07/01/2025
THE TOWER
Chapter 2: THE FARM
“Billy, wake up!” Sam gently shook his younger brother awake, his voice filled with a sense of urgency. The siblings groggily rose from their beds and shuffled to the kitchen, their bare feet softly padding across the wooden floor.
As they entered the kitchen, Uncle Niko looked up from the stove, his face warm and welcoming. “What do you want to drink, boys?” he asked, the aroma of fresh coffee filling the air.
“Coffee,” Sam replied with a small, hopeful grin.
Billy, still half-asleep, echoed, “Coffee.”
Uncle Niko raised an eyebrow. “No, Billy. At your age, coffee isn’t good for you. It’ll stunt your growth.”
Billy’s father, overhearing the conversation, nodded in agreement. “Your uncle’s right. Coffee isn’t meant for kids.”
Billy pouted, crossing his arms. “But I don’t like milk. It tastes weird,” he argued, his voice tinged with frustration.
“Just try it,” his dad insisted. “If you hate it, I’ll let you drink coffee.”
With a reluctant sigh, Billy took a hesitant sip of the milk that Uncle Niko had prepared. His face scrunched up as he tasted it.
“How is it?” Billy’s dad asked, his tone light.
“It tastes… different. Less weird. Did you do something to it, Uncle?” Billy inquired, curious.
“Nope, it’s just goat milk,” Uncle Niko said, laughing softly.
“Eww, disgusting! Did I just drink goat milk?” Billy spat out the milk, his eyes wide in horror. Laughter erupted around the table, as his dad and uncle burst into fits of giggles.
Billy shook his head, trying to erase the taste. Just then, he noticed the absence of his mother.
“Dad, where’s Mom?” Billy asked, his voice laced with concern.
“She’s in the garden, harvesting vegetables and sweet potatoes,” his dad replied, absentmindedly.
Billy excused himself and stepped outside, the cool morning air brushing against his face. He found his mother among the rows of crops, the sight of her peaceful amidst the work filling him with comfort.
“Mom!” Billy called, waving enthusiastically.
“What’s the matter, Billy?” she asked, wiping her brow as she straightened up.
“Nothing, I just wanted to see you,” Billy replied, smiling innocently.
“Well, then, could you help me bring these vegetables to your uncle’s house?” his mom asked, her eyes twinkling with affection.
After bringing the harvested crops inside, Billy looked around. The land was expansive, with no buildings in sight. The scenery was beautiful, the air crisp and invigorating. Billy wandered further, taking in the serenity. As he strolled, his gaze landed on a dilapidated mansion not far from his uncle’s house.
The mansion was imposing, its broken windows and peeling paint giving it a haunted look. Billy shuddered. He wasn’t interested in exploring it, not when everything around him felt so peaceful. Instead, he continued his walk, allowing the calm atmosphere to wash over him.
After a while, Billy found a patch of soft grass and sat down, gazing out at the rolling hills in the distance. The wind was cool, the perfect backdrop for a moment of relaxation.
Minutes later, Billy heard his mother’s voice calling his name, and he rushed back home.
“Where have you been?” she asked, concern evident in her voice.
“I was just wandering around,” Billy answered, feeling a twinge of guilt.
“Well, breakfast is ready,” she said with a smile.
Billy joined his family at the table, where the smell of fresh food made his stomach rumble.
After breakfast, Billy and Sam were tasked with cleaning the table and washing the dishes. As they worked, they engaged in light conversation.
“Have you been here before?” Billy asked Sam, his curiosity piqued.
“Yes, we both came here when you were a baby, but after that, we never came back,” Sam replied, his tone distant.
Billy’s eyes wandered as he processed this. “Do you know who owns the mansion?” he asked, his voice filled with intrigue.
“Yeah,” Sam responded nonchalantly, “It’s our grandparents’ house—Lolo Asing and Lola Margareta.”
Billy was stunned. “Why didn’t Mom and Dad ever tell me that?” he asked, his mind racing with questions.
“I don’t know,” Sam replied, a little defensively. “Can we just finish this? We’re not here to gossip.”
Billy felt a sense of unease growing in his chest. He knew his brother well enough to sense when something was being hidden. But Sam wasn’t one to open up easily, so Billy let the matter rest—for now.
As the dishes were put away, Sam grabbed a towel and went to the bathroom, leaving Billy alone in the kitchen. Billy, feeling restless, began to look for something to occupy his time. His eyes fell on the TV remote. He grabbed it and switched on the television, hoping for some distraction.
The screen flickered to life, displaying a news broadcast.
PHILIPPINE CENTRAL TV NEWS
NEWS HOST: “Good morning, Philippines. This morning, reports have emerged of a widespread chemical attack in Junseen City, resulting in several fatalities. According to Junseen City Mayor Conrado Demora, the incident has been contained confirming that this is a terrorist attack, though an investigation is ongoing. The city has been placed on red alert, with authorities urging citizens to remain vigilant.”
Billy’s eyes widened as the story unfolded, the tension in the news anchor’s voice palpable. A video surfaced, showing what appeared to be chaos in a park, but just as quickly as it had appeared, the video was taken down, censored for violating community standards.
The broadcast continued with an exclusive interview from an anonymous caller, describing what had happened in the park.
CALLER: “I was eating siomai when I saw a rescuer rushing past me. Curious, I followed, and what I saw was horrifying. A woman, unconscious at first, suddenly became violent, attacking the rescuers. I tried to help, but she bit one of them. The chaos that followed was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
Billy’s heart raced as he listened to the caller’s account. The caller went on to describe how the police had been outnumbered, and how soldiers had eventually intervened. But what caught Billy’s attention most was the strange and terrifying description of the “aggressive people.”
As the interview ended, the TV screen flickered again, and a message appeared:
“NO SIGNAL”
Frustrated, Billy tried switching to another channel, but the same message flashed on the screen. He pulled the plug from the outlet in frustration. Just then, his eyes landed on Sam’s phone lying on the counter. Without thinking, Billy picked it up and unlocked it. Notifications flooded the screen—messages from Sam’s girlfriend, Pamela, along with several missed calls.
Billy couldn’t help but read a few of the messages, his curiosity growing. One message, in particular, caught his attention. It was from Gween, one of Sam’s friends, confessing feelings she had kept hidden for years.
Billy put the phone down, suddenly feeling like an intruder in his brother’s life.
He wandered outside, where his parents and uncle were busy setting up something.
“Mom, what’s going on?” Billy asked, watching as they placed something.
“It’s a security system,” his mom explained. “These tools will detect any unauthorized entry and trigger an alarm.”
Billy felt a strange unease in his stomach, but before he could ask any more questions, his uncle Niko came in with more news.
“We’ve set up the tools around the wall, but there’s more,” Uncle Niko said. “I’ve also prepared these.” He held up a small, sleek bracelet. “This is an Alpha bracelet that I developed, I supposed to commercialize. It’s for our protection built with a navigation system, maps, GPS, and even medical tools. I programmed it with our DNA which can only be used by us. If we get separated, we can use these to find each other.”
Billy took the green bracelet, feeling the weight of the situation. Something was off, and he could sense it.
Sam took the blue one, their parents both took the orange one and uncle Niko took the yellow one.
Outside, Niko’s voice cut through the tension. “Stay here. I need to talk to someone.”
“Sam can you please watch Billy for a while I just need to get something”. their Mom instructed the boys. together with his father her mother went to somewhere.
Billy’s unease grew as his uncle spoke with a man outside. The conversation was muffled, but Billy could hear the urgency in their voices.
Soon, Niko returned, his face grim. “We need to leave. Now.”
“Why? What’s happening?” Sam asked, his voice filled with concern.
“The wall has been breached. We don’t have much time,” Niko replied.
“What about mom? Billy worriedly asked his uncle Niko.
“Just do what I says, please, hurry. Niko hurriedly told his nephews.
Billy’s heart raced as they quickly packed their belongings and piled into the van. As they drove away from the farm, an eerie silence settled over them.
Suddenly, Billy’s phone buzzed. It was a call from his mother. Sam answered, his voice filled with worry.
“Mom, where are you? Where’s Dad?”
“We’re on the road,” she replied. “Are you all still inside the wall?”
“No,” Sam said, his voice tense. “The wall has been breached. We’re leaving now.”
Billy’s mind raced. What was happening? And why was everything suddenly so dangerous?
As they drove further into the unknown, Billy couldn’t shake the feeling that their lives had just taken a turn into something far more sinister than he could have ever imagined.
whiling driving away from the wall, loud explosion followed. The car shake like an earthquake, Sam covered the ear of his brother. Billy eyes start to sobbed. A car had followed them in turns out that their parents driving also for their lives.
