wife provide for their family, but that doesn't make it any easier.
Dala ng kuryosidad, bumaba siya ng kanyang motor at sumilip sa insulation bag na pinaglalagyan ng parcel.
Ito na lang ang huling item na kailangan niyang ihatid bago siya umuwi at magpahinga.
"Ano bang laman nito?"
He lifted the black parcel up, noticing the tape peeling off one side. Napasimangot siya sa kondisyon nito, nabasa siguro noong umulan kanina. Nang sinubukan niyang ayusin ang pagkakadikit nito, biglang nahulog ang isang maliit na tipak ng bato mula sa butas.
Arturo picked it up, nervous that whoever was gonna pickup the parcel would be angry with his meddling.
But as his fingers reached out to the small object on the pavement, he knew it wasn't a rock.
Under the light of a street lamp, the rider eyed it carefully.
Naglaho na parang bula ang kanyang kaba at napalitan ng takot ang kanyang ekspresyon. Malamig ang gabi, pero tila nanlamig pa lalo si Arturo nang madiskubre ang laman ng parcel. To his horror, he accidentally dropped the entire bag and watched as more of its contents spill out on the ground before him.
The impact rattled the silence.
He paled at the sight.
Scattered bits of bones.
"Tangina! A-Anong...?" Hindi na niya alam ang kanyang gagawin. Dahan-dahan siyang humakbang papalayo at nanginginig na kinuha ang kanyang smartphone.
One last time, he glanced at the name of the person who booked the delivery, the same one who instructed him to mysteriously pick it up outside his apartment.
Nico Yukishito.
With that, Arturo frantically called the police to report about the incident.
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YOU ARE READING
04 | Bones Of Terror
Mystery / Thriller"Nico, she's been dead for over a decade! Mahihirapan tayong i-identify ang biktima." "Well, we have no choice, Nova," the greatest detective in Eastwood said as he studied the remains of someone long forgotten. "Dahil ang taong pumatay sa kanya ang...
