The Killer's P.O.V.
Ugh!
It's so amusing! So much fun! Ugh!
I'm watching her as I strike her feet.
Ugh! Ugh! Her moans are music to my ears. Should I end this now? But I want more. I want more! But I can't help myself. I might not be able to stop and...
I might kill her...
Here she is now, lying face down.
Crawling, begging. I can't hear anything she's trying to say, anyway. Because her entire face is wrapped in packing tape. Can she even breathe? I only hear her moans. What joy!
Ugh!
There she goes again, moaning. Like music, she's like a mad dog! Haha! She can't stand up because... her knees are already crushed.
Uhmmm... I'll hammer her heels next. Here it comes! I'll get even closer to this poor child. Then I raised my left hand, holding the hammer. I'm going to strike her! I'm going to pelt her! I'm going to hammer her feet again!
Here it goes...
One.
Two.
Ugh!
I think I hit too hard. She's writhing in pain. Hahaha! What a beautiful sight! I heard her sobbing. Haha! So sweet to the ears.
Ugh! Ugh! I'm so worked up that I hammered her again. Ugh! Ugh! Her feet are almost pulverized! Go on, moan some more, cry some more...
Janice, scream more! Keep going!
I love her. But I love Ara more. But I love her too, it's just that... I love Ara more. But never mind, as long as I'm happy. I'm happy seeing her suffer. I've wanted to kill her for a long time, but I chose to kill Ara first. I have no choice now but to make her next.
I'll kill the other two later, maybe tomorrow or the day after. I'll finish her first. My only problem left is the men. But I will kill them too.
I will kill them just like how Ara killed and how I killed Ara!
Then I watched Janice; she was still crawling. Still trying to escape from me. She's growing weak and I know she can't breathe. In a little while, she will die too. Her feet are already crushed. Because of this, I went to the head of the bed. Her head, this is next. This is what I'll... focus my rage on.
I raised my left hand again, the one holding the hammer. I will crush her...
Head.
Goodbye Janice, please just tell Ara and Ara, "I love them." One. I took a swing.
Two. This one is harder. Three!
Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!
Isko's P.O.V.
I caught Roger sleeping at their house, so I woke him up immediately. It seemed he was having another nightmare. He was almost gasping for breath when he got up, panting. I handed him a glass of water. "Are you okay?"
He drank the water. "Isko... how long have you been here?" He couldn't look me in the eye. "I just arrived. Another nightmare?" I sat down facing him.
He was still panting. He couldn't speak. "Was it Ara?"
My voice was low.
Before he could answer, the door opened and Ka Pineng stepped in. "Any news?" he greeted us.
I just shook my head. Two days have passed but Nana, Maria, and Madge still haven't shown up. I've already filed a report with the police regarding their disappearance. Now, Roger is acting like he's going crazy. Imagine having your only daughter die and not even be buried yet, followed by your wife going missing.
If that happened to me, I might not even be able to sleep or eat.
I glanced at Ara's coffin; it's still here in their house. Roger stopped the wake and canceled the burial that was supposed to be today. It's the eighth day of Ara's wake.
"I dreamed of her again..." Roger said. He was still staring blankly.
I had no advice to give him. It was likely Ara he saw again in his dreams, in his nightmares.
"I don't believe that was Ara, my daughter isn't like that... It wasn't her, right?" he said, his voice breaking. He was looking at Ka Pineng.
Ka Pineng went to the kitchen. When he returned, he brought three cups, a thermos, and utensils. He placed them on the table in front of us.
Then he filled each cup with hot water. "I believe that a human is divided into three," he said suddenly.
Roger and I just watched him. He went back to the kitchen. When he returned, he brought coffee and cream. "When a person dies, they are divided into three," Ka Pineng continued. "The first is the body left in the earth, the second is the spirit that ascends to heaven, and..." He opened the creamer. "...the third is the soul. The soul remains here on earth to be claimed by nature."
Roger and I looked at each other.
"For example, this hot water in the cup is nature. And this creamer is the soul..." He took a spoonful of creamer. "A person who died happy, this is their soul..." Then he mixed it into the cup with hot water and stirred. "See, it's white." Then he tasted it. "The taste is plain..."
I didn't get Ka Pineng's point.
He just continued. He took a spoonful of coffee this time. "This, on the other hand, is a person who died with hatred and rage..." Then he mixed it into the hot water. "Black..." He tasted it. "Bitter..." He looked at Roger. "Have I answered your question?"
"W-What do you mean? It's not Ara showing herself to me anymore?" Roger asked stammeringly.
"It's still Ara. But, she is now owned by nature... Brewed with hatred and rage."
"Well, let me talk to her... Help me talk to her," Roger pleaded.
Ka Pineng took another spoonful of coffee and mixed it into what he had brewed. The color turned even blacker. "Ara is different now, more ferocious, angrier, and full of hate..." He sipped his brew and winced at the taste. "More bitter..."
"Is that why she doesn't want to cooperate with us?" I asked. "Possibly..." was his short reply.
"Is this the first time you've encountered something like this?" I asked again. He just nodded.
"I thought you were an expert in these things?" Roger said. He seemed angry again.
Ka Pineng continued brewing. "I am like a runner whose feet she removed, a singer whose tongue she cut, or a writer whose hands she took away. She is stopping me. I don't know why... She took away my vision." He stood up carrying a cup. "Have some coffee first..."
"As for me, I still don't believe that it's Ara showing herself to me. I know my daughter..." Roger insisted.
Neither Ka Pineng nor I spoke further.
I took a cup. "What happened at the hospital?" I said, changing the subject. He had been going back and forth there for two days.
"They couldn't give a statement regarding Janice and Madge's disappearance." He had his back to us.
"I'll sue them!" Roger barked. "Janice's disappearance is their responsibility. She was in a private room, how could a patient vanish from their sight? Do they lack security guards and nurses?"
"I've already filed a case against them. Regardless, let's also look for the three of them," I suggested.
The two nodded.
"Roger, can I look through Clarisse's things? I might find a lead." I took a sip of coffee first.
"Go ahead..."
I immediately went to Clarisse's room and rummaged through her cabinet.
I searched through her belongings, but found nothing. I looked under the bed and saw a picture. An old picture. Who could be in this picture? Two women.
One woman looked familiar—it was Clarisse. But the other one, I didn't recognize. She was sitting beside Clarisse. This photo was very old because Clarisse was still a child here.
After that, I found another picture. This one was relatively new. Here, Clarisse and Mrs. Ocampo were together. They looked happy in the photo but I noticed something—Mrs. Ocampo was holding something. I stared at it intently but I quickly left the room and went downstairs.
"Did you find a lead?" Ka Pineng asked immediately.
"N-None..." There really wasn't any. "Ah... I'll leave you for a bit, I'm going home first."
"Come back right away," Roger ordered. "We're going somewhere. We might find a lead there."
"Where?" I asked as I headed out the door.
"To Nana's old house. At the Villaverde old mansion. It's a four-hour drive," he answered.
"Okay. I'll be quick."
After just a few minutes, I was at my apartment. But I headed to the third floor where Mrs. Ocampo and Janice lived. Before that, I felt for my revolver in my pocket. It's better to be prepared.
The unit door wasn't locked, so I went straight inside. I stepped in slowly. As I walked, the floor creaked. I'll look for a lead here first.
I pulled the picture of Mrs. Ocampo from my pocket and looked at it again. She looks beautiful in this photo. It made me miss her even more. Moments later, my attention turned back to the object she was holding.
I went straight to the kitchen.
Why does it smell like this in here? It smells fishy!
I continued to the bathroom and was met by a foul odor. I walked toward the bedroom while covering my nose with my palm.
It's so quiet. It's making me nervous.
I approached slowly. The bedroom door was slightly ajar. The smell got worse as I got closer. Here I am, almost there. I pulled the revolver from my side and pointed it forward.
What could be inside this room? I'm going to open it. Here goes. Suddenly, something creaked!
Someone's here!
Someone entered!
I hid and peeked through the door. There was no one. But I felt someone enter earlier. The nervousness in my chest intensified.
I approached the spot.
There really was no one!
My attention shifted back to the room. It felt like I heard a noise from inside. I did hear something!
What could it be? I swallowed before slowly walking toward it. My knees were trembling as I approached the room. Until I reached the front of the door. I opened it slowly. I prepared myself for what I might see as I gently pushed it open.
And...
No one was there! I almost collapsed from the tension. My gaze fell on the bed. There was an object lying on top of it. I pulled the photo from my pocket again and looked at the one in the picture.
In Mrs. Ocampo's photo, she was holding an object exactly like the one on the bed.
A cowboy hat!