Extermination: Aswang [First Half]

The food that was meant to be a sinigang turned out to be a bowl full of wriggling maggots and pieces of human flesh rotting and being feasted with maggots. The soup itself is rotten blood, making the smell alone to be so disgusting, one can puke just from sniffing it.

Seeing it, Mrs. Sanchez was about to throw it away but Sancho quickly stopped her from doing so.

"Ma'am! Give it to me!"

Without hesitation, Mrs. Sanchez gives the bowl of human flesh to Sancho. Despite the smell, Sancho is used to it. He smelled a much more disgusting odor than this pretty tame smell of rot.

"What the heck is going on, Sancho?! Did we just try to eat that?!" Marie freaked out.

"Yep, almost. Eating this would definitely cause you to go to the bathroom multiple times due to indigestion or perhaps experience something else. Thankfully, it seems that this one isn't meant to infect Mrs. Sanchez but to cause problems on her pregnancy and cause the child to be killed in a miscarriage."

"W-what?" Mrs. Sanchez couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Wait, don't tell me...?" Jenna turned to look at Mrs. Sanchez with worry.

"Correct. I said it earlier, right? Mrs. Sanchez is marked. Since Mrs. Sanchez is already approaching her final month of pregnancy, the smell is irresistible to those who aren't human, especially the Aswangs. And yes, the one who has marked her is an Aswang."

"Don't be joking like that, Mr. Lopez! Aswang are not real!" Mrs. Sanchez denies it; she doesn't believe in something like an aswang, which is a product of the imagination alone.

"Have you ever felt your body so hot at night that your room seems to feel like it was being doused in fire even though the air conditioner is fully blasting? How about the walking entity at the top of your roof every night? Or if you are still not convinced, how about the feeling like someone is walking outside of your window every night?"

Mrs. Sanchez couldn't deny it. What he said is all correct. And what is worse, it always happens every night. It is also the main reason why her eyebags has been growing and her health is starting to deteriorate due to the unnecessary visitor who keeps on pestering her sleep at night.

"Normally, one can just get rid of the Aswang by putting onions all around the house as well as burning incense and rubber every afternoon but considering you are on your final months of pregnancy, I doubt this aswang will be moving on without claiming its prize, which is your unborn child, Ma'am. That monster will now use reckless moves and might even be more violent the next night if you try to do the usual ways to repel it. Not only that, but you have accepted food from that aswang as well. Have you perhaps eaten food given to you by that woman before?"

Mrs. Sanchez nodded. "Not too long ago, she gave me some of my favorite food as a way of showing goodwill to the neighbors because she moved into the neighborhood not too long ago."

"And that is a big mistake. As a result of doing so, the Aswang has already marked your baby for consumption. Even if your son or daughter has been born, the Aswang will do whatever it takes to take your baby and eat it," Sancho explained as he glanced at his bottle of oil.

"What are we going to do if we can't get rid of them by usual means?" Mrs. Sanchez is fearing for the safety of her unborn child.

"There is only one option. Since this Aswang will now be desperate to take the life of your child, it will now try to enter the house to attack. And the only way to remove that Aswang is to kill it."

"Kill?! Are you serious?! Bro, I heard the aswangs are dangerous entities! Even in stories, those things are already scary, and now you want Mrs. Sanchez to kill an Aswang?" Razzy is terrified of this motion.

"Which is why I have a proposal for Mrs. Sanchez. Tonight, employ me for my services."

"Employ? What are you talking about?!" Mrs. Sanchez is confused.

"Normally, people like us are called Albularyos. However, those who do not believe us usually call us Quack Doctors due to our unethical and unscientific way of curing illnesses that doctors can't cure. I am one of them, and my job is to help people that has problems related to the paranormal and monsters like Aswang. And my services include the Aswang extermination. And if you employ me, I will be staying here tonight to begin the preparations for the extermination."

"Wait, does that mean the reason you are always tardy is because of your job?!" Marie guessed.

Sancho only grinned before turning to look at Mrs. Sanchez and waiting for her response.

"Are you not joking with me? Is this really necessary?" Mrs. Sanchez is still undecided.

"It all depends on your decision, Ma'am. If you choose to believe that everything is not real and what I am saying is just a made-up story, then I won't push the issue anymore. However, it is also not my fault if things get worse starting from here."

Before Mrs. Sanchez could answer, her husband, Mr. Sanchez arrived and seemed to have overheard what he was talking about. And he is also the one who answered Sancho's question.

"If it means the safety of my child, then I will accept that offer. As long as you can protect my family, then I will pay a hefty amount of money just to do so!"

"Honey?!" Mrs. Sanchez was surprised to hear what Mr. Sanchez just said.

"I can't just sit back and watch you suffer every night, Honey. If what he said is true and the one who is causing grief to you is none other than an Aswang, then that's more of a big reason to stop this once and for all."

"So, are you going to agree that you will take my offer?" Sancho asked.

"If you are so confident in dealing whatever was causing my wife's suffering then go ahead."

The other classmates of Sancho are speechless about what he said. They thought that Sancho is bluffing but when he pulls out various paraphernalia that he will be using later, which are all something that Albularyos use, they decided not to doubt him.

"Sancho, I didn't know you were an Albularyo. With how you act normally around school, I thought you were a little weird here and there, but you were much more than that? Hahaha, I really can't picture you as the usual Albularyo in my mind!" Amy chuckles as she tries imagining Sancho on how old Albularyos would look like.

"I didn't want to reveal my real profession in any way to everyone. It's just that it is a crucial time to do so, with how you lot are going to eat something that wasn't meant to be eaten by humans. Please don't tell the others about my job, alright? The less people know, the better."

Jenna nodded and smiled. "Although I don't see why not, we will keep your secret."

"We will keep your secret safe, considering you helped us avoid eating that disgusting stuff earlier. But now that we know someone who knows how to handle supernatural things, we can ask for your help if we need to!" Elisa said, looking at Sancho with admiration.

"Thanks. However, it is best that you guys get home soon before it gets dark. Considering I will be fighting against an Aswang soon, it is best you guys get away from here before it gets dark. Here, take these oils I keep with me. Everyone will know if an Aswang is nearby if this oil starts boiling on its own."

Hearing that, everyone thanked Sancho and bid goodbye to their teachers before heading home.

"Will they be alright? I know it isn't technically nighttime yet, but..." Mrs. Sanchez is worried about the others.

"Don't worry about them. It is unlikely the Aswang will chase them when they have a bigger priority to take. Since they can tell if you have eaten the food they have given or not, they will surely visit tonight to check on you. Therefore, before the battle begins, I have to prepare the battlefield here in your yard. Sir, Ma'am, I will be borrowing your yard for the night."

"Alright. Please tell us what to do so that we can also prepare for the worst," Mr. Sanchez asked.

"Yes. Sir, please make sure to keep your wife with you at all times. It is best you stay up tonight, as the Aswangs can make everyone except their victims sleep so tightly that even if the victim is screaming for help, anyone inside the house will not be able to wake up or hear their screams. Keep the doors and windows closed, especially the room that you and Mrs. Sanchez use to sleep at night. Also, prepare a machete with you, Sir. If ever the aswang gets to enter here, just in case, just use it to attack them."

"What about you?" Mrs. Sanchez asked.

"Don't worry, Ma'am. This isn't my first rodeo."

...

...

...

Night arrived. Due to the news of the roaming Aswang at night, the children who should be wandering around have already gone home early, and the people who are still outside are hurrying themselves to return to their homes to make sure they remain safe.

But unlike them, Sancho remained outside, preparing for various methods that he could use later. It might not be used, but it is better to be overprepared than to end up lacking.

"Here, Sancho. Have some dinner. My wife said that you might already be hungry." Sir Sanchez holds a plate of rice and fried chicken.

"Thanks. I already have food, but I won't say no to this," Sancho smiled as he accepted the plate.

"How's the preparation?" Sir Sanchez asked.

"Pretty much done. All that's left is for me to wait for the Aswang's arrival. Whatever happens later, please don't peek or go out, leaving your wife all alone. Tell the helpers as well. I can't afford to have anyone who will become a problem later. Let your wife rest and sleep. That way, she won't feel nervous about this matter and get scared at what will come soon."

Mr. Sanchez nodded. "Thanks for the advice, and I will make sure the girls know about it. Once you are done eating, you can just leave the plates on the balcony, and we will take them this morning instead."

"Alright, good to know," Sancho smiled as Sir Sanchez left and locked the doors and windows of the house. Sancho looked at his phone and at the time. He sighed with relief and started eating his dinner.

"Thankfully, I still have time to eat my dinner before the job begins."

...

...

...

11:45 P.M.

The surroundings are so quiet now, and the surroundings have already started to chill. The silence is so deafening that one slight move of the branches of the trees can make one jump.

Sancho remained in the dark, watching the special bottle of oil in his hands to make any movements. As he was getting bored waiting, he soon heard some noises not too far from his location. Not only that, but the oil in his hands starts to boil.

"I thought you would be coming in a few more hours, but you are quite an early bird, huh?"

He stood up from his hiding place and quietly headed to the area where the noise was coming from.

SKRITCH SKRITCH

The scratching noises on the roof can be heard even on the ground, allowing Sancho to locate and see the Aswang currently scratching the roof where the room of Mrs. Sanchez was located.

"I see you, you bastard."

Sancho pulls out his slingshot and loads the slingshot with a special ammunition he made with salt and onion wrapped around a small cloth that has been soaked with holy water, as well as a small stone that was also soaked with holy water. This isn't his main weapon; this is only to attract the attention of the aswang and to deal preemptive damage against the unholy creature.

Without a second thought, Sancho fired the ammunition from the slingshot, which swiftly hit the Aswang in the left eye.

"Bullseye!"

"KRAAAAAAAAH!" the Aswang screamed in pain as one of its eyes had been injured in the process,

Since the ammunition was full of things that were not good for the Aswang, even a single one hitting their eyes was so dangerous that the moment they got hit by it, they lost balance on the roof, causing the Aswang to scream in pain as they fell off and staggered on the ground. If Sancho's attack was stronger, that could even prove fatal for the Aswang.

"Good. Now, time for you to die."