Guontiveros: Vivid

Chapter 7

"But don’t you think I am dead, Alice?" Theresia wondered, her eyes fixed on the scene ahead.

They were walking hand in hand, as they often did, navigating the endless farm in search of a path that might lead Theresia home. If she was in a coma, finding the way could bring her back to her body.

Alice turned to Theresia. "Why do you think so?"

Theresia sighed. "It's been fifteen years and my parents, including me, are still missing. I think we're dead and buried somewhere no one would suspect," she explained, sorrow in her voice.

Alice stopped, making Theresia halt too. She held Theresia’s shoulders, looking directly into her eyes. "No, you're not. Maybe you’re in a coma and your parents survived. They might have hidden or fled because someone was after your family," Alice concluded.

Theresia shook her head slightly, feeling like Alice didn’t want to accept the possibility of her being dead. "What if I am? If I’m dead, I want you to live your life, Alice. Maybe we could still see each other in this dream."

"No! You’re not dead, okay?! You promised me we’d find each other outside of this dream!" Alice shouted, tears glistening on her rosy cheeks.

Theresia felt her heart shatter at Alice's tears. She moved closer and gently wiped them away. She took Alice’s hands, bringing them to her lips, and placed light kisses on both. "I’m sorry, Alice."

She didn’t know why she did it, but she remembered her father doing this when her mother was sad. It always seemed to calm her.

Theresia wrapped Alice in her arms, smiling softly as she felt how small Alice was, despite being the same age in this dream. Alice calmed down and returned the hug. They stayed like that for minutes, absorbing each other's warmth.

"I’m sorry, Theresia. I didn’t mean to shout at you," Alice said as they broke from the hug.

Theresia patted her head. "That's okay, Alice. Shall we?"

Theresia smiled and offered her hand, which Alice took eagerly. "Let’s find my way home, Alice. So I can go back to my body and find you in the real world," she assured.

Alice nodded happily, and they resumed their journey. They walked under the sun for hours and stopped in surprise when they saw an empty road, a new sight for both of them. They exchanged a look and nodded, continuing until they reached the roadside.

Everything was quiet until a speeding car appeared, followed closely by another. As the cars got closer, Theresia recognized her parents’ car.

"I-It's our car, Alice."

Alice looked carefully, remembering the car from news articles she had seen.

Theresia grew agitated as the cars neared. The car in the back sped up, overtaking and blocking her parents’ car, forcing it to stop abruptly. Five armed men in black masks emerged, walking toward her parents' car. Theresia's parents were forced out, kneeling on the ground with their hands behind their heads. Her mother was crying, and her father tried to protect and calm her.

Theresia and Alice watched silently from behind tall grass, holding hands tightly. Theresia's father pleaded with the men, but they laughed. One man shot Theresia's mother, causing her body to fall. Theresia cried, watching her mother die. Her father hugged her mother’s lifeless body, crying and screaming.

Another man was about to shoot her father when Theresia broke free from Alice’s grip and ran toward them. Alice tried to stop her but couldn’t touch her. She felt like a ghost.

Theresia was seen by the armed men. Her father was shocked. "Theresia! I told you to run and hide!"

Theresia remembered the last conversation with her father.

"Theresia, listen to me. You need to hide under the seat. There’s a space there, and here’s a black sheet. Cover yourself and hide," her father instructed, his eyes on the road.

"Why? What’s happening?" Theresia asked, confused and panicking.

"Just do what I said, Theresia. If they force us out, I want you to flee silently and hide in the tall grass. No matter what happens, don’t look back. Run away. Understand?"

Theresia hesitated but nodded. She wrapped herself in the black sheet and hid under the car seat. The car stopped, and she knew they were cornered. She heard her parents being forced out and watched from under the seat. She quietly slipped out, hid in the tall grass, and walked away slowly. Once far enough, she started running.

But she couldn’t just leave. She decided to gather evidence first, in case her parents died. She returned to the grass, watching. She gasped as something squeezed her hand, though no one was there. She quickly covered her mouth, nearly getting caught.

- End of Flashback-

The man smirked when he saw Theresia, "Well, here's what we need..."

"...Oh, shoot him," he commanded.

"NOOO!" Theresia screamed as her father was killed. She tried to run but was grabbed. She felt someone was holding her hand.

Alice reached for Theresia's hand, but their fingers couldn't meet. She was certain Theresia felt her presence, and their eyes seemed to lock just before Theresia fainted as something was injected into her neck. Alice noticed a tattoo on the man's wrist as he injected Theresia. It looked familiar.

Alice screamed and cried, unable to help. Suddenly, she was pulled away.

Alice jolted awake, surprised to see her uncle waking her. His hand was on her shoulder, a tattoo visible on his wrist where his sleeve had lifted. Alice felt a chill. The tattoo was similar to the man who took Theresia.

"No, that can't be..."