Bearer of Hellfire

She felt her calf stiffen as soon as her sole touched the damp floor. Few inches away from the door, she halted to watch the soft trickle of water flowing through the gap between the door frame and the vinyls. She turned the knob and was greeted by the gush of chilled air coming from the other side. She knew it was dangerous to heed to the call of the voice in her head, but it has been nights. The dark circles around her eyes made it obvious that she barely slept. To say she’s a mess is an understatement, say she has lost sanity, for that is true.   She gasped when she saw that behind the door, where the bathroom should be, was a vast body of water. A calm, dark sea, and deafening silence. She started to tremble, her legs wobbled so she bent her knees, held on to the wall, and sat at the edge. The ripple of the water kept on entering her room. She stayed in her position for few minutes before she dipped her foot onto the water. Once she got used to it, s

Aiko seemed absent-minded. She gazed outside the window but there was nothing. She had scribbles on her notes but the words were nonsense. Then she received a text message.   Mika: Can’t go to school today, still not feeling well.   Aiko: You sure you don’t want to go to the clinic?   Mika: No need. I just need rest.   Aiko: Alright. I’ll drop by after last period.   Before she can even put her phone back, someone slumped beside her. It was Goo.   “Don’t you have classes?”   “I feel sick. I already took Tylenol this morning.”   Aiko placed her palm to feel his forehead. “You’re hot.”   “I know.” He sniffed.   “Literally hot.”   “And figuratively.”   She wasn’t able to get back to him. Her phone rung. It was Rina. She threw a quick glan

The laughters that filled the classroom delighted Aiko. She’s done with most of her exams and now she aced her presentation. She went back to her seat while the professor was dismissing them.   “Good job, Aiko.”   Aiko smiled at the professor. “Thank you, Sir. Thank you everyone.” She gathered her things and went to the cafeteria.   She kept biting her lower lip.   “What? Does your tummy hurt?” Miya worriedly glanced at her stomach.   Aiko nodded.   “Have you eaten breakfast?” Goo, the one sitting next to her, bowed down to check her facial grimace and snapped a photo. She didn’t notice it.   “I had.”   “Hmmm… it’s the exam week. You just had a presentation. Your anxiety level must be high.” Goo posted the photo on social media with a caption #justconstipated. “By the way, are you still seeing your therapist?”