The Shriek Of Summer

Summer heat hot up the car as we hit the road to Lena, a silky-long-haired chic and the most talkative among my small circle of best friends, in her apartment in Lapulapu City. I was not able to feel the scorching heat of the sun since Carlos' Ford Everest was highly air-conditioned.

"I'm excited about this", Diana, who sat next to me at the backseat, cheerfully expressed her excitement about our summer escapade to Lena's province, Samar, as she grabbed the potato chips inside the tube of Pringles  and ate them. She really loves eating but her figure doesn't show it.

"me too. I can't wait. It's our first time to travel outside Cebu together", Paris, Carlos' girlfriend, excitedly concurred with Diana as she twisted her body to face us and leaned on the head rest of the front seat. We are all excited about this trip. I know Carlos too though he doesn't talk that much.

Lena was all packed up when we arrived.

"are you all ready to be killed by the beauty of my home province", she thrillingly spilled her first talk of the day.

"hahaha", we all laughed. She always talks weirdly and talks non-stop. We knew she would, soon. If only Ylona were here, this trip would be a blast. But I know she is in good hands now.

Clear blue skies. Tides were fair. Wind blew just enough for my skin to feel the breeze of the sea as I leaned against the cold iron fence of the deck and watched the dark blue sea waters splashed. An omen of a safe trip.

We were all singing Let's Get This Party Started by Pink as Carlos played it in his stereo. Lena was on the front seat giving him directions of our destination. I looked outside the window. There were no skyscrapers only sights of relaxing, green surroundings caused by the nature-cultivated bushes and trees, far distant mountain ranges covered with fog, far-neighboring houses, and an odd, old woman sweeping outside her old house who sinisterly stared at us when we passed by. The in-the-car party continued. We were all surprised when Lena brought us to her grandmother's place---a big, old, beautifully designed, wood-made, two-story house in the middle of the woods. We were expecting to be at her family's house. But we found it more exciting here.

I saw a deep-well just at the back portion of the house and I could hear the gushing water of the nearby creek. The house were surrounded with trees and dried leaves and twigs on the ground. I saw a creepy, old house not too far from the deep-well where I washed my hands. There was a man, in his late-twenties, who glanced at the window then hurriedly closed it. I focused on the window curiously as I felt the cool wind slapped my bare skin ----

"----his name is Johnny. He lives there after his father was murdered", Lena suddenly spoke.

"c'mon Jade. Help us with our things. Don't bother him", she added.

The moon showed its magnificence, taking a glimpse at the window, as we formed a circle on the carpet of the living room playing truth or dare with two bowls of popcorn and a case of beer. Our loudest laugh echoed across the woods.

"where's Lena anyway?", Diana asked after she went back getting another case of beer. The front door opened and Lena entered the house with a man, with broad shoulders and a skull tattoo on his right arm, with a very familiar face. Oh, it was Johnny.

"speaking of the devil!", I sounded out as they both entered with Johnny looking timid.

Lena introduced Johnny to everyone and we continued the game. Johnny was so silent and only seemed observing us. He barely moved but his eyes were so menacing as they looked upon each of us. The bottle pointed to Diana and she chose dare without any second thought.

"kiss Johnny", Paris dared Diana, and we all cheered her up.

She then crawled like a cat towards Johnny. She was drunk. They kissed torridly shamelessly as we watched them with a shock upon our faces. We were not surprised to what she did but to Johnny. He also had the attitude.

The time was passed nine in the evening. House was silent. I heard nothing but crickets. Several bottles were down. My head ached and my vision was kinda blurry. I saw Diana went out of the house with Johnny next to her. It looked like I knew where they were going. Carlos and Paris seemed quarrelling as they went up stairs. They always did. I was the only one left in the area. I rested my back on the sofa feeling helpless and closed my eyes and suddenly fell asleep.

diiinnnnng doooooonnnng!

I was awakened by the deafening noise of the grandfather clock that resounded throughout the house. The room was still empty and it seemed no one had heard the midnight alarm. I went outside to grasp some fresh air and to look for them. As I sat on the bench near the well, I thought I saw a rope tied thru the leg of the bench. I went curious about it so i traced the direction of the rope. It went below the well so I grabbed it and it was heavy. I pulled it hard. I was dead shock when I found out it was Diana. My knees trembled as I saw her naked, dead. There were words carved on her back that said: "I am a bitch". Then I heard a shriek of a woman which I thought came from the creek.

"HEEEELP!".

It sounded like Lena. I hurriedly ran towards the nearby creek. I was damn right for it was her, whose hands were tied up with a rope which was clung to a tree, soaked to the  streaming waters of the creek. I rescued her from a slow but certain death. She did not mind the wounds on her body when she hugged me tight feeling thankful crying.

"what happened? Who did this? Where are Carlos and Paris?", I screamed at her trying to get an answer of the disaster that happened. She did not utter even a single word. She was freezing and was in a state of shock. So I brought her back to the house in her room and covered her with a comforter.

"don't leave me. I'm scared", she cried.

"I'm scared too but I need to find the others. Diana's dead".

She wept upon knowing that Diana's gone. I locked and left the room then quickly roamed every corner of the house as I held with me a butcher's knife for my self defense. No one was there. I went to the car in the garage. The tires were deflated. I opened the door and I found Paris whose throat was slit with her eyes opened as a result of an unwanted sudden death. Blood was everywhere. I felt like collapsing but instead, I grabbed Paris' cell in her pocket. There's no signal. I wondered where was Carlos then a thought of Johnny suddenly crossed to my puzzled mind.

"yes, Johnny. He must have done this".

I quickly went to his old house. The smell was terrible. Lights out. Good thing I had brought Paris' phone with me which can be used as a flash light. In his room, I saw him sitting on a chair in front of the TV playing a tape of his childhood with his father. I carefully went inside with my knife ready to attack.

"Johnny, why!?", I loudly whispered but he did not respond.

I slowly touched her shoulder and grabbed him to turn his face around only to find two chopsticks pierced thru each of his eyes. Blood flew. His shirt was cut open with "I forgive you" engraved on his blood-covered chest. I was more puzzled.

"who could have done this? Where is Carlos?", I mumbled. I went back to the house and heard Lena screamed.

"Carlos! No."

I quickly ran to Lena's room. With a crowbar, he tried to mess up her face. So I tackled him and rained several stabs that he was not able to make a fight or even a sound. I killed Carlos. I looked at my hands and there was blood all over me. I felt guilty, shocked, and empty. I could no longer hear the surroundings. I felt lost and -----Lena hit me with the crowbar. I fell to the ground. My senses came back.

"you killed them? Why?", I asked confusingly.

"you let my sister die. All of you let Ylona die", she screamed.

"no we don't. We tried but we couldn't help her. We're too late", I answered as I shriek with every hit of the crowbar on my body.

We were on a summer outing in an undeveloped falls in Ginatilan, southern part of Cebu, last year. Lena was not able to come but Ylona did, her younger sister. I and Diana were busy preparing for our lunch while Carlos and Paris were taking photos of the very beautiful place. Ylona,unnoticed, jumped to the deep waters. She drowned.

"you all got to pay". She hit me again. I cried because of the pain. My body had weakened.

"what about Johnny? Huh?", I asked trying to buy time as I obscurely reach for the knife.

"he's only a victim of his perverted father's crime towards me. I forgave him anyway", she anguishedly answered. She again tightly gripped the crowbar and tried to hit me. I rolled and avoided her blow. I kicked her left knee that made her fell to the ground then mercilessly struck her with the knife in her chest. She groaned and was not able to say a word as I pushed the knife in. She died with her eyes open with tears flowing.

The light of dawn glanced at the window. I hear no sound at all as I kneeled looking at my friends who died before me. I see nothing but blood all over the place which made me sick. I smelled burning candles; the smell of each other's perfume. I thought nothing but the happy memories once we had that died along with them. I felt nothing but complete emptiness.