1 Chapter 1 Truth

The alarm on his mobile phone make Axle wake. 6:00 a.m,

"another day, another money"

His motto makes him motivated everyday he say that out loud. As he walks to his younger sister's room waking her up gently,

"Calixte wake up now, it's time for school".

Calixte opens her eyes, look to her wallclock as she opens her eyes widely in awe "Oh no, im gonna be late again", she grabs her towel, her toothbrush as she rush to the bathroom as if she will be scolded to her teacher again at school if she comes late even a second. Axle smirks,

"Okay little one. be rush im going to prepare our breakfast and your lunch box".

Axle stands up and goes outside do some squats, push-ups, pull-up, while watching his favorite youtube video on his mobile phone "Best Parkour Videos". He always fond watching fully fit men doing parkour stunts on the streets or buildings in the city. When Axle was a kid, he loves watching ninja movies, but in years time, he sees parkour men as a modern day ninja because they can climb on top of the building or houses, running on each benches as if they playing jumping jacks and other stunts that even a normal person either could do it or not. He takes a rest, washing his hand and preparing a meal for her younger sister.

"Calixte, breakfast is ready."

Calixte comes out of her room with complete uniform sat down and looks at her brother wearing only jogging pants seeing his mid section completely fit.

"So, when are you going to marry brother?"

Axle spills his drinking water at his sister's eyes in confusion. He sat down in a complete sigh

"Why are you bringing this up?"

Calixte replied,

"Nothing, I mean look at you, a good looking man, knows how to cook, has a 6 pack abs, and most of all, a responsible brother and a loving husband in the future."

"After you graduate, thats the time ill find the love of my life." A simple answer form his older brother made her convinced. After they done their breakfast Axle gave her allowance for today since they have no motorcylce or car and her school in only a few blocks away, Calixte casually walks from home to school and school to home in order to save some or her allowance for the next day. "Bye now brother, stay safe" Calixte walks away happily as she making tip toes .As close the door he sudden murmuring, something he does everyday. "Okay, time to make some money".

First he cleans his house, wash the dishes, fixing each bedrooms, and he goes to the cabinet and picks his favorite black long sleeves, gray pants, black rubber shoes and of course his favorite, his light gray scarf. While he is in the bathroom, a loud bang on his door as if someone trying to rob his house.

"What the!?"

He startled quickly and pick his towel rushed to the main door to know who cause all the ruckus."What are you doing man, its nearly 8 a lot tourists are going to the beach with all the money they have", Axle sighs as he calmly walks to the man that made a huge bang on his door, slapping him three times.

"You make my day horrible."

Axle looks at the man with his cold eyes saying as if he was missing the best part of his life in the bathroom.

"Listen Amir, I was in the bathroom, cleaning my sexy hair, while singing my favorite songs of Westlife and you suddenly busted my door saying a lot of tourists came at the beach, yes I know thats why I'm prepared."

Amir is the only bestfriend of Axle and the only person who knows his real job.

"Look im sorry man, I just want to help you and your sister ever since the day we became best friends, and the day you saved my life".

Amir's honesty made Axle remember all the good days they had, and save his life from the thugs that harrass and bullied him at his local meat shop.

"It's okay, we're brother in arms"

As Axle hugs him gently and whispering something economical with truth,

"You're gonna pay for my busted or I will experience you Hilter vs Gandhi situation"

Amir suddenly sweaty but makes him laugh at the same time,

"Okay okay shhheeessshhh! I'll pay for your door but first, lets drink tonight."

Amir makes an eye contact with Axle with pure innocence and happiness then Axle replied

"After my janitorial shift tonight at 8.

While getting dressed for his "job", before Amir left, he says something to him every single day

"Axle, if I'm going to betray you tomorrow, kill me okay".

Axle sligthly irritated to his thoughts

"As if you're going to betray me, you idiot."

Axle laughs at it and didn't bother

"Be there at my shop best friend."

Amir walks happily and goes to the meat shop.

"I'll be there best friend as soon as I finish this "job"

Amir is the only person knows that Alxe is a thief by day and janitor at night. Before Axle leaves his home he kneels down and ask forgiveness first to the heavens above

"I'm sorry lord if i do this today, I want my sister's life be filled with the things she want and give me protection, Amen."

Axle prays everyday and also asking forgiveness. He closes his door, running as fast as he could, climbing walls, taking shortcut to the slums, he sees a family sitting outside eating on their tables a few meters away, he jumps above them then rolls on the ground sliding to the vertical road barrier going down to the beach. He sees a lot of tourist on the street side, outside the mall going in and out, at the park, at the plaza, and at the beach as well, Axle breaths heavily as he gain confidence in himself.

"Time to make some money."

His first victim was a couple waiting for the green light to turn to cross at the side of the street, Axle stands behind them. As the green light turns on, he intentionally bumps them looking worried to the couple.

"Im really sorry maam, sir I'm in a hurry for my class i didn't mean it."

He looks at them with a pure smile showing forgiveness. the couples chatter about his appearance and smile "that kid looks handsome" her husband replied "yeah he looks more handsome than me in my younger days".

As the couple walks to a coffee shop, the wife noticed her husband's back pocket on his pants is ripped and his wallet missing.

"Honey where's your wallet?"

The husband touches his pants and realizes his wallet is gone.

"That damn kid is a thief!"

As the husband gets frustrated as he as the waitress at the coffee shop if he can borrow his phone calling the local police. Axle continued walking from beach to the city square and back looking at a new targets, as he leans his head for looking at a new opportunity, he suddenly stumbled a person right in front of him.

"Oh no, Sir are you okay? Did you hurt"?

Axle worries the man as he helped him stand up again. The main is a foreing vlogger making a live video to his daily vlog.

"Its okay okay, kid I didn't hurt and thanks for helping me."

As the foreigner leaves a smile to Axle and he ask out of the blue

"Say are you from around here"?

Axle answers politely

"Yes sir, I am why"?

"I am Marcus Riggs, a viewtube vlogger and I'm making about this video of how people would react or answer to my weird and funny questions, say hello to the camera"

As the man faces its phone to Axle waiting its respond

"Hello"

As Axle waves at the phone with a smiling face.

"I'm going to ask you, if you make me laugh or embarrassed with my viewers I'm giving you 500 dollars, agree?"

The foreigner shows his prize that made Axle's eyes sparkle

"Okay"

Axle agrees with no hesitation.

"Do you speak and understand English well?

Axle replied

"Yes, but no fluent"

The foreigner replied

"Okay as long as you understand me here it goes, I will give you 500 dollars if I can date your mom?"

Axle smirk for a split second and thus his rebuttal,

"If I can date yours?"

The foreigner immediate regrets his question and decision to the young lad and a lot of hilarious comments to his viewers.

"Okay kid you win here's your 500 dollars"

The foreigner gave his prize money to Axle and he replied, "thank you my good man" as Axle simply walks away, he simply picked pocket the foreigners wallet in his bag.

As he walks watching for another opportunity to steal, someone shouted, a female pointing at him.

"There's the thief police officer catch him!"

Axle gasps in awe as he makes a run after he sees Police Officer Jones, his number 1 and only person that gets his way in his money making monkey business.

"You again, this time you won't get away!"

as Police Officer Jones told him that many times but it didn't happen. Axle runs fast, using the crowded people in the plaza as a maze confusing Jones in sight but it didn't work. Jones is nearly behind him neck and neck.

"How did he get so fast!"

As Axle asks in his mind completely unaware of Police Officer Jones capability and dedication to caught him. He climbs to the stairwell of the apartments and sliding a through a steel barrier that fits its size, rolling to the roof of a house, jumping a large garbage dump and climbs again to a wall completely escape.

"God damn it, he escapes again, as soon as I reveal or know your true face, I will personally hunt you down!"

As Police Officer Jones completely exhausted from his chase. Axle walks back to his home, changing his clothes put all his money he stole and counted it.

"9540 dollars, that's not so bad after a 7 - hour walking, stealing and running."

Then he takes a nap for a few minutes. When he wakes up, he looks at his mobile phone knowing what time it is. 4:39 p.m,

"Okay, time to work again."

Axle puts his pants, tshirt and shoes, and goes to a small insurance company where he works as janitor from 5:00 p.m to 8:00 p.m as his part time job. There he met his boss as he waits for him, giving his keys to Axle to close the building after his shift.

The boss asked him,

"Why wouldn't you take this as a permanent job? It's really hard to find money in these days"

As his boss worries about him and his sister's future.

"I'll think about it boss, but now, I have other jobs during day."

"What job?"

As Axle's boss confused and Axle replied,

"i'll tell you if I make my decision"

as Axle leaves a smiling face as his boss leaves the office and going home. Axle cleans the building from entrance to back and all the way completely without dirt or stains. As he walks home after his job he went to his bestfriend's local meat shop to drink.

"there you are, I've been waiting for you for like hours."

As Amir waves him happily. The two drank, laugh and talk together when the tv makes a flash news

"We would like to interrupt this program to make an important announcement, dead people here missing people there and unidentified people everywhere. A lot of unexplained events from different places have been reported from this country, unidentified reasons, bodies mutilated, missing people from out of sight, bodies whose organs is missing, and most of all bodies were brutally killed in half as if some kind of a syndicate or a giant beast working together behind this. A lot of people believed this must be the work of engkantoes or mythological beings doing, became real and goes on a rampage to kill people at night. As the exper-"

Amir switches the channel as if he is disturbed by the flash news.

"In this local city of Boracay, (where Axle, Calixte, Amir and Police Officer Jones lives) a local thief makes another attempt to steal money from our tourists, here are the some of the tourists complaint about the thief "he stole my husband's money not knowing that's our money to go home" and other tourist whose a vlogger at the same time giving money to the kid to his video not knowing he is also a thief."

"I gave him money with humiliation to my viewers due to his answers to my questions I want him to be put in the jail."

Police Officer Jones makes him an effort to capture him at all cost and this is his statement,

"I will promise to the people whose been giving a headache to the man who stole all your money, I will caught him on my hands, I've got a sketch from the sketch artists and this is his face. Remember this guy."

Also, a number of killings happen in this place where people especially people who work at night, who go home late at night, and go to places in the city every night has either been missing, ripped their body or sometimes being eaten as if we are the prey. The local government of this city announce that the night curfew hours will begin tomorrow and advice its citizens to stay on yours home at night and if you will get caught by the police or the army during curfew, you will be put in to jail until dawn".

Amir shuts down his television and looks at Axle and smirks obviously.

"Is that your face? Hahahahahahaha!"

And Axle smirks and laughs also,

"Yes that's me that's what the sketch says from the tv."

As the two laughs as if their jaws will be locked. Axle asks Amir while drinking his beer.

"Do you believe in enkantoes or some sort?"

Amir replied

"I would say neither, yes of course they are the mythological beings but I didn't see them with my own naked eyes. How about you?"

Axle scratches his hair in confusion saying

"Yes, I was once saw a humanoid black figure outside of our house in my hometown, but he didn't attacked me, he just walked away holding a huge meat and later it was a man's whole torso he was holding. I didn't talk much about that because it gives me chills over and over again."

Amir asks,

"What if one day you saw that guy again, what would you do.?"

Axle replied,

"Run? Scream for help? Fight? I don't know, I haven't thinking about that."

"That's okay, as if it would happen here as long as be careful at all times."

Axle says goodbye to his bestfriend with a 1 kilo of meat for their tomorrow's meal and of course a smile saying he will be home safe. As Axle walks home alone, a shadowy figure stands afar staring at him, mouthwatering. The next day, Axle prepares their breakfast and also Calixte's lunchbox. As Calixte leaves, Axle makes thoughts of his mind,

"Maybe I shouldn't do my job today, it is not safe, someone might notice me especially police and army are around."

Axle sits his chair thinking what he will do after Calixte is graduated. Later, after his night shift, he walks home thinking what food he will cook tonight until he saw someone in the dim light corner of the street, yes it is so dim because of the moon's brightness was covered by the clouds.

"Hello, is anyone there?"

Axle confuses he walks towards the shadowy figure until it crawls towards him. Axle felt a chill on his spine and his guts telling that he should run until he pounced right at him. Scratching his chest, biting its arms, Axle kicks him at the stomach and makes an escaping position, the clouds are moving away, the moon's brightness began to clear and he saw right in his eyes. His bestfriend Amir, wearing only a black shorts no slippers, large fingernails, huge fangs, mouthwatering teeth, and reddish eyes. And the worst part he sudden realizes, that the meat they are eating, the meat he sell in his meat shop we're all human meat he killed. Axle pukes and cries for help. As he run desperately go in the parkour mode, jumping from fence to fence, from car to car slide here crawl there just to escape death, Amir climbs to the rooftops chasing him, Axle saw a hollow block while running, Amir jumped and claws where right at his neck, he grabbed it and mash Amir's stunned, at it even more enraged. A local policemen noticed him,

"Please help me he is here!"

Axle takes a deep breath before explaining to him really fast.

"It's all true. Please help me"

"Who's he, what are you talking about".

Seconds later Amir punches the police to officer at the back of his chest, and strangle Axle completely together. Axle is out of breath saying in his mind, "is this the end of me? Calixte your brother might not coming home tonight Im sorry, Dear Lord please guide my sister to live a better life. And suddenly, a murmuring sound, a desperate request from his bestfriend.

"Kill me, please, please I'm begging you, I don't want to kill my bestfriend."

He saw his bestfriend, crying, he can't control his arm strangling his buddy. Axle ignites his strength to escape to this death scenario, he elbowed Amir's arms where he was strangled, kicked again in the stomach making Amir down, Axle punch and strangled him with all his might, remembering his bestfriend's thought to him always,

"If I'm going to betray you tomorrow, kill me"

over and over again, crying while killing his one and only friend.

After the incident the police arrived investigate the event, and Axle brought to a local clinic to treat his wounds, and suddenly, a man in a black suit approaches him,

"Listen, I know, you don't know me, but I can help you, and help your sister to escape poverty, just come with me and I'll take care everything."

Axle looks in his eyes and nod murmuring,

"Who are you? And what will you do to us?"