8
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AS ZANE prepared to exit the car, the driver beat him to it with swift precision. With a deft flick of his wrist, the driver opened the door, revealing the lively street outside, bathed in the white glow of streetlights and the occasional honk of passing vehicles.

"Thank you," Zane murmured, stepping onto the pavement.

The driver offered a slight nod, silent, before sliding back into his seat. The car rolled forward smoothly, blending into the flow of traffic and disappearing into the suburb's ceaseless rhythm.

Zane stood for a moment, feeling the air around him grow heavier. The unease that had simmered during the ride lingered, gnawing at him. He glanced at his phone, the screen lighting up with another message from the same mysterious number:

Where are you?

"What do you want?" Zane muttered under his breath, the frustration bubbling up as his feet carried him up the stairs.

220. 221. He halted in front of his apartment door, only to realize with a groan that he'd forgotten his key. "Dang it, Zane!"

Moments later, the door creaked open, revealing a familiar figure. "Finally!" the woman exclaimed with a small smile on her face. "I thought you'd vanished into thin air. What happened?"

Zane brushed past her, not in the mood to explain. His mind was elsewhere-too full, too scattered. He entered the kitchen silently, the only thing on his mind now was to sit back and hopefully find something to eat for dinner.

"You've been gone for ages. Did someone abduct you?" she quipped, settling onto the long sofa, her eyes flicking towards the blank television.

"Uh, yes," Zane replied, the frustration evident in his voice as he rummaged through the kitchen, his patience fraying.

"Really?" she raised an eyebrow, her sarcasm thinly veiled. "I didn't think I'd be correct. Well, at least you're back after your mysterious vanishing act."

Ignoring her jab, Zane's attention was drawn to the refrigerator. There, neatly encased under a clear lid, was the cake he had been craving all day. He retrieved it, spoon in hand, and made his way back to the living room.

"Why'd you leave so suddenly earlier?" he pressed, his tone softening. "I was actually worried about you, and yet here you are, calm as ever. You haven't even touched your cake."

Zane sat down, taking a slow bite of the cake, letting the sweetness soothe him.

"Oh, the cake! Right!" she exclaimed suddenly, her tone changing as if she'd just remembered something crucial.

Zane paused mid-bite, eyes dropping towards her. "What's so special about the cake?" he asked.

"That cake? Oh, nothing. Feel free to eat it. Just don't touch mine-I'll eat it later," she waved dismissively.

Zane frowned, taking a small bite of the mocha cake. The flavours melted in his mouth, but the nagging sense of something off kept him from enjoying it fully. "How does that relate to what you were saying about the cake?" he mumbled.

"What's the connection?" she echoed, as if the question had caught her off guard. Then her expression darkened, her voice dropping slightly. "Well, it's just that the murderer will strike again tonight. Near this area."

Zane nearly choked, coughing as the bite went down wrong. "W-What are you saying? Who's the target?"

She shrugged, almost too casually for what she stated. "That's the thing, isn't it? Could be anyone. Could be you, could be me. But one thing's for sure-it's going to happen soon."

She stood up, her gaze fixated on the wall behind the long sofa, now adorned with papers and photographs that hadn't been there when Zane first arrived.

"Remember what I mentioned earlier? About that failed attempt?" Raine's voice dropped to a near whisper. "Turns out, the latest victim was the youngest."

As she spoke, the living room faded, replaced by the scene she had witnessed earlier when Zane was away. In her mind, she replayed it vividly, as if guiding him through a flashback like a novelist.

The park was bustling with people. In the middle of it all, three high school students-two boys and one girl-encircled a fourth lass who sat on the grass, her shoulders hunched in sobs. Her white blouse was smeared with dirt, evidence of a struggle, though she'd managed to escape her tormentors. Passers-by gathered, curious eyes locked on the scene, but rather than intervening, some lifted their phones, live-streaming the ordeal as if it were just another spectacle.

The past Raine approached the scene just as the police and EMTs arrived, Detective Sergeant Gabrielle Cruz stepping out of one of the police cars. Cruz headed towards the three classmates of the victim, casting a stern glance in their direction.

"What happened?" Cruz questioned the group.

The other girl, Mikaela, spoke up first, her voice shaky. "She said... she was attacked... by the monster."

"We left her for a moment to grab some street food, and then I heard her scream," added one of the boys, Kenjy, visibly rattled. "I rushed back, leaving my friend behind, and... that's when I saw it. This black figure."

Raine interjected. "A black figure? Are you certain it wasn't a man?"

Cruz shot her a glance, but she ignored it, keeping her attention on Kenjy, who shook his head vigorously.

"No, Ma'am, it was an aswang. Blood-red eyes, sharp claws. It was drooling like... like a hungry animal. Every part of it, black as night." He struggled to steady his breathing, as if reliving the terror all over again.

"Excuse me, Miss. Are you alright?" one of the EMTs asked Zandra Villanueva, who was leaning back against his other friend Tyron, her breathing shallow as tears streamed down her face.

Without warning, Zandra's eyes fluttered, and she lost consciousness. The paramedics acted quickly, placing her on a stretcher and rushing her to the nearest hospital.

Raine turned her attention back to the group. "Did any of you see the creature as well?"

Mikaela nodded, glancing at Kenjy. "Yes, Kenjy and I did. I spotted it first from a distance. When it noticed us watching, it ran toward the nearby forest."

Raine then looked to Tyron. "And you? Why didn't you see it?"

"I was carrying the food orders for Zandra and myself," Tyron explained, his gaze dropping as he recalled the scene. "When I returned, I found Kenjy and Mikaela frozen, peeking through the nearby slide. But when I looked, there was nothing there-just Zandra, lying on the grass and crying."

As the room settled back into its familiar layout, Zane and Raine remained at the center of the living room. "Scanning through the files, I discovered that the victim is Zandra Villanueva," Raine stated. "She was just 14 years old, an eighth grader at Montemayor Integrated School. Known for being a rich kid, her parents are prominent figures in Nueva Aurora-the school principal and a real estate agent."

Zane's brow furrowed with concern. "I've heard about the other three victims. This murderer must be a psychopath, though I suspect it's really one of those aswangs." He hastily swallowed a bite of his cake and took a step closer to her, but he froze as he noticed a sudden shift in her demeanour. Her eyes shut tightly, and her face twisted in anguish as if battling an unseen force.

"A-Are you alright?" Zane asked, instinctively extending his hand toward her. But before he could reach her, she grabbed his arm, her fingers cold and gripping him with an urgency that startled him.

"I'm fine," she managed to say, her voice strained as she released her hold. The imprint of her grip lingered on his skin. "Sorry," she murmured, avoiding his gaze, her attention fixed on the wall.

Following her line of sight, Zane noticed a chaotic array of photographs and sketches pinned haphazardly. Each black-and-white image captured frozen moments-faces filled with expressions of fear and sorrow, scenes that seemed to weave a narrative only she could decipher. The images led to something dark and unsettling, a revelation he could feel creeping closer but could not yet articulate.

"So these are the victims, and you drew them? Why?" Zane asked, his curiosity piqued as he surveyed the wall covered with images.

"So I can visually see them and connect the dots easier," Raine replied, her eyes still scanning the map laid out amidst the photographs.

"What else have you discovered with this... stuff?" Zane inquired, popping another small piece of cake into his mouth, trying to ease the tension in the room.

Raine's finger traced a red dot pinned on the map of the city of Nueva Aurora, drawing his attention. "This one represents the municipality of Manteberia," she said, gesturing to the first dot. "The second is La Fuente, the third is Puerto Luna, and just last night, we had an incident here in Nueva Aurora." Her brow furrowed as she continued, "He's getting closer and closer to us. But then, he got interrupted."

The room was imbued with a mysterious aura, as if they were being slowly drawn into its depths. As Zane continued to search the collection, something caught his eye-the sketch of his own face, taken from a recent post on one of his social media accounts. It captured him smiling, his teeth visible, with a few curly strands of hair playfully falling onto his forehead.

"Is that me?" he asked, a mixture of surprise and unease threading through his voice.

"Well, you could be a suspect," Raine replied with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Even if you're not, it's just fun to have you on that wall."

"They're... great," he praised, his voice barely above a whisper as he took in the artistry. "But don't think for one second that I'm the killer. I can hardly socialize with anyone."

"I know," Raine assured him. "I told you this is just for fun."

"Okay," he replied, his tension easing slightly as he took another bite of cake.

"Thanks, but listen, there's a life at stake here," Raine reiterated, her expression shifting to one of urgency. "Now, where was I? Ah, their locations! The first victim was killed on Friday, May 21, found shortly after six in the evening. Then there was the second, on Friday, July 25, whose body was discovered around seven, close to eight."

"Are you a private detective or something?" Zane asked.

"Just a curious individual, newly hired at the CSI squad of Nueva Aurora," she replied, her eyes gleaming with determination.

"Cool," he said, though a flicker of concern settled in his gut.

"The third victim was killed inside her workplace during a blackout that disrupted the security cameras. Her body was found around eight in the evening, just as the company was closing and the guards were checking the rooms," Raine continued. "That was on July 30th, also a Friday. And now he's about to strike again here in this province."

"How did you know the next killing will happen now? He was just busted out there. Do you think he will come back?" Zane asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Oh, come on. I'm not an accomplice or the killer himself," she shot back. "If I were a beast or something, I could've eaten you right this moment. Today is Friday the 13th, and we're alone here."

"I didn't say that," Zane quickly interrupted, swallowing the last bite of cake as he glanced around, suddenly aware of the tension.

"Thirty-five days between killings, like clockwork. But now he's early; considering it's Friday the 13th, he must be in a hurry or something," she explained. "Unlike the Ripper, he has his pattern. He's been interrupted, and he will come back, probably tonight or tomorrow. The police are currently tracking his behaviour, which is why they were in such a rush earlier with that woman and the gun scene."

"Now let's look at his targets. They're all women. That connection baffles the police-and even me," she continued, her brow furrowing.

"Even you, huh?" Zane muttered to himself.

"They barely know each other. The police have already interviewed their family members and acquaintances," Raine added.

"Have you tried consulting them yourself?" Zane asked, genuinely curious.

"I'm too busy for that," she stated, but her sentence was cut short by the distant wail of sirens approaching.

They dashed toward the door, peering through one of the six large windows in front of the B-floor flats. Outside, police cars swarmed towards a nearby location, their lights flashing in the growing darkness.

"I can't recall this many types of crime during my time here," Zane murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. "I only left for two years to pursue my master's degree in Manila, and now there are crimes happening almost everywhere."

Raine nodded gravely. "Well, I guess we have another serial killing victim, and it just happened on our neighbouring street here in the district of Eunoia," she said. "I told you the killer doesn't want to cut his perfect streak."