"What could the voice possibly mean?" Jamie asked. "The one that said 'coming'."
Tonton shook his head. Though he could recall most of the happenings in his dreams, he could not really make sense of them. He was not certain whether the whisper refers to the previous falling star, or some future event like the laser war or another meteor striking the Earth.
"I hope it was just my memory of the meteor," Tonton said positively.
"Yes, I hope you are right," said Kiko. "We might be dead if there is another event."
Tonton flashed a sad smile. He felt relieved after relaying the story to his friends.
"Thanks, guys," he said. "It's really cool to have friends who will listen and understand you. I am so happy to have you all."
The boys created a circle and executed a group hug. They were laughing and feeling great after all the drama.
"I feel fine now." Tonton was beaming as he said those words.
"I hope those dreams never come again," said Kiko.
"You should hung a dreamcatcher in your room," Bogart suggested which made everyone laughed.
The night was warm, as if the chill air was out somewhere, chasing children playing in the open grounds. The nightcrawlers were loudly humming under the almost void dark sky, except for the few stars.
" We should head home now," Jamie proposed.
"I agree," said Kiko. "We have plenty of assignments to do."
"I hate doing math," Bogart said under his breath.
'Coming', Tonton heard a voice inside his head. He stood frozen, suprise and worry was written all over his face. His friends all notice it.
"What happened?" Jamie asked worriedly. "Something's wrong?"
"Something just whispered in my head. Or maybe I am just hallucinating. We had been talking about my dreams that they may have gone into my head."
"You sure?"
Tonton nodded and smiled. Slowly, they went up to bikes and Tonton was about to board his when the whisper came back again. This time, it was louder that Tonton fell to the ground and covered his ears. Reflexively, his friends rushed and reached out to him.
"Did you hear it again?" Kiko inquired.
Tonton nodded. Meanwhile, Bogart incidentally happened to look up the sky and noticed a much brighter star. It was coming from the right and was moving steadily. It had a yellow glow which was obviously different from the rest of the heavenly objects in the sky.
"Guys," he called out his friends. "Will you look up? There is something in the sky."
They all obeyed including Tonton who was still covering his ears. For a moment, they were transfixed.
"I don't feel right about this, " Kiko commented.
Details of the previous event came back to them. They stayed in their position and did not move a thing while observing the spectacle right before them. Doubt, worry, and fear were in their hearts.
Similarly, the bright glow started small and kept growing bigger as it traversed the night sky. It seemed to suck out all the light and energy from anything on its path. Minutes rolled and the star-like object was now the size of a coin.
Their hearts beat louder. It was eerily silent except for their labored breathing and heartbeat.
"It's not happening again, right?" Bogart asked in disbelief.
"I think it is," Kiko answered inaudibly.
"We better leave now," Jamie ordered.
The boys took some steps back when Tonton suddenly screamed.
"The voice in my head," he said in agony. "It keeps saying that it is coming."
They looked up to the sky again and indeed, the bright thing had become larger, now almost the size of a lemon. It loomed as though it was heading towards Subangdaku.
"Let's go!" Jamie barked.
Quickly, they scampered and went to their bikes. Tonton, now in tears, was still trembling that they had to help him board his bike.
"Be strong, Tonton," Kiko reassured him. "We are always here with you. Nothing can harm anyone of us."
Shakily, they began to pedal their bikes. The horror was all too real that the path they had always passed through seemed arduous and difficult. They struggled that Kiko tripped over a rock and he was thrown over. He rolled through the grasses. Immediately, the other boys stopped and helped him up.
"Oh no!" Bogart hollered upon gazing at the object. It was now as large as an apple and shone brilliantly.
'Coming, comin, coming' .... The whispers echoed again in Tonton's head that he fell on his knees and cried, shocking his friends.
"Come on, Tonton," Jamie urged. "Don't let it defeat you."
"The voices, they are scaring me."
"Fight them."
Hastily, Jamie helped Tonton get up. The night was slowly vanishing as the meteor got much larger and brighter. It was almost near the district, almost within an arm's reach.
They boarded their bikes again and pedalled. Kiko was struggling due to a graze in his left knee, while Tonton was still sobbing. Jamie led the pack as Bogart lagged behind them due to his sheer weight and short legs.
The night was getting brighter as the object got nearer. Their shadows got longer as the grasses became more visible. Jamie looked behind him and got frightened by what he saw. The meteor was now the size of a watermelon and a blinding light was radiating around it. It was indeed going to hit Subangdaku.
"Hurry!" he yelled at the top of his voice.
"I can't get any faster," Kiko responded in a husky voice. "My knee hurts a lot."
"It will catch us up," said Tonton, his voice quivering from crying.
Subangdaku was now well illuminated by the looming object. The boys could see their paths very clearly.
"Help me!" Bogart screamed.
Immediately, the three looked back and saw Bogart raising his arm for help. But bright light had already enveloped everything that they automatically squinted their eyes. Slowly, Bogart fell and his silhouette vanished through the light.
"Aahhh!" Kiko also screamed but like his friend, he tripped and disappeared. Simultaneously, the light swallowed Tonton.
"No!" Jamie howled but he, too, was thrown away.
Finally, the light touched the ground of Subangdaku.