Trigger Warning: The chapter presents a depiction of sexual assault that may be triggering to some, especially to survivors of abuse. This is pretty graphic, so I suggest skipping this scene if you would find this disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.

*****

Getting into the left side of Station 6 at night is like stepping into a new world where red is the dominating color. Sure, hints of lights in other colors swarm the place, but the majority of Station 6 is engulfed in red light. I could no longer count how many times I stepped out of Kalunduyan to go to this station, but I always feel uneasy, almost like it was always the first time I got in here.

"Pinta Banaag?"

I flinched when I heard my full name announced in the middle of the streets of Station 6. Are these the Tanggulaw? Are they here to take me for going to an arguably illegal place while just barely getting out of being a minor? I stiffened as I braced myself for them to take me like how they did during the Lakipan, but ... nothing. I only got lean arms wrapping around my shoulders, slender fingers dangling in front of me, almost brushing towards my breast.

"Why so scared? It's me, Manny," the man who wrapped his arms around me said, his deep-set eyes staring intensely into mine once I leaned over in his direction.

"O-oh, hi. Yes, it's me," I answered, still feeling uncomfortable. "I've been meaning to ask you this, but is Manny really your name? I also didn't know your surname."

"Huh," he said in surprise. "Why are you asking me this all of a sudden? Are you trying to report me?"

"N-no, no. It's just that you know my full name, but I didn't know yours," I replied, but now I feel really stupid for just asking him this now, and for meeting someone whom I only know as Manny.

Manny scoffed, then said, "It's Manisilat Morin. I know, it sounds like a villain's name, but trust me, I don't bite—I'm a Healer, anyway."

That did not reassure me, but at least he was in the same group as Agui does. I rarely get matched with Healers, so I feel like he would be the best guy to replace the lingering feelings I had with Agui, and the guilt I felt towards Kidlat. He also is the best-looking guy I had ever matched with since I started going out with the guys I matched in the dating feature of Connexove, so I still feel like this is a win for me.

"I had already booked us a place. And don't worry, I also paid for it in full—no need to pay me anything."

"Of course, you're the man here, anyway," I replied in the snarkiest tone I could muster. I did not even know how to pay for stuff here; I just let all the guys whom I made out with and sucked the dicks off of to pay for me and just presented myself as a prize. All the pleasure I got from that was short-lived, though, for all I could still think of was Agui, and how it could have felt better if I were doing all those things with him.

"What a feisty girl you are," he replied as he dragged me towards an obscure hotel, arms still wrapped around me, while his hand was now groping my breast. "I like that."

And I do not like that, especially what he was doing with me. I tried to pull away, but he just smirked at my attempts. Instead, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders more tightly and groped my breast more forcefully.

"There's no backing down now, Pinta," he said as he continued groping my breast and covering my mouth shut with his other hand, as we went towards the reception and into a room on the second floor. I started sobbing, especially when the receptionist just routinely and boringly gave Manisilat the key card like what was happening was a normal occurrence in this hotel.

The room was barely decorated, save for the queen-sized bed and a tattered carpet beneath it. It was also dimly lit with red light, with no other light in the room because of its lack of windows. Soon, the room turned dark as Manisilat turned off all the lights and shoved me by the queen-sized bed. I turned away, attempting to get out, but I could barely make out the exit, for it was pitch dark. He immediately caught me, as if he knew the exact ways around the room. I felt him pull my hair from behind and just pinned me on a wall.

"What will you do? Call the Tanggulaw?" Manisilat scoffed as he further pressed himself on me from behind and slithered his fingers towards my genitalia. I tried my best to press my thighs together and clench my insides to try to reject him, but he just dug deeper and more forcefully towards my insides. He forced wet kisses on my nape as I tried to break free from his embrace, but my efforts were in vain as I felt myself getting weaker from his advances.

"Submit yourself to pleasure, just like what your body is doing now," he whispered in my ear in a commanding tone. He went on and on, thrusting his fingers back and forth between my genitals as his left hand fondled my breast. I found myself letting out moans, but I bit my lips to prevent them from going out.

"Your body is enjoying this, you know," Manisilat declared as he continued violating me, while my stupid body kept responding to his touches. "If you report me, it's just the same as you telling on yourself. Would you want them to know that you've been slutting yourself here at Station 6?"

His words melted all of my resolve because I knew he was right—Station 6 is the station of all vices, and I succumbed to all its wrongdoings by actively doing sexual things with men I just met through the matching feature of Connexove. The Tanggulaw may even tell me that I was the one who brought this upon myself... And who's to say that the other people who may hear of my mishap would not say anything bad towards me?

At that exact moment, I felt him insert penis inside me, which felt painful and jarring instead of pleasurable. My whimpers were drowned by the moans of Manisilat, who kept pushing and pulling from behind me without even an ounce of gentleness. I tried to move away, but he kept pulling me back and forcing his penis inside me yet again, and I hated myself for how I could not even scream or fight back more effectively.

But I refuse to let him violate me further. I hope I can count on my malfunctioning Exorbit for this. I hope my Exorbit is unpredictable enough to bypass even the veil of Station 6, so I could deliver even just one message. So, in a desperate move, I messaged Agui, pleading for help.

I was unsure if my message was delivered or not, but a few minutes of anguish had passed and the door to this room had opened and revealed a figure of a man. I could not really make out his features from the darkness of the room, but it gave me hope. Maybe it was Agui who got my exoMail and was just nearby, and he was out here to save me. But I could no longer confirm who it was, for I felt Manisilat's knuckles hit me hard at the base of my neck, and all I could hear were sounds akin to scuffles, as my consciousness slowly slipped away.