“All right? What happened next?” Cylvia took the seriousness of the topic to a whole new level . She spun around once, checking if whether or now someone had been here to fetch us to the bus because if there was, it would be a big hindrance for us to continue the talk.
“Well,” Rabiya was close too stuttering, but it did not took her much more than three sighs to redeem herself and continue the talk, “We let him get inside the car. We have not seen the person driving the car, and we did not even had the chance to look for its plate number. We are not even sure if it had a plate number. All we ever got was the model of the car, the brand, the color, and the way it looked. That is all. Nothing more, nothing less,” Rabiya explained while dragging her head back to the floor. After she said those words, I mean those faked and manipulated words, I thought, maybe he was up for something again. When he said the car had no p
“Oh come on, Travis! You got to be kidding me!” Jacel clamored as she thought I was just trying to pull a prank to drive her into losing her shit. But no, something was really wrong in the result that turned out in the search engine. No, it was not in the search engine either. It was from a text message from an unknown number. I could not figure where did this text message came from, but by the looks of it, and by the words that were typed out of the message key bar, I would assume it came from Travis himself.It was nothing more than any other text messages. It was just plain, simple, raw, and unproofread text message because there was a lot of typing errors and even improper texting on it. Knowing that Travis was not really fond of texting and texting was not really one of the things where he was dominantly good at, it all said that it was from him.The text said, ‘There are more than a million possibilities of what
Illumination is often the light comes into a room that shines on something and emits luminance that brightens the place. Well, technically speaking, it is what it really means. However, in our case, now that we almost could not know where are going to be safe and when are we going to die, illumination would only mean one thing to us. Hope. The blossoming of hope to this never ceasing murder toll, and never ending sprouting of events that require one's life to end and everybody's life to suffer. Now the qestion here is, when are we going to experience our own illumination?CHUCKA hundred steps was all it took to reach the rest of our classmates who were gathered on the center of the hall. As expected, they were still gathered on different parts of the area, as if there had been no crime that happened at all. Cylvia was still sitting on the very first step of the stairs, while Geodie, Ashley, Yuri, and the re
PHILIPThe pavement was more than just dark and poorly lit as I, together with the three other guys in the names of Janvic, Andrei, and Benedict continued our journey into the vast parking lot at the back of the University where our cars were waiting for us to hop in and drive ourselves home. By the time we reach the school quadrangle, it was already twelve midnight and chances of making it to our respective addresses before one o’clock was poorly impossible.While we walked amid the green, grassy, and foggy field, and while the cold beads of water moist attached on our warm skin, the four of us decided to share our thoughts as we continued to wander forward. I led the way together with Benedict, while following behind our back were Janvic and Andrei. We were not having so much fun while talking, but at the same time we were not being so bored, too. We were kind of in the middle. We were just neutral a
I had always been fantacizing the fact that Hamlet Creek University was the best University to ever exist in the entire scope of the city. It was declared the most prestigious University among all the other Universities not only in the city, but also in the entirety of the country as well. Yes, it indeed costs more than just livers and kidneys to study here, but it all worths the money and the sacrifices. Yet, it did not cost the pain. And lives. And agonies. And terrible experiences. It did not cost the terrific way of tumbling down from being held high above. Based from the recent happenings, I could say that these were all the devil's work. With that, it made me think that, what if all this time, the letter 'H' from the acronym HCU did not mean 'Hamlet' at all? What if, in denouement of encryption, it meant 'Hell' instead? Regardless, what 'H' really stood for did not matter anymore. I just wanted to get out of this school. I just wanted
It had been a dull journey to venture the curving highways exiting the Hamlet Creek University. It was about three past twelve already, and I reckoned it will take me exact two hours before reaching home. See, Cubay Subdivision is where I live, and it literally was three miles away from this school. I had my student apartment nearby, which was located at the third block of the Hamlet Villa, but I did not want to stay there alone. I mean, I had been experiencing a lot of traumas lately, so perhaps I deserve to gift myself a home vacation. Yes, you heard it right. I was planning to reward myself a home vacation, which technically meant I will be missing school tomorrow. Or later? I could not figure where to start. I knew mom and grandma were more than worried to me, and I knew to myself also that they deserve to know what had been happening to the school and to me in this past days, but I could not even begin to comprehend where should I tak
RABIYA If there was a character trait of Travis that I really admire from him and wanted to highlight, it was his genuinely concerned side. I could not begin to comprehend how did he manage to somehow be as concerned as that in that particular moment, when I, myself, was already on the peak of my panic and fear. It was the most fearful day that I had been involved into, but with him, I found every reason to be calm and easy. I was not in the position to conclude this, as I was not even sure, but if not because of him, I might have had ended in a worse situation already. That, I guarantee.
When I started the engine, and when I continued playing The Beatles’ Hey, Jude, the ambiance inside the car suddenly switched in an instant. At first it was just silent and boring. But now, it was not just that. It was now silent and boring and awkward and dark. Yes, dark. I did not know how the hell did it turned out to be dark, but it was really that way. Dark in every sense of the word.I tried to revive the dying ambiance by starting a conversation with her, but I thought it was too late. Or maybe it was really too late. but since, ‘Try and try until you die’ was what my motto in life, I insisted to try a few times again. Until it work. And in really worked.“So, do you mind if I ask how did you ended up strolling on the street under the broad moonlight?” I inquired, gathering the remaining hopes within me. I really wanted to know the reason, because as much I was concerned to her, I was also a bit worry tha
TRAVISWhat made me more angry to the council and the Hamlet University itself was the fact that they acted as if nothing had happened last night. They still had the audacity to announce the continuation of the class when they could not barely keep in touch with the police to get even the tiniest update they can get from the investigation of the murder of the two of my classmates, Jieve and LD. I wanted to despise the police. I wanted to despite the entire council, and every person working in it. I despite Noel Hummingbird for being dumb and reckless, and most of all, I despised the killer x psychopath x heartless individual who had nothing to do but to reap innocent lives off someone who were doing him no harm.I just did not know if it was still valid to remain calm and peaceful, but to me, in my case, I already lose my all of it. If there was anything I was able to feel around this time, it was nothing bu
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
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
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
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?
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
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
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.
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
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