This 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬' 𝐃𝐚𝐲, our enigmatic literary team takes center stage, summoning stories that will make your heart race and your spine tingle with dread they have unearthed tales so haunting, they could rouse the spirits themselves.
The Visitor
by B.C. Writes
I live in a small barrio, a place where the sun sets in a beautiful display of reds and oranges, casting a warm embrace over our homes. It was a community where everyone knew each other. We had our tales and stories, some whispered from generation to generation, but no chaos, no riots. Our barrio was known for its peacefulness, where kids could play outside till dusk.
Yet, there was a mystery that hovered over our barrio, one that everyone knew but never dared to discuss. It revolved around a strange visitor who only came on one fateful night each year - the 31st of October. Whispers and rumors swirled around this eerie figure, but nobody ever spoke openly about it.
The days following this eerie arrival were peculiar, for some residents, who had been part of the barrio for generations, would decide to pack their belongings and leave, their faces etched with terror yet their lips sealed shut.
Then came that chilling night when I found myself still awake, my room bathed in the soft glow of my desk lamp. I had chosen to sacrifice sleep to work on my research paper when a knock suddenly pierced the stillness of the night.
I froze, my heart skipping a beat. My parents were out of town, and I was alone. The knocking grew louder and more insistent, each thud resounding through the otherwise silent house. Dread clung to me, refusing to let go. As I approached the door, I couldn't help but wonder what lay behind it. The mysterious visitor, the one people only spoke of in whispers, had come for me.
I gathered what little courage I had left and threw the door open. What I saw on the other side was unimaginable, the stuff of nightmares. It was...
My brother, who had been locked out, had forgotten his key. He had been away for a birthday party and hadn't expected me to be up. As he pushed past me with a casual, "Thanks, ate," I couldn't help but snort a laugh, my heart slowly returning to its regular rhythm.
And that night, I realized that sometimes, the most frightening stories are the ones we create in our minds, fueled by our deepest fears and the stories we hear. Our little barrio was no different from any other, and our mysterious visitor was nothing but a legend.
Along the Corridor
by B.C. Writes
That day, I had just one class, a late one that stretched from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. We settled on one of the rooms on the fifth floor of the new CASS building. Once class was over, a fellow student from my block and I decided to use the staircase located in the older building.
We descended from the fifth floor, and as we reached the third floor of the new building, we proceeded to cross the bridge that connected the two buildings. As we tread the dimly lit hallways of the third floor, we pass by an adjacent corridor on our right. The lights in this corridor were eerily out, shrouding it in a veil of darkness. Inexplicably, our gaze was drawn to the far end of the hall, where we saw faint silhouettes of students.
It was then that it happened. A puzzling sound pierced the silence, rolling so close it felt like it had whispered directly into our ears. Our hearts raced as our minds conjured all manner of terrifying scenarios. Every ghost story and urban legend seemed to come to life in that darkened hallway. We froze, fear mounting with each passing moment.
But then, out of the shadows, surfaced the unexpected source of our dread.
It was no supernatural being, not even a restless spirit. It was something quite ordinary. Bathed in a feeble ray of light, we spotted a cat, its eyes gleaming. We couldn't help but chuckle, releasing the tension that had gripped us. Minutes ago, we had conjured an entire horror movie, only to have it shattered by a mischievous cat's antics.
In the middle of the night
LucSamael
At 2 in the morning, I ventured downstairs. With only the refrigerator light to guide me in the kitchen, I retrieved a plate from the cupboard and took a peek at the remnants of my family's latest dinner. Once again, I had slept through dinner, as I often do, and had no choice but to dine alone in the middle of the night on whatever they had left behind.
As I sat down to eat cold batong with barely any meat left, I heard a faint shuffling noise outside. I've watched too many horror movies to not know where this might lead if I were to investigate alone. So, impulsively, I got up and grabbed the largest knife I could find before cautiously making my way outside to see what was happening.
In the reflection of a mirror, I noticed a small, child-like shadow standing there. It couldn't have been my sister; she's too tall, and it certainly wasn't my brother, who was upstairs playing on his computer. My heart raced, and my breathing quickened. I blinked, and the shadow disappeared. Perhaps it was just my mind playing tricks on me, considering I had just woken up, and I was surrounded by darkness with no major source of light other than the lights from outside and the blinking red light on the television.
Suddenly, a loud thump startled me into action. I opened the front door, and a small step caused me to turn around. This time, the shadow was a bit taller. When it moved, my heart skipped a beat. Then, the lights turned on, revealing that it was just my sister. She asked if I had also heard the loud noise outside. We exchanged nervous glances and nodded in agreement.
As we stepped outside and walked through the gate to investigate the noise, we were met with a chilling and disheartening sight. A large canine was rummaging through our trash bin, devouring something. As we approached to get a closer look at what the dog was eating, the shock hit us. It felt like a betrayal, a stab to the heart. It was Jollibee. We saw the bucket, the fry box, and the cartoon drink container. Never had we been more terrified than when we realized that our parents had never awakened us to enjoy Jollibee together.
SUBMITTED BY
by Tulip
11:57. Loading. Loading. Done.
A sigh of relief after cramming a paper for doing nothing all day and stalling whether or not to do the assignment. However, as someone who is still in the academic validation phase, someone who still wants to see that green, and someone who still wants those medals, I did what every other student does: I procrastinated.
As I shut down my laptop and prepare to sleep, I hear a sound that I can't place; all I know is that it's outside my room. My brain tells me that it may be anyone in the home, but who? It's already midnight at this hour. I felt goosebumps as my imagination played tricks on me, thinking of possibilities.
With my human characteristics, I must discover what they are. Instead of going to my parents' room, my curiosity drives me to seek out the exact location of the noise. The light from it then directs me to the kitchen, and I maneuver my way there.
I heard a cracking sound, as if something were peeling, and then I smelled something extremely familiar. I was attempting to deduce anything, shaking the bush, trying to remember where I had smelled this one previously. as fear steadily creeps up on me. My heart is racing, and sweat is steadily forming on my forehead.
Just when my heart is about to burst, sweat begins to stream, my hands shake, and the answer to what I smell is on the tip of my tongue. I noticed my brother enjoying it. This is both brutally honest and horrible. He couldn't do it, could he? How could he possibly eat like this? Such a selfish person is enjoying a Pancit Canton without informing me. To eat Pancit Canton with eggs alone is a violation of the sibling code, he knows.
Thump
By: F.C.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I lay on my bed, sightless eyes darting around the pitch-black room, searching for anything that might have been making such heavy footfalls inside, despite the cramped space. By God, I never believed in ghosts, but the sounds of something invisible stomping around in my room was steadily breaking my resolve frightfully fast. It sounded too close to be a hallucination. It sounded too real.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I curse myself for staying up until such terrible hours, now I felt insane watching the dark corners of the room to see any movement—yet at the same time, I hope I didn’t. I do not know what I would do if I actually saw something. I roll over in my bed, quickly giving up in my search and hoping the blissful ignorance of sleep would be enough to protect me.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I shiver, forgetting that I dumped my blanket in the washing machine hours ago. Now, I would not even have the luxury of feeling safe under the covers. What a foolish oversight. Instead, I shove my head under the pillow to muffle those dreadful sounds.
Waiting for the next set of sounds to appear, I wait in my room, curled tight in anticipation. I only grew confused, however, when none came. A few minutes, I heard nothing. Thinking it was over, I uncovered my head and looked around once more. Again, nothing.
A creak outside my room sent me on high alert once more. I heard the shuffling of feet and a loud groan that definitely did not belong to a multo. Distantly, as the grumbling faded, the footsteps made their way down the stairs and into the first-floor bathroom, where I could hear the switch of the tap and the drum of running water sound. I sat there in disbelief, still, with my face most likely twisted in shock and intense annoyance.
I sat there in the darkness until I heard the footsteps come back up and open the creaking door of the room I had somehow forgotten was beside mine, separated only by a thin wall. When the door closed, I stood up, mustering all the exasperation within me and made my way outside to the door beside my own.
Light filtered through the spaces unblocked by the rest of the door, and once more I heard it: thump. Thump. Thump.
Now thoroughly annoyed from the scare, I raised my fist and knocked loud enough to compete with the noises from before. For good measure, I yelled something to occupant inside:
“Pa, ayg sigeg pagyatak-yatak dira! Gabii na!”
A Wraith may not be the Real Thing
by watercolorcantcolor
The sound of splashing water and the shrieking of my classmates, as they lunged at each other in the pool, startled me awake. Munching through the various delicacies on the table was like ascending the heavens, but if they could be brought to the poolside so I could have my stomach filled with the pool beneath, it would have been better. Only, the rules were forbidding everyone, so I could only take my time eating and playing around because, yeah, we can't have everything.
Everyone is at the height of their fervor, shouting words of praise to our gallant class adviser who shouldered all the expenses for our class Christmas party. I, too, would never forget this generosity.
"Yow, hinay-hinay lang ug kaon," someone from behind me said in a soft tone.
I almost choked on my food, my face heating up from embarrassment, when I recognized that it was Jacob, a classmate of mine who I am also currently crushing on. I turned to him with a helpless smile while I expertly schooled my expression.
"Mura ba ko'g gadali?" I asked him, glancing at the distant pool.
"You think?" He grinned at me, and I was almost rendered speechless with that smile, like the sun—though the clouds today are particularly stubborn to give way,
"Ambot nimo, Jacob." I sighed and gave him a light push so I could reach out for the cupcakes.
He snickered as he watched me, and I was stiff as a rock under his gaze. Man, it's not easy to have a classmate as a crush, and it's even more embarrassing to face him like this when I'm soaking wet after a dip in the pool—looking like a dried-up corpse that had been sucked dry by a ghoul. I know the association is kind of weird, but my thoughts have always been weird.
"Balik sa'ko," he excused himself after he failed to make me attend to him.
Even though I was a bit disappointed, I only nodded at him before I tried to enjoy my meal again while occasionally chatting with a few good friends. In my peripheral vision, I saw Jacob fooling around with his buddies and the rest of the day went on with me stealing glances at him until he eventually disappeared from everyone's eyes by afternoon.
The night was young, but everyone was already bidding their goodbyes, each with new memories to recall and plans to look forward to after this party. Squeezing myself in the wet towel that I painstakingly tried to dry, my footsteps came to a halt when I heard a classmate suddenly exclaim from behind.
"Hoi! Sayang wala ka miuban, Jacob! Lingaw ra ba ka'yo!"
Huh?
Jacob... did not attend today's party?
But I saw him! He was even with everyone else!
I turned back, my eyes already the size of saucers, when I looked at my classmate, who was still teasing the person on the other line. Before I could even mutter even the softest protest, I could feel shivers running through my spine.
Everyone else was also looking at that classmate, each with a ray of confusion growing in their orbs, so mystifyingly, it seemed like a tacit understanding had been made without anyone saying a thing.
“Hoi! Seryoso ra ka’yo mo! Joke ra to, HAHAHA!”
Bewildered, we all gave that classmate a strange look.
“Ganina ra miuli si Jacob. Naay lakaw lang.”
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