Mom came in with a plate of food on a wooden tray.
"Eat this son, you should regain your energy back so you could go to school." Mom said.
"Yes, mom. Thank you." I happily replied while nodding my head. It's one of my favorite foods, bicol express. She then kissed me on my forehead and went outside.
As I was extremely hungry, I devoured the food quickly and since I'm done eating with my food, decided to go to the kitchen to clean my plate. As I was scrubbing the plate, I heard voices near the living room so I decided to peek around the corner.
It was mom and a man wearing a black suit near the door, talking. The man seemed to notice me as he looked at me so I got back on washing my plate.
"I apologize for the disturbance Mrs. Carter." The man apologized.
"Oh it's okay sir, thank you for coming. I appreciate your efforts." Mom replied.
Soon I weird doctor opening and closing signaling that the man has left.
Mom appeared in the kitchen, i could feel her sitting near the counter.
"Who was that? Mom?" I genuinely asked.
"He was an investigator", mom replied and I could sense her voice tinged with concern.
"An investigator? What was he investigating?" I asked curiously.
"Well, he was asking if there's something wrong here in our neighborhood or in our house. He asked some questions like everybody has been paying recently, something like that." Mom explained.
My body felt shock as if it was electrocuted as I remembered the intense pain I suffered the day before.
I didn't notice that I mildly stopped what I was doing as I was lost in my thoughts.
"Alex, is something wrong are you in pain?" Mom's question made me go back to reality, her voice is filled with concern.
I quickly composed myself. "No, mom I'm okay. It's just that... I've seen people on the internet talking about similar things" I lied. Of course I'm feeling guilty lying to her but if I tell her the truth it will make me more worried and I don't want that.
Mom looked at me, I could see her eyes scan my face and then she sighed. "Okay, I'm gonna rest for a bit." She said as she went to her room
"Okay, mom. I'll be here." I replied as a watcher to her room.
After finishing the dishes, I went to my room and opened the laptop. I quickly searched for information about the phenomena that happened to me the other day.
To my surprise, the lie I told my mother turned out to be true. The internet was flooded with theories and shared experiences from people who had gone through the same strange occurrence like I did. There were claims of impending disasters theories about the epidemic and more.
I was extremely intrigued by it then I remembered marco asking me if I had experienced severe pain.
"Did he have the same symptoms as me?" I murmured.
As i was reading different articles, I glanced out the window and froze. A figure standing outside, watching from a distance. It was the man in the suit from earlier.
A sense of uneasiness washed over my head. I felt danger, so i grabbed my jacket and headed outside. My heart was pounded with a mix of fear and determination.
I don't know what he wants, but there's got to be a reason why he's stalking us.
I swiftly ran outside to confront the man in the suit. I could see his figure beneath the street lamp, casting a long shadow on the pavements, coming from the radiant light.
He seemed to sense my presence and quickly started to walk away. Fear anxiety bubble top on my mind.
What the hell is going on right now? Why was he stalking us?
I couldn't think of anything, of any reason why someone would stalk us. I need to confront him no matter what so that I can get my answers.
"Hey wait!" I shouted but the man didn't stop as I could see him disappear as his shadow vanished.
Where is he going? Think alex think!
I need to figure out how to catch up to him.
Well for starters, i know the shortcuts around the neighborhood as I grew up here. I maybe could anticipate the path is going to and I could cut him off. I know this place like the back part of my hand.
"He'll probably take the alleyway behind the old store book" I murmured.
I could feel my body heating up because of running, jumping and looking out for the man.
I jumped across to the garden gate and sprinted towards across the yard, I vaulted over a low fence and dashed through a narrow passage between the two houses.
"Hahhh hahhhhh" my breath ragged in gasps as I emerged towards a cross section. I could feel my legs burn but i need to push myself harder.
I glanced around, as I spotted the man heading towards the alley so I swiftly ran parallel to the man but I made sure to stay out of his sight.
Just a little further.
I got through another yard and vaulted over a trash can. I reach the end of the alley and press myself against the wall.
"Hahhhh...hahhhhh" I tried my best to mask off my gasps. I was extremely tired because of all the running and parkours I did.
Slowly, I breathed to calm myself down. I listened intently to the sound of footsteps.
I could hear his footsteps louder and louder as a second passed by. When I felt like the man was near, I swiftly jumped out and approached him and stepped from behind the corner to block his path.
The man stopped abruptly, a surprise flash across his face before it was replaced with a wide smile. The smile wasn't friendly. it was more amused, like a cat that had cornered a mouse.
"What do you want?" I asked. I tried to keep my voice steady despite the fear I felt. "Why are you stalking my mom?"
The man's smile widened. "I wasn't stalking your mother," he said smoothly. "I'm watching you, Alex."
"Me?" I asked in confusion. "Why?"
"Hmmmmmm. Because you're special." The man replied were adjusting his glasses. " You and many others who have experienced... Unusual symptoms lately."
"Symptoms?" I asked. "What are you talking about?" I tried to pretend I didn't know what he was talking about.
He just ignored the question and reached into his pocket. " I'm part of an organization that investigates a natural phenomena. We believe you might be experiencing something extraordinary."
I took a step back shaking my head. "This is nonsense. I don't know what you're talking about."
The man chuckled, pulled out a business card and extended it to me. "You can pretend all you want, but I think you'll come around. And when you do, please do contact me, Alex." He pressed the card into my hand.
I looked down at the card, which bore a simple logo and a phone number. When I looked up, the man was walking away.
"Wait!" I called after him, but the man didn't turn around. "Why me? What makes me so special?"
The man paused, looking after his shoulder. " You'll find out soon enough. And remember, Alex, you're not alone in this." With that, he vanished into the blinding light caused by the radiant light.
I was left in the alley standing, bewildered.
I stared at the card, my mind raised with questions.
Who was that man? What organization did he work for? Most importantly what is happening to me?.
I slipped the card into my pocket and walked back home, a mix of fear and curiosity gnawed at me.
As I entered the house, I felt a sense of unease. My encounter with that man left me more confused than ever, and his cryptic words echoed into my mind. But I know one thing for sure.
"My life is about to change in ways I couldn't comprehend"