Grief still lingers on Nang Rosario while clutching an improvised Molotov cocktail that she was about to throw at her own house. It was her and the whole neighborhood’s chance to kill the Tiktiks who recently murdered her brother, Nong Rody. Nang Rosario still can’t remove the gruesome spectacle that she witnessed at her brother’s house last night.

Almost the entire house was bathed in red. Nong Rody and his family were all lying on the floor, covered in their blood. All looked like they were ravaged by the brutality they suffered. These incidents by monsters they call “Tiktik'' are commonplace. Tiktiks are said to be agile and hunt in packs, preying on everyone in San Jose without warning. 

The whole neighborhood was demoralized by the news of Nong Rody’s passing. Aside from being a sugarcane farmer, he was one of the most prolific expert shamans on repelling Tiktiks in their town. The community used to visit him for his traditional medicine and rituals that ward off demonic creatures.

Elders say that Tiktiks operate at the orders of their Master Monster, and a splash of blood outside one’s house door is a sign that they’re coming at them. Then, they will be in pain out of nowhere and have mysterious, deep scratches on their bodies. Next midnight, they become their food.

With their impenetrable diabolical bodies resistant to blades and bullets, these Tiktiks are too difficult to kill. People often take precautions inside their homes and hope they won’t be their next meal. With the power these butchers hold, the people often feel they can’t do anything. Even their local officials refused to aid the farmers.

The San Jose residents demanded justice for all of the killings by the butchers, which was intensified by Nong Rody’s death. Achieving it is now in their hands. So when Nang Rosario saw a splash of blood on her house door, that became an opportunity for them to fight back.

The Tiktiks, wearing camouflage uniforms and carrying military rifles, slowly crept inside her house that night. Before they realized that nobody was inside, Nang Rosario and the neighborhood already threw gasoline and Molotovs at them. Witnessing them being engulfed by the fire, the farmers of San Jose are now more courageous to face the next monsters that they will face, collectively. ●

First published in the October 20, 2023 print edition of the Collegian.