THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: Three days before the finale!

LORELEI

"Shall we play a game to entertain ourselves?"

I WAS torn on whether I'd check out what happened inside the Atrium or continue listening to Stein Alberts' threats. His short figure stood beside Loki, his small hand firm on his shoulder. He still wore that malignant grin which, I'm sure, the four of us would want to wipe off his face.

As the two locked into a staring contest, Alistair excused himself to verify the situation inside.

"Come on!" Stein lightly slapped Loki's shoulder before pocketing his hand. Kahit sa simpleng galaw niya, napapaangat na ang mga balikat ko. "Huwag mong sabihing killjoy ka na rin, ha? We both know you don't like boring parties, but how about parties with a twist? So let's play the game, shall we?"

"Actually I prefer parties, no matter how boring, where we celebrate the defeat of the big bad guy," Loki responded with contempt. His cold gaze, similar to his brother, lingered on Stein. Jamie was still clinging to his arm. "I'd be more than willing to dance around to see you defeated."

"Oh, should I feel scared?" Stein laughed, his shadow resembled that of the devil throwing back his head. His confidence was terrifying most of the time. Wala siyang takot na humarap sa amin kahit nag-iisa lang siya. "Well, the game has already started so you can do nothing but to play it. Don't let me down, QED Club. I prepared for this very moment."

That, I wouldn't be surprised. Luthor gave him the ship's layout and probably every detail that he might need to execute whatever his big move was. He came here well prepared and we were in for a surprise.

"Someone collapsed on the stairs." Mabilis na bumalik sa tabi namin si Alistair. He was jerking his thumb over his right shoulder. "I haven't asked for details yet, but she doesn't look well. Walang pinapalapit na kahit sinuman sa kanya."

We all turned to Stein. He brought tragedy to what was supposed to be an enjoyable trip!

"What did you do this time?" Loki asked with his inquisitive eyes.

"Are you now interested to play the game?" Stein put his hands together and rubbed them. His eyes were gleaming with joy. "Very well! This party will be more entertaining if there's a murder involved. Oh, scratch that! Murders is more appropriate, don't you think?"

I gulped. He sounded like a grim reaper delivering a bad news. His raven outfit perfectly fit the profile. Kulang na lang ay humawak siya ng scythe. How many lives was he planning to take with him today?

He pulled out something from his chest pocket. Alistair raised his guard while I took a step backwards. Akala ko kung ano na, isang piraso ng papel lang pala ang ilalabas niya. He offered it to us, wiggling his eyebrows. I turned to Loki who refused and only stared at it.

"I want us to have a fair game. I have the upper hand right now, but it's gonna get boring if I'd win easily," Stein said, extending his hand closer to Loki's chest. "You know me. I want a challenge. Thus I will give you the chance to stop the killings and save more lives. That girl who fell off the stairs won't be the last victim. So take this."

Nagkapalitan muna silang dalawa ng tingin ni Loki. The tension was rising at the entrance. Dinaraanan kami ng ibang estudyante na walang pakialam sa pinag-uusapan namin. Malamang ay mas curious sila kung bakit nakalupong ang mga tao sa Atrium.

Loki drew a handkerchief and took the piece of paper off the mastermind's hand. He held it delicately as if it had been sprayed with a virus.

"Why so skeptical? I didn't sprinkle any poison powder all over that paper," Stein said.

"Better be safe than sorry." Loki smoothened the paper, revealing a long list of names. Alistair and I got closer to him and peered over his shoulders to get a clearer view. They were numbered from one to one hundred. "What is this? A partial attendance sheet?"

"A list of one hundred potential targets." Stein slid his hands back into his pockets. "Are you familiar with the Werewolf game? You aren't? A werewolf goes to a village and pretends to be one of the villagers. When the night falls, he kills. This is my version of that social deduction game, without the lynching option. So one of my friends has infiltrated this cruise party and will kill one attendee at every opportunity that they can get. You have to capture them to stop the game. Otherwise, the killings will go on."

"This is not a game. This is madness," Alistair said. Kadalasa'y nakikinig lang siya tuwing nag-uusap ang dalawa, pero hindi na yata niya matiis na manahimik. "You're playing with people's lives. Hindi ka ba nakokonsensya sa ginagawa mo?"

"Game or madness, they sound the same to me." Stein shrugged. He talked as if lives could be simply thrown away like captured chesspieces. "Also you don't have to worry about my conscience. If I get rid some of the bullies and the predators in Clark High tonight, won't it make things better tomorrow?"

"Following your predecessor's footsteps, huh?" Loki retorted. Napasulyap sa kanya si Jamie, hindi pa rin binibitawan ang kanyang braso.

That hit the bullseye. Unti-unting nawala ang ngiti sa mga labi ni Stein. Nag-iba ang timpla ng kanyang mukha. Seryoso. Determinado. Nawalan ng kislap ang mga mata niya.

"What if I ask Alistair to restrain you and bring you to our cabin for the rest of the trip?" Loki asked, nodding at my childhood friend's direction. "We can show you there what kind of game we like to play."

Inilahad ni Stein ang kanyang mga kamay sa harapan, tila inaalok ang mga ito sa amin. "Please, be my guest! You can lock me away in a room or throw me into the sea, but that's not gonna stop the game. The trigger has been pulled and the bullets are on their way to the targets."

This reminded me of Luthor's plan to bring down the organization. Kahit mahuli namin si Stein, basta't libreng nakagagalaw ang mga galamay niya, hindi matatapos ang bangungot na 'to. His confidence was a testament that even if we take him out of the equation, it won't affect the answer at all.

"Hey, why are you not so happy about this game?" Stein raised his hands at the level of his shoulders. "This is what you want, right? Fun! Mysteries! Entertainment! I'm serving them to you on a silver platter."

"Maybe I'm not in the mood for your kind of fun and game." Loki's disinterest was apparent on the look of his face. Kung talagang interesado siya, kanina pa nagningning ang mga mata niya sa excitement.

"Well, you should be. Otherwise, more attendees will die at the party. Their blood will be on your hands. You know it's gonna happen, but you chose to do nothing. Huwag kang mag-alala. Sakaling mahirapan kayo, meron akong nakahandang lifeline para sa inyo."

Loki's eyebrow arched. We kept on staring at the mastermind, waiting for him to elaborate. What lifeline was he talking about?

"Loki and I can play a game of chess. Blind chess, to be specific, since there's no board here," he explained. "If he wins, I will ask my friend to stop the killings and all's well that ends well! But if I win, I'm gonna have one of you three killed. Sounds fair? Stakes are up, aren't they?"

Nagawi ang tingin sa amin ni Loki bago niya muling ibinaling ito kay Stein. His lips only parted slightly, but no words came out of his mouth.

"Pwede na tayong maglaro ngayon kung gugustuhin mo para matapos na agad ang game," dagdag ni Stein. Parang siya 'yong playmate mong atat na atat na makipaglaro sa 'yo. "But do you have what it takes to challenge me?"

Hindi sumagot si Loki. I don't think he's afraid to play the game. I think he's afraid of the consequence of losing. Wala ni isa sa amin ang nagsalita. This was his decision to make anyway.

Breaking the awkward silence, Stein let out a sigh. He clicked his tongue repeatedly. "You disappoint me. If you're still the old you, you would have accepted the chess challenge without any regard to the cost. But this so-called friendship has influenced your decision-making. You wear it as a badge of honor, but the truth is, it's only weighing you down. You should know how to let go. Oh, wait. You haven't let go of Rhea yet, have you?"

"Perhaps if you had any real friends, you would understand my position," Loki answered, regarding him coldly. "Oh, wait. You did have a friend. But he's now dead."

I was not worried about Stein. I was more worried about Jamie. She might feel offended the way these two talk. Tiningnan ko siya't inobserbahan ang kanyang reaksyon. She looked uneasy.

Stein was at a loss for words. Huminga siya nang malalim at hindi kumalas ng tingin sa kausap niya. "Very well, in case you change your mind and you are at your wit's end, feel free to approach me. You also have my number, don't you? For now, let's enjoy the party!"

Stein shot one last glance at Loki's direction. He winked. Hindi ko masabi kung kay Loki ba siya kumindat o kay Jamie. Kumaway siya sa amin bago siya tuluyang pumasok sa loob ng Atrium.

Sumabay sa pag-alis niya ang paghupa ng tensyon sa paligid namin. As soon as he's out of eyeshot, we huddled in a circle and read the list.

1. Neva Verdejo

2. Alita Jiminez

3. Jim Morayta

4. Noelia Angulo

5. Vicente De Almeida

6. Edelmira Cadiz

7. Aarón Verano

8. Agatha Cortez

9. Tito Perales

10. Leta Viveros

11. Lea Vasco

12. Gerardo Fulgencio

13. Jamie Santiago

14. Maximilian Manzanares

15. Víctor Estay

16. Ladislao Borquez

17. Eufémia Galan

18. Trinidad Olmos

19. Ernesto Zermeno

20. Maximiano Santillan

21. Bajardo Ramon

22. Pío Sanchez

23. Herminia Mancha

24. Marcelo Gadon

25. Maricel Baltazar

26. Alicia Calvillo

27. Melania Bosquez

28. Emiliana Valles

29. Marcial Ancheta

30. Lorita Duenas

31. Perlita Cambron

32. Alistair Ravena

33. Elena Villasenor

34. Adelina Francisco

35. Esmeralda Vargas

36. Hernán Vallecillo

37. Rye Rubio

38. Dimas Escovedo

39. Tomás Zorrilla

40. Cruz Caraveo

41. Rufino Rada

42. Agustín Manso

43. Ariadna Trevino

44. Roque Campoy

45. Mignonette Feliciano

46. Paca Campoy

47. Patricio Villanova

48. Ismael Ordaz

49. Nita Escovedo

50. Lorelei Rios

51. Custodia Olivares

52. Roberto Vaquera

53. Celestino Bolanos

54. Pepito Yepez

55. Manuela Caram

56. Adelina Teran

57. Tristán Blandon

58. Alba Gamero

59. Fernándo Vasques

60. Idoya San Miguel

61. María Bacallao

62. Zoey Bernales

63. Esperanza Casco

64. Fidelia Gato

65. Renato Espin

66. Luthor Mendez

67. Renato Amores

68. Antonio Apostol

69. Carmencita Yepes

70. Elvira Vidal

71. Efraín Olivar

72. Adelina De Toro

73. Pastor Cambron

74. Dominga Pastrana

75. Emeraude Emerson

76. Margaretta Del Rosario

77. Marcio Rama

78. Flavio Anguiano

79. Anita Pena

80. Ismael Amparo

81. Feliciana Rabago

82. Gervasio Vejar

83. Nazario Villatoro

84. Rita Jesus

85. Luis Olivarez

86. Pili Bobadilla

87. Asunción Isidro

88. Reynaldo Duron

89. Jesús Anaya

90. Verónica Toledano

91. Carmelo Capote

92. Antonio Orihuela

93. Sans Espiritu

94. Eugènio Blandon

95. Tiburcio Penaloza

96. Emigdia Pecina

97. Román Fregoso

98. Xènia Aragon

99. Juanita De Dios

100. Loki Mendez

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang mabasa ang mga pangalan namin sa listahan. I was at #50, Loki was at #100, Jamie was at #13, and Alistair was at #77. May iba ring familiar na pangalan gaya ni Sir Jim Morayta na nasa #3, Rye Rubio na nasa #37, at Luthor Mendez na nasa #66.

"We're also in his hit list, huh?" Alistair commented. Lalo akong kinabahan nang makita ko ang mga pangalan namin. Any of us could be targeted tonight. But I wonder why Loki's name was on the list? Was Stein only using his name as a filler or was he seriously intending to hurt him?

"No surprise there," Loki replied, shaking his head slightly. "He had already tried to arrange your death in the past. He might try again. We better be careful when we enter that Atrium."

"Let me take picture of it," Jamie said as her eyes focused on the sheet. Akala ko'y ilalabas niya ang kanyang phone upang kunan ng litrato ang listahan. But she chose to use her ever reliable retentive memory. "Mas magiging easy kung may isa sa atin na memorized ang bawat name. Hindi na natin kailangang sumilip lagi sa papel na 'to."

Thank God for her ability. It might come in handy tonight.

"But how would we know kung sino sa one hundred names na 'to ang tauhan ni Stein?" kunot-noong tanong niya. "This is a really long list."

"Mahihirapan tayong i-monitor ang bawat isa sa mga 'yan," tugon ni Alistair na napahawak sa kanyang chin. "If we can narrow down the list of suspects, mas mapadadali ang trabaho natin."

"It might take time to apply the process of elimination in this list." Loki's eyes cast a glance around the names on it. "If there's a pattern here and we manage to predict our enemy's next moves, we might be able to save lives, stop the minion and capture that person alive. If we're lucky, we might use him against Stein himself."

"Uhm, Jamie?" tawag ko.

"Yes, Lori?" sagot niya.

"Did Stein tell you anything about this game?"

My God, I hate calling the loss of human lives as such.

Jamie shook her head slowly, her eyes looking down. "Mula noong rooftop incident, hindi na niya ako cinontact. I also chose not to report to him anymore. Given everything that happened, I no longer feel comfortable with it."

If she's telling the truth, I'm happy that she came to that decision. But if she was not told anything at all, we're on our own. Wala kaming maaasahang kahit anong hint. Wait, there's another way! Maybe I could ask Luthor if he knew something about the Stein's plan? Mukhang tiwala sa kanya kaya posibleng sinabihan siya tungkol dito.

No, bad idea! That might put him in trouble. Sakaling matunugan ni Stein na may cheat kami, baka paghinalaan niya si Luthor. That's a risk we could not afford. Ayaw kong ako pa ang maging dahilan upang mabulilyaso ang plano niya.

"One thing's for certain: We won't accomplish anything if we stay here and stare at the list," Loki said, folding the piece of paper and sliding it into his chest pocket. "We don't know when our enemy will strike, so we must act quickly."

"Let's check what happened inside," Alistair suggested.

We nodded at him, and the four of us walked toward the Atrium. Lights guided our way to the center. May mga pagkain nang nakahanda sa tabi. May mga mesa nang iba-iba ang kulay ng mantle. This area was supposed to be full of energy, but Stein's game kinda dampened the mood. Everyone looked more or less terrified with what they were seeing.

Maliban sa mga estudyante at faculty member na curious sa nangyari, nakikiusyoso rin ang ilang crew ng barko. I saw them craning their necks to check what was happening.

"Hala, may namatay yata sa mga guest natin! Wala ba tayong gagawin?"

"Sabi ni boss, hayaan daw natin sila. May murder mystery game daw na ipinrepare ang student council ng mga 'to."

"Murder mystery? E kita naman nating parang totoo, oh! Hindi na gumagalaw 'yong babae!"

"Ang mabuti pa, mag-focus ka sa pagse-serve ng pagkain. Sasabihan naman tayo kapag kailangan nating makialam."

Was that Luthor's idea? Did he make it seem like there's a game here so Stein's mysterious friend could freely murder anyone in this ship? I hope not. I don't like the idea that he paved way for the murders to happen. I don't like where that narrative was going.

But he did, I shouldn't be surprised at all. Sinabi mismo niya sa amin noong bumisita siya sa apartment na gagawin niya ang dapat niyang gawin upang makuha ang loob ni Stein at hindi siya paghinalaan.

"Excuse us, please!"

We squeezed through the crowd of onlookers until we reached the stairs where the body of a girl was lying. Tinatakpan ng kanyang mahabang buhok ang mukha niya at may pool ng dugo rin doon. Dalawa sa student council officers ang pumipigil sa iba pang estudyante na lapitan ang katawan. They did not stop us when they saw us approaching. Parang may VIP pass kami sa crime scene.

"'Di ba taga-QED Club ang mga 'yan?"

"Oo! Sila 'yong na-feature sa magazine ng Clarion!"

"Ang cute noong babaeng naka-yellow. Tapos ang sexy noong naka-green."

"Pogi noong naka-white, 'no? Mas pogi pala siya sa personal!"

"Nandito ba sila para i-solve ang case? Pwede ba tayong pa-picture sa kanila?"

Naintindihan kong may ilan sa kanila ang natutuwang makita kami. I was also happy that they still recognized us even though our club has been dissolved. But how could these people entertain such thoughts gayong may namatay sa harapan nila?

"Neva! Neva!" Halos maiyak na ang isa sa mga estudyanteng naglulupasay sa sahig. Sinusubukan niyang lumapit ngunit pinipigilan siya ng mga student council officer.

I would probably have the same reaction if I were to lose a friend.

Stop, Lorelei! Don't entertain that thought!

Lumuhod si Loki sa katawan ng babaeng nagngangalang Neva at chineck ang pulso nito. He was about to say something, but his mouth froze halfway. He turned to us and slowly shook his head.

"She's gone."

"NEVA!"

I felt a stabbing pain in my heart as I heard that cry. Damang-dama ko ang lungkot at ang gulat niya. I may have witnessed how the incident happened, but everything must have happened real fast.

The four of us gathered around the body so the students would see less of it. May ilan pa ngang kinukuhan ng picture ang katawan ng biktima. I hope they respect the victim.

"What's in her hand?" tanong ni Alistair sabay tango sa kamay ng biktima. Nagawi rin agad doon ang tingin ko. Si Jamie lang ang hindi nagbigay ng atensyon doon. She was looking elsewhere.

Still kneeling, Loki took out his handkerchief agad, carefully opened the victim's hand and pulled out a piece of paper. He showed it to us, and we saw a message which ran:

Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.

A Bible verse? I thought to myself. Talaga bang hawak niya 'yon bago siya namatay o inilagay 'yon ng kung sinumang may gawa nito sa kanya?

Well, we'd find out once we capture whoever did this to her.

"What happened here?" Alistair asked one of the student council officers.

"Naglalakad daw sa may hagdan itong si Neva tapos sandaling nagdilim sa Atrium. Pagbalik ng mga ilaw, nakita na namin siyang nakahandusay sa may paanan."

"May nakakita ba na may tumulak sa kanya?" tanong ko. Kung may witness man, mas magkakaroon kami ng clue kung sino ang may gawa nito.

Frowning, the student council officer shook his head. "Medyo dim kasi ang lights at maraming ganap dito kaya wala masyadong nagbibigay ng atensyon. Iniisip namin na baka natapilok siya nang magdilim tapos unang tumama 'yong ulo niya sa sahig."

Accident?

"I don't think so," Jamie replied to me. She had been looking away from the body since we got here. It escaped me that I said that word out loud. "Kasama ang name na Neva sa list na ibinigay ni Stein. Number one pa nga siya. Neva Verdejo."

"Number one?" I repeated, my eyebrows knitting.

Stein said that the list contains names of his potential targets. What if his minion was planning to kill them in the order that their names were written? Una si Neva dahil siya na ang number one. Susunod kung sinuman ang number two? It may be a lame order, but Stein might be trying to play mind games with us. Habang nag-iisip kami ng komplikadong solusyon sa ibinigay niyang equation, napakasimple lang pala ang sagot niya.

"Who's next in the list?" I asked.

Jamie shut her eyes for a second. "Alita Jimenez."

"Loki! Al!" I called them. Muli kaming naglupong na apat. Medyo hininaan ko ang aking boses para walang ibang makarinig. "Baka may pattern nga na susundan kung sinuman ang may gawa nito. Neva's number one in the list. The next target might be the number two."

Alistair nodded. "We must find her before something happens to her, kung siya man talaga ang susunod."

"We have no lead at the moment so we might as well start at something," Loki agreed. "So where can we find—"

"Good evening, students of Clark High!"

I plugged my fingers into my ears when I heard a screeching noise from the speakers. Emeraude stood at the center of the stage, holding a microphone. She always wears a smile when she faces the student body. But something's strange with her right now.

"We haven't officially started the evening party, pero mukhang may excited na!" Her smile also felt strained. Even Jamie said it wasn't genuine. "Don't be alarmed on what happened. We have prepared a murder mystery to entertain us through the night! This is just a game, okay? As you can see, the QED Club has come to solve the mystery."

Nagkatinginan kami ng mga kasama ko. What was she talking about? Ni hindi nga kami nagkausap tungkol dito. The only thing that she told us was to escort the students back to their cabins late in the afternoon. Matapos noon, wala na kaming ibang interaction.

"Medyo realistic ang ating game kaya may dugo kayong nakikita riyan at talagang hindi gumagalaw ang katawan," Emeraude went on, making her look more uncomfortable and me more confused. "Don't worry about it. Just enjoy the party!"

"Something's going on here," Loki muttered.

"The student council might be trying to hide something from us," Alistair added.

My eyes landed on Luthor who stood beside Emeraude. He's the only one wearing a crimson coat so he wasn't that hard to spot. After mentally telling him to look at me, lumingon siya sa akin at nagkapalitan kami ng tingin. I made a face asking "what the hell was going on here?" but he just cut his gaze away. I felt ignored.

Someone's dead and he's acting like it's nothing? He owed us an explanation lalo na kung gagamitin niya ang pangalan namin para sa kanyang gimik.

"Paano natin mahahanap si Alita?" tanong ni Jamie na lumilingon-lingon sa paligid. "Masyadong maraming tao rito. Kahit maghiwa-hiwalay tayong apat, baka hindi tayo umabot sa oras."

I also looked around bago natuon ang tingin ko kay Emeraude. She was still trying to calm down the anxious crowd. Mukhang effective naman ang sinasabi niya dahil nabawasan ang pagka-confused ng ilan.

"I have an idea."

Again we squeezed ourselves into the crowd as we made a beeline to the stage. Pagkatapos ng speech ng student council president, hiniram ko ang kanyang mic at tumayo sa entablado. I did not wait for her permission.

"Nandito ba si Alita Jimenez? Pwede ka bang magtaas ng kamay para makita ka namin?" I craned my neck as I panned my head from one end to another. Sa may 'di kalayuan, may napansin akong nakataas na kamay. I jumped from the stage and signaled to my friends to go there.

Nang malapit na kami kay Alita, biglang nagdilim sa Atrium. Everyone around us gasped. I felt worried.

"Alita!" I called. I couldn't see anything in the dark!

"Alita?" Jamie joined in. I knew she's behind me because I could feel her breath.

Bumalik din ulit ang liwanag at nagpatuloy kami sa pagpunta kay Alita. Sana'y walang nangyaring masama sa kanya!

"I'm here!" A girl in ponytails waved her hand at us. Natuwa akong makita siyang ligtas at buhay. Agad namin siyang pinalibutan at nagpalinga-linga sa paligid. Alistair asked her kung may napansin ba siyang kakaiba bago nagdilim kanina. If she's the next target, her attacker might be around us.

Wait a minute. If that brief blackout was a signal or an opportunity for the killer to attack, does that mean he missed Alita or I was wrong with my premature theory?

KYAAAH!

We all turned to the direction where the scream came from. Hinawi namin ang mga nakaharang na estudyante hanggang marating namin ang area kung saan isa pang babae ang nakahandusay nang patalikod sa sahig at naka-stretch ang kanang kamay. Jamie quickly looked away bago pa niya tuluyang makita ang itsura nito. There was no pool of blood, pero may namuong lawa ng laway malapit sa bibig niya. Some ogasped while few were amazed with how realistic the murder mystery was.

Pinalibutan namin ang katawan at sinuri ang paligid nito. Nothing worthy of noting. Nagtanong-tanong din kami kung may nakita bang kahina-hinalang tao ang mga katabi niya, pero wala silang naisagot sa amin. Basta-basta na lang daw niyang sinakal ang sarili bago nag-collapse.

Were we dealing with an invisible man? Bakit walang nakapansin?

Nagawi ang tingin ko kay Loki na nakaluhod sa gilid ng biktima. Napansin niya ang papel sa nakakuyom nitong kamao. Maingat niya itong inalis at ipinabasa sa amin. Lumapit kaming tatlo sa kanya.

"May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money."

Another Bible verse. Stein's minion must have left those notes. Imposibleng may hawak na gano'n ang mga biktima bago sila na patay. Ang tanong: May meaning ba ang mga line na 'to? O pampalito lamang?

"I heard from the people over there na ang name niya Noelia," Jamie whispered to me. "She's number four in the list."

Four? That obliterated my flimsy theory. The mysterious minion was not following the order in the list. Ugh! Parang nawalan tuloy ako ng direksyon.

We heard two more screams right after two blackouts. We did not have much time to inspect the crime scenes because one incident happened after another. May dalawang panibagong biktima: Vicente De Almeida and Tito Perales. They were lying face-down on the floor. Pareho silang may nakalukot na papel sa kanilang mga kamay.

"What will this babbler say?"

"He was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost."

Shortly after, they were followed by Maximiliam Mananzares who also had a paper crumpled in his hand. I wasn't surprised to read another Bible verse. Wala pa nga kaming idea sa pattern, dumagdag pa 'to.

The bodies of the five victims were covered by black shrouds. Lahat ng atensyon ay nakatuon sa aming apat. We ran from one area to another, and their eyes followed us wherever we went. Parang may CCTV cameras na nakatutok sa amin.

"Does the killer follow any pattern at all?" I asked. Lumayo muna kami sa crowd dahil nakaka-suffocate ang pagtutok nila sa amin. We also needed to breath some air. To see those dead bodies upfront was not an easy experience. If we haven't seen much worse, we would have puked. Ito ngang si Jamie, hindi na magawang tumingin.

"I'm starting to think that the targets were randomly picked from the list," Alistair said, caressing his chin as his eyes looked down. "But something doesn't feel quite right. I think we're missing something."

"I don't think they're random," Loki countered, shaking his head. Iniangat niya ang kanyang tingin sa kasama namin. "Jamie, can you tell us the number of each victim?"

Jamie nodded. "One, four, five, nine and fourteen so far."

"If the targeting is truly random, why is the order in a strange ascending order?" Loki asked. "There's a pattern here, but we haven't seen it yet. Stein won't bother giving us that list and telling us that we can save lives."

Inilabas niya ang listahan at minarkahan ang mga pangalan ng mga biktima roon. We all stared at the sea of names as we gave it a serious thought. Paulit-ulit kong binasa ang mga pangalan at binalikan ang mga numero sa kanilang tabi.

We're onto something, but we haven't figured out what it was.

After a moment of silence, Loki let out an exasperated sigh and gave me the list. "Perhaps it's time to consider other options."

I furrowed my eyebrows, looking at him. "What options?"

"Chess," he answered. I gulped. "We need to split our forces. I will deal with Stein alone and you will deal with his minion here. I trust that you three can do it without me?"

"No!" I yelled at him. Sa lakas ng sigaw ko, napatingin sa akin hindi lang ang mga kaibigan ko, kung 'di maging ang mga estudyante sa paligid namin. "Kailangang may kasama ka kung haharapin mo siya! He's desperate, isn't he? Who knows what tricks he's hiding up his sleeves!"

Leaving Loki alone with Stein was a very, very bad idea.

"Oo nga, Loki dear!" Jamie added, looking worried too. "Stein may look weak physically but he's still capable of doing you harm! Please! Don't confront him alone!"

"Let's say that I entertain your suggestion. Who's gonna come with me?" he asked. "Alistair? He's needed here to protect you two. Jamie or Lorelei? Stein might use you against me. He might hold either of you at gunpoint or something. I don't want you anywhere near him in case I lose the game."

"But—"

"Nothing will happen to me." Loki assured us with a rare smile. The lights may have dimmed in the Atrium, but I could see him beaming. "Remember his golden rule? He cannot harm me. No one can. Therefore we can turn our collective efforts in making sure that he cannot harm any of you three. Are we clear?"

I hesitated to give him a nod. I couldn't. Masama ang pakiramdam ko sa balak niya. Heto na ba ang kinatatakutan ko? Nevertheless, one of us should come with him! But if it's not Alistair, Jamie or I would only become liability for him. Ayaw kong makadagdag sa iisipin niya.

Kainis! Why do I feel powerless?

"Let's keep a communication line." I heaved a long sigh and gave in to his plan. Ipinakita ko sa kanya ang aking phone. "May wi-fi naman dito kaya pwede tayong mag-group call para updated tayong apat."

"Sounds like a good idea," Loki replied. "We can keep in touch while I'm beating him and you stopping the minion."

My fingers were shaking when I made a few taps on the screen. I started a call on our group chat. Sabay-sabay naming inilagay ang wireless earpiece sa mga tenga namin. I somehow anticipated that we might need to be apart and still communicate, so I brought four sets. I was right to trust my gut feeling.

"Alistair, take care of Lorelei and Jamie," Loki said. "I won't forgive you if something bad happens to any of them."

May pag-aalinlangan sa mga mata ni Alistair, ngunit tumango pa rin siya at pilit na ngumiti. "Ako ang bahala sa kanila. You better take care of yourself too."

Loki turned to us. "And you two—"

Walang pasabing niyakap ni Jamie sa Loki, halos ibaon na niya ang kanyang mukha sa dibdib nito. I noticed her eyes glistening with tears, kagaya noong nagbiro si Loki na muntikan na siyang mahulog kanina. Wala siyang sinabi. Wala ring nasabi si Loki dahil nagulat na naman siya.

"Why are you so being emotional? I'm just gonna play chess with Stein. I'm not going anywhere."

"Pagbigyan mo na kami!" naluluhang sabi ni Jamie, lalo pang humigpit ang yakap niya. "Basta mag-iingat ka, ha? Kapag nasa panganib ka, sabihin mo lang agad kami sa call, okay?"

"Sure," Loki said, awkwardly returning the embrace.

Kumalas na ng yakap si Jamie sa kanya, tumalikod at pinunasan ang mga luha niya.

Huminga ako nang malalim. Loki and I exchanged glances, our eyes blinking. I know that he could not read my mind, but if he had that ability, he would see so many thoughts running in my head right now. So many what ifs that I didn't want to happen. My knees felt weak as I remembered the worst scenario possible.

We were locked into a staring contest. I chose not to avert my gaze. My mind was telling me to savor this moment.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I inched closer to him and gave him a hug.

For a moment, the two of us fell silent.

The world around us fell silent.

I heard nothing but the beating of his heart.

He awkwardly embraced me. Well, it did not matter to me at all.

"Please take care."

"I will."

I let go of him and squeezed my eyes shut. All my fears came back to me. I tried to shut them away, but they wouldn't let me have my peace. Not at this very moment. The Dreamhill anagram. The Final Problem mention. Parang mga pahiwatig ito na may masamang mangyayari.

Still, I have to trust Loki and—as much as I hate to say this—I have to trust Moriarty's rule that Loki shall never be harmed.

Loki cleared his throat and straightened his loose tie. "If my reasoning is correct, the girl named Herminia Mancha is gonna be the next target. Remember that Stein is a huge fan of Mathematics. Look at the numbers and you shall see the answer."

He gave us a nod and we waved at him. Naitaas ko nga ang kamay ko, pero hindi ko magawang maigalaw. Our eyes followed him intently as he went to the area where Stein was chilling. He whispered something in his ear, and the mastermind pointed at the exit. They left the Atrium together.

Please be safe.

q.e.d.

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