Depression Plutus (Curse #4)

CHAPTER 23 Third Victim

OTTILIE VIRSES POV
 
 
 
Slate, looking delighted, jogged across the court with a huge grin, stopping right beside me and resting his big arm casually over my shoulders. I could feel everyone's eyes on us, my classmates whispering and snickering, but Slate didn’t seem to care at all.
 
"Finally! I’ve been looking for you since the school year started," Slate said, his tone so genuine it was hard not to feel flattered.
 
Feeling close naman itong si Slate, nakakahiya tuloy sa mga classmates ko at sa mga classmates ni Slate na pinapanood kaming dalawa. 
 
"Oh, um, yeah, sorry. Nabusy lang sa schooworks," I replied, glancing down.
 
When I looked up again, my gaze accidentally landed on Plutus, who was watching us with a hard stare, his brows slightly furrowed as he slowly approached. I could sense something off about his mood, but Slate seemed completely oblivious to it.
 
"Anyway," Slate continued happily, "I finally found the perfect vocalist. It's no other than Plutus here." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at Plutus, who now stood next to us.
 
"Yeah, we’re in the same class," Plutus answered as his gaze fixed on me. 
 
There was something intense in his stare, something that made my stomach tighten with nerves. Galit ba siya dahil naudlot ko ang usapan nilang dalawa kanina? 
 
Slate clapped a hand on Plutus’s shoulder, still grinning. "So, Ottilie, I want you to come to our practice tomorrow after class! Pwede ka ba?"
 
Bigla akong nataranta sa sinabi nito, nababaliw na ba siya? Bakit niya ako iimbitihan sa practice ng banda nila? 
 
"Uh... I don’t think I can," I stammered, immediately feeling a surge of panic. "Ano, madami pa kasi akong gagawin."
 
"Oh, come on," Slate pressed, turning to Plutus. "Bro, help me convince her. She’s gotta come!"
 
Plutus’s jaw clenched, and I'm the only one who saw that. For a moment, he seemed ready to refuse, but then, to my shock, he nodded.

"Fine. I’ll bring her with me after class."
 
I stared at him, startled. What was going on with him? Nahihibang na ba si Plutus? Anong gagawin ko sa practice nila, tutunganga? Nang aasar ba talaga 'to? Hindi man lang niya inalis ang tingin nito sa'kin.
 
But then, a loud whistle pierced through the gym, signaling the start of class. Slate jumped up, offering me his hand. 
 
"Come on, Ottilie!"
 
I hesitated, glancing around, but Slate was persistent, leaving me with no choice but to take his hand. He helped me get down from the bleachers with ease, then gave a quick wave before jogging off to rejoin his class.
 
That left just Plutus and me, walking back across the court in silence. Bukas ko na poproblemahin si Slate, baka maka-isip pa ako ng palusot para hindi makapunta sa practice nila. 
 
~~~
 
"Ma'am, alis na po ako," paalam ko sa teacher bago ako lumabas ng faculty. 
 
Paglabas na paglabas ko ng faculty, agad akong napahilot sa batok ko dahil sa pagod. The sky was dark already, shadows stretching long across the empty hallways as I made my way in silence.
 
The school felt eerily quiet at this hour, and I could sense the chill in the air as I passed each darkened classroom. Kapag ganitong oras ako natatapos sa duty, hindi ko maiwasang matakot dahil wala nang estudyante ang pakalat-kalat sa daan. Pero nangilabot na lang ako bigla ng may marinig akong sigaw sa hindi kalayuan.

 
My heart raced as I quickly scanned my surroundings, trying to pinpoint where the sound had come from. Mabilis kong sinundan ang pinanggalingan ng sigaw. Mahina lang ito kaya nahirapan akong tukuyin kung saan ito nanggagaling.
 
Makalipas lang ang sampung minuto, natagpuan ko na lang ang sarili ko sa tapat ng library. Inisa-isa kong buksan ang bawat classroom na nadaanan ko kanina ngunit nakalock ang nga ito, tanging itong library lang ang bukod tanging bumukas. 
 
I pushed the door open cautiously as my breath hitched. Madalian kong binuksan ang mini-flashlight at saka ito itinutok sa dinadaanan ko. Napakalaki ng library, saan ako mag-uumpisang maghanap? 
 
Mas minabuti kong libutin na muna ang first floor, kada bookshelves ay sinilip ko, nagbabakasakali na mahanap ang babae kanina. Nanginginig man ang buo kong katawan, mas pinili kong labanan ang takot ko.
 
Please, sana buhay ka pa. 
 
Pero gano'n na lang ang panlulumo ko ng makita ang isang babaeng wala ng buhay sa ibabaw ng isang mahabang lamesa. Napatakip ako sa bibig ko ng makita ang kalunos-lunos na sinapit nito. Nakahilata ito sa lamesa at wala na ang dalawang mata nito. Katulad ng dalawang naunang bangkay, malinis din ang pagkakatanggal sa mga mata nito, ni walang bahid ng dugo ang makikita sa katawan ng bangkay.
 
My knees trembled as I stumbled, collapsing onto the floor. My gaze darted around the dimly lit room, scanning every corner, but there was no one else in sight. The silence weighed heavily, broken only by the frantic rhythm of my own breathing. My mind scrambled to process what was happening.

This was the third time!

Without thinking, I reached into my bag, pulling out the detection potion I had made. I managed to uncork the vial and let a few drops fall onto the girl’s forehead as I whispered a spell.
 
"Lux latentem revelat, energiam occultam ostende."
 
As I finished the incantation, a soft, silvery mist rose from the girl’s body, swirling faintly in the air above her. I squinted, confused by what I was seeing but knowing I couldn't waste a second. Quickly, I grabbed my DSLR camera, snapping a series of photos of the mist and the victim.
 
But before I could gather my thoughts, I was startled by voices echoing down the hall, accompanied by the sounds of hurried footsteps. A group of people entered the library, and I heard one of them exclaim, "I heard the scream coming from in here!"
 
Panic flooded me, hindi tuloy ako makagalaw sa kinatatayuan ko. Ang bibigat ng bawat paghinga ko, kapag ako nahuli dito, ako ang mapagbibintangan. I knew I should hide or make a run for it, but fear kept me glued to the floor. 
 
Suddenly, a strong hand clamped over my mouth, silencing any sound that might escape. I felt myself being pulled backward, dragged swiftly into the shadows of a dark alley, the hand never letting go of my mouth as we moved toward an exit.
 
Finally, when we emerged outside, I took the chance and swung my fist as hard as I could, landing a punch into the person’s stomach. The person let out a hiss of pain, a sharp curse breaking through the darkness.

 
"What the hell, evil witch?!"

 
To be continued...