ROGER'S POV
CLICK! CLICK!
My lighter won't open again, damn it! CLICK! CLICK!
Why? It's not wet. CLICK! CLICK!
I tried several more times. CLICK! CLICK!
It really won't light up, blast it!
I almost threw this lighter away, but I stopped myself. Right now, this is all I have if I want to survive this place. This is my only defense against those two—the tiny light from this lighter.
CLICK! CLICK!
Finally! It lit up.
My plan—find Marvin. I know he's still here on the second floor. I'm sure I brought him here when I dragged him earlier before we encountered Roli and Nana.
Once I find him, I need to tell Arthur and the others that Roli is here too aside from Nana—and he's going to kill us! I just hope I find them still alive.
The only way for me to survive is to save them as well. As long as someone is still alive among us, Nana probably won't kill me yet. She did say earlier that she'd save me for last, right?
Anyway, I took a step. A row of rooms greeted me. Shit! How vast is this old hospital?
I headed to the first room. The door was locked. Good thing it had a window. I lit it with my lighter—no one.
I went to the second room. I lit the window. No one.
Next was the third room.
No one.
Then the next room. No one.
The one after that.
No one.
Then this one.
No one.
The one beside it.
There was a woman.
Then the next.
No one.
Then the—Wait—Was that right?
There was a woman in that room I lit earlier? Behind me.
I heard it.
The door opened.
That room.
The room I saw. There was a woman in that room. I swallowed hard.
Then my lighter's flame died.
CLICK! CLICK!
It wouldn't light again. My hands were shaking. CLICK! CLICK!
Phew, thank God it lit up. But as it did... right in front of me... just across the flame...
There was a face.
Staring at me!
Long hair, she was a woman. Her eyes weren't blinking. There were flies in her ears. And her scent—
The stench was unbearable, damn it!
Her mouth was wide open. She was arched and soaking wet. Holy sh*t! It was Ara!
Nana's twin, Ara!
I didn't say a word! I just ran. I didn't even know where I was going. I just ran and ran again.
Then I bumped into someone.
I dropped my lighter. I scrambled for it.
Dammit! It's gone! Then—I stopped. Who did I bump into? I'm dead.
It might be Nana or Roli. Suddenly, I felt my lighter. I lifted it with trembling hands.
CLICK! CLICK!
It lit up instantly!
I shone the light on the person I bumped into.
One. I was shaking.
Two. I was trembling. Three! "Attorney..."
I stepped back in shock. It was just Marvin; I thought it was someone else. "Marvin!" I approached him.
He was crying. "A-Attorney..."
"Marvin! We need to—" I stopped because I looked at his—Haaaa! How do I even...?
I was stunned.
"A-Attorney, help me..." Because—
His arm was cut off.
"A-Attorney... I don't want to die yet..." He sobbed.
I held his face with both hands. "What happened, Marvin? Why is your right arm gone?"
He was shivering. "A-A man hacked me with an axe earlier... a tall man... I couldn't see him..."
"Shhh..." I comforted him even though I was terrified too. "Come..." I led him into a room there. I sat him on the bed. He continued to sob. I, meanwhile, was frantically searching the medicine kit for any medicine or gauze I could use to cover his severed arm.
"Attorney... I think I'm going to die..." He was still crying and obviously terrified.
"Shhh.. don't be loud..." I continued rummaging. "I'm going to die... I'm going to die..."
When I shone the light again, there was blood scattered where he sat. I needed to stop the bleeding, or else he'd bleed out and die. I took the blanket from the bed. I tore it lengthwise and tied it around his severed arm. He didn't wince. He must still be numb.
He kept saying only one thing. "I'm going to die... I'm going to die..." After I tied his wound, I faced him. "Marvin, listen. I'll take you out to my car. We're leaving this place."
He looked at me as if he were out of his mind. Then I heard something. What was that?
It sounded like—
Something being dragged. Metal being dragged. An axe being dragged!!!
Then the sound—grew louder and louder. Getting closer and closer.
I immediately helped Marvin up. I pulled him out. "Attorney, I think I'm going to die..." He was still crying. "You won't die, Marvin... You will live..."
But he resisted. He pushed me. "Marvin?" I shone the light on him.
"Attorney... I'm going to die..." He looked insane as he backed away from me.
I reached out my hand to him. "No, Marvin... stay strong... we'll survive—"
Suddenly, the lights turned on! Thank God there's electricity.
I looked up. I looked around. "Marvin, look... there's light..." I turned back to him. "We're going to survive and..."
I froze at what I saw. Marvin.
His eyes were rolled back. And—
Something was embedded.
In his head—
An axe was embedded in his head!
I stepped back.
I saw Roli—he was behind him.
For the first time—my body moved on its own. I turned and ran fast. My God! Marvin! He's dead. I only stopped when I passed an elevator. This must be the middle path Arthur mentioned aside from the stairs we took. I tremblingly pressed the button for it to open.
TING!
It opened immediately. Suddenly, a shot rang out. A gunshot! Arthur!
I got into the elevator. To the third floor. TING!
It closed.
To the third floor.
TING!
It opened.
I stepped out slowly.
I heard a gunshot? Maybe Arthur killed Nana. There was light now. But suddenly—
The lights died again. I pulled out my lighter.
Suddenly, the lights turned on. Then they died again.
Turned on.
Died.
Turned on.
FLICKERING!!!
But this was better than no light at all. It's just that it hurt the eyes. I looked around. Where was Inang's room again? There! The door was open. The lights were still flickering.
I entered.
When I went in.
Why is it like this?
Blood was everywhere—but no one was there.
I went further in.
Where are they? Inang? Arthur and Rico? The two nurses with them? Then I heard a moan.
I slowly turned toward it. Someone was there.
I approached.
The light.
It was still blinking. But I moved closer. And here.
Here I am.
Here.
And—
When I got close, I felt a glimmer of hope.
I recognized these two. They were Inang's two nurses. But the woman, her head was bloody. I approached them. "What happened?"
One nurse was tearful. "Someone struck her head..."
the bloody one was still breathing. "Help me, let's lay her on the bed..."
We carried the nurse and laid her on the bed. The bloody one was still conscious. "What's your name?" I asked her.
She moaned. "M-Mary... Mary Estopil..." "Okay Mary, can you stand?"
She just nodded. I turned to the other female nurse. "What's your name?"
"C-Cristine May, Sir..." Fear was evident in her voice.
"Okay Cristine May, is there anything we can wrap around her head—"
She didn't answer. She just searched and rummaged through the cabinets. When she returned, she had a bandage. We wrapped Mary Estopil's head first to lessen the bleeding. Then I led her out of that room.
I turned to Cristine May. "Where is Arthur?"
"I-I don't know, Sir... when things got chaotic here... they just disappeared. I hid when Mary collapsed on me..." Her voice was tearful.
"Okay, listen... stay strong, okay? We're going out and leaving this place."
She nodded repeatedly. We continued walking until we reached the elevator in the middle. I pressed the button again to go down. Dammit! It wouldn't open.
I turned back to Cristine. "Is the other way down far?" TING!
The elevator opened but only halfway.
"Cristine, help Mary first. I'll just open the elevator." I handed Mary over to her. But she was just staring blankly behind me.
"C-Cristine... Why?"
Her eyes were tearful. She was just looking behind me.
I swallowed hard. I was turning pale too. So I slowly turned around. Slowly.
Slowly.
Here it is.
I turned.
Shit!
There was a woman in that elevator. Her back was turned. Her shoulders were shaking. Then beside me.
I noticed something.
What was that?
It was like a boomerang. It was spinning fast—
Flying through the air.
I didn't realize it—
It happened so fast. Because this thing—struck Cristine in the head. The woman was hit—
Her skull was crushed!!! It was a hammer—that hit her head.
I immediately turned toward the source. Nana!
In my terror—I was forced to enter the elevator. Even though there was a—ghost woman here.
I just—squeezed myself through its narrow door. Because—it was only partially open.
I quickly pressed the button for it to close. Damn, it won't!
Press faster!
Nana is there!
Press more! Press more! Nana is approaching! Press more!
And—TING!
It closed!
Finally. To the first floor! Then it got stuck!
That's when I realized.
I was beside Ara. Nana's twin, Ara.
She was still here. Beside me. I could feel the cold and smell the rotting human flesh.
Then I looked at the one I was helping. Why wasn't she talking? "M-Mary..." I whispered.
I peeked at her face.
That's when I let her go. Because I didn't realize... she was already dead. She was just a corpse.
Then beside me—someone hissed. SHIT!!!
No matter what happens—
I won't look back, f*ck! But then, someone tapped my shoulder!
While hissing!
Dammit! There's a killer, and now there's a ghost—excuse me, a demoness!
I'll probably be insane even if I survive this. I'll just realize later—I've become a killer too.
So fine—here I go, I'm turning around—One—
Two—Three!
TING! Perfect!
I'm on the first floor! Run!
But I stopped. Because—Roli appeared.
Right in front of me.
Looks like this is the end for me, because he's surely going to kill me. That axe he's holding, it looks like he's going to throw it at me!
"I'll be the one to kill you..." he said like a madman.