A/N,

I know I said I'd keep it simple but then I realized that I wanted it to take it slow so I'm adding a few cases. That being said, BobaCorgi had blessed us with her talent and made a trailer for The Bracelet Club for free! Do check it out and give her some love-- she also has a shop so check that and her writing out too! I'll be linking it in the description/forward for anyone who can't access this link. 

The Bracelet Club Trailer by BobaCorgi 

 

I had no idea what that meant, but it didn't sound at all good. Mr. Richard's hands had tightened around the steering wheel, Kai asking what an "aswang" meant and I remember he had very breezily said that he would feed us to them. Mr. Richard looked back, his eyebrows knitted before he began to tell us about it.

"It's a monster," Mr. Richard said and we all fell silent. "Aswangs are known to be a curse, passed down by a stone. Not very widely believed in Manila but mostly from suburban places--"

"She did say she was from someplace called Mindanao." Minseok's eyebrows knitted, a hand going to rub against his face when he shivered. "Okay, look. Can we just get a jist of it? What is it, what do we do to get rid of it?"

"We don't." Mr. Richard shook his head. "You can't exorcise it."

"It's a demon in the form of a monster." This time it was Kyungsoo, the male gripping his cross. "It's a curse that consumes the human body."

"They say that if an Aswang does not pass down the stone, their body will not be able to die. Prolonging that will make them into a full monster."
Mr. Richard tapped his hand against the steering wheel. "That is why they pass it on to their children but then some are lucky that their families take care of them, protect them back in their hometowns. They can shapeshift into birds or dogs, their tongues long and pointed."

With the mention of tongues, I looked up, remembering what the ghost told me about his sister's belly button bleeding.

"Aswangs are known to eat fetuses, their tongue plunging into the bellybutton of a pregnant woman it out. Their reflection is inverted, a sign of a demon. You can't kill an Aswang because the curse keeps them alive and the only way to get rid of them is to decapitate the body and bury them over opposite ends of a river."

"Okay," Kai began and we looked at him, the male holding his hands up in the air. "Okay, you cannot expect me to believe in that. Sure, I can believe in ghosts but shapeshifting monsters that eat babies? Really?"

Kai scoffed and Kyungsoo gave him a look. 

"What?"

"Evil manifests itself in different ways, Kim Kai." Kyungsoo looked at Mr. Richard. "They are traditional demons, ones that have turned physical over generations and generations. The question is, how do we get rid of it in Modern day Manila?"

"Good question. If what I think is true, being a doctor is a perfect front for it," I murmured before telling them about the bleeding belly button. "Blood bags missing, access to all the pregnant women."

"She got ambitious then, didn't she?" Sehun asked, Mr. Richard looking deep in thought. "This is nowhere whatever we had faced and if we fire her, she'll end up killing more."

"We have to follow her," Kai concluded and we looked at him in surprise. "We have to make sure, don't we? We can't just... let her be. Most likely she's a normal doctor and you guys are just reaching."

"And what are you going to do? Knock on her door and ask her out on a date and tell her you find her hot?" Chanyeol asked, rolling his eyes. "A bit stalkerish, don't you think?"

"No? I'll tell her I have a few follow-up questions and Minseok hyung gave me her location," Kai answered and I nodded. That sounded reasonable. "Besides, she knows I came as a detective. Don't you think I have the right to ask what I want to know?"

"Kai, you have to be careful," Mr. Richard began, Minseok on the phone to ask the admin of the hospital where she lived. "These things are dangerous."

"I'll believe in them if I see her change in front of my eyes," Kai scoffed and I could tell years of being a detective had someone inflated his ego. Baekhyun and I exchanged a look, my brother chewing on his lower lip. He, too, had been quiet. "Shapeshifters."

The skepticism dripped from his voice, Minseok keying the location of her house into the GPS as Mr. Richard began to drive, our former teacher looking worried of what was to come. 
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                                                                                           

Kim Kai believed in ghosts. 

To him, they were energy. 

What he did not believe was the power of the supernatural.

As a detective, Kim Kai had realized that humans were monsters. Serial killers, murders, , and more. South Korea's increasing crime rate was his enemy, Kim Kai wanting nothing other than a world full of equality and justice. 

Mr. Richard had driven the car forward, navigating down the roads of Manila, all of them finally reaching a house that was lit up. Of course, she would have a fancy house. Doctors paid well anywhere, Kai thought, the male finally getting off the van. 

"Kai," Bora's voice called out. She looked worried and Kai could tell she had aged through the seven years, not anymore as soft to the world as she was years ago. "Stay on call."

Kai nodded, giving Mr. Richard a quick call before he looked up at the house. Only part of it was lit up, an indication that she was somewhere in the house and Kai pressed the doorbell. Mr. Richard had driven to a street down, parking by the side of the road. 

He slipped his phone in his pocket when there was a quick movement, Kai's eyes furrowing when his ears picked up on a sound from the trees, the detective's stomach-churning. A crunch from inside of the house could be heard, like someone had stepped on dry leaves when a hand had pushed the door open slightly and Kai jumped at the face that was smiling widely at him.

"Why, hell there, detective," Doctor Amy sang and Kai noticed she was wearing just a silk robe. She was a very attractive woman and would not be under accusation of being a cannibalistic demon, he would have asked her out on a date. Smart and beautiful? 

What a package. 

But he noticed that even under the dim light, her lips were stained red and there were tints of pink in between her teeth as she peered at him through the doorway. Very creepy, on multiple levels. 

"Oh, am I interrupting something, doctor?" Kai asked, the doctor stepping away. He noticed that she was holding a wine glass, the dark liquid looking a little clumpy. Human until proven demon, Kai reminded himself. "I hope not. I'm just here for some follow-up questions."

"Of course. Come in, detective. Did Director Minseok send you?" She asked, and right as Minseok said, Kai caught a glimpse of her eyes. He held back the need to stare into them, not wanting to seem too curious, but he could see that his whole body was upside down.

He quickly looked away.

Was there any way to rationalize that? Some scientific reason?

"Yes. I'm here alone. I hope it's not too much of a bother."

"No, no," She hummed, her legs peeking from underneath her robe, the silky material dropping lower. Not a care about her exposed shoulder, Kai narrowed his eyes on her. Was she trying to seduce him? "I was just doing some cleaning up. I hardly get days off so I'm making the best out of it."

Kai entered her living room and much to his surprise, there weren't many photos. The walls were bare and despite it being classy, Kai couldn't help but feel irked that something was wrong. He walked towards the window, pausing to look out just to see that there were so many trees. 

"It gets lonely in Manila."   Her voice spoke softly from beside his ear and Kai quickly looked at the side to see her with another glass of wine between her thin fingers. "Some days, I feel myself yearning for the presence of people."

"You are surrounded by people."

"Those who aren't my friends," she quipped, Kai accepting the glass of wine and bringing it up to his lips. She eyed him eagerly, Kai lowering the glass. He wasn't going to drink wine given to him by her... He wasn't stupid. "What questions do you have, Detective?"

"I was wondering if you saw any signs that the victims would be prone to miscarriages," he blurted out, Doctor Amy's hand on his shoulder. Kai shifted, keeping his face straight. 

"Of course. That is why the progesterone was administered." Doctor Amy's hand had dropped down to his bicep, Kai's lips pressing into a tight smile. "Is there any suspicion of foul play, Detective?"

"Sadly. I keep telling Minseok that he's overthinking it but he doesn't believe me." Kai smiled at her, swiftly moving away. "I think it's just a coincidence."
Doctor Amy seemed disappointed, finally sitting back down on the couch, Kai taking a seat across from her when she narrowed her eyes on him.

"And surely, there is more as to why you're here." 

If it was something Kai could do, it was an act. He had nodded, his eyes running over her, her face changing into a smirk when she noticed the lust in his eyes. It was feigned but she didn't have to know that. 

"Simply to see you," Kai answered, her eyes lighting up at his words. For a moment, she looked like a normal beautiful woman until she tilted her head to the side. "From the moment I saw you, I knew I just had to."

Her expression was smug, the female's legs crossing right in front of him. She leaned forward, placing the wine glass on the table when she stood up, a hand going to undo the knot that held her robe close. 

She was very confident in the way she was, Kai could tell. He couldn't help but gulp, Kai fighting the urge to look away at the sudden ness in front of him when she sashayed and stopped in front of him, her fingers going to trail up his arm.

Why did she have to be an aswang? He cursed to himself at his trail of thought, the female dipping her head down to his neck and giving it a kitten , her breath sour from the old wine.

"You want me?" She whispered. "You have me."

"U-Uh...." With that, Kai's phone buzzed in his pocket and he cleared his throat, pushing her away for a second. "I need to get that."

His phone was still on call and he lifted up the phone to see that it was still connected-- the buzz was from a message. It was just a bank detail message but Kai excused himself, asking her where the bathroom was and for a bit of privacy to return the call.

She nodded slowly, pointing towards a hallway, telling him to hurry back and Kai's legs trembled at the intensity of the situation. He moved to the bathroom, putting the phone to his ear when he spoke.

"Guys!"

"We heard that. We heard all of it," Baekhyun said back. "You okay? Is it confirmed?"

"I'm not sure but her eyes definitely are different," he murmured when he frowned, sniffing the air. The smell was light but it was definitely there-- it was a smell he was very used to. 

Like mild rotten flesh.

His mind went back to when he first had smelled it, a case in Korea when they found a body three days after death. It was cold so the decomposing process was slow but it was there, the maggots beginning to grow.

"Let me check something and I'll leave as fast as I can, okay?" He told them, the male opening the door and sniffing the air. He put his phone's backlight, the hall leading down to the dark side of the house when a pungent smell hit his nostrils. "Something is up..."

Kai crept down the hall, the muscles on his legs tense when he finally pushed a door open, the smell hitting him headfirst. It was sour and strong, Kai shining his light into the room when his lips opened up wide.

"G-Guys..."

The room had blood on the walls, flesh scattered on the ground. Kai didn't know how many people but he knew that some of them were decapitated. An arm was a foot away, detached from its whole body when Kai closed his eyes, shuddering.

He then heard a muffle.

It was a small voice, Kai's eyes flying open when he turned around to see a girl tied up. Her eyes were wide open and she was on one side, tears running down her face. was taped, her ineligible words coming out in moans. 

"Guys, someone is here, kidnapped--" Kai gasped out, a hand finding the light switch and when he found it, flicking it on, he felt a breath against his neck. 

"Naughty detective," the monster hissed, Kai jumping away just to see her with her eyes glowing red. "Now, I have to eat you, too."

if Kai didn't believe in monsters before, he sure believed in them now, the female face morphing as stretched wide open and a tongue protruded from between her lips, lashing out towards him. 

It was absolutely horrifying, Kim Kai feeling her slimy tongue flick around his wrist, wrapping tightly it when she pulled and he found himself flying across the room. She bared her teeth, her body convulsing when she began to change in front of his eyes. Her back cracked and arched, a moan leaving her lips while her tongue danced in the air, Kai noticing it was very thin at the tip.

Like a snake.

She stepped closer, the sounds of bones cracking erupting through the room when suddenly the door opened and a flying book slammed against her head, Kyungsoo appearing with Mr. Richard. Chanyeol was right behind him, the aswang letting out a yell when Kyungsoo threw salt at her direction. 

"Don't let her leave!" Mr. Richard could be heard saying beyond the chaos. 

The aswang hissed and instead of turning towards the men, it jumped towards the window, Kyungsoo running after it when the glass broke into pieces, the monster escaping out into the night sky. Kyungsoo winced when he saw that he accidentally slammed his shoulder against the window, blood leaking out from his wound. 

", she's gone," Chanyeol whispered, Kai untying the little girl who was crying. She would be the only one who they would have saved. "What now?"

"We call the police," Kai concluded, Mr. Richard already one step ahead. 

Kai vowed to never doubt the existence of something supernatural ever again. 

                                                                                 
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The house was swarmed with police. The bodies they found were some people who were reported missing but many had thought they were runaways or the victims of the Budol Budol gang. It was a gang notorious for stealing valuable items from people and they thought that maybe they had expanded into human trafficking. 

The conclusion to this, however, was that she was a serial killer. There was no other way to put it. The little girl kept saying that Doctor Amy was a monster but they accounted it to the trauma of being kidnapped and watching the doctor decapitate the people. 

Manila went through a manhunt for Doctor Amy and when Kai looked around her house, he saw that she had a packed suitcase. Either was thinking of leaving the Philippines or she didn't unpack her suitcase. 

I was shaken. 

It had been a while since we had seen something like this, all the ghosts I have crossed paths with are relatively peaceful. The adrenaline was high and we had gone back to Mr. Richard's home instead of the hotel, the male telling us that he wouldn't let us out of his sight if she was still out there. 

We had to sleep on the floor, the mattress laid on the ground, Mr. Richard's wife asked what had happened and when we told her, she looked terrified. Both of them had come from other islands in the Philippines, Mr. Richard saying they were from Negros and that people there believed in aswangs. 

"It's hard because you can't kill an aswang," Mr. Richard's wife, Mr. Ella said. "Because it's a curse that is passed down, it's powerful. When Richard went to Korea, I stayed here in the Philippines and went back to Negros. I was pregnant then and I remember Richard's father bolting the doors and putting ginger on every entrance."

Mr. Richard looked grim.

"Sounds would come out at night... Tiktiktiktiktik." She shuddered. "They are said to have very long tongues."|

"She did. It was like a snake and it whipped back and forth," Chanyeol told her when he frowned. "What happened... You said you were pregnant--"

"She didn't make it." Mr. Richard gave a sad smile. "But it was due to natural causes. Now, we've tried again. I'm just worried that people are going to be in danger now that there is an aswang on the loose."

"We have to get rid of it. We can't let it roam the streets of Manila! People don't believe in aswangs here and people walk late on the streets." Kai's eyes darkened. "Did you see what she did to those people? It's horrible!"

"The question is, where would it go?" Baekhyun asked in a small voice. His eyes were wide and he was terrified, my little brother sitting away from up, his back against the wall. He refused to sit near the windows even after Mr. Richard told him that it was safe-- that he had bolted it for him. "Back to her hometown? Would she fly over there or grab a plane?"

I couldn't help but snicker at the absurdity of his ideas.

"You know Pee Kor? Remember? The gumanthongs said that once. When ghosts grab something. Maybe she'll become a bird and fly alongside a plane and bring herself to Mindanao," Baekhyun said under his breath.

"Why do you remember that? It's been a while."

"One of the actors in my agency is Thai. He talks a lot." Baekhyun shrugged and our question on what he was doing with his career was answered. He was still a manager. "Bambam. Who calls their child two bams?"

He pouted, Chanyeol patting his best friend's head when Baekhyun hugged him. I smiled at their confident show of affection, Ella agreeing with the fact that the aswang may have gone home. 

"I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I don't do this," Kai told us. Sehun was beside him and even he was quiet. "I don't think I'd be able to. Honestly. The fact that she's a ing bird makes it so much harder."

We all fell silent when I heard a faint sound from outside the window, Mr. Richard perking up suddenly. Baekhyun cowered, the sound repeating itself when it sounded like something was walking.

A laugh.

A female laugh.

"You are not welcome here," Mr. Richard said, followed by a string of Tagalog I did not understand. He had bolted the door, our former teacher creeping closer to the entrance when someone grabbed it on the other end, shaking the doorknob over and over again.

Baekhyun gasped and then it stopped.

"You want me?" She whispered. "Come get me. Let's see if you can fight a monster back from where she originated from. If you don't..."

She continued to say something that made Mr. Richard pale and then she was gone.

"What did she say?" Kai asked carefully. 

"That I'll have to be ready to protect my wife." Mr. Richard's eyes fell onto Ella. "That she won't be able to walk the streets of Manila and that I might find her body soulless and dead."

"That was a threat, wasn't it?" Kai asked and I nodded. We all knew that she was pissed we had robbed her of her freedom, her career, and her reputation. She was doing well as a doctor, having access to fetuses and people. "We need to get rid of her."

"It's not that easy," Mr. Richard replied, running a hand through his hair. "You stay here with Ella. Minseok, go get me her address in Mindanao."

His words were followed by us telling him that he was crazy.

"We're not kids anymore!" Kai was saying, Chanyeol standing up suddenly.

"You're going to get killed!"

"What kind of stupid idea is that?" Baekhyun grumbled.

"We can't let you go alone!" Sehun added, Mr. Richard looking taken aback by the uproar from the men who had spoken.

"We're going with you," Kyungsoo concluded, sitting up and raising an eyebrow at Mr. Richard. "We're going with you and we're going to handle this together."

Kyungsoo gripped his cross.

"That has no idea what's coming for her."

                                                                                                       
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mr. Richard had arranged for his wife to be with someone at all times. Minseok and Sehun had done all they could to secure the place she would be at, guards and nannies around her. Ella was grateful and as concerned as she was, she knew that her husband had to do it. 

To have been targeted by a flesh-eating creature when you're pregnant and expecting a baby is one of the worst things that could happen to a mother-to-be. 

We then went on a domestic flight, flying over to Mindanao. 

Mindanao is in the south of the Philippines. Baekhyun read out loud all about Mindanao to us while on the bumpy plane ride. I smiled, Mr. Richard nodding his head from time to time to show Baekhyun that he was listening.

"The largest city in Mindanao is Davao." 

"Yes," Mr. Richard said, nodding again. 

When we reached Mindanao, we then continued onto Sultan Kudarat, Tacurong. It was said to have one of the village or