Summary
Highlights
Jason, 32 and newly separated, found himself frequently drinking to cope with the sadness. One night, while waiting at a terminal after a heavy drinking session, he saw a nun walking at an inhuman speed. Upon closer inspection, he realized she was floating, had glowing black eyes, no mouth, and decaying hands holding a rosary. This terrifying encounter drastically changed him, leading him to stop drinking excessively and focus on his life.
Benson, a terminal guard, recounts an incident where he caught a couple in a compromising position behind the ticketing office. The man glared at him, a look Benson later realized was a curse. He began experiencing unexplained anxieties and seeing an elusive man in a black jacket. A local healer, Nanay Ligaya, confirmed he was targeted by a 'balis' (curse) but couldn't fight a 'mangkukulam' (sorcerer). Another healer, Nanay Rofing, identified the man from the incident as the sorcerer and reversed the curse after several treatments. Benson learned that his job often put him in situations where he might offend people, leading to unexpected conflicts.
Randy shares a bizarre daytime encounter at a bus terminal. While eating adobo, a young boy with an intense stare appeared beside him. Randy offered the boy some food, and the child smiled, thanked him, and then vanished instantly. Locals later told him the boy was a spirit who had been abandoned and starved to death at the terminal, appearing to passengers and asking for food. Randy prayed and lit a candle for the child.
Angie visited her online boyfriend, Neil, a jeepney driver in Cavite. She decided to sleep in his jeep at the terminal but ignored Neil's warning about an Aswang. Waking up to use the restroom, she bypassed texting Neil, only to be confronted by a dark-skinned, oily-skinned man with clicking teeth and sharp claws who attempted to grab her. Neil and other drivers came to her rescue, confirming the presence of an Aswang that preys on outsiders but does not harm locals. This terrifying experience led Angie to realize the reality of such mythical creatures.
Andy, a terminal worker, had a close friend named Jose, a jeepney driver who often saw a faceless entity in his rearview mirror. Andy advised Jose to have his jeep blessed, but Jose never did. One night, Andy saw the faceless entity in Jose's parked jeep. The next day, Jose died in a road accident. Andy witnessed the faceless entity at the accident scene, realizing it was a harbinger of death, and regretted not warning Jose more forcefully.
Jeremy, a veteran bus driver, recounts a terrifying incident at an old terminal with a large, overgrown vacant lot. One night, his colleague William, noticed a crying sound from the lot. William, despite Jeremy's concern about snakes, went into the tall grass and emerged carrying a naked baby. Jeremy soon realized it wasn't a normal infant but a Tiyanak—a demonic creature with shriveled skin, sharp teeth, and long claws. William, terrified, threw the creature, and it vanished. The Tiyanak continued to haunt the terminal with its cries, often dismissed as stray cats by the staff.
Lolo, a retired driver, tells a story from his youth about his first encounter with an Aswang. During a birthday celebration at the terminal's office, he went outside to relieve himself. He noticed an eerie shift in the air and a foul smell. Two men approached, barefoot and with glowing eyes. He realized they were Aswangs when large wings emerged from their backs. Lolo, a fast runner, fled to the office, locking himself inside with his friends as the Aswangs circled outside. They stayed until morning, confirming the creatures' presence.
Dodoy, a young man selling snacks on buses, repeatedly encountered a well-dressed child sitting alone on a bench in the terminal. He initially dismissed it, thinking the child was waiting for family. However, after seeing the child alone again late in the evening and approaching him, the child vanished right before his eyes when two women passed by. The terminal staff denied seeing any child there all day, making Dodoy realize he had encountered a ghost. He concluded it was the ghost of a lost child who had perhaps died of hunger at the terminal.
Italya recounts a shameful period in her youth when she relentlessly pursued Jake, her high school crush, despite knowing he was engaged. Her persistence led her to become his girlfriend, driving his fiancée's family (who were Aswangs) to interfere. Italya experienced a three-day blackout after being 'aswang' (possessed or cursed) at the terminal by Jake's fiancée's brother. She was saved by three albularyos and eventually learned Jake married his fiancée. This traumatic event transformed Italya, leading her to a happier and more content life.
Milisa and her boyfriend, Shan, were traveling to Bicol by bus when they arrived at the terminal late at night. They found the streets unusually deserted. Venturing out for food, they encountered a disheveled woman with messy hair and an angry expression. When they passed her by, the woman, identified by a jeepney driver as 'Aling Tessy,' a known witch or 'mangkukulam,' began violently shaking a jeep, causing it to vibrate. Her hair began to float, confirming her supernatural abilities. The driver warned them that Aling Tessy wandered at night in a maddened state, intimidating locals.
Danny, who has a third eye since childhood, shares his encounters with spirits at a provincial terminal where he worked as a vendor. He first noticed an elderly woman, 'Lola Carmen,' consistently sitting at the waiting shed. Unlike other spirits he'd seen, she remained in one spot, seemingly waiting. He eventually conversed with her, learning she was waiting for her husband, Crisanto, whom she was destined to meet again there. Danny also noticed other spirits, including a mother and son, and a 'vintage' woman, affirming that the terminal was a nexus for wandering souls. Lola Carmen's story highlighted the emotional attachment and lingering memories even in the afterlife.
Danny continues his story about Lola Carmen. One day, a new driver, Mang Crisanto, appeared at the terminal. JP, a conductor, mentioned that Mang Crisanto had been hospitalized and insisted on returning to work despite his fragile health. Danny realized Mang Crisanto was Lola Carmen's long-awaited husband. He didn't inform Lola Carmen, feeling a strange inhibition. That evening, Mang Crisanto suffered a fatal heart attack in his bus. Danny witnessed Lola Carmen approach the bus, and then both her spirit and Mang Crisanto's newly departed soul, confused and dazed, walked away together, disappearing from sight. The reunion marked the end of Lola Carmen's long vigil at the terminal.
Dara recounts an experience involving her friend Hazel, who was training to become a nun. During a two-month break from her religious studies, Hazel and Dara went on a trip. At a bus terminal at 4 AM, Hazel felt uneasy. A tall, smiling man with black eyes and dark teeth approached them. He sat beside Hazel, who began to cry uncontrollably. The man whispered something to Hazel, intensifying her distress, before walking away, seemingly floating. Hazel later identified him as a demon, a 'test' during her journey to become a nun. This terrifying encounter caused Hazel to seclude herself at home until her training resumed.
In 1998, Dara's grandfather, a tricycle driver and balot vendor, and his colleagues helped an old pedicab driver in their terminal by offering him water and food. The old man's pedicab was then destroyed by reckless teenagers in an owner-type jeep. The teenagers refused to pay for the damages, even after the old man offered them money. The old man stopped the grandfathers from confronting the teens, claiming they would learn a lesson. He then mysteriously vanished, leaving behind a small pouch of golden rocks. These rocks were proven to be real gold, earning the grandfathers a significant amount of money. The reckless teenagers' jeep crashed on the same day, leaving them permanently injured. The grandfathers used their share of the gold to secure their children's education, highlighting the profound impact of good karma.