1. Manananggal
In the office of a seemingly normal corporate building, Mr Fox is sitting normally on his chair, waiting for something from his spies in Malina. The old style 80s telephone on his table rings and he walks towards it and picks it up.
"Who is it?" Mr Fox asks
"Help! Sir, help! She's got me, she's got me-..." silence, that is the only thing felt by Mr Fox currently. He walks out of his office towards the reception counter. "I need Ami Fowlerville, right now!" Mr Fox says firmly to the reception lady. "Yes, Mr Fox, sir, I'll get miss Fowlerville right now." The lady replies.
Mr Fox walks back to his office, his face sweating with what seems like nervousness.
Meanwhile, the reception lady is pacing towards the room with metal doors.
The doors open as they detect the heat of a human being close to them.
Sitting inside, is a girl, a teenage girl, wearing round glasses. Her brown eyes look up calmly from her computer towards the lady. "What happened?" The girl asks curiously. "Mr Fowlerville, Mr Fox is calling you!" The lady says, with small gasps between her words. "Okay, well, you can go now, I'm gonna go to Mr Fox's office." The girl, Ami Fowlerville says.
The reception lady walks out of the room.
Ami is now walking towards Mr Fox's office, her expression one of slight irritance and curiosity. She walks in through the doors and sees the sweaty, serious face of Mr Fox. "Seriously, Mr Fox, you need to stop calling me to trace calls that you think are from the US government, it's the third time this week."
"This call wasn't from the US government, Ami, it was from a fellow agent, he sounded like he was being attacked." Mr Fox replies.
"Wait, what?! Do you have a recording of the call." Ami says, now her interest is peaked.
"Yes, yes, we record all our calls, trace the call." Mr Fox replies.
Ami excitedly runs out of the office and returns with her laptop. She takes the 80s style telephone and removes a chip from it, which she implanted herself. "Let's see, this chip records all your calls." Ami says, tinkering with the chip and keeping it in what looks like a casset, she puts on headphones and plays the recording on her phone.
"I'll have to extract all different sounds from this. Good thing we have the software." Ami exclaims. She looks at all the different noise tracks on the laptop. One particularly silent noise catches her eye, she increases its volume, it sounds like slight screeching and a sound that's like Tchrracck whoosh. Like flesh tearing and air displacement. Ami gags at the sound, and is horrified, frightened to her bones.
"We've got a case, Mr Fox... a peculiar one, it's been 6 months." Ami says silently, firmly. Ami walks out of the office with her laptop. She sees another teenage girl. Ami runs towards her and shouts "MARA!!" Ami takes her hand and pulls her towards her office.
"WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING, AMI, WHAT THE-" Ami pulls her in, makes her wear the headphones, and repeats the noise. The girl, Mara Delos Santos, listens to it with curiosity.
Mara: "That's a horrible sound, where is this recording from?"
Ami: "We don't know yet, I haven't tracked it, thought I should make you listen to it first."
Mara: "Well, trace it already!"
Ami gets to work, after about 15 minutes, she finally finds the exact location of the caller.
Ami looks up to Mara, confused.
Ami: "It, it keeps moving. But the location is in Manila, Philippines."
Mara: "What, it keeps moving?! Well, how? How is it moving?"
Ami: "Irregular, like it's making sharp turns and all that, way too sharp for a car which is a few tons heavy."
Ami and Mara are stuck finding out how this is possible.
Mara: "There's only one possible way we can find out."
Ami: "How?"
Mara: "We request Mr Fox for a mission to Manila, Philippines."
Ami: "Wh-WHAT, ARE YOU CRAZY, WE CAN'T JUST REQUEST A MISSION LIKE THAT!!"
5 minutes later.
Mr Fox agrees to the mission, thanks to Mara's excellent persuasion.
Mr Fox: "Well, you both can't do this alone, can you?"
Mara: "And we won't, we have four others!"
Mr Fox: "Ah, you mean those, I always wanted the Hex to go out for a mission, good luck!"
Mara and Ami walk out of the office, still a bit stunned.
Ami: "I can't believe he approved that."
Mara: "Well, he gets nervous when he hears a weird case. And this one? Weirdest in six months!"
Ami and Mara call the others, the one's Mr Fox called the Hex.
They walk in a big room.
Billy Valley is lifting weights like polythene bags.
Billy, sweating, looks towards them: "New case, finally! I got sick of punching dummies!"
Adrian Knox looks up, surrounded by test tubes and notebooks.
Adrian: "Seriously, you bought me here from a thrilling science experiment just because you heard that sound. What are we gonna do, Ghostbusting?"
Jasper Montoya came strolling behind them, twirling a pen and smirking.
Jasper: "Chill, Adrian. At least we'll have good food there."
Lyra Kimura jumps down from the ceiling, grinning mischievously.
Lyra: "Did I hear the word 'mission'. I'm in."
All six of them walk out of the room and towards the hangar. Mr Fox welcome's them there.
Ami: "So, how are we reaching Manila."
Mr Fox: "You'll see"
The hangar's walls move into the ground and reveal a large jet.
Billy, flabbergasted: "WOAH! A private jet! So glad I work here!"
Adrian looks piqued: "You're saying we're gonna travel by plane, risking the chances of being caught by the government."
Mr Fox:"We got our best hackers on it."
Jasper: "Whoo-hoo! Private jet!"
The six of them say their final goodbyes and enter the jet. The cabin is long and narrow, lined with swivel seats, fold out desks and consoles built into walls.
Jasper sits on a desk, twirling his pen: "Whoa! This place is so cool."
Adrian sets himself in a seat, folding his laptop open: "I hope this isn't some stupid ghost story."
Ami sits besides Adrian, connecting her laptop to the speaker: "All of you should hear this." Ami plays the noise.
All of them are horrified, Mara steps up.
Mara: "I- I think I got it!"
Jasper, startled: "Wait, What?! WHAT DID YOU GET!"
Mara: "I know what the thing is!"
All of them: "REALLY!"
Mara: "That sound, it sounded like flesh tearing, and then the mobile phone is making sharp turns in narrow alleys. Guys! It's not on land, it's flying, it's a Manananggal!"
Ami, flabbergasted: "Mananggal? You mean the thing that detaches itself from it's lower torso, and then the upper half grows wings and then it flies?!"
Mara: "Yup, exactly that. And the location makes sense, it's in Manila, a place where there are continous reported sightings of a flying creature."
Adrian looks up from his seat, frowning: "It could just be a bird or something."
Mara: "Nuh uh, it all adds up."
Lyra: "So we're gonna kill this Manananggal?"
Mara: "Yes, we are."
A few hours pass, the plane is already above the clouds, flying in the starry night.
Ami: "Ugh, it's been hours, when are we reaching Manila, we have to go to San Lunas right after."
Jasper: "I'm hungry, where's the pantry?"
Suddenly, a robot comes out of nowhere with a bag of chips.
Jasper: "AAAHHH! WHAT- A ROBOT!"
Mara, waking up, half asleep: "What's all this noise about?" Mara sees the robot and gasps.
Mara: "What in hell is that?! Meh, I'm too tired." She goes back to sleep.
A long night later, the plane lands in an airport.
The heat hit them immediately, thick and humid, wrapping around their bodies like a wet blanket. Manila's morning traffic roared in the distance, a mix of jeepneys, buses, and motorcycles weaving through the streets. The smell of wet asphalt, exhaust, and street food hit Ami's nose first.
Ami: "Ugh… Manila mornings. The air is… so… alive." She fanned herself with her laptop bag.
Billy: "ALIVE? It smells like chaos! I LOVE IT!" He sniffed dramatically.
Adrian: "It's smog. And humidity. Nothing alive about it." He adjusted his glasses, glaring at Billy.
Jasper: "Ah… chaos. The perfect playground for monsters… and geniuses." He twirled his pen with a smirk, trench coat collar slightly up against the breeze.
Lyra: "Yeah, yeah, enough sightseeing. Where's the van, Ami? GPS, now!"
Ami pulled out her device, scanning the crowded parking area. "There… black van. Engine running, shadows blending with the morning light. Perfect."
Mara: "Perfect… for what? The Manananggal won't wait for us to admire the traffic."
Billy jogged ahead, practically vibrating with excitement. "BLACK VAN! GO GO GO!"
Adrian: "Billy, please—"
Jasper: "Let him. Gives me time to observe… analyze… contemplate the angles of attack." He adjusted his trench coat like a very dramatic professor of deduction.
The Hex approached the van. A sleek black vehicle, tinted windows reflecting the chaos around them. Doors slid open silently, as if anticipating them.
Ami: "Everyone, hop in. We stick together, no wandering off."
Mara: "San Lunas, here we come. Buckle up, because the forest doesn't mess around."
They piled in, seats clicking into place. Billy immediately pressed the buttons on the console like a kid in a spaceship.
Billy: "Ooooh, lights! Ooooh, buttons! OOOH!"
Adrian: "Billy, for the love of science, sit still."
Jasper: "Relax, Adrian. Let Ami navigate. The forest roads will be tricky. And… exciting." He twirled his pen again, gaze fixed on the horizon beyond the windshield.
Lyra: "Exciting equals danger. And I like danger." She leaned back, stretching her fingers like she was already imagining shadow vines erupting from the soil.
Ami: "GPS is locked. Two hours through secondary roads, cutting through farmlands and forest edges. San Lunas is… remote. Perfect for a Manananggal lair."
Mara: "Remote means quiet. And deadly. My kind of combo."
Billy: "Finally… somewhere I can smash without worrying about civilians!"
Adrian, groaning: "I said… Please don't."
Jasper, glancing at the forest line creeping closer with every turn: "Ah… the outskirts of Manila. Civilization fading, mystery rising. I can already feel the story shaping itself… or perhaps the monster."
The van rolled on, Manila's city lights fading behind them, replaced by the dark silhouette of forests and winding roads ahead. The Hex mission was officially underway.
The van's engine hums along the empty road, which does not look quite like a road, just a layer cement with rocks.
Billy: "Are we there yet?"
Ami, annoyed: "You've asked that ten times and each time the answer is no!"
Adrian, irritated: "You know, Billy, when we reach San Lunas, there will be this sign saying 'San Lunas,' and then you'll know if we are there or not, okay."
Billy: "Hey, I knew that, I definitely knew that!"
Jasper, sarcastically: "Yeah, dude! He definitely knew that." Jasper laughs.
Lyra and Mara giggle too.
After about three hours of driving, they finally reached San Lunas.
The village was remote. Only 3 or 4 network towers, everyone lived in brick houses, some were painted over, some were not. The six of them wondered where the nearest hotel is.
Native (in Tagalog): "We don't normally have tourists here, so there aren't any living spaces near. Although there might be one which is about thirty kilometers from here."
Mara sighs, she walks back to the van disappointed. Where Ami is staring at the console.
Mara: intrigued "What are you doing?"
Ami: "There's this orange button, should I press it?"
Mara looks at her skeptically: "Wh-what, of course you don't press it! Why would you think of pressing it!"
Jasper comes behind them: "Oh, come on, just press it already. Not like we're gonna die or anything." He presses the button
Everyone panics
Ami: with soft whispers "No…no.no."
Mara: throwing her hands up "Seriously, Jasper. You're gonna get us killed one day!"
Adrian: scared out of his senses "WHAT THE FUCK, JASPER?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT??!!ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND OR DO GOOD LOOKS MAKE YOU DUMB!!"
Billy: "Seriously, dude, why would you do that?!"
The van shudders. With a hydraulic hiss, the sides slide open, revealing a full set of living quarters inside: sleeping bags8, monitors, a small kitchen, and gear neatly arranged like a high-tech secret HQ.
Jasper: "See, we're not dead."
Billy: "Woah, so cool!"
Ami: amazed "Whoever made that is a genius."
Adrian: "So we're gonna live here from now on."
Mara: "Yeah."
It's dark outside, the Hex are tired, eyes half awoke. All of them gathered in a bedroom, with a sleeping bag.
Ami is on her laptop, still tracking the phone the Manananggal seems to have with it.
Adrian: "For the last time, maybe it's just a bird. You expect a top half of a woman with bat wings flying around and terrorizing people? Get a life!"
Mara: "Come on, Adrian, it is a Manananggal."
Adrian: "You believe in stupid things, don't you?"
Mara: "Come on, Adrian. You said the same thing about the sewer monster in Chicago."
Adrian: embarrassed "Well, well, that was an exception. Maybe it was some failed lab experiment."
Jasper chimes in: "Failed lab experiment? Dude, the thing had shark teeth."
Ami adjusts her glasses: "The phone is still, in some forest, it's not moving."
Mara frowns: "What, that's not possible, the Manananggal hunts at this time."
Adrian's face lights up: "See? Case solved. Your GPS was just malfunctioning. We'll take the next plane home."
Jasper looks towards the laptop and then comes near them: "Woah, woah. Not so fast, Knoxie. Remember, the Manananggal separates it's lower half from it's torso before flying. And the lower half remains still, maybe it dropped the phone there." He looks at Ami: "Each phone by the organisation has a radio and hidden microphone chip which records the noise, if you can hack into it, you can probably hear the surroundings."
Ami looks at Jasper with a mischievous smile: "On it!"
Ami hacks into the microphone chip and finds the recording.
Ami: "Currently, I just hear rustling leaves and crickets chirping."
Jasper: "Yup, just like I thought. It's in a forest. The phone is in the woods behind San Lunas."
Mara: "Wait, and the phone is with the lower half, which means that if we go there with gasoline and a lighter and find the lower half, we can kill the mananaggal!"
Jasper: "Yeah!"
The six of them step into the forest, the GPS flickering faintly in Ami's hands. The canopy above is dense, letting through only slivers of moonlight that slice through the darkness like jagged knives. Trees loom like silent sentinels, their gnarled roots twisting across the uneven forest floor. Fallen leaves crunch underfoot, a sound far too loud in the stillness.
Shadows twist between the trunks, and every rustle — whether wind or animal — sets nerves on edge. The air is thick, damp, and smells of earth and decay, carrying faint traces of smoke or something metallic. Vines hang low, brushing against their faces, and the occasional sharp snap of a branch echoes unnaturally through the trees, as if the forest itself is watching, waiting.
Ami's footsteps are careful, Mara clutches her flashlight, and Billy's excitement barely masks the tension. Even Jasper's smirk falters as the silence presses in. Somewhere deeper, a faint, unnatural screech cuts through the night air — a reminder that they are not alone.
They reach the spot. They see the lower half. It has trousers on. But it's open, there are intestines visible, blood dripping out. The Hex are creeped out. Billy reaches for it with the gasoline when suddenly they hear a distant tiktik noise, then a wet rasp. Adrian turns around, not knowing what he's about to see.
Adrian screams in horror: "AAAAHHHHH"
Ami gets startled by his scream, Adrian points at it. The upper half of the Manananggal, it's intestines drooping out, it's long tongue out of it's mouth. It looks like a woman, pale white skin with a greenish hint, it's hair a mess. It shrieks like lungs full of phlegm, and comes slightly towards them.
The six of them flee, running out of the forest, not looking back.
Adrian: "SON OF A BITCH, WHAT WAS THAT!"
Mara: "The Manananggal's upper half."
Adrian: "NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY IT CHOOSES TO DEPART THE UPPER HALF."
Billy: "I thought I would be smashing monsters, not running away from them."
They reach the van and quickly enter it. Squeezing together like a 5 year old to his mom.
Suddenly, they hear the same wet, raspy sound. They freeze. The manananggal is flying above the roof. It's hungry, it reaches for them with it's tongue. They step back.
Billy takes a metal pipe twirls it twice and hits the Manananggal in the head: "GO TO HELL, YOU SLUT!!"
Ami: "Language Billy!"
Billy: "It was trying to Eat us!"
Suddenly, the Manananggal sweeps in and takes Ami, but Billy catches her in time. The Manananggal has one arm and Billy has the other. Ami is transfixed in horror. Seeing the Manananggal up close isn't quite a beautiful sight. It is twirling it's tongue around, like it's going to devour Ami any second.
Adrian sees all this and snaps: "LEAVE HER ALONE!"
The Manananggal just twitches its tongue and shrieks at Adrian, not letting go.
Adrian snatches the metal pipe from Billy and swings it at the Manananggal with full force: "I SAID LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU SHIT-EATING ASSHOLE!!!"
Everyone gasps. The manananggal leaves the hold of Ami. Mara rushes towards her, checking to see if she's okay.
Mara: "Wh-Where's Jasper?"
Adrian: "I don't know."
Out of nowhere, the Manananggal lunges at Adrian, banging him into the side. Billy hits it with the pipe, but the Manananggal just throws Billy out of the way. Adrian grunts: "Let go of me, you horrible excuse for a living being!"
Seeing all of this, something inside Lyra snaps. Her hands curl into fists.
Suddenly, black vines burst out from the ground and grasp the Manananggal. It let's go of Adrian. The vines strangle it. It shrieks in pain. Suddenly, it begins screeching uncontrollably, like it's getting tortured. It begins disintegrating to ashes, vanishing out of sight. The vines also fade away and Lyra almost falls.
Adrian: "Wh-what just happened?"
Mara: "I-I dunno."
Billy: "Maybe my hit hurt her."
Adrian: "OH, please Billy! You hit her two times and all she did was shriek and rasp!"
Ami, still lying down: "Wh-Where's Jasper?"
Billy: "We haven't seen him yet. Let me check."
Meanwhile, Jasper was in the forest, watching the lower half of the Manananggal burn. It's feet were shaking, there were faint screeches in the wild.
Jasper smirks and looks up: "Monsters are dumb. Next time you wanna split yourself into half and terrorise humans. Maybe don't leave your lower half in such a common place like the woods."
Jasper walked out of the woods and reached the van, where the rest of the Hex were already waiting.
Adrian: "There you are! Where were you?!"
Jasper smirks, showing the lighter and can of gasoline in his hands.
Mara: "Wait! NO WAY! You burned the lower half!"
Jasper: "Yup."