Carlos took out his phone to check out the time. About half an hour more, he decided as the smoggy early evening air filled his lungs. He glanced around to check for any shady characters before indulging the email notifications that glared from his status bar.

CC'ed emails everywhere, he thought as he scrolled. Then he tapped the power button and shoved the phone back into his pocket, just as a cigarette hawker passed by. One can never be too careful here.

He was standing on the comer of Quezon Boulevard and Recto, in front of a shopping mall, across the street from the train station from where Alexa will emerge from in a few more minutes. It was a particularly seedy part of the city, especially at this hour. Throngs of students from the local university mingled with salarymen on the way home and locals pushing for last-minute sales. And they're selling nearly everything imaginable on these streets, from bed sheets and children's toys to generator units and abortifacients.

"Psst, what you got there, mister?"

Carlos' eyes rolled, his hand freezing on its way back to his pocket. He turned to see Alexa's giggling face come up from behind him. ''Hey, did you suddenly learn to phase your entire body?'

"No, I just went around through the mall. I was actually waiting for you to turn around, but I couldn't resist. You looked like a spook standing there waiting for someone!"

"Yeah, I was waiting for someone. A woman, about five foot eight, long black hair, a really annoying laugh. Seen someone like that?"

"Ah, sucks for you, I haven't. But maybe a dinner will jog my memory?" Alexa shoved her red handbag against her husband's chest.

"Sure, right after Mass," Carlos wagged a finger in response.

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. It was the first Friday of the month, and as usual the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene attracted huge crowds. The couple heard Mass, and had a simple dinner at one of the local fastfoods surrounding the church.

It was a little past eight when the two of them were finally on the way home. They walked to a bus stop along Quezon Boulevard, where a transport barker was calling in passengers. They were about to board the waiting bus when a hand suddenly grabbed Alexa's wrist.

"Why are you still here?" A rough voice whispered in her ear as she yanked her hand on instinct.

"Let go of her." Carlos, just behind Alexa, said in a low, firm voice. As Alexa turned, she saw her husband grabbing the barker's collar. The latter's calloused hand was wrapped like a vise around her wrist, but she felt it loosen slowly. His dark, bearded face looked into hers intently.

"Go. Leave, before it's too late. It's starting." The barker said in a similar rough voice as he let go . In the same motion, he swept aside Carlos' hand and resumed calling out to passengers.

"Wait, what?" Alexa followed him with her eyes, but she blinked and he was suddenly gone. She looked around frantically, until she felt another hand yanking hers. It was Carlos, leading her away from the bus and back onto the sidewalk. She had a passing glimpse of glares from the other passengers, chiding them for the delay. 

"Hey, what was that about?", Alexa asked as Carlos towed her in a brisk walk.

"In a bit," he said as he took a sharp turn into a 7-Eleven. He then dragged her into an aisle. Without bothering to look unassuming, he faced her and said — "That was a sigben."

"Who?"

"The barker who held you."

"How did you know?" 

"I can smell him." 

Alexa stood silent for a few seconds. "And?"

Carlos sighed. "Don't you think it strange for a sigben to be here? He sniffed you out. He knew what you were."

 "I don't get it. So what?" 

"He told you to leave" 

"Leave what?"

"I don't know, but he said something about being too late..." Carlos thought for a moment. "Have you heard from your family recently?"

"I haven't talked to any of them in months."

"Then maybe give them a ring? Something's up, maybe they know what. That guy seems pretty serious."

"Well, that's easier said than done," Alex said as she took a pack of instant noodles from the shelf and walked towards the cashier. "You know how they are with — hey, where is everybody?" 

Alex was in front of the cashier, but there was no one there. In fact, the whole store was deserted. And both of them could swear that there was a small crowd standing around the Slurpee aisle just a little earlier.

"Uh-oh," Carlos whispered as he squinted through the window. The entire street was also empty, and the street lights... well, the street lights were turning off one by one.