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Chapter 27: The Woman In Red
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2021-07-17 23:24:16I arrived at the venue five minutes earlier than our agreed meeting. The University chapel was located across the building A, the one and only building built westward of the Hamlet Creek, where a hillock met a sloping road that stretched straight to the Gate Two where vehicles would usually make their way out.
Since it was established on the late months of the year 1986, the chapel had earmarks of postcolonial infrastructures. It was jury-rigged out of mud bricks, wattles and daubs, and split logs and rubbles. Although it was known as a chapel because of its nature, it was still undeniable to say that it was way too big for its name. It had two towers standing on both of its sides, one of which had Brobdingnagian old bell that would only toll when someone from the University had died, while the other one was heavily decorated with gothic sculptures that seemed rather spooky than religious. It looked twice older than its age. It was covered with mosses on most of its parts, andRelated chapters
The Photo Collector Chapter 28: The Noble Woman
JANVICThe first row of the lumber church which was located at the center column were vacated by the family of the principal. There was her husband, their two children, her mother and her father, and the six other middle-aged people which I believed were either her siblings or her relatives. Behind them, on the second line of the same varnished benches seated the teachers of the Hamlet Creek University. Mrs. Nualda was on the leftest, followed by the three oldest mentors namely Mrs. Billiones, Mrs. Mitra, and Mrs. Beñez; all of them had been teaching here for more than four decades already, and they were said to be the only living Professors of the second generation of HCU Faculty who witnessed the conversion of the school from being public to private. Beside them were the younger and newer profs which I was not familiar of and didn’t know the names because we, students from star sections, never had encountered with them. Lastly, on the rightest of
Last Updated : 2021-07-18The Photo Collector Chapter 29: Unexpected Eulogy
The least movement I made upon hearing his answer was covering my mouth with my hands before it could even spill out sizzling words that were strictly prohibited to say; like fuck, or shit—or in my worst mood, both. As what my best friends Andrei and Benedict described me, I was the King Of Bad Words. I knew all along that it was not the best title or moniker I dreamed of having, but I had no choice. It’s the only thing where I’m good at—Cursing.It was crazy because in my four years of staying here in HCU, I never heard of its original name before. Not from the Star Section’s Board, not from our own class adviser, and especially not from the principal herself. Sure enough, that went the same way with my classmates, too. We were fully aware that this was once a public high school, but it never occurred to us to hear it from a rival University’s Head Director. HCU had been through a lot in the past, but we were robbed the o
Last Updated : 2021-07-19The Photo Collector Chapter 30: Rules
TRAVISWhat on earth did just happened?The looks on the faces of Mr. Tan and Mrs. Tejada when they returned back to the podium simultaneous to the time when the old woman in red left it, was beyond unexplainable. There was fear in their eyes. They feared to come back to the microphone and continue their job. They feared that after hearing those words, they would become speechless. They feared facing the saddened crowd anymore. In a matter of seconds, they suddenly turned into lost puppies. Coward. Pitiful. But they knew to themselves that regardless of what happened, the show must still go on.“Part of saying goodbye to someone we love is keeping a final memory with them, “ Mr. Tan ad-libbed.“And so, with shatters and flashes, let us all be together in taking final shots of memories with our beloved Principal,” Mrs. Tejada added. “May we call on the husband of the late Mrs. Serena
Last Updated : 2021-07-20The Photo Collector Chapter 31: The Shout Of Fear
Cautious and quiet, the two bands and I, and the rest of our classmates who were on the fifth and sixth rows of the church pews, intersected at the center of the pulpit. LD set up his drum set, Chuck tuned his guitar, and Jieve tested the keys of his piano. On the other hand, the girls from The Star Harmony including Jermaine took care of the microphones. The rest of us positioned ourselves; some were sitting on the stools, while some were standing in line behind.We waited for Mrs. Tejada’s go signal, and in two minutes, she gave it.After that, we began the elegy. The ever exaggerated and ever manipulated piece of elegy.• • •The song ended, thankfully, after chanting a ballad containing series of throat-aching riffs and old-fashioned melodies. It did went well. Their original composition worked. Their plan of implanting to the minds of the family the idea of see
Last Updated : 2021-07-21The Photo Collector Chapter 32: Leakage
She jumped in shock and fell out of the transit down to the ground in front of me. Her shrieking continued, and the longer she did it, the paler she became.“Rabiya!” I went down on my knees and netted her bare shoulder with my hands. I moved her farther away from the door and joggled her body. “Hey! What’s wrong?” I crawled to her front to see her full reaction.Her eyes were red and wide opened, with veins almost popping out due to fear and horror. Tears drizzled from it, sweeping the make-up off as it streamed down to her cheeks. She kept shouting. Nonstop. But her vocal chords couldn’t take it. As she went running out of breath, her voice faded in the air. One gasp. After that, a series of inhalation followed.People from inside the chapel had heard the noise, so they must have been on their way to us by now. But before anyone else arrived, I cupped Rabiya’s face with my flounderin
Last Updated : 2021-07-22The Photo Collector Chapter 33: Interrogation
RABIYAFebruary 25, 2021Thursday, 10:17 a.m.Case #64721.292.2OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTION OF POLICE INTERVIEWINVESTIGATOR: Good morning, Ms. Matthews. Good morning, Mr. Exposito.EXPOSITO: After everything that is happening right now, you still have the balls to say that? I don’t care if its part of interrogation ethics, or let’s say for the sake of formality of this interview, but you’re being insensitive.MATTHEWS: (cries silently)INVESTIGATOR: I’m sorry, Mr. Exposito, but I’m just following the police interview protocol. I understand you’re feeling a little upset right now, but—EXPOSITO: Upset? No. No! I’m not upset. I’m disgusted. You already saw the crime scene, didn’t you? How do you feel? If you are on my position, if you are a student who just wanted to offer some help but ended up seeing th
Last Updated : 2021-07-23The Photo Collector Chapter 34: Lockdown
“You are unbelievable,” I said the minute I stepped out of the chapel after we’re done participating in the thought-provoking interrogation.Travis grunted. “I just saved ourselves back there, so you’re welcome,” he replied, straight-faced, walking a few steps ahead of me.We halted outside the caution tape surrounding the transit van where the crime scene happened. Three patrol cars, including the one Philip’s Dad used last night, was parked on the left part of the chapel beside the flagpole. As the investigation team began their job, we saw the vice-principal walking from the pavement towards the vehicle where the teachers and other staff were standing; discussing about the traumatizing death of the owner of HCU and her chauffeur.The Vice Principal Mr. Morales was an invisible man. He rarely showed up. He would only go to school when the principal had meetings or errands to attend t
Last Updated : 2021-07-24The Photo Collector Chapter 35: Home
I slammed the door of the car close. I assisted Travis as he laid down on the inclined seat next to the driver’s.He scooped his hand into his blood-soaked jacket, and dragged the butcher knife off his abdomen full of cuts and slashes. Looking at the sharp-edged weapon, I wondered, What does he think he’s doing?“What happens when you lose a lot of blood, Rabiya?” Travis asked out of nowhere, in the middle of his sufferance, as he raised his jacket up and handed me the weapon.“It could lead you to a Hemorrhagic shock,” I answered. “Where’s the first-aid kit?”Travis’ abdomen was swelling red. It had a long cut that stretched all the way from the lower part of his chest across his stomach. There was a numerous of bruises surrounding his core, but unlike the long, wide opened wound, they were not bleeding. With his eyes closed perhaps because of the dizzin
Last Updated : 2021-07-25
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The Photo Collector Chapter 151: The Letter
SAMANTHA Everything went so fast and abrupt since we decided to ditch the police and never show up in either of anyone’s houses. The best part was that, I felt what it was like being a villain. Yes, the way we moved, the way we established plans, and the way we executed them, it surely the same as how villains did their job on movies.By around this time, we were now inside our house. The black truck was parked outside the gate, as all of us entered inside to take a short break. While the rest were slouching on the sofa beds, I and my twin brother Vhynz searched the house to look for the map of the island where our slaughterhouse business was located. Well, the thing was, neither of us two was able to remember where we put that thing. All I could remember was the passcode of the safe where the credit cards and the money was left by our parents. When I checked it the moment we arrived, the map wa
The Photo Collector Chapter 150: Plans, We Need Plans
CHUCKLooking at Travis when he followed to cop to lead him to where our tents were located was already a pain in the eyes to me. I could sense the fear he was feeling from afar, and I could hear the loud drum rolls of his heart as he walked steps farther away that us. It was already given that if someone was here in this island with us, chances was that, he or should could have planted the evidences that linked to us inside one of those tents. There could be a slim possibility that we would be proven guilty. Every single one of us were drunk and wasted last night; it would have been a perfect opportunity for the killer to get our fingerprints or perhaps, to be more believable, tag the murder weapon in our hands right after killing Janvic with it. But until now, I still did not realize how Janvic was killed. There were bruises and stabbed wounds all over his body, but they were scattered. Was it a brutal way of slaughtering? Or
The Photo Collector Chapter 149: Torture
A not so long time had passed but still none of Noel Hummingbird’s so called disciples had went out of the cottage to give us at least the tiniest update they could provide regarding on how was the status of the conversation. It has been an hour already since the clash between Philip and the detective had happened, but still, here we were, pinned down to the ground just yet, feeling the intense numbing of our arms, and the pain on our necks as we contest on our nerves about who will stay longer in this position and who will remain surviving until the end of the investigation protocol. While we were trying our best not to collapse and get passed out on our spot where everyone of us friends were gathered, I decided maybe it was best if we had our own little chitchat just to shut down the dead air that had been wrapping and suffocating us. I initiated the conversation, and thank all the heavens above my classmates chimed in and made it as fluent as possible. “Are you still
The Photo Collector Chapter 148: Suspects
TRAVISWhen we heard the sirens wailed from afar, we already suspected that it was them already; Philip with the rest of our friends, and then the police car. Hearing them made us skip each of our things that we were doing and ran out of the cottage to meet them half way. There were some signs of relief in my heart, but at the same time I could not deny the fact that there were also nerves of nervousness trying to ruin the day. Obviously, none of us three who were left here in the cottage was the killer, and there supposedly have no reason for us to be feeling guilty. But why are we feeling the complete opposite? Why, while running going outside, are we feeling as if we wanted to hide something only to make sure that we could prove ourselves innocent? And lastly, why did I feel like here would go another round of spitting lies again, only to assure that this time, I, or neither of Rabiya and Chuck, would not be accused a killer?
The Photo Collector Chapter 147: All Are Shitty
RABIYA The amount of boxes for Travis to unpack was so overwhelming, just as overwhelming as the number of drawers I had check to make sure that not a single clue will be left unseen. Ever since we started doing what we were opt to do, we had not yet seen an evidence. Not one. Not even a little, slight, or discreet one. At this point of our semi investigation, I was now starting to think that what if there were really no clues hidden inside the cottage? What if we were just used to know that this was the usual routine every time there was a crime happening that it brought us to conclude that the same protocol should be implemented? I rested my face from frowning because of the unpleasant smell coming from the utensils that were long kept inside the drawers-- only God knew how long had they been there inside their cases. I moved three steps away from the kitchen cabinet, and then clapped the dusts off my hands. I then washed the
The Photo Collector Chapter 146: Breakfast Us Three
CHUCK After five minutes at most, Rabiya got out of the kitchen room with a serving platter and three cups of coffee. Just by the aroma of it, and just by seeing how the steam evaporated in the air sending thin clouds of visible smoke towards us, as if a hand trying to seduce us to drink it right away, I could already determine that the freshly brewed coffee were so satisfying. I jumped out of the sofa where I decided to sit for three minutes, and fetched Rabiya from the isle to get the cup she prepared for me. I determined it right away which cup was mine, because I was the only one who ordered my coffee to be black and pure. No sure, no creamer, no anything at all. “You better be sure this taste great,” I threatened Rabiya in a jokingly manner. She just gave me a good smirk, as if she was utterly confident that her brewed coffee would meet the standards of my peculiar taste buds. I then picked up another cup, the
The Photo Collector Chapter 145: Safe and Sound
It did not took us that long to finally accept the fact that now, starting from this moment, there will only be the three of us left here. I did not know how would I begin to internalize us, but every single time I would think about the isolation i give to our own selves, the first few things that wold cross my minds were death, conflicts, and again, another crime. Right now, just simply thinking about how big this place was for only the three of us who were left inside the beach resort, I was already defeated by the fact that we were completely overwhelmed. I did not know what was circling inside Travis’ mind at this exact moment, but there was only one thing I was sure: Whatever it was, it must be very, very complicated. I walked my feet away from the garage after the black truck Philip used to drive Janvic exited a couple of minutes ago. If not because of the wind which slapped me a cool hand on my face, never would I ever have awaken myself from that lucid daydream I had.
The Photo Collector Chapter 144: Yet Another Perfect Crime
CHUCKIt did not took us that long to finally accept the fact that now, starting from this moment, there will only be the three of us left here. I did not know how would I begin to internalize us, but every single time I would think about the isolation i give to our own selves, the first few things that wold cross my minds were death, conflicts, and again, another crime. Right now, just simply thinking about how big this place was for only the three of us who were left inside the beach resort, I was already defeated by the fact that we were completely overwhelmed. I did not know what was circling inside Travis’ mind at this exact moment, but there was only one thing I was sure: Whatever it was, it must be very, very complicated. I walked my feet away from the garage after the black truck Philip used to drive Janvic exited a couple of minutes ago. If not because of the wind which slapped me a cool hand on my face, never wou
The Photo Collector Chapter 143: Delicately Dangerous
ANDREI Travis grouped us all into two, where each and every group had its own task to perform, all of which were very vital to the progress of our movement. The first group were merely composed of Geodie, Samantha, Cylvia, Yuri, Philip, and me. Based on the instructions of our acting leader who was Travis, we are going to be the group that will send Janvic to the nearest hospital and at the same time call the cops and bring them back here. Meanwhile, the other group which was composed of only Travis, Chuck, and Rabiya, they will be the ones that will remain here to check and investigate the place. When I asked Travis if the job was not too big for only the three of them to handle, he answered me firmly and confidently, ‘the lesser we are here, the easier the job will be.’ Well, that only made a lot of sense because it would be harder if there will be more people to stay here. The more the people will stay, the more
