Chapter 5: The Last Night
Cheska could not stop shaking.
The old woman had disappeared from the window, but her words remained in her mind.
“Hindi ikaw ang pakay ko… ang sanggol sa iyong sinapupunan ang gusto ko.”
Brandon locked every door and window in the house.
He checked the backyard.
He checked the front gate.
Nothing.
But the bloody handprint on the bedroom window remained.
Their three-year-old daughter was crying in the corner of the room.
“Mommy…”
“Don’t let the grandma take my baby brother.”
Cheska pulled her daughter close.
“No one will take your baby brother.”
But deep inside, she was terrified.
She knew they needed help.
And they needed it immediately.
The following morning, Brandon went to see an old woman named Aling Rosa, a well-known babaylan in their town.
People often visited her whenever they experienced strange things that doctors and other people could not explain.
Brandon told her everything.
The old woman outside the supermarket.
The strange smell.
The raw meat.
The disappearance.
Her return.
The strange footprints.
And finally, the terrifying attack on Cheska’s window.
Aling Rosa listened without interrupting.
When Brandon finished, she became silent.
“You should never have brought that woman inside your home.”
Brandon lowered his head.
“We only wanted to help her.”
“I know,” Aling Rosa replied.
“Your intention was good.”
“But there are creatures that know how to use kindness against people.”
Cheska held her stomach.
“What is she?”
Aling Rosa looked directly at her.
“She is an aswang.”
Cheska’s face became pale.
“The baby…”
Aling Rosa nodded.
“That is what she wants.”
“An unborn child is precious to an aswang.”
“They are attracted to the life growing inside the mother’s womb.”
Brandon clenched his fists.
“What can we do?”
Aling Rosa gave him several small bottles and a bundle of dried herbs.
“Tonight, she will come back.”
“Do not leave the house.”
“Do not open the door.”
“And whatever you hear…”
“Do not answer her.”
Brandon nodded.
“What if she gets inside?”
Aling Rosa looked at him seriously.
“Then you must be brave.”
That evening, Brandon followed every instruction.
He placed the herbs around the house.
He locked every window.
He locked every door.
Cheska stayed inside the bedroom with their daughter.
The rain began falling again.
It was almost midnight.
The same kind of rain that had fallen the night they first brought the old woman into their home.
Then…
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Three slow knocks came from the front door.
Everyone froze.
A familiar voice followed.
“Brandon…”
“Please open the door.”
“I need your help.”
Brandon closed his eyes.
It was the old woman.
He did not answer.
Again…
“Brandon…”
“I know you’re there.”
Her voice suddenly changed.
It became deeper.
Harsher.
“You were kind to me before.”
“Why won’t you help me now?”
Brandon remained silent.
Then came a terrible sound from the roof.
Scratch…
Scratch…
Scratch…
Their daughter began crying.
“Mommy…”
“The grandma is here.”
Cheska held her tightly.
“Don’t look outside.”
The scratching grew louder.
Then suddenly…
CRASH!
Something landed on the roof.
The entire house shook.
Brandon grabbed the bundle of herbs and rushed toward the hallway.
A dark shadow moved across the bedroom window.
Then another.
And another.
The old woman’s voice echoed from outside.
“Give me the child.”
Cheska screamed.
“Leave my family alone!”
A terrible laugh answered her.
Then…
The bedroom window shattered.
Glass flew across the floor.
The old woman crawled through the broken window.
But she was no longer the weak beggar they once knew.
Her body looked thin and twisted.
Her gray hair covered most of her face.
Her fingers had become long, black claws.
Her eyes were completely dark.
And her mouth opened far wider than a human mouth should.
Their daughter screamed.
Brandon stepped in front of his family.
“Get away from them!”
The creature hissed.
“You invited me into your home.”
“You gave me food.”
“You gave me shelter.”
“And now…”
“I have come to collect.”
Brandon threw the bundle of herbs toward her.
The aswang screamed.
Smoke rose from her skin.
She stumbled backward.
“Stay away from my family!”
Brandon grabbed another bottle given by Aling Rosa and sprinkled its contents around Cheska and their daughter.
The creature suddenly became furious.
It rushed toward Cheska.
Brandon blocked her path.
The aswang slammed him against the wall.
He cried out in pain.
“Brandon!”
Cheska screamed.
The creature moved toward her.
Its eyes fixed on her stomach.
“Give me the child…”
“No!”
Cheska backed away.
The aswang opened its mouth.
Just as it was about to attack…
A loud voice came from outside.
“Lumayas ka sa bahay na ito!”
Aling Rosa stood at the broken window.
She held a small bundle of herbs in one hand and a bottle in the other.
The aswang screamed.
“You!”
Aling Rosa stepped inside.
“You have followed this family long enough.”
The creature hissed.
“They welcomed me!”
“You used their kindness,” Aling Rosa answered.
“You have no right to take what belongs to them.”
She threw the herbs toward the creature.
A bright flash filled the room.
The aswang screamed and fell to the floor.
Its body twisted violently.
Its long claws scratched the wooden floor.
“Leave!”
Aling Rosa shouted.
“Leave this family!”
The creature suddenly turned toward Cheska one last time.
Its eyes filled with rage.
“I will come back…”
But before it could move…
Aling Rosa poured the remaining liquid over the creature.
The room filled with a terrible scream.
The creature’s body began to disappear into a thick cloud of black smoke.
The smoke rose toward the broken window.
Then…
It vanished into the darkness.
Silence returned.
The rain slowly stopped.
For several minutes, nobody spoke.
Brandon remained on the floor, breathing heavily.
Cheska ran toward him.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded.
“I’m fine.”
He looked at Cheska’s stomach.
“And the baby?”
Cheska placed her hand over her belly.
A small kick answered her.
She smiled through her tears.
“He’s okay.”
Their daughter ran toward them.
“Mommy!”
“Mommy!”
The family held each other tightly.
For the first time in many days…
They felt safe.
The next morning, Brandon and Cheska returned to the supermarket.
They wanted to know more about the mysterious woman.
The security guard looked surprised when Brandon mentioned her.
“You really don’t know who she was?”
Brandon shook his head.
The guard pointed toward the sidewalk.
“That woman had been coming here for years.”
“Some people said she suddenly appeared one night.”
“Nobody knew where she came from.”
Brandon looked at the empty spot where she used to sit.
“Did she have a name?”
The guard shook his head.
“Nobody knew.”
Then an elderly employee who had been listening quietly spoke.
“Years ago…”
“There was an old woman who disappeared in this area.”
“People said she died alone.”
“Some believed she became an aswang.”
Brandon and Cheska looked at each other.
Neither of them said a word.
That evening, they returned home.
The broken window had been repaired.
The house was quiet.
Their daughter played with her toys in the living room.
Cheska sat beside Brandon.
For the first time, they could finally breathe without fear.
“You know,” Brandon said quietly, “I still feel guilty.”
Cheska looked at him.
“For helping her?”
“Yes.”
Cheska shook her head.
“You did nothing wrong.”
“You helped someone because you had a good heart.”
She held his hand.
“The evil was hers.”
“Not yours.”
Brandon smiled.
He looked at their daughter.
Then he placed his hand gently over Cheska’s stomach.
Suddenly…
The baby kicked again.
They both laughed.
That night, the family finally slept peacefully.
Outside, the moon shone over the quiet neighborhood.
The street was empty.
The supermarket was far away.
And the old woman’s usual place remained completely vacant.
But somewhere in the distance…
A stray dog suddenly began barking.
Then stopped.
The wind blew through the trees.
For just a moment…
A faint voice seemed to whisper through the darkness.
“Kindness… can open any door.”
Then silence.
Brandon and his family never saw the old woman again.
But they never forgot the lesson she left behind:
Not everyone who asks for help comes with good intentions.
And sometimes…
the most dangerous monsters are the ones who first appear helpless.