[And then, there were nine.]

 

 

Point of View: Karina Yoo.

 

“Are you even sure that this would work?”

 

The question hung in the air habang nag-iisip sila ng kasagutan, an answer that could satisfy what she had thrown into everyone’s attention, and I could only laugh deep inside habang nakatitig ako sa mga taong parang nagdoubt na agad sa mga kapakanan nila or sa mga kaya nilang gawin.

 

Irene Bae, always the doubter.

 

Always the one who sees flaws in something else, in someone else, always the one who sees the holes when no one else could.

 

But I guess she could see the faults in everyone, but not in herself?

 

Dahil nasanay na lang ako na parang wala akong nakakatandang kapatid.

 

Na parang hindi ko siya kilala tuwing nakikita ko siya—which is why I had my name legally changed the day that the horrors had happened.

 

Karina Bae to Karina Yoo, after her mother’s maiden name, dahil ramdam na ramdam kong magkapareho si Irene at si Papa.

 

Parehong hindi inaalintana ang pamilya.

 

Parehong kayang talikuran ang kadugo at kapamilya upang maitaas ang kanilang mga sarili.

 

And in all honesty, it disgusts me so much how she had thrown me away so easily just to get where she is today.

 

Hinding hindi ko siya mapapatawad—

 

“Are your thoughts about your ate bothering you again?”

 

Winter.

 

She smiles at me like we aren’t in any life threatening situation right now, like it’s okay to casually chat like this, na parang hindi kami sinabihan lahat na kailangan may mamatay na isa sa amin para matapos ang gulong ito. How can she be so optimistic like this? Dahil ako, hindi ko kaya.

 

My sanity is only held on by a small thread, and it’s like I’m hanging upon a cliff.

 

Winter.

 

I remember her reaction when she met me and Yeonjun, my former boyfriend at the time, and that was when disaster struck—biglang dumilim, as if there was something covering the sun; or perhaps it was something covering the Earth from receiving sunlight, dahil sobrang dilim bigla.

 

The only light we had were our phones, and it quickly dissipated into absolutely nothing—but Winter was a lifesaver, since she successfully pinpointed the way back to her house, at swerteng may stock daw sila ng emergency supplies including possible light sources, pero hindi lang pala iyon ang mangyayari.

 

Just when we thought that everything would go back to normal after a few days, the horrors just increased.

 

Bigla na lamang kaming nakarinig ng mga sumisigaw, piercing through the dead darkness and the silence that followed it, and soon it happened.

 

I don’t know why those shadows—the ones who seemed to kill at random—chose to go for Yeonjun, instead of me or Winter.

 

And even if Winter shielded me from seeing it, I had to watch my former boyfriend dissipate into dust so suddenly as the shadow tugged upon him away from me, and I had to watch him reach for me like holding me could save him.

 

In the dim lighting of Winter’s apartment, I had to watch him die.

 

I still remember how my throat hurt after shouting for hours—because after that, only his ashes remained upon the floor.

 

I remember how Winter held me without questions, how she hugged me tight even though all I wanted was to run away even in the darkness, how she stayed silent even though I was shouting like crazy.

 

Even though it was tiring to take care of me in the days ensuing after, because I was fear stricken. Na parang wala na akong ganang mabuhay because the someone that I had loved for a long while suddenly died in front of me, his face etched in my mind and him visiting my dreams endlessly.

 

“Stop thinking about those things, madidistract ka lang.” sagot ni Winter habang hinawakan niya ang kamay ko at patuloy kaming naglakad papunta sa kung saan mang dinadala nila Ate Moonbyul ang grupo namin na ito, away from those things chasing one of us to die.

 

“Winter, promise me.” I say out of the blue, habang patuloy naming binibigyan ng distansiya ang mga halimaw na walang kapagurang nakasunod sa amin—and as I pose that question, I see Winter look at me, wondering what I have to say.

 

“Promise me that you’ll never put your life on the line for me.” I say, and the smile upon her lips disappear immediately as she hears it, and she looks at me as if I had finally gone out of my wits.

 

“Karina, I—”

 

“Promise me.” I say sternly, and I see her grit her teeth, refusing to look at me for a second, and I realize that she’s planning to.

 

She’s planning to do that.

 

No.

 

I can’t let you do that.

 

“Winter, ipangako mo sa akin.” I say, repeating it for the nth time, gritting my teeth as I hold her hand tight, finding it shivering against me, and I could see her dazed expression, like there are a lot of things running inside her head at the moment, but I want her to promise me.

 

“Winter, please.” I beg, and I see her break.

 

“Fine.” She says, at nakatingin lang siya sa akin na parang sumuko na siya, like she doesn’t even want to say that word to me anymore, like she wants me to stop.

 

Stop begging her not to sacrifice her life for me.

 

“Hindi ko kakayanin na mawala ka, Win.”

 

“Eh paano naman ako? Paano pag ikaw ang nawala, Karina?” sagot niya, at agad ko namang pinunasan ang luhang agad na bumagsak mula sa mga mata niya, and I shake my head as I answer her question.

 

“No. walang mamamatay, Winter. We’ll get through this.” I say, sighing as I hug her side, still feeling her shaking pero konti nalang, as if my words calmed her down.

 

“No one needs to die.”

 

 

Point of View: Soojin Seo.

 

“Sinb, bitaw.” I mutter under my breath, pero makulit pa rin siya at hinigpitan ang hawak sa kamay ko, not wanting to let go, dahil alam naming dalawang may mangyayari kapag bumitaw siya.

 

“Sinb, please.”

 

“No. How many times am I going to tell you? Hindi ka mamamatay. I won’t let you.” Pagmamatigas niya, at napabuntong hininga na lamang ako habang hawak ko ang matalim na kutsilyong ibinigay sa akin ni Moonbyul, at tinitigan ko lamang ito habang tumingin pa uli ako kay Sinb na nakafocus sa pagtakbo at sa paghawak sa akin.

 

This is very selfish of me, I know that.

 

Alam kong hindi ang grupong ito ang rason kung bakit gusto ko nang matapos ito—it’s because that decided that she should shield herself in front of me when that shadow bastard was going for me in the first place.

 

I know it; I should have been the one to turn into ashes, I should have been the one who had died that day, pero bakit siya?

 

How can she do that? Stare Death in its unwavering eyes and give her life so willingly with a smile?

 

“Soojin, take care.” Always so caring even in the end.

 

She even made Sinb promise na alagaan ako.

 

When she had always been jealous that I had dated her in the past—how can she still do that?

 

How can she be so caring towards me?

 

Shuhua.

 

Shuhua.

 

Shuhua.

 

I utter it over and over, fearing that I’d forget her name, that I’d forget how she looks like, because I hadn’t saved anything that could remind me of her—wala akong naisalbang kahit anong memento na makakapagremind sa kanya.

 

Natatakot ako.

 

What if this never ends?

 

What if I never see you again, Shuhua?

 

What if living would be the worst thing right now?

 

I heard it just fine—that strange voice, saying that only one needs to die for this to stop.

 

For the undead to stop chasing us, one needs to be torn apart.

 

Alam kong mali si Irene—alam kong hinding hindi ito matatapos hangga’t walang namamatay.

 

Na kahit abutin pa kami ng ilang taon dito at mawalan na kami ng mga gamit para mabuhay, it wouldn’t even be over.

 

Even if that strange voice would be given the satisfaction of watching someone die upon the hands of the ruthless undead, I don’t care anymore. I don’t care if I die, if I be the first one to lose their life, if I be the first one to end this all.

 

I already lost that life of mine the day that she died.

 

“I’m sorry, Eunbi.” I utter, voicing out her real name for the first time in years, a name that I had fondly called her when we were still together, before we broke up in good terms, before I found myself loving that crackhead of a girl who was willing to die just for me.

 

“Soojin?” she asks, still bent on holding my hand tight and running away, her tone filled with childlike wonder.

 

“Hmm?” I hum as a reply, gripping the knife upon my hand tight.

 

“You’re scaring me.” She says, her voice cracking at the last syllable, na parang nagpipigil siya ng pag-iyak, na parang nagpipigil siyang tumulo ang luha niya habang hawak niya ako—always the one who’s been trying to be strong, even if the odds aren’t with her.

 

“Don’t be.” Sagot ko, gritting my teeth as she stares back at me, stopping from running at the moment, not even letting the group realize that we’ve stopped here.

 

“This would be the last time that I would hurt you, I promise.”

 

Napasigaw na lamang siya sa sakit nang itusok ko ng madiin ang patalim na hawak ko, at dahil doon ay agad na kumalas siya mula sa pagkakahawak sa akin—and I take it.

 

I push her down and run as fast as I could, not letting her breathe for a second and run towards the other direction, towards certain death, towards the undead, at hindi ko pinansin ang malakas na sigaw ni Sinb na bumalik ako sa tabi nila, na tumigil ako sa pagtakbo papunta sa direksyon na ito, at mas binilisan ko pa ang pagtakbo nang marinig kong may humahabol na sa akin.

 

Sinb is hellbent on catching up with me as I look back at her, the knife still embedded upon her palm and dripping blood like crazy, at hindi ko hahayaang madamay pa siya at mapunta sa panganib when all the hordes want is just one.

 

Just one, and this would be over.

 

Just me, and they would altogether stop chasing them.

 

I’d like to think that this is for a noble cause, and not just me slipping into the depths of insanity.

 

Dahil win-win situation na ito, hindi ba?

 

They’d get to live another day, and I’d get to see the love of my life again.

 

That smile of her, how she looks at me like she loves me most in the world.

 

“Sinb, live as much as you can.” I say, raising my voice as loud as possible habang kita kong bumabagal na siya sa pagtakbo at pagod na siya, but I push myself to run further, to leave her behind, even if it’s hard.

 

“Don’t you forget about us.” I say, gritting my teeth as I hear the snarls of the undead in front of me, widening my eyes as I realize that they are closer that we thought they would be after running away for a very long time, and I sigh in defeat.

 

“SOOJIN, PLEASE!” Sinb shouts, and I look back at her and find her on her knees, at kita kong binunot niya ang kutsilyo at itinapon iyon kung saan, hands clasped to each other as if it could change my mind, at napangiti na lamang ako habang dahan-dahan akong umatras papunta sa mga tiyak na papatay sa akin.

 

Shuhua, magkikita na tayo.

 

Mahal na mahal kita.

 

 

[First horror complete. One survivor, Soojin Seo, confirmed deceased.]

 

[You shall be given a week of rest, and the next horror shall be announced after that alloted time.]

 

 

 

 

[And then, there were eight.]