Two Whispering Men

TALES FROM BLANCO
by Erika

I used to live with my boyfriend in their old house. My boyfriend usually leaves for work earlier than I do. I would savor the few minutes before the alarm goes off.

After a few weeks I began having strange dreams. It would always happen before 8 am. These were the same dreams actually. The setting would be in that bedroom. I'd be lying in bed. There would be two men whispering behind the open door. They would look at me and whisper to each other. At times there would be this girl. She was dark and short with curly hair. As our bed was low, this girl would step up to the bed and walk to me. She would closely examine my face. So close that her knees would be on top of my chest, her nose almost touching mine. After which she would turn to the 2 whispering men still behind the door as if confirming their discussion. It was more disturbing than scary. I would fight to open my eyes to wake up.

Almost every morning for a month I would have these dreams. Until it was time to move to Blanco Center.

After a tedious week of making the 4 cement walls look like a home, I had my first relaxing sleep. But then I woke up not being able to move my legs. Then I realized I couldn't move my entire body. It was a terrible feeling, being trapped. I must've been really tired. But as I turned my head to the clock beside the bed, I saw the same 2 whispering men. Closer this time since my room was smaller. It was eerily familiar. The same faces, one with a moustache, both guys are short and dark, same red and white shirt. Their arms were folded as they were whispering to each other.

I squinted my eyes to feign sleep, maybe they wouldn't see that I had waken up. But one of them saw me. He took two steps towards my side of the bed. He looked at the other guy as if asking permission. Then what he did really horrified me. He thrusted his face through mine. His face was like a hologram, like light and air. I felt violated and terrified. I was suffocated. I tried hard to breathe. I willed myself to tell them to stop but it seemed as if my lips were stitched together. I mustered all my strength until I had managed to scream "Tama na!" (Enough!).

Then they were gone.

I told a girlfriend this story. She said I must have had something that the spirits needed badly, so bad that they had to follow me.

More months would pass and my sleep had become peaceful. One weekend as I was watching the news, I was reminded of an incident when I was still living in the previous house. I was in the sidewalk on my way home, when a guy came running to the same direction as I was. But when he was about 2 meters away from me, he stumbled to the cement floor. Immediately, another guy came running towards him and gunned him down.

2 men, both short and dark. Same red and white shirt. One guy with a moustache.