Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction. It involves romantic and/or sexual relationship between men. If you are offended of this subject matter, if you are a minor, or if you are in a place where it is illegal to read this type of literature, please stop reading now.
This story will not have explicit sexual scenes/content.
Copyright © 2013 by Fritz Diantan. All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under the law, no part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the Author.
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ADLAO: The Hidden Tribe Chapter One: Found and Lost
Opening his eyes, Obi did not recognize where he was or how he got there. Lying on the sandy ground, he tried to make sense of the situation he was in. He tried to raise his head, but a sudden realization that his body was aching stopped him from making any movement. His throat felt dry, and his eyes began to water the instant he opened them.
He could hear voices all around him, like whispers at first, but they gradually became louder and clearer as his senses began to come out of daze. People were panicking around him, but they were outside his field of view.
"He's alive! He's still alive!"
"What happened to him?"
"He's just a kid..."
"Has anyone called the police?"
Obi attempted to raise his head again, but his joints and muscles burned each time he tried to move. All he could do was lie there, helpless and scared. All he could do was stare up at the clear sky, with the sun still on its way to reaching its highest point.
Suddenly, Obi saw a man's face directly above him.
"It's going to be okay. Help is coming," the man said gently.
Even though he wanted to answer back, all Obi could do was blink and tears escaped from his eyes. The sound of the motor and the smell of petrol were the last things he remembered before he felt his body being lifted from the ground, before being consumed by darkness.
~ ~ ~
Marcus Morgan sat quietly as he listened to his Psychology professor's lecture on the significance of myths and legends in the study of human behavior. At the beginning of the semester, he was not really sure how the class would turn out but as time passed, he began to appreciate the point of the course and even started to enjoy it more than his major subjects.
"I mentioned before that mythology is very important. But can anyone tell me the significance of myths and legends in the study of human behavior, whether in an individual context or in the social level?"
Professor Cecilia Sanchez nodded to a shy-looking girl on Marc's right.
"Well, I guess we can use folklore as a way to see how ancient cultures perceived the world? I mean, they couldn't rely on science or hard facts, so they created legends to explain the origin of things," said Melisa sheepishly. She glanced sideways to Marc who gave her a thumbs up.
Professor Sanchez smiled. "Yes, you are exactly right, Melisa. Mythology is not just good for bedtime stories... it can also help us understand how ancient people thought during their time. The morals in their folklore, the characteristics of protagonists or the villains, can give us a glimpse of how much or how little they differ from us. And because mythology is closely tied to daily life, studying these tales can also make us understand the behaviors of ancient cultures. For example, Greek mythology has various stories depicting heroic deeds..."
A vibration in his pocket distracted Marc suddenly. He took his phone out discreetly and glanced down to the screen. It displayed an alert for an automated keyword search. Unable to resist, Marc tapped the phone and nearly dropped it to the floor. He could not believe what he was reading: an article about a teenager found in a vacant lot just a few miles away named Roberto Salvio.
"Marc, what are you doing?" Melisa hissed. "If she sees your phone..."
"I need to go," said Marc suddenly, not noticing how loud his voice sounded.
"Mister Morgan, where are you going?" asked Professor Sanchez when Marc hastily stood up and began to pack his notes.
Upon hearing Professor Sanchez voice, Marc just remembered where he was and looked up from his phone.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. I-I need to go," he said while walking towards the exit. "Family emergency."
Without waiting for an answer, Marc was out of the room and started sprinting towards the stairs while dialing his phone. He nearly crashed to a group of freshmen as his call finally connected.
"Mrs. Salvio, this is Marc. Have you seen the news recently?" asked Marc barely containing the excitement in his voice. He was outside the college now and stood impatiently waiting to hail a jeepney.
"No. Why? Are you okay?"
"I'm okay. It's about Obi... I just read an article online. They found him. He's alive."
Above, the sky raged with swirling black clouds. Lightning flashed and thunder roared with a ferocity that could make even lions cower in fear. Not knowing how he had gotten there, Obi stood in the middle of the tempest, surrounded by screams and shouts. Explosions rang all around, but the thick smoke that covered the scene made it impossible for him to see what was going on. Then, all of a sudden, a hand grabbed Obi from behind. He turned and saw a woman crying in pain, clutching his arm so tightly that his fingers began to lose feeling.
A flash of silver got to his line of sight and the woman dropped to the ground, a dagger sticking at the side of her head. Shocked, Obi doubled back and tripped down. His hands touched the wet ground, but instead of finding mud, he realized he was seating on a pool of blood. Looking wildly around, he watched shadows go in and out of sight, but there was no mistaking it: he was in the midst of a terrible war.
Another explosion rocked the air, now much nearer to where Obi was seated. Fire started to consume the surrounding area when a gust of wind cleared most of the smoke around him. And what he saw made his stomach turn...
Mangled bodies littered the ground, rivers of blood flowed in every direction, children were running for their lives seeking cover from balls of fire raining from the sky. Paralyzed by fear, Obi could not look away from the horrific scene unfolding in front of him. But his eyes grew more in terror as a masked man noticed him and began to approach. The man was imposing, with every part of his body covered in huge muscles and tattoos, a curved sword drenched with blood on his right hand.
Obi shook in horror, but he could not move his arms or legs. The distance between him and the man was getting shorter and shorter by the second. With only a few feet to spare, Obi turned to his stomach and tried to crawl away. But before his legs could support his weight, a searing pain made him to fall back onto his knees. He tried to clutch his stomach but found the tip of the sword, protruding from his torso. The steel slowly began to retract back into his body, and the pain Obi felt was unimaginable as it sliced through his organs. He fell flat on the ground, knowing that it was the end. At the corner of his vision, the man stood smiling, arms high holding the sword. In a flash, the blade came down on Obi's back, the pain enough to stop his heart...
He screamed with all his might as he trashed around in pain.
"Obi! OBI!"
He clutched his chest while another set of hands grabbed his arms. He tried to fight off the man, but the voice calling his name got his attention... it was familiar, as if it was coming from another lifetime.
"Calm down, Obi! It's just a dream!"
Opening his eyes, Obi was blinded by the flood of white light. He turned his head, slowly opened his eyes, and saw who was holding him...
"Marc?" whispered Obi.
"Yeah," said Marc, still clutching his friend's arms. "Are you okay?"
Looking around, Obi tried to absorb where he was and the beeping heart monitor beside his bed gave it away almost instantly.
"What happened?" he asked. "Why am I here?"
"We're in the hospital," said Marc, slowly standing up.
Frowning deeply, Obi studied his friend carefully. Marc's face looked different but same which was weird: his hair was longer, and his body appeared more muscular. But the thing that really got Obi's attention was Marc's height.
"You're tall," Obi said, weakly.
Marc grinned.
"Yeah. I'm 5'10 now. I had my growth spurt before I started college."
"College? What are you talking about?" Obi demanded. "We're just about to start senior year!"
The two of them stared at each other. Marc's mouth began to open, but no voice came out, while his eyes got round as saucers.
"You... you don't remember anything, do you?"
"What are you talking about? Why am I in the hospital? And you're in college? What's going on?" Questions shot out of Obi's mouth in rapid succession.
"Obi... you've been gone," said Marc carefully. "You've been missing... for three years."
The heart monitor began to beep erratically. Marc tried to reach Obi's hand, but before he could, the door opened suddenly.
"Obi!" shouted a woman wearing a black pantsuit. "Oh honey! I thought I lost you."
Recognizing his mother, Obi let her to embrace him. Tears began to pour down their cheeks as they hugged tightly and took a few minutes before they parted. Mrs. Salvio could not stop staring at her child's face, fearing that Obi might vanish if she stopped holding his face.
"Mom, what's going on?" asked Obi. "Is it true... I was gone for three years? Why can't I remember?"
Mrs. Salvio looked at Marc and then at the man who walked in with her.
"Good afternoon, Obi. I'm Dr. Martinez. I believe you are suffering from partial amnesia."
"What?"
"Mostly this happens with people who have experienced trauma," Dr. Martinez explained. "We did some tests and MRI scans. Aside from dehydration and mild malnutrition, we did not find any permanent damage. I strongly believe that your memories will eventually return."
"You heard that, honey," said Mrs. Salvio while caressing her son's overgrown hair. "Everything will be okay."
"If you may excuse me, I need to see another patient. I'll see you later, Obi, Mrs. Salvio."
Dr. Martinez left the room. Marc started to pick up his things, intending to give the mother and son some privacy.
"I feel thirsty. Mom, can you get me some water and maybe something to eat?" asked Obi.
"Of course," said Mrs. Salvio. "Marc, where are you going?"
"Um, I thought maybe you needed some time alone," said Marc sheepishly.
"Don't be ridiculous! I know you missed Obi too. Stay!" said Mrs. Salvio which sounded more like an order than a request. "You're the one who found him, after all."
Marc put his bag down and sat back on the chair beside Obi's bed. Mrs. Salvio kissed her son's forehead.
"I'll just take a minute."
The second she left the room, Obi looked at Marc.
"Is that true? Were you the one who found me?" asked Obi.
"Well, not really. When you went missing, we searched everywhere. After a few months, the police gave up so I wrote a web crawler that would search the Internet for any article with your descriptions or your name... I finally got an alert this morning that a Roberto Salvio got admitted to this hospital. When I saw your picture, I knew it was you."
"Marc, what happened to me? How come all I can remember is the summer before our senior year?"
"I don't know what happened, Obi. The investigation done by the police came out blank. I'm sorry... we couldn't find you."
Marc stopped to clear his throat. Thinking about those years was hard for him but Marc could not even begin to imagine how Obi might be feeling at that moment.
"Your mom tried everything she could to find you... called everyone she knew. She even hired a private investigator to search for you. I tried everything I could think of to help..."
"Marc, please don't look like that," said Obi after noticing his friend's grim expression.
"Sorry, I just... I just couldn't help feeling guilty... as though I've let you down," said Marc sincerely.
"No! Never say that again. I don't blame you or mom for not being able to find me..."
"It's just... I just couldn't imagine what you must have been through."
"Well, I guess it's a good thing I got amnesia," said Obi with a small smile though his cheeks were damp with tears too. "At least I couldn't remember whatever happened to me."
The joke lightened Marc's mood a bit, but he chose not to respond. For a moment, both boys got lost in their own thoughts. A couple of minutes passed, the door opened and Mrs. Salvio walked in, carrying two large bags of snacks.
"Sorry it took me a while, the line was a bit long," she said.
She then began handing out snacks. All three of them ate in silence for a while though Marc and Mrs. Salvio were a bit surprised by how quickly Obi inhaled a whole hotdog.
"Obi, slow down. The food's not going to run away," said Mrs. Salvio grinning.
The atmosphere became considerably lighter as they all ate and talked. Marc tried to update Obi on what has been happening in the past three years though refrained from mentioning certain topics that might upset his best friend, particularly about their high school. Obi let them tiptoe around him so he would not upset his mother yet, deep inside, he had a million and one questions bursting to get out.
After a day and a half in the hospital, the doctor gave the go-ahead and allowed Obi finally leave. Going back home was strange for him. Obi noticed that a lot had changed in their city in just three years. A massiave mall now stood on the plot of land that was once scattered with a few trees and obscured by tall grass where he and his friends used to hang out during their high school days.
To see a world that was so different from the one he vividly remembered disoriented Obi. In every direction, there were things he recognized immediately, but after a second, something caught his attention and disrupted his sense of familiarity. It was like living in someone else's life... or in some kind of freakish parallel universe.
"Here we are! Welcome back home," said Mrs. Salvio cheerily to her son.
Their house looked completely like how he remembered it unlike their suburban village where there were now houses on once vacant lots. But the unchanged state of their house, despite the outside world morphing into something entirely new, made Obi think about how his mother might have lived all those years he was gone.
His father died many years ago when he was just six and since then, he and his mom were the only ones who stayed in the small bungalow. Though the house was not a mansion, living there alone for three years would not have been easy, more so for a mother who still held onto hoped that her son was alive somewhere, somehow. Their house being unchanged told Obi how his mother refused to accept what the police and the world said about the fate of her son... clinging to hope, no matter how painful it was to live in a house that reminded her of what she had lost.
"It's exactly as I remembered," said Obi with a huge grin, trying to hide his thoughts from his mother. "I'm glad to be home."
Mrs. Salvio smiled and told him to rest for a while before they went to the mall. On their ride home from the hospital, she suggested that they would need to go shopping for new clothes because Obi had grown taller and his old ones no longer fit very well.
Entering his room, Obi felt more relax, not for being in a familiar place, but because he finally had a chance to be alone. For the past two days, his mother, Marc, or the hospital staff did not give him much time to absorb the situation and acted as normal as he could, fearing that a frown or a prolonged silence might upset them. Around other people, Obi felt as though he was a bomb waiting to explode and it did not help when most people, particularly his mother, treated him as such. Only Marc gave him a little bit of space on those short, quiet periods when they were lost in thought, respecting that they needed silence to make sense of what was going on.
The ringing broke Obi's reverie, and what his mother said to the caller stopped him from closing his bedroom door.
"Hello, Julia," said Mrs. Salvio very quietly. "I told you to handle things there because I need to take a few days off... Yes, he is fine and the doctor said there is nothing wrong with him physically, though he's gotten rather skinny."
A pause as Mrs. Salvio listened. Obi leaned his head a bit closer to the gap of the door.
"Are you sure you can't handle that? All the paperwork for that event is on the files. Uh huh... he said that? Can you ask him what specifically he wants to do with that? Tsk tsk tsk... Okay... it's not your fault. I'll be right there."
After hanging up, Obi thought he heard his mother sigh. He knew his mother did not want to go office and had even planned to accompany him all day to ease the transition of being back. But Obi felt as if he was intruding in his mother's life. Ever since his father died, Obi vowed never to become a burden to his mother in any way.
"I'll be okay here," said Obi even before his mother opened her mouth. "You go handle your work."
"You heard, huh?"
"Yeah, but it's okay. Really!" Obi had to emphasize that he meant it because the torn expression on his mother face was torturing them both. "I'd probably just sleep all day anyway. I think, I got dextrose hangover or something."
Mrs. Salvio smiled sadly and hugged her son.
"It won't always be this way. I'm just going to sort this one out and then I'll take a leave of absence. It's just... everything happened so suddenly..."
"Mom, you don't have to explain. I'll be here when you get back."
The hug took longer than any teenager would have been comfortable with, but Obi let his mother embrace him. After a while though, he released his hold which prompted Mrs. Salvio to take a step back but continued to look at her son, guilt or fear evident on her face.
"How about you come with me to the office?" she suggested, obviously stalling. "Show you how big it's become?
"I think I'll pass for now... I feel a bit tired after the traveling."
Though this was a lie as he had never felt so awake, Obi understood where his mother was coming from. After three years of uncertainty, she finally found her son and it was hard not to feel scared that if she let him out of her sight, even for a second, he will vanish again.
"Okay, you just rest here and I'll be right back as soon as I can," said Mrs. Salvio while pulling out her wallet and then handing Obi money. "That's for lunch, just in case I get stuck in traffic. Takeout menus are--"
"In the side table's drawer by the phone?" asked Obi, smiling. He needed to reassure her that he was not completely useless.
Mrs. Salvio smiled and nodded.
"But I'll try to be back and cook so you don't have to eat some greasy pizza or soggy pasta."
And with a last touch to her son's face and an `I love you,' Mrs. Salvio got her car keys and was gone while Obi watched her drive away. After the car made a turn, Obi looked down and noticed that his mother had just handed him cash equivalent to a week's worth of groceries. But not really caring about lunch, he tossed the money on the dining table and returned to his room.
Just like everything in the house, his room was exactly as he remembered it. The trophy case full of awards he earned playing sports, the posters of cars on the walls and even the half-read novel by his nightstand were all intact. Obi sat on his bed, staring at his wall, deep in thought, trying to rationalize what had happened to him or why, of all people, did it happen to him. He was nothing special, only an average teenage boy who liked playing basketball or go swimming with his friends, loved hanging out with his girlfriend and trying to graduate from high school.
Obi glanced around and saw someone else looking back at him. Though he knew he was looking at his reflection, the young man staring back at him was no longer the boy he remembered. His face appeared to be longer and more angular with his skin clinging tightly to his cheekbones. He did not look grotesquely thin but he lost a lot of weight and looked like someone who was recovering from an illness.
Sighing in frustration, Obi leaned backwards until he fell on his bed. The green glow-in-the-dark star stickers that he and his dad put on the ceiling back when he was a kid were still there. He remembered that his dad used to tell him that travelers use stars as guides to know where to go when they get lost.
`I'm lost, Dad... which star should I follow now?'
Obi did not notice how long he had been staring at the ceiling. He tried to take a nap which his mind would not allow and when he finally gave up, Obi caught a glimpse of the alarm clock on his nightstand.
11:30 AM. His mother has been gone for three and a half hours.
Suddenly, his room, the house... felt small and confining. He took the phone that his mother had bought yesterday for him and dialed one of the two numbers programmed there.
"Hello, Marc?"
"Hey, Obi! Why'd you call? Something wrong?"
"No. I'm at home but my mom had to go deal with something. I was thinking, maybe we can hang."
"Good timing! Just got out of school. Wanna to go to the mall?"
Three years ago, it was still being built with large tarpaulins blocked the view of the construction, but shows the plans for the largest mall of the city. And now, Obi stood fascinated in front of the butterfly sanctuary amidst all the boutiques and fast food restaurants: A magnificent glass column that breaks through the floor above to reach the mall's ceiling and has filled with exotic looking plants and colorful insects.
Obi watched as a rather large butterfly landed on the glass in front of his face, slowly fluttering its wings while at rest. He was so preoccupied by the iridescent wings that Obi jumped when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Looking around, he saw his friend, Marc grinning.
"Sorry, I surprised you. I just had to make sure it was really you `cause I never considered you as a butterfly-staring type."
"I'm just impressed that there's a mini-forest in the middle of this mall," said Obi as he looked back to the glass.
Both boys paused for a moment and gazed into the glass column. A mall attendant entered the enclosure with a small bucket, and suddenly, a kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttered around the sanctuary, temporarily creating a twister of swirling colors.
Obi looked around and noticed that, besides him, Marc, and a small child near them, no one seemed to have taken notice of the beautiful display the insects made. After the butterflies settled down, Marc and Obi walked around to decide where they could eat lunch. Being a weekday, the mall was not as crowded and getting a seat at a Japanese restaurant was easy.
"So, how's your day so far?" asked Marc after they placed their order.
"It's weird. My house didn't change a bit but outside... it's like a whole new world. Never thought so much can change in just three years," said Obi.
"Well, in the surface maybe, but mostly, things didn't change much around here."
"The fare's higher though. The jeepney driver looked at me as if I had three heads when I asked for more change. Then, I remembered what year it is."
They both laughed.
"So, what do you plan to do now?" Marc asked while they waited for their order.
Obi thought for a second. To be honest, he was not sure what to do. School has already started, and it was already too late to enroll. And if he did decide to go back, that would mean he will need to finish high school alone, as all of his friends were now halfway through college.
"Don't know... finish senior year, I guess."
"I actually thought about that and did a bit of research. Because you're eighteen, you don't need to attend another year of high school. You can go to college next semester if you pass a placement exam..."
"For real?" asked Obi who started to grin.
"Yeah. Let me check DepEd's website..." Marc took out his phone and did an online search. "Well, the test is still a few months away, so I guess you have time to prepare. I can help you review. I think I still have some notes from high school lying around the house somewhere."
After having lunch, Marc challenged Obi to the arcade. They have always been competitive, and even though Marc usually did not play sports, he was very good in the basketball machine at Tobby's Arcade.
"Okay, let's see if you still have that magical three-point shot that drove the girls crazy back in junior year," said Marc as he handed Obi a token for his machine.
"Game!"
The machine started, and the balls rolled down to them. Marc easily made consecutive shots due to his height advantage, but Obi's score was not far behind. Their first game was a close one. Marc got exhausted after his score hit 680 and lost, while Obi just stopped shooting after he got 893 points.
"Okay, I guess you still are the captain," said Marc, hands raised in surrender and noticed that even though he was breathing like crazy, Obi did not even break a sweat.
"That's what happens when you only look at computers all day," said Obi, grinning. "Another round?"
"Ha! I need a timeout! Let me get something to drink first, then I'm going to whip your ass!"
"Dream on!"
They walked out of the arcade and headed towards the food court.
"Obi! Is that you?"
Both of them turned and saw a girl approaching. Obi smiled wide as he immediately recognized who she was.
"Annie!"
When the girl got near enough, Obi hugged her tightly. Marc stood awkwardly beside them, trying not to interrupt the two high school sweethearts. Obi and Annie separated, then they looked at each other.
"You're back!" said Annie, looking really happy. "How long has it been? Three years? What's happened to you? Are you okay now?"
"Yeah, I'm... okay," said Obi, still holding her hand. "I don't know what happened to me. I couldn't remember..."
"Amnesia?" Annie asked with concern.
"Yeah, but I'm okay.... How about you? What's been going on?"
"I'm studying at the community college. Business management... oh my gosh, Marc, I'm so sorry, how are you?"
"Oh, you finally noticed! I'm great... just mastering the art of blending into the background," said Marc, jokingly. Obi punched him on the shoulder.
"Annie, I thought you were going to wait at the bookstore?" asked a guy from behind Obi.
Marc and Obi looked around and saw a tall guy, holding two shopping bags and a cup of coffee. He looked a bit older than them and was wearing a polo shirt with the same logo as Annie's uniform.
"Sorry, I saw some high school friends. I haven't seen them for years, so I went to say hi."
Annie took the coffee from the guy and stood next to him. Marc discreetly glanced sideways to see his friend's reaction. It was very subtle, but after being best friends for years, Marc noticed the shock on Obi's face as Annie held the tall guy's hand.
"Obi, Marc, this is Gary, my boyfriend," Annie introduced.
With no available hand to shake, Gary simply smiled at them.
"Hi," said Gary.
Obi and Marc returned the greeting, though with less enthusiasm. A few seconds of awkward silence followed, in which Annie was the only one who did not notice.
"Annie, we need to get going," said Gary, breaking the tension.
"Oh, okay. Umm, it was nice to see you Marc, Obi. Glad you're okay," said Annie.
"Thanks," said Obi weakly.
Annie and Gary walked to the nearest escalator, while Obi turned to go back to the arcade. Marc followed, unsure of what to do.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
The noise of the game machines blasted all around them. Marc stood near an air hockey machine while Obi went in line to buy some tokens.
It was stupid of him to think that Annie did not move on after all these years. Of course, she had a new boyfriend. She was beautiful and smart and funny... even back in high school. Obi always thought that he was lucky that a girl like her chose him to be her boyfriend.
After obtaining his tokens, Obi approached two vacant basketball machines and handed Marc a handful of coins.
"Obi... you're not fine," said Marc lamely, but did not know what else to do.
Obi started his machine, picked up a ball, and started shooting. He lost himself in the game and did not notice the small crowd gathering around him.
Marc stood helpless as he watched his friend's score go higher and higher. 2345... 2348... 2352....
`Yeah, I'm not okay... but what can I do, right? I just have to man up and move on... because obviously, everyone has.'
End of Chapter 1 of 18 To be continued.
*** Afterword:
Hello everyone. Thank you for reading! It has been... a very long time since I posted a story here in Nifty. As a way to ease my way back to writing, I'm finally sharing my novel, ADLAO: The Hidden Tribe. Though this novel had been self-published in Amazon, I decided to share it in Nifty to pay homage to the site where I started writing years ago. I'm editing and cleaning up the chapters, so I will be posting a chapter or two per week.
In addition, I'm in the process of finishing the subsequent chapters of my story "Falling for a Straight Guy" and the second arc of Love Assassin is also currently in progress (stay tuned).
I know it has been a very, VERY long time since I stopped writing. But hopefully, I still have the words and imagination to create the worlds and characters you will enjoy and love.
Love Assassin (anti-hero love story) https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-friends/love-assassin/
Falling for a Straight Guy (coming-of-age story) https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/highschool/falling-for-a-straight-guy/
If you enjoy my stories, you can buy me a coffee! :) https://www.buymeacoffee.com/fridianworlds
Thank you! Fritz