The villagers continued celebrating as though they were holding one enormous feast. Dancing, singing, and laughter turned what they were doing into a massive fiesta, while some of them continued throwing things at the lifeless bodies of the three hanged men.
"Three more servants of the Devil are gone!" shouted one of the village guards, without thinking that the three hanged men had once been his comrades.
"Long live Mang Lino!" another shouted, lifting Mang Lino's hand like that of a champion.
Mang Lino calmed the villagers amid their shouting. He had something he wanted to say—something he hoped the people would support.
"Calm down. After everything that's happened these past few days, there's something I'd like to suggest, and I hope Father Pio and some of the people who lead the prayers at the church will support us," he told the crowd.
The people who had only moments ago been singing and dancing slowly gathered around. The children sat in front as if they were about to hear a story. Father Pio came closer as well, wanting to hear Lino's suggestion.
"I'd like to form a committee to investigate the villagers and find out who is possessed by a demon. I know there are still servants of the Devil hiding in this town, and we need to destroy every last one of them. Those who are guilty will be brought before the committee, and the committee will decide whether they truly serve the demon or not," Lino said to those around him.
His suggestion was followed by quiet murmurs and a series of nods from the people gathered there.
"Mang Lino is right. We can't let our guard down just because we've destroyed a few servants of the demon," one of them said.
"Let's put Father on the committee. He'll know when he's facing a force of the Devil," another added.
"Elsa and Lupe should be on it too. They lead the rosary at the church," someone else seconded.
Anndi emerged from nowhere and volunteered to join the committee.
"I'd like to be one of the judges for as long as we're here on vacation with my friends," Anndi said. She thought she could help change her fellow villagers' minds about *aswang* and the Devil.
Mang Lino put an arm around his daughter as if he were proud of her. Meanwhile, the shock was plain on Maya's face and on the faces of her friends when they saw the three hanged men still swaying in the wind.
"This is insane," Janni whispered. Fortunately, only Ichi and Mikmik heard her.
As soon as the committee had been formed, the townspeople returned to their fiesta-like celebration. Anndi approached her friends, who had their arms folded against the cold.
"Why did you volunteer to be a prosecutor?" Ichi asked her.
"It's better that way, with someone there to oppose them. Maybe, little by little while we're here, I can change my fellow villagers' minds. You'll help me, right?" she asked her friends.
"Of course," Mikmik said quickly, and Anndi smiled.
While everyone around them continued celebrating, one person was writhing in pain. His pregnant wife supported him. Sweat beaded across his face, and he had gone pale as he clutched the hand that had supposedly been bitten by a large dog. He tried to hide it from everyone, afraid they would think he was possessed by a demon.
At daybreak, the villagers who had attended the great feast rose one by one. Some had fallen asleep in the forest, while others had stayed awake until morning. Anndi and her friends shared a simple breakfast prepared by Aling Lupe and Mang Lino: fresh carabao milk poured over rice.
Afterward, the friends headed straight for a stream nearby. They packed some food and decided to return in the late afternoon, enjoying themselves first. For days, all they had heard were stories about demons, and if they didn't get away from there, they were going to lose their minds.
It took about thirty minutes to walk there, but it was completely worth it. There was a small waterfall only six feet high. The best part was that no one ever went there. It was as if they had the paradise all to themselves. Who would have thought that a town so full of madness could hide such beauty?
"Aling Lupe! Aling Lupe!" shouted a pregnant woman, running toward her, breathless and drenched in sweat.
"What's wrong, Monica?" Lupe asked.
"My husband. I think he's losing his mind. He was fine yesterday, but today he's foaming at the mouth, and he's afraid of the sun," Monica said.
"Merciful God. When did this start?" Lupe asked again.
Lino couldn't help overhearing their conversation. He was nearby, chopping firewood. He stood and approached the two women, who were speaking intently.
"Just now, but he was complaining about his wound last night."
"Wound?" Mang Lino asked.
"Yes, the wound from the bite of the big dog," Monica answered the older man.
"The curse has passed to him. We should have seen this from the beginning. Call the village guards. The demon has to be destroyed," Lino ordered them.
"What are you planning to do to my husband?" Monica asked anxiously.
"He has to disappear so he can't spread the curse throughout this town," Lino said.
Lupe stopped him. They still weren't certain what had caused Monica's husband's illness.
"Wait, Lino. We have to bring him before the committee for an examination first. If we prove that he really is guilty, then we have to give him the appropriate punishment. But if he isn't, then we have to set him free."
Lino finally agreed with his wife's suggestion. He still summoned the village guards to retrieve Roberto and ordered them to bring him inside the church. He also sent for Anndi, who was currently relaxing by the stream with her friends.
Before long, the church was full. Lupe, Elsa, and Father Pio were already there, with the priest set to serve as prosecutor, but Anndi had not yet arrived. A little later, the village guards dragged in Roberto, who was foaming at the mouth like a dog. He also howled like one, frightening everyone even more.
"You can tell from the way Roberto is acting that an evil spirit has taken hold of him. I don't want to say this, but the welfare of the town matters more to me. He has to disappear," Elsa said.
"Wait. We aren't sure yet. He hasn't hurt anyone," Lupe said.
"Are we supposed to wait until he hurts someone? Give him the death penalty!" shouted one of the people inside the church.
After that, a loud argument broke out. People shouted and bickered over what should happen to Roberto. It was both laughable and heartbreaking that no one was arguing over whether Roberto was innocent. Most of them were arguing about what torture or execution they should use to finish off the person they suspected was a demon.
"Silence!" Father Pio shouted at those inside. "You've shown no respect for the house of God, and now you're shouting at one another in here." He scolded them angrily.
As he was speaking, Anndi suddenly entered, her hair still slightly wet. Mikmik and Anndi approached Roberto, and they knew at first glance that he had rabies—probably from the dog that had bitten him. They exchanged a look, as if they already understood what Anndi was going to do.
"Everyone, we still can't be sure this was caused by the Devil," Anndi said briefly, but Mang Lino immediately cut her off.
"What are you talking about, daughter? We can clearly see how afraid he is of the light, how he's foaming at the mouth, and how he's howling like a dog," Mang Lino insisted.
Anndi was trapped, but fortunately she thought of a reason quickly.
"Think about it. If the one who bit him was, as you say, a werewolf, why hasn't he changed yet? He should be a werewolf by now too," Anndi said.
"Because demons change their skin at night!" someone shouted.
Father Pio stepped into the middle of the discussion. "Then we will wait until nightfall and see whether he changes form," he said.
And that's what they all did. Some went home to their own houses for a while. Others stayed watchful, eager to see Roberto transform.
The day passed quickly. Night arrived, but no change occurred in Roberto's body.
"He didn't change? How did that happen?" one of the people there asked.
"But he's still acting the same way, and he seems to be getting worse. Maybe it'll only be a little while longer before he changes form," another said.
They waited several more hours, but no change came. Anndi knew it wouldn't, and she was certain she would succeed in saving this man. Afterward, she would advise his wife to take him for medical treatment, even though the nearest health center was miles away.
"He isn't changing because he's inside the house of God," Elsa said.
Those words immediately convinced the villagers, and they dragged Roberto outside the church. Once they were outside, they watched him, but still no change occurred. Elsa seemed embarrassed and didn't speak again.
"You see? He isn't changing form like you said he would," Anndi answered arrogantly.
"We're still not sure. Roberto is only beginning to change. Maybe the werewolf form is hidden beneath his skin," Mang Lino shouted.
The people began shouting again and pointing at Roberto as if he had committed some enormous crime. "Cut off both his hands so we'll know for sure!" one of the village guards shouted.
"That's right!" they agreed in unison.
"Once we see that he doesn't have the wolf skin hidden inside his body, then we can be convinced he's innocent," another said.
The villagers immediately seized Roberto's hands, while Lino drew his bolo knife.
"Don't, Dad!" Anndi cried, stopping her father.
But Mang Lino didn't listen. After three powerful swings of his bolo, one of Roberto's arms was completely severed from his body. He did the same to the other arm. The crowd's shouting drowned out Anndi's scream and Monica's sobs. They seemed like madmen, waving Roberto's severed hands in the air.
Mang Lino approached Roberto to examine his severed arms, while Roberto was already bathing in his own blood. They couldn't inspect the wounds properly because of the amount of blood. Lino washed the arms first, then examined them. He took quite a while, unconvinced that there was no wolf skin beneath them. After some time, he finally gave up and said he couldn't see anything unusual. But it was too late. Roberto was already dead from the amount of blood he had lost. Together, they buried Roberto and then apologized to Monica. Lupe was the first to approach Monica and ask for forgiveness.
"I'm sorry. We took away the father of your unborn child." Several people near Aling Lupe heard her and began whispering.
"I didn't know Monica was pregnant," one said.
"Could the child she's carrying be the Devil's child?" another asked.
Everyone's attention immediately shifted toward Monica. The villagers surrounded her as she held her swollen belly. She wasn't sure what they were thinking or what her fellow villagers were implying, but it didn't seem like anything good for her.
The five friends approached and surrounded Monica. They wouldn't allow another innocent person to die that night. Even Anndi was beginning to lose hope that she could correct her fellow villagers' beliefs. It would have been so easy to give up and let her village do whatever it wanted. To look away and ignore the next victim of their lack of understanding. That's how people were—as long as something didn't happen to them, they didn't care.