All Chapters of The Photo Collector : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Cylvia’s POV:   “Rock-a-bye, baby On the treetop When the wind blows The cradle will rock, When the bough breaks The cradle will fall; And down will come baby Cradle and all.”   Memories kept on flashing in my mind over and over as the song automatically played, giving chills to my entire body and causing my tears to rain down directly on my cheeks. It’s been a year. It’s been a year since my most beloved and cherished person who promised not to leave me alone broke her promise. It’s been a year of carrying heavy emotions on my shoulders. It’s been a year of living alone. At this exact day, at this exact moment, my Mom perished. She left without even seeing her only daughter for the last time. She left without even holding my hands. She left without even receiving the apology I had never ever gave to her. I was her angel for at least a short period of time, the only

“Ok, this is it. At the count of three.”One.Two.Three.I opened the door with all my force, and it made a very sounding impact. A great, blinding darkness welcomed me as I decided to step inside. “There’s no turning back now.” That’s what I thought. I was forced to draw out my phone and turn its flashlight on. There’s only 12% battery life left, and I don’t think it would last any longer. I observed what’s going on beyond the darkness, and tried to recall again the voice I heard minutes ago. At this point, it’s hard to believe it would happen again. All of a sudden, in the middle of my walk, the light of my cellphone shut down. Six percent battery life. It’s all that’s left. I tried to contact any of my classmates to ask for help but no one replied. I first chatted Cylvia. But she&rs

“Vhynz! Could you please slow down a little bit?!” It took me a moment to realize that while I was running on the pavements going to the infirmary, the three girls were also  putting on some speed to make tracks behind me. I didn’t notice nor hear any of them, not until I saw their reflections when I impinged upon the glass walls of the empty cafeteria. Taking notice of them panting their lungs out, I paused momentarily. I only felt my sweats snaking from my forehead down to my neck when I ran a hand over my face. “You followed me?” I asked, a hint of shock was written somewhere over my face. “Of course! We decided to come along when we overheard Samantha’s name from your conversation with that guy.”“Right. And that didn’t sound good.” “The way you panicked and became furious also confirmed our theory that something mi

SAMANTHA February 25, 2021Thursday, 5:16 p.m. Case #64721.291.1 OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTION OF POLICE INTERVIEW INVESTIGATOR: Good afternoon, Ms. Samantha Velarde. I’m so sorry for bothering you, I hope you’re feeling okay now. I know it’s getting late in the afternoon that’s why I need you to cooperate with me, and answer my questions as honest as you can so we can both get out of this room early. Are we okay with that?SAMANTHA: Yes. INVESTIGATOR: Good. For the record, I am Detective Noel Hummingbird with the Jordan Police Department, and I am here to handle the murder case of the late principal, Principal Josefa Magada. Today is 25th of February, Thursday, 5:16 in the afternoon. This video is being recorded. SAMANTHA: Just start already. INVESTIGATOR: Okay... Ms. Velarde, according to Mr. Tan, you passed out after telling h

Between the moonlight making nine p.m. look like four a.m. and the cars clogging the parking lot like a cemetery after World War II, I had gone on foot only to realize that once I reached the center point of the area, there’s no identifying which was the North, East, South, and West anymore. Discombobulation had me at seven blinks, making the following blinks utterly harmful to my eyes as they made my vision go round in circles. Not one out of the sea of cars had its lights on. Not one person who owned any of them was traipsing around, either. Stuck in this place had me wondering, How am I supposed to find Travis’ car, the white one with golden strips above the plate number, when almost half of the cars inside this parking lot is identical to the one he owned? I continued walking, unmindful of where would my feet take me this time. The veins in my hand turned blue as I squeezed the silver chain of my shoulder bag, pressing it against