You're lying in bed as you watch your favorite show on your phone. You raise just above your face. Your eyes are feeling a little sluggish and even stings a bit but you don't mind, you still want to watch more episodes, you're still eager to know what happens next.

All of a sudden, a little notification pops. It's a message from your friend.

11:57 PM 

Stephanie:

OMGGGGGG

You:

Anong meron? haha

Stephanie:

Girlllll!

He wants us to meet!!!! 

You:

Yung online friend mong Engineer? But u already met like 2 months ago?

Stephanie:

Nope

Engineer and I didn't work out

You:

Steph, I love you but please stop meeting up random guys online

its dangerous

Stephanie:

Don't worry, this is safe

we've been talking for over a month already

di ko lang sinasabi kasi ayoko ma jinx

i don't want this to end up like the rest

You:

kaya nga

What if he's just like the rest?

baka hindi na naman mag work out?

you'll get hurt again

Stephanie:

This is different

I think he's perfect for me

You:

so how old is he?

Stephanie:

28

You:

Baka naman may asawa na yan or anak?

Stephanie:

Gaga wala! hahaha he's clean

You:

hiningan mo ng marriage certificate?

Stephanie:

Basta walang sabit. I can feel it. Wala.

You:

Work niya?

Stephanie:

Businessman

You:

Where is he from?

Stephanie:

Dito lang din

You:

Any red flags?

Stephanie:

He doesn't like dogs??

You:

Wth??? that's not a red flag

have u even seen his face?

Stephanie:

we haven't seen each other's face

gusto namin surprise

You:

baka mamaya mapano ka pa

bahala ka talaga 

if that guy turns out to be a murderer, i will scream "I TOLD YOU SO" sa lamay mo

Stephanie:

pag ako namatay, wag kang iiyak ha?

You:

Oo ba! 

Stephanie:

Kung mamamatay ako, mami-miss kita

You:

Now this conversation is getting weird

kadiri ka

Stephanie:

Thank you for always looking out for me

I'm so lucky to have a friend like you

You run out of words to say. For no reason, your heart suddenly begins to beat a little faster. You realize your nervous. You try to shake it off, thinking it's nothing.

You take a deep breath and rub your eyes. A yawn comes out of your mouth but yet you try to compose words for your friend.

You:

When will you meet him?

Stephanie:

Tomorrow morning

we'll go for a jog, watch sunrise, & have coffee

You:

Ingat ka please

Stephanie:

Of course 

You:

send me a photo of him

Stephanie:

Okay i'll send you one kapag nagkita na kami

You:

Ok

what time ulit kayo magme-meet?

Stephanie:

 About 4 am

why?

You:

Basta

Stephanie:

Tulog na ako

maaga pa kami bukas <3

stop worrying about me ha

After your conversation, you can't help but feel worried about your friend. You try to shake it off by continuing your tv show but you just can't get her out of your mind. You start to grow upset so you decide to call it a night.

You wake up and  realize that it's already 8 in the morning. You overslept.

You check your phone and find a photo from Stephanie. It's a photo she took with the guy she met online. 

There was no any other message from her so you try to hit her up.

You:

musta?

It's a Sunday morning. You don't have to go to work for the day. You have the apartment all to yourself. Knowing this, you sit on your dining table and continue watching where you left off. 

An episode later, a notification pops on your cellphone screen. Your battery percentage is at its lowest. You ignore it and you continue watching. At the back of your mind, you're still waiting and worried about Stephanie. You're dying to hear from her again. 

And not a moment too soon, your phone shuts down.

You sigh as you plug it for charging.

With nothing else to do, you turn on your TV and the first thing you see is one of those breaking news programs. 

A vehicular accident? Burning houses? Some political stunt? You wonder.

But the moment you realize what the breaking news is about, a chill runs down your spine as your heartbeat grows rapid at an instant. 

You scramble to turn on your phone. With its little power you compose a message to Stephanie.

You:

asan ka???

please reply please please please

please tell me you're ok

You look at the TV again. And there it is, the photo of her date on the screen with the words "Man found dead in the beach from Cyanide Poisoning."

You look at the photo she sent you earlier. In your heart, you hope that the guy on the screen wasn't your best friend's date. But the similarity is just too uncanny. 

You're scared, no, you're terrified on what could've happened to your best friend. 

But a message suddenly pops, making you sigh and cry in relief.

Stephanie:

It didn't work out between us

gonna look for a new one

Papunta ako diyan sa apartment mo

malapit na ako

A sigh of relief comes out of your mouth again but your heart beat is still beating rapidly. Your hands are still shaking cold but at least now you know your best friend is safe. 

 "The Police has uncovered and connected 5 other Cyanide-caused deaths involving Men in their mid-to-late 20's. The Police now believe that the City may have a Serial Killer on the loose."

You look at the TV again, a set of photo is shown. Photos of different men who are familiar to you. You cover your mouth out of shock, especially when you realize that one of them was the same engineer your friend met online. 

And then it hit you..

Your friend was never in danger, for she was the monster all along.

All of a sudden, you hear a knock on the door.