Chapter 8 - The Captain of the Barge

I sat inside our room with Molly again. She wasn’t saying anything—just sobbing quietly.

"Why, ate? Why... hic... hic... I was faithful. I stayed faithful to him until the end. I even promised myself I’d be serious this time. I’m head over heels in love with him, but he said he didn’t feel the same. That he never did. He only dated me because of my looks... never for who I really am. Uwaaa..."

It was the worst.

I wasn’t good at consoling people. Advice never came easily to me. I tried to comfort my sister, but nothing worked. I didn’t even know which boyfriend she was crying over—she had always been a serial dater. I even tried searching WikiHow for ways to help someone through a breakup, but a message popped up on my phone.

“Teacher Jelly, the headmaster wants to talk with you regarding your late submissions.”

It was teacher Grumpy. Oh, no. My lesson plans had been late.

I was just about to respond when a weak voice interrupted me.

"Elly... Elly! Hey... you... wake..."

I jolted awake, gasping for air. A crowd hovered nearby. A middle-aged man knelt beside me, checking my pulse.

“Are you alright? Here, try to sit up—slowly,” he said, his voice gentle but firm. He propped me up, supporting me with his arm.

“Jelly! Oh my God, we thought you were gone!” Ritchelle burst out.

“You thought, not we, Ritch. Don’t scare her like that,” Alyssa corrected.

“Hey, Elly, can you hear me? I know it’s hard, but keep breathing, okay?” Vhina added, cupping my cheeks. She meant well, but the way she said it felt off.

“Everyone, please clear the area,” the man ordered. Judging by his concern and composure, he had to be a doctor. His face was rugged but handsome for an Asian man. He had a neatly trimmed beard and a strong jawline. A short, attractive goatee framed his mouth.

Something twisted painfully in my chest.

I went through a series of check-ups and questions after the crowd thinned, teacher Mary staying with me the entire time. My focus kept slipping. I couldn’t see clearly without my glasses—Ritchelle said they were missing. The dizziness didn’t help either.

At some point, I drifted back to sleep.

*****

I woke drenched in sweat, lying on a makeshift bed pieced together from random clothes and blankets. As I scanned my cramped tent with its pointed roof, I saw nothing but my belongings. It might have felt cozy if it weren’t so unbearably hot. I decided to step outside.

People bustled under the punishing sun. I counted about half the passengers I remembered from the barge, including the crew. The doctor who had helped me earlier now attended to someone else. The young-looking old lady from the barge moved around, handing out pan burikat and various types of chicharon. She had swapped her Pikachu shirt for a sweat-soaked sweater covered in tiled Jigglypuffs.

What was with this manang’s outfit?

The shoreline was crowded with makeshift tents cobbled together from anything—cloth, wood, even jagged metal sheets yanked from somewhere.

Metal?

It all came back in a flash.

The barge!

I hurried over to teacher Mary, who watched the shore’s activity with a sharp eye. “Where’s the barge, cher?”

“Oh, Jelly! I’m so glad you’re awake. Have you eaten yet? Ate Corazon! Can we get some food and water here?”

The old lady shuffled over, still awkwardly cheery. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we’ve run out. Maybe we can find something deeper in the island—if there are locals.” Her sweat-drenched sweater sagged, the Jigglypuffs wrinkled beyond recognition.

“That’s okay, te,” I said, forcing a smile and ignoring the hunger. “I’m not that hungry yet.”

“Well, if you say so. Thank you, ate,” teacher Mary said before turning back to me. “Now, what were you asking?”

“The barge,” I repeated. “And these camps?”

“Oh, right.” She pointed to a jagged cliff nearby. “The barge is anchored behind that cliff in a small cove. When I woke, we had already landed here. We tried our phones, but there’s no signal. People are distraught, especially the students. They’re in that tent over there.”

She gestured at a sad-looking structure with driftwood hanging out front. The word "ORANGE" was scrawled across it in bold letters, though the tent itself was entirely not orange. It had teacher Mary written all over it—she loved order and color, even if she had to improvise.

“But there’s a problem,” she continued. “Some passengers are missing. I’m afraid only about half of us remain.”

My chest tightened. “Jusko,” I murmured, the weight of the news sinking in.

“And another thing,” she added, her voice grave. “Some men are trying to get the captain out of his cabin. He hasn’t come out or made a sound. His cabin isn’t soundproof, so he could have yelled or banged on the door if he was in trouble. And...”

Her voice faltered.

“And?” I prompted.

“We found blood in one of the crew cabins,” she said quietly. “We don’t know whose it is. Let’s hope it isn’t from one of us. We’ve lost track of time, too. Our phones have completely stopped working.”

Teacher Mary estimated it had been two to five hours since we landed.

“Who’s missing?”

“I’m not sure yet. Please rest for now. We’ll need manpower to survive the next few hours—or a day, if rescue takes longer.”

Teacher Mary was sure someone would notice our absence and report it. Some of us had tried every means of communication.

“But, cher, please. Tell me who’s missing from our group,” I insisted.

She shot me a hard look as if trying to read my mind. She must have seen my resolve because, after a long pause, she sighed. “Seven. Five teachers and two students.”

“Who?”

“Don’t worry about that now, Jelly.”

“Please, teacher Mary. I need to know! Are they my friends?” I cried, stress and anger boiling over.

“Blanch, Veruca, Chevonne, Josh, Samuel, and Arjun for the teachers. And—”

“The students?”

“Finlay and Priscilla.” She stiffened, her face hardening. “Don’t give me that look, teacher Jelly. Consider yourself lucky. Go back to your tent. Rest properly.”

I must have looked ready to break, but I held myself together.

“It’s too hot inside. Can I explore inland for a while?” I suggested.

Her face darkened. She marched closer, stopping an inch from my face. “Go. Get. Some. Rest.”

I slouched my shoulders and turned back toward the tent when a commotion erupted from the cove. Crew members rushed toward the barge, their shouts and screams echoing. I squinted but couldn’t see clearly. A figure sprinted toward us. Teacher Mary stood calmly, arms crossed, assessing the chaos.

The figure reached us. It was Alyssa, and she was out of breath.

Teacher Mary gave her a moment to catch her breath before nodding for me to get water. I handed Alyssa my hydro flask. She drank deeply then gasped, “Cher, the captain’s cabin—it’s been opened.”

We rushed to the cove. The barge was no longer afloat as I had imagined. A fourth of it had already sunk into the shallow water. It was shallow enough to keep the captain’s cabin from being submerged completely.

People crowded around the cabin. Their faces were pale and disturbed. It was like they’d seen a ghost.

“Give way. We want to see what’s happening,” teacher Mary commanded, her voice calm but firm enough to part the crowd.

When we stepped inside, our jaws dropped.

The cabin was wrecked. Walls and furniture were destroyed as if some beast had rampaged through them. Deep scratches gouged every surface—walls, ceiling, floor. I knelt, tracing them with my fingers.

They weren’t human.

Teacher Mary shrieked. I spun, startled. My eyes followed hers to the far corner where a figure slumped in an armchair.

I squinted but couldn’t make out the details. Moving closer, the shadows lifted.

It was the captain, holding his own severed head.

The neck area was a mangled bloody mess.

I lurched to the side and threw up. Teacher Mary collected herself and covered the decapitated corpse with the captain’s jacket, which lay nearby, draping it over the neck and down to the waist. The crew still barred people from entering, but some had glimpsed the headless captain and retreated to the shore, spreading the news. Others now pushed and jostled at the deck’s perimeter.

Teacher Norkie and Selena arrived to restore order, urging people back to their tents. The crew assisted, working to calm the passengers. Some of them wailed incoherently and tried to force their way in, keeping the crew occupied and leaving teacher Mary and me alone—or so I thought.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am, but you’ll need to leave, too,” a crew member said firmly as he noticed us lingering. “It’s gruesome. Something you ladies shouldn’t have to see.”

“We’ll leave shortly,” teacher Mary replied. She flashed an ID, holding it just long enough for him to see before tucking it away. “But I need to investigate first. Introduce me to someone qualified if you want me out.”

The man scratched his head then left us alone.

I stepped closer, whispering, “What was that, cher?”

Teacher Mary shifted slightly, probably avoiding the smell of my vomit. “Nothing. Just an old job.” Her voice was even. “Now, what could’ve happened here?”

We searched the captain’s desk and cabinets, finding IDs, personal belongings, porcelain ceramics, and jars of ginamos and hipon. Bravely, teacher Mary reached into the captain’s pants pocket and retrieved a purse containing ten five-centavo coins, three fifty-peso bills—and a condom. She tossed it away in disgust, muttering something I couldn’t catch. Then, she lifted the jacket to examine the captain’s remains more closely.

I staggered outside, sitting on the cold metal floor against the icy cabin wall, sobbing. I asked God why this had happened. It was beginning to traumatize me.

After a while, teacher Mary emerged and nudged my shoulder. I looked up, catching my reflection in the broken cabin window—puffy eyes, tear-smudged face. She hesitated, choosing her words carefully.

“Let’s go back now,” she said softly.

“What did you find, cher?” I murmured, still shaky.

She paused. “Nothing—except one thing.”

“What is it?”

“It might be too disturbing for you.”

“Try me,” I lied, forcing a brave front despite the tremor in my voice.

“The captain’s right eye socket was scooped out—deep, hard. I couldn’t find the eyeball anywhere. This wasn’t natural. Someone killed him.”

“Well, that’s obvious from the neck.” I gagged again, the memory flashing back. “Doesn’t it terrify you?”

Teacher Mary gave a wistful smile, then she slipped an arm around my shoulder, helping me up. “I know it’s your first time seeing something like this. I might be asking too much, but you need to move on. You need to be strong. If the students see you like this, they’ll panic, too. Please, try to hold yourself together.”

I broke into sobs again. How could she expect me to forget something so horrific? If only I hadn’t joined this training camp—if not for my stupid romantic encounter!

Teacher Mary comforted me a moment longer before we left the deck. Some crew members guided us off the barge and into the shallow water.

Vhina and Ritchelle splashed toward us from the shore, worry etched on their faces. I straightened, trying to appear calm.

“Hey, how are the students?” I asked, keeping my voice from cracking.

“They’ve stopped crying. Teacher Selena’s keeping them occupied,” Vhina said. Then, she added, voice trembling, “Is it true?” She pointed toward the half-sunken barge.

“We heard stories, but they all sound different. What really happened?” Ritchelle asked, her knees starting to buckle.

Teacher Mary handed me off to them. “Take her back to the shore. I need to check something else.”

“Where are you going, cher?” I called weakly.

“There’s more I need to examine,” she replied, wading back toward the barge. She paused, giving me a look I understood instantly before the crew helped her back onboard.

As soon as she was out of sight, Vhina turned to me. “So? Will you tell us now?”

“Let’s get back to the tent first,” I muttered. “I’ll explain there.”

Once inside the makeshift shelter, Vhina handed me my hydro flask. I snatched it, gulping the water and taking a deep breath before telling them everything we saw. Ritchelle turned pale at first, then she burst into tears, collapsing against Vhina, who remained oddly calm.

“We’re all gonna die here,” Ritchelle whimpered. “They’ll kill us before anyone comes to rescue us!”

Vhina’s eyes welled up, too, but her brows furrowed with determination.

I slapped my cheeks lightly, recalling teacher Mary’s words. I had to stay strong.

“We have to tell everyone what happened,” I said, my knees weak.

“How? It’s almost dark, and people are already splitting up—some looking for food, some mistrusting the crew, even forming groups. And the only man who could get us out of here is dead. Headless!” Ritchelle’s voice cracked.

“I know, but we can’t keep this to ourselves. They deserve to know.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to gather the teachers first?” Vhina suggested.

“Yes. And the students must not hear a word about this. They’re too young for this nightmare.”

Ritchelle wiped her face and stood, gripping my shoulders. “Alright. Jelly, I’ll gather everyone we can find—teachers and strangers alike. You explain what happened. We’ll watch for suspicious reactions.”

“I saw the doctor go to the barge earlier,” Vhina added. “Teacher Mary might’ve called him for help. I think he’s out of the picture.”

“What about the varsity guy? The one with the baseball bat? He’s too suspicious,” Ritchelle pressed. “I don’t believe he’s keeping it just for self-defense.”

“I saw him go inland with a bunch of younger women,” Vhina said. “He promised to protect them with all his strength. If he’s involved, he’ll be tough to handle.”

“Any other suspicious people?” Ritchelle asked.

“No one comes to mind.”

“Why focus on the men? Women can kill, too.”

“Do you know any women capable of doing this?”

“None.”

“Then we have no leads yet. How about the teachers?”

“Ritch, what are you implying? We’re teachers, not murderers.”

“You know we can’t rule ourselves out, Vhi. Whoever did this is still among us, lurking on the shore right now.”

Silence fell. Ritchelle touched her chin, lost in thought. She was recovering faster than I’d expected.

“This must’ve happened between the seaquake and when we washed ashore. Does anyone remember who woke up first?”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I shot to my feet, fists clenched. “Stop! I can’t follow what you’re saying. What are you even talking about? What nonsense is this?”

They stared at me, then they exchanged a glance. Finally, Vhina answered with chilling calm.

“Elly, we’re trying to find the captain’s murderer. And it’s someone here among us.”