MORTEM

We are all excited about preparing for our tour to Baguio because we will have our documentary shoot there for our school project because it's one of the requirements for us to graduate. We will shoot all the historical places in Baguio such as the Battle of Irisan Historic Site, Camp John Hay Cemetery 2, the Keystones of Baguio, and the Heritage Hill Nature Park Garden. We are all excited because we need to go to all of those places to shoot for our documentary project.

By the way, I am Irish Stephen and I am a college student taking a mass communication course at Springville University. And if you are asking why my last name is Stephen. It is because my dad is a veteran soldier who died last year and he is an American who married a Filipina nurse and that is my mom. My mom is a retired nurse and now she is busy managing her business. A restaurant that served great foods and unforgettable memories in Tagaytay.

“Say hi, Heaven,” I told my boyfriend and soon to be my husband while holding a camera because I am recording our moment together while waiting for the bus to arrive.

“Hi,” Heaven said,

His name is Jayvee Cruz and he is my loving, handsome, smart boyfriend. While I am focusing the camera on him. I want to capture each moment that we spent because I want to show it at our wedding next year. Yes, we are planning to get married next year after we graduate. Anyway, we already saved enough money for our wedding and if you are wondering why I call him Heaven? Because he is my Heaven. I feel like I am in Heaven whenever I am with him and of course, I am his angel. We are Heaven and Angel and that is how cheesy we are. Jayvee is a sweet, smart, handsome boyfriend and I know he loves me because even though there are a lot of girls who have a crush on him in school, I am still his number one priority. He is always telling me his schedules, especially his schedules of training in basketball and if he will go out with his friends. He is a basketball varsity player on our campus. He knows how to listen when I tell him “No” and “I don’t like it”. It is not being gay but it is what you call respect and of course, I do the same. I never go out with other boys. I never go out with my friends without telling him because I respect him and I love him so much and I know that he is my “The one”

“Make it fast in packing your things because it is almost night and I don’t want to travel at night,” Nestle said. Our big brother because he is older than all of us and he will be our director in our documentary film. Nestle is one of a kind. He wants everything to be perfect if he is given a task. He believes that he needs to always give his best shot. That makes him serious in all things.

It is already afternoon and we need to hurry because we don’t want to waste our time traveling. Tomorrow we will start our shoot right away and of course, we want to have a day for fun in Baguio before going home. Jayvee and I want to make the most of it, especially in a romantic place like Baguio.

After an hour of waiting, finally, the bus arrived. The driver went down and asked for our understanding of why he took so long because the bus that we rented got broken and he needed to bring it to a mechanic to fix it. We understand, the important it is that he arrived and it is time for us to leave. Carrying our bags. We went inside the bus one by one and of course, Jayvee sat beside me. While Camille, my cute best friend, sat beside her crush Josh. We are almost twenty in a team. Camille and Josh, our documentary scriptwriter, Jayvee and I, Nestle our director, Aimee one of our cameramen. I mean, girl and the rest, which is I just know them on their faces but not in their name.

It was already six o’clock when we left the school and I knew we would arrive late at night in Baguio and I saw Nestle getting stressed. He is not smiling anymore because he is thinking about the time that will be wasted because of a long trip and his plan will definitely change because of the adjusted time.

“Who are you looking at?” Jayvee asked while holding my hand.

“Nestle, He looks so stressed,” I answered.

“Get used to it, He is always like that, He is so serious,” He said while also looking at Nestle.

After a moment, Josh brings out his guitar and starts playing a song. It is from Gin Blossoms and he plays “As long as it matters” A wonderful song with a beautiful meaning; It's relaxing music and yet it will make you sing that is why all of us sing the song to kill the boredom and thanks to Josh because he is good at playing the guitar. Now I know why Camille has a crush on him. I brought my chips from my bag and opened it. I got some and I gave some to Jayvee too before I passed it to them and everybody had their share and enjoyed the chip that I shared. We are enjoying our trip because everybody is excited about going to Baguio and we are like kids again in grade school having their field trip with their snacks. Jayvee held my hand and kissed it while looking into my eyes with a smile and singing the song. He sings it to me that gives me a romantic excitement and makes me smile. I know and I feel the same. I kissed him on his lips and whispered to him how much I love him. That makes him smile.

“I love you more,” He said with a smile on his face.

The bus stopped because Aimee requested that she buy pizza for all of us. That is why the bus stopped at the parking lot of Greenwich Pizza and Aimee went down with Camille to order pizza. While everybody was excited, Nestle frowned and he shook his head because he knows that we will be totally late traveling to Baguio.

“Heaven, I will just go to the toilet,” I told him while the bus was stopped and I let go of his hand that woke him. I didn’t know that he was already sleeping.

“I am sorry,” I said and kissed him, and let him go back to sleep.

I stood up and went to the back of the bus because the toilet is at the back. I went inside the toilet and locked the door. The toilet is already for men and women. It is small but it is clean, with a mini sink and water in a faucet, a mirror, and smells good. Smells like an ocean-fresh with a little minty. Maybe it is the freshener that they put in that makes the toilet smell good. I stretched first because my arms and legs are getting numb from sitting for a long hour and then I brought my comb out and my hair ties from my pouch because I wanted to tie my hair up. When I heard a knock on the door.

Tok! Tok! Tok!

“Wait,” I said while continuing to comb my hair.

Tok! Tok! Tok! And this time it gets louder. That is why I hurriedly comb my hair and open the door to see who is knocking. I looked left and right but no one was knocking. I closed the door again and continued what I was doing and someone was knocking on the door again and this time the knock seemed in a hurry. Tok! Tok! Tok! Tok! Tok! That is why I put my comb down and take a deep breath and open the door for the second time but no one is there. I looked around and checked who was pranking me but everybody is busy, minding their own business and they don’t care about what is going on with me inside the toilet. I know Jayvee went back from sleeping, that is why I closed the door again to put all my stuff inside my pouch. I looked at myself in the mirror when I saw a silhouette of a girl running behind me. I looked back to see who it was but I didn't see anyone with me. So I turn around and look at myself in the mirror again and ignore what I saw. Maybe it is just my imagination. I zipped my pouch, carried it, and went outside. I was about to go back to where I was sitting because I know Jayvee is waiting for me. When I saw a girl wearing shorts and a shirt bigger than her run beside me and she almost bumped me, that made me stop walking and look at her in the direction of where she was going but she was gone. That is why I am confused about what I saw but I think it is just my imagination.

“Angel, come on” Jayvee called me and I didn’t know that he was already awake. I went back to where I sat.

“Are you okay?” He asked before I sat beside him.

“Yes, I am,” I answered while still thinking about the girl that I saw.

Aimee and Camille are already back carrying three family-size pizzas and sharing them with us. The bacon overload pizza, Hawaiian, and bacon with ham. She passed it to Josh and then Josh passed it to us and I passed it to everybody after I had my share, and all of us were eating pizza including the driver that Aimee treated us.

“Thanks, Aimee,” I told her and she smiled at me while chewing her pizza. We all enjoyed the pizza, even Nestle, who was already stressed about our late travel. Enjoyed the pizza.

After that, we ate pizza. The driver turned on the radio and played the song “Friends” from Amii Stewart, A very smooth and comfortable song. Good for this night of traveling. It is so very relaxing, especially on this cold night. Where all the bus lights are off. Except for the light near the driver seat and the headlight. Everybody is already resting, some are sleeping while some are holding their phones on this cold night because of the bus aircon. We got all tired and we didn’t notice that it was already 10:30 P.M. Jayvee covered me with his blanket when he saw me shaking because I am cold. Anyway, he was wearing a jacket and he hugged me close to him to make me warm and then closed his eyes and fell asleep. I feel so secure and comfortable in his arms that it makes me smile. While I am holding my phone texting my mom because she was home alone with Wolfie our dog. Actually, Wolfie is Dad’s dog that he left with us when he died last year, because Nana Salve, my mom's best friend who treated me as her own daughter, went for a vacation. She visits her daughter living in a province. I told mom not to worry because I am doing fine. Jayvee will take care of me.

“Go to sleep na, Angel” Jayvee said and kissed my forehead when he noticed me still awake and holding my phone.

“Yes, I will just text mom,” I said with a smile because he is so sweet that it makes me fall in love with him more. I am so lucky to have Jayvee that is why I want him to be lucky to have me too.

“I love you,” I told him and kissed his cheek. He didn’t reply but he smiled.

I thought I was only using my phone but I didn’t notice that I fell asleep when my phone fell from my hand. I suddenly woke up to pick it up. I looked at Jayvee because I didn't want to disturb him but good thing that I didn’t wake him up. I stood up to put my phone inside my bag and I was about to sleep when I saw two men standing in the middle of the road. One is holding on to his stomach and he looks so distressed. His stomach is bleeding the same as his mouth and the other one is helping him. They are full of scars. I don’t know what happened to them but I was surprised when the bus ran them over. I closed my eyes because I don’t want to see the next scene but the bus suddenly brakes and wakes us up.

“I am sorry but I want to rest for a few seconds… My arms and legs are already numb because of the long drive” The driver said and he parked the bus at the side of the road and went down. I looked around to check what happened to the two men that our bus ran over. I keep looking around to see them but I can no longer see them. They were just gone. I saw the driver bring his lighter out and light the cigarette on his mouth after stretching his arms and legs. He is smoking as if nothing’s happened or nothing has really happened and like the girl a while ago. The two men might be part of my imagination again.

“Angel” Jayvee called me in a sleepy voice.

“Why are you still awake?” He asked. I sat down and answered, “Nothing, I just put my phone inside my bag”

“I told you to sleep na” He said in a soft voice but I didn’t answer him because I am thinking again of the men that I saw as the girl a while ago. I feel like my eyes are tricking me.

After a moment the driver is back and it is time for us to go. He turned on the engine and drove. Jayvee wrapped me with his blanket and hugged me again. I can’t erase what I saw in my head because it looks real. I shook my head and thought about what is important, that it is just my imagination and the bus didn’t run over to those men or else it is a problem. Well back to the relaxing music and cold travel because of the aircon, it was set high but that’s okay. It makes us comfortable anyway.

I tried to sleep but I can’t sleep because I feel like there is something watching me that makes me shiver and scared. I opened my eyes when I saw a white smoke; shape like a human, at the top of Jayvee covering his nose. I got scared and I suddenly stood up but I saw myself still sitting and sleeping beside Jayvee. My eyes were wide open in what I saw and I tried to touch myself but I cannot touch myself and I tried to go back to myself but I cannot go back.

“No,” I whispered. What is going on? I am scared. I tried to touch Jayvee but I couldn't touch him either. I looked around but I saw my colleague. Wounded, covered with blood, and not moving. I am not sure if they are already dead but I AM SACRED. I looked at Jayvee again and he was covered with blood too.

“No!” I screamed but there was no voice coming out from my mouth.

“Irish” The cold voice called my name and I looked around but I didn’t see anyone calling me.

“Irish” The cold voice called me again and this time. She just holds my hand and that makes me more scared to see what she looks like. She is the girl that I saw who passed beside me a while ago. She is wearing shorts and a shirt that is bigger than her. She has wounds and bruises covering her body. She is looking down and she is holding me tight in my hand. I wanted to let go of her hand but her hold was too tight. I tried to let my hand go again from her but I couldn't and she is pulling me now. As if she wanted to show me something. As if she wanted to tell me something. That makes me more scared.

“What is going on?” I asked myself. She looked at me with her scary, cold, pitiful eyes. As if she really wants to tell me something. I keep on pulling my hand but she is holding it tight and she doesn't want to let me go but I continue pulling my hand for her to let me go. Until she let go of me and I suddenly fell into a tall building and woke up. I saw her at the top of me when the bus that we were riding fell off a cliff.