96 The Blackou

"I'm afraid," she said with a shaking voice.

"Of what, honey?" the old woman asked. "Of that building?"

She pointed at the Silverio Alvarado Medical Suites where lights burst from different angles. The child nodded tentatively. Without second thought, she fell on the ground and embraced her child. Indeed, the girl was terrified. She was trembling so strong that she also quivered as she hugged her. More than the apparent physical fear, her child's sadness and worry also infected her that she could not help but shed a tear.

"Thea, please calm down," Mrs. Calunsod begged. "You are also scaring me."

"I can't help it, Mama," the child replied. "That building is evil. It is giving me so much fright. My heart could explode just by looking at it. I can't stop being afraid."

"Oh no, you can't say that. I won't let anything bad happen to you. I will not let anything or anyone do that. I will die if I lose you again."

"Mama, you are making me sadder."

She hugged the child even tighter. Right now, she could not do anything but let her feel her love. A mother's love knows no bounds and sacrifices, and her child needed to understand and feel that.

Calathea, or Thea as Mrs. Calunsod fondly called her, was a difficult child. She was unpredictable and unreadable. One moment, she was joyous and all smiles, but suddenly, she would be immensely frightened or crying in sadness. Her tantrums were uncontrollable and once she got shaky, it would be a long while before she subsided.

The recent nights were especially exhausting and challenging for Mrs. Calunsod as Thea would suddenly wake up weeping. She would appease her and asked what disturbed her, Thea could not give a clear answer but Mrs. Calunsod knew it had something to do with her dreams. Several times, she asked Thea to describe her dreams but the child could not easily do so. It seemed her dreams were of random things because Mrs. Calunsod could not find connections in her stories. The child told her once about alien life in an unknown planet, then at another time, she talked about some faceless lovers missing each other. Sometimes, she claimed that a shadow monster was looking after her. All her stories were recipes of frightening nightmares. Whether they were just Thea's imaginations or not, Mrs. Calunsod could not find meanings in those dreams.

"Honey, we need to keep going," Mrs. Calunsod said while she was still embracing Thea. "It's cold out here and we can't stay here for too long. We have to go home now."

Thea loosened her grip on Mrs. Calunsod's back and relaxed. She looked her in the eyes and tried to smile. She failed.

"You have to be strong, Thea," she reminded her calmly.

Thea nodded. Mrs. Calunsod stood up but when they were about to walk away, the child shuddered again. It was more violent this time and Thea held her head tightly as she groaned in pain.

"Mama, my head hurts," Thea complained. "It is so painful, Mama."

She touched the child's head with both her hands. It was shaking and hot, as if some heat energy was building up in her head.

"What's happening to you, Thea?"

"Mama, I can't stop it anymore."

"Honey, what are you talking about?"

"Mama!"

Thea screamed hard that Mrs. Calunsod's head almost exploded. Her voice was piercing that some glasses and light materials broke. In split seconds, it became dark around them. Mrs. Calunsod squinted her eyes and saw that a blackout happened. However, only the electric power in the Silverio Alvarado Medical Suites went out as the lights in the surrounding area continued to glow brightly in the night. It was too dark in the building that people screamed in fright. They could hear them and knew that panic ensued in the area.

Suddenly, Thea collapsed on the ground. Mrs. Calunsod's heart skipped a beat as her mind raced to think of what to do. But she knew she should not also panic. She realized that a slight mistake in her actions could ruin everything that she worked hard for. She needed to think fast and quick.

Their house was still a good distance and carrying Thea all the way home would be difficult for her. She was not young anymore and her back was not at all sturdy. But she has no other choice because that was her best option. Truthfully, she had no other choice.

She inhaled hard and summoning all her strength, she lifted Calathea off the ground and saddled her on her back. She repositioned the child until they were both comfortable. With adrenaline rushing through her veins, Mrs. Calunsod began walking briskly. Sweats began forming on her head despite the cold breeze. She needed to be strong. She could not give up now. She needed to endure for her and for her sweet Calathea.

Mrs. Calunsod did not turn her back as she carried her child home. She did not even give a glimpse of the evil building. She could not see the things that could make her child unhappy. Unknown to her, the darkness in the building was an unexpected gift for some people. Truly, the blackout was an opportunity to make their plans come true so the three Biker Brothers and Mang Tomas quickly moved to execute their schemes....