The sea breeze whispered through the mangrove trees, carrying with it the scent of salt and decay. Bantayan, a town known for its pristine beaches and quiet charm, was a paradise to many.
But to Samuel Villaverde, it was a prison.
A place where he had been forced to live in his father's shadow, where his failures had been paraded like a spectacle for the town to see. He was supposed to be nothing the disappointing son of a powerful politician.
But they didn't know the truth.
Samuel had never been weak.
He had been waiting.
And now, something inside him had begun to stir.
It started as a whisper, a quiet curiosity lurking in the back of his mind.
But now, it was something else.
Something hungry.
Something that demanded to be fed.
It was past midnight when Samuel found himself wandering the dimly lit streets near the Bantayan public market.
The town had mostly gone to sleep, except for the occasional drunk stumbling out of a karaoke bar and the street vendors packing up their carts.
That's when he saw her.
A mentally derailed young woman, slouched in the shadows near a closed sari-sari store. Her body reeked of sweat and alcohol, her hair matted with dirt.
Samuel watched her for a long moment, feeling an odd sense of detachment.
No one would miss her.
No one would even care.
He stepped closer, his heart hammering not from fear, but from something else.
A thrill,
a curiosity,
an anticipation that coiled around his spine like a snake.
The woman barely reacted as Samuel knelt beside her. Her glassy eyes flickered open, her breath thick with alcohol.
"Boss, spare some change?"
the young woman slurred, her voice hoarse.
Samuel tilted his head.
Then, without thinking, he reached forward and pressed his fingers around the young woman's throat.
At first, she didn't react. Her sluggish brain took a few seconds to register what was happening. Then she started to struggle.
Samuel felt the pulse beneath his fingers, erratic and desperate. The young woman's nails scraped against his arm, but there was no real strength behind them.
And Samuel just held on.
He watched as her eyes bulged, her mouth opening in a silent plea. Her body jerked, her legs kicked weakly against the pavement.
Then, stillness.
Samuel released his grip, leaning back as the young woman's head lolled to the side, her lips parted in a final breath that never came.
For a long moment, Samuel just stared.
Waiting.
Waiting for guilt.
Waiting for fear.
Waiting for anything.
But all he felt was a rush of something exhilarating.
Something he had never felt before.
Power. And he wanted more, more dramatic, more satisfying, with rape perhaps?
A slow, cold smile curved his lips.
And deep in the pit of his stomach, something whispered to him.
Do it again.