The boys saw everything - how the school gate was closed after some government officials visited them, and then the coming of another one.

"These white trucks just keep coming," Kiko remarked frustratingly.

"Yeah, we see them," Jamie responded softly. "They must be the scientists who will be doing the investigations."

"The journalist in me wants to know what's happening."

"Oh no, Kiko," Bogarts said in disbelief and sighed. "Leave it. We should not be involved in something that might be bad."

"Bogart is right," Tonton agreed. "Let's get going now."

Kiko was hesitant to leave because the curious cat in him keep urging him to know what was really going on. After a moment's thought, he finally gave in. They maneuvered their bikes in silence. From time to time, Jamie attempted to open menial talks, like their favorite superhero characters or their game schedules; still, they always ended up with a heavy quietness.

"Do you think that the school is really safe?" Bogart finally addressed the issue that was bothering them. "My teacher said that the meteor should hit the school, but it did not."

"Yeah," answered Kiko. "Ms. del Mundo also said the same thing. And the scientists arrived to search for fragments or anything from the meteor."

"What if they find some alien life forms and then those things attack us?" Bogart asked worriedly.

"That's impossible!" Jamie barked. "If that is the case, Subangdaku would have been attacked since yesterday. You're just scaring yourself."

"But it would be better if they found something in school," Tonton said coldly. "That way, we will finally know what happened last night."

"Will it not be more exciting if they find an alien?" Bogart remarked and flashed a mischievous grin. "It's interesting to see one."

"You bet," Kiko answered. "Subangdaku would become a hub for alien bounty hunters."

"We can be hunters as well," Jamie said with a grin on his face.

Loudly, the boys chuckled at the idea. The air gently lightened and the four relaxed. Finally, they found it amusing to talk about the event. As they pedaled their bikes, they exchanged wild theories and expectations.

After passing by the haunted house, the roofs of the villagers' modest dwellings loomed from a distance. They used to be welcoming sights for the boys, but for now, they were overshadowed by tents and vehicles parked everywhere. People were also busy all over the streets. The boys felt a little sad.

"The end of the world is near!" a man's hoarse voice boomed near them, disturbing the fleeting reverie in their heads. "The signs have already started appearing. This is just the beginning!"

"Psycho," Kiko whispered.

"I heard you, my child," the man exclaimed. Immediately, he ran towards Kiko and held the handlebars, preventing the bike from moving.

"Let go of my bike!"

"Hey, stopped that!" Jamie ordered him. "Let him go!"

However, the man did not paid heed; instead, he kept shaking Kiko's bike. Impulsively, the three got off their bicycles and rushed towards the man. Bogart and Tonton pushed him away as Jamie tried to loosen his grip on the bars. He must have felt the pressure as he later stepped back and raised both hands, as if in surrender.

"You better not think lightly of these things," he spoke with an air of both fear and authority. "I am speaking the truth. The end is near!"

Several people had seen the incident and some flocked to help the kids, if not to hear news or rumors that they could share.

"You are not helping, " Jamie reproached him. "You are just scaring people away."

"Yes, my child, I may sound like that, but I can only say what I had seen."

"And what is that?"

"It's despicable and unimaginable."

The crowd was silent for a moment. While they tried to absorb what he could mean, the man's head turned to his right and his eyes widened upon seeing Tonton. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed Tonton's left arm and looked intently at him.

"My boy, you have seen it, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Tonton answered defiantly and tried to break free from his grip.

"You have seen what I have seen!"

The crowd gasped. The man slowly moved both his hands and lightly touched Tonton's neck. He moved them upward and cupped the child's jaw with both his hands.

"Teriya...." the man whispered gibberish words, his voice too low that people strained to hear what he was saying.

Much to everyone's wonderment, his hands began to glow and envelop Tonton's jaw. It was bewitching that people stood frozen, staring at the radiant hands. Even the three boys were transfixed. But before the light could entirely cover Tonton's head, he quickly slapped the man's hands. It was forceful enough that he howled in pain. Tonton immediately ran to his friends.

"My boy, you cannot run from it. It could even be a gift from the heavens."

The man smiled at him. He seemed to have transformed into an angel - sweet, kind, and giving.

"Mang Tomas," Bogart called him, "what did you really see?"

He smiled again. Bogart knew him very well. He lived just six houses away from Bogart's. He was in his fifties and living alone. His wife died years ago, and their two daughters transferred to other cities. Regularly, they sent him supplies and money so he could survive by himself since he refused to live with either of his daughter's family.

"Yes, Mang Tomas, please tell us," the crowd demanded. They knew him too well and his health was perfectly good for his age. So, it was a wonder to them why and how he could claim that the world is ending.

"I see blood everywhere," he started telling them his visions. "In the river, on the trees, on the houses, and everywhere, there is blood. Dead bodies are scattered, some were piled over another."

He paused and stared at the crowd gathered around him. The eagerness in them seemed to encourage him further.

"Then the world suddenly darkens. Gun fires echo through the air. Laser blasts, explosions, and fires are everywhere. The devil laughs and, in an instant, mountains of dead bodies are created. Few men in mask and body suit stand in the highest mountain. They are celebrating the fall of humanity. The devil laughed even harder. "

The people were depressed with his visions. While some remained motionless, the others started to weep.

"I can only tell you the things I saw. But a voice keeps saying that the end is near...."

He trailed off as the crowd began to move. Suddenly, Mang Tomas screamed. He covered his ears and shook his head. He was also on the verge of crying.

"A second star will fall.... And it will be much stronger."

Mang Tomas' words sent shockwaves through the crowd's ears.

"Oh no!" a woman screamed.

Immediately, the crowd scampered. While the women panicked about what to prepare if there would be another meteor collision, the men considered leaving Subangdaku for a while. The media men took interest with Mang Tomas, and they turned their attention to him. The boys took this opportunity to leave and hurriedly, they got their bikes and proceeded to get home.

"What happened to Mang Thomas?" Bogart asked his friends. "He is so much different now."

"Like how much different is he now from before?" Kiko asked matter-of-factly.

"He used to be shy; in fact, he is aloof. He seldom goes out of his house and talks with his neighbors. But why has he suddenly become a public speaker?"

"He is more like a prophet," Jamie corrected him. "Where did he get all the things he had just said?"

"And why does he take interest with Tonton?" Kiko said, frowning. He turned to Tonton and inquired, "Do you know him? Are you two friends?"

Tonton immediately shook his head. "I don't know him. I just met him today."

"He is really a weirdo," Kiko concluded. "He could have just made up all those things."

"I'm not sure," Bogart said. "He had changed overnight."

The boys fell into silence as they continued biking.

"Are you alright?" Jamie asked Tonton.

Bogart and Kiko had already arrived at their respective houses earlier, leaving the two boys to continue their ride home. It was a bright day, and since it was noon, the sun was beginning to take its spot above everyone's head. The sky was clear, save for sparrows which occasionally tainted its pale blueness. Through the brightness of the day, Jamie could see clearly that Tonton was pale.

"I'm just fine. "

"Are you sure?" Jamie persisted, sensing that his friend was really tense and uncomfortable.

Since that incident with Mang Tomas, Tonton was absorbed in total awkward silence.

"Not really. It's just that I got frightened with what Mang Tomas had spoken. Aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

'But not as frightened as you,' Jamie would have wanted to add but he restrained himself from saying it. He sensed that Tonton must be keeping something from them.

By and by, they arrived at their houses. Tonton immediately went inside his house after a brief goodbye to his friend. He continued to be uneasy the rest of the day. Mang Tomas' words stayed in his mind, sensing shivers each time he thought about them. That night, he prayed hard before sleeping. Unfortunately, the inexplicably dreadful dreams taunted him again....