Depression Plutus (Curse #4)

CHAPTER 41 Suspect

OTTILIE VIRSES POV 
 
 
Dumating ang araw ng Lunes, masamang balita agad ang sumalubong sa'min. Dalawang estudyante agad ang napabalitang pinaslang sa loob ng paaralan namin. Nang makarating sa'kin ang balita, parang gusto ko na lang umuwi at magkulong sa kwarto. 
 
Dalawang inosente na naman ang napagkaitan ng buhay dahil sa kagagawan ng pamilya ko. Pero sa halip na magmukmok, itinuon ko ang oras ko sa pagkalap ng impormasyon tungkol sa dalawang biktima. At ngayong gabi, nakasulat na ang impormasyon nila kasama ng iba pang biktikma. 
 
Fourth Victim: Xavir Agustin (a rebellious student)
Missing body part: leg (left)
Details: Xavier is discovered in one of the academy's old unused classrooms. His left leg has been cut off.
 
Fifth Victim: Miguel Speed (a smart student)
Missing body part: arms (both)
Details: Miguel's body is found near the academy's potion lab. Both of his arms are missing.
 
Pinakatitigan ko ng mabuti ang nakasulat sa board habang nag-iisip ng malalim. Simula ng malaman ko na isang Lang ang pumapatay sa school, dadalawang tao lang ang pumasok sa isipan ko. Noong una, ayokong tanggapin sa sarili ko kaya pilit ko itong iwinawaglit sa isipan ko. 
 
Ngunit hindi ko na talaga kaya pang ipagsawalang bahala ito. Si kuya lang at ang daddy ang may kakayahan na gawin ang Aethera Viel. Silang dalawa lang ang kilala kong Lang na may malakas na gift para magawa ito. Sinubukan kong alamin ang mga bagay-bagay tungkol sa kuya ko pero kahit anong gawin ko, malabong na si kuya ang may gawa nito.
 
Though my brother is a senior at Crimson Academy, he seems distant and uninvolved. He doesn’t speak to me much and seems more focused on his studies and personal life with his mom. Isa din sa dahilan kung bakit nawala sa listahan ko si kuya dahil sa apprentice ito ni Mr. Calloway. I assumed that Mr. Calloway is always with my brother, making it hard for my kuya to plot something like this. 
 
Ang tanging natitira na lang sa listahan ko ay si dad. Ayokong paghinalaan si daddy dahil patay na ito, pero nang mabasa ko ang isa sa mga traits ng Aethera Viel, doon na ko nagsimulang maghinala. Based on what I've read, one of its traits is to alter memory.

What if pinaniwala lang ako ni dad na patay na siya?
 
Pero ano ang dahilan, bakit niya kailangang palabasin na patay na siya? Anong gusto mo gawin dad? Hindi ako matatahimik nito hanggat hindi ko nalalaman ang kasagutan sa lahat ng bumabagabag sa'kin.

Nagmamadali akong umakyat para katukin ang kwarto ni Plutus. Napagod ito kanina sa maghapon naming pangangalap ng impormasyon sa dalawang biktima kaya nauna na itong matulog. 
 
"What? Can't you see I'm sleeping here?" Plutus grumbled, rubbing his eyes with an annoyed expression. 
 
"A-ano... pwede mo ba akong samahan?" I asked hesitantly, biting my lip.
 
Napahilamos ng wala sa oras si Plutus, nagpipigil ng inis nito. "It's damn 12 in the evening, for Christ sake! Where the hell do you want to go?" 
 
"S-sa sementeryo... g-gusto ko sana hukayin ang puntod ni dad," hindi ako makatingin kay Plutus dahil sa kahihiyan kaya mas pinili ko na lang na yumuko. 
 
When he didn’t respond right away, I glanced up, surprised to see him staring at me.
 
 "A-ano... sige ako na lang ang pupunta, pasensya na sa pang-iistorbo." I muttered, turning to leave.
 
But before I could take another step, he grabbed my arm. "Alright, I’m coming," he muttered under his breath.
 
"But in one condition." 
 
Kinabahan naman ako sa sinabi nito, hindi nga pala basta-basta tumutulong 'to ng walang kapalit. Huminga muna ako ng malalim bago ito matapang na hinarap.
 
"Ano 'yon?" Namamaos kong tanong sa kan'ya. 
 
A wicked grin spread across his face. "A kiss and a cuddle will do."
 
My eyes widened in disbelief. "Ano?!"
 
Dahil sa sobrang inis ko, tinampal ko siya sa braso. He chuckled, clearly amused by my reaction.

"Huwag na, ako na lang!" I snapped, about to storm off when he called after me.
 
"Wait," he said, his tone more serious. "How are you even planning to get there? There's no bus at this hour. And the digging... are you sure you can do that on your own?"
 
I stopped, feeling frustrated. I yanked my hair in irritation before shooting him a sharp glare.

"Fine!" 
 
Plutus just chuckled softly. "Alright, wait for me downstairs. I’ll just change," he said before closing the door.
 
I went back to my room to change into something more suitable for our unusual trip, then waited for him downstairs. After a few minutes, Plutus appeared, twirling his car keys on his finger, a smug grin still plastered on his face. I shot him a death glare as he gestured for me to follow him.
 
Ang yabang talaga ng asungot na 'to, kainis!
 
Once we were outside, we headed to his car. Before getting in, he turned to me and said, "Grab a shovel."
 
I rolled my eyes and grabbed one, placing them in the trunk before we drove off towards the cemetery. The silence in the car was peaceful enough, though I couldn’t help but catch the lingering smirk on Plutus’s face.
 
"So, where are we going, witch?" he asked, still grinning.
 
"Paradise Cemetery," I answered, glancing out the window.
 
Napapatango naman ito habang hindi pa din mapuksi sa labi nito ang mapaglarong ngiti. Gano'n ba siya ka kasabik para lang sa isang halik at yakap? Mukhang unti-unti na siyang nawawala sa katinuan. The more na tumatagal siya sa mundo na 'to, the more na lumalala na ang sayad sa tuktok nito.
 
"Why do you want to visit your old man's grave all of a sudden?" Plutus broke the dead air around us. 
 
"Gusto ko lang alisin sa listahan ng mga suspect ang ama ko," Paliwanag ko. 
 
He nodded, though the grin hadn’t left his face. "Fair enough. Got a feeling about this, though," he said, and for a moment, he looked a little more serious, like he was actually trying to piece something together.
 
We pulled into the cemetery around 1 a.m. The moon was bright, illuminating long shadows over the rows of tombstones. I grabbed the flashlight, and Plutus shouldered the shovel as we made our way to my father’s grave. As soon as we reached it, I stopped and offered a short, silent prayer. Then I nodded to Plutus.
 
"Alright, let’s get to it," he muttered, driving the shovel into the dirt. 
 
The sound of metal against earth filled the silence as he worked, his muscles straining with each dig. After a while, Plutus stopped, lifted his hand, and with a small gesture, his magic took over, lifting the casket out of the ground and setting it on the surface with a heavy thud.
 
My heart pounded as I approached the casket. I swallowed hard, nodding to Plutus again, and he gestured his hand again, opening it. As soon as the lid lifted, I felt my knees weaken. I fell to the ground, staring in disbelief.
 
Empty.

No body, no bones.

Nothing.
 
Plutus let out a low whistle. "So... does that mean your father is actually the suspect?" he asked, glancing at me with a mixture of surprise and concern.
 
I nodded slowly, my voice barely a whisper. "I... I think so. How else can I explain this empty grave?" 
 
Tears prickled in my eyes as the weight of the truth hit me. My father, the man who should have been resting here, was somehow alive and likely the cause of the murders at school. And his first victim had been my best friend of all people. 
 
I wiped my tears away, forcing myself to regain control. I can’t fall apart now. I took out my camera, snapping a few photos of the empty grave to document it.
 
Plutus crouched beside me. "Sure, this isn’t easy to swallow, but we’ll get to the bottom of this," he smirked slightly, "but we’ll track him down and put an end to this whole mess together."
 
I looked at him, finding some small comfort in his words.

"Salamat," I whispered, giving him a shaky smile.
 
He straightened up and put the casket back in the grave, covering it with earth as if we’d never disturbed it. Once he was finished, he glanced over at me. 
 
"Ready to go?"
 
I nodded, taking a final look at the grave, then followed him back to the car. I will put an end to this, even if it's my father, I will stop him with his madness.
 
 
To be continued...

A/N:
Hello! King Zodiac Series is now published. Will continue the series after ko matapos ang Curse Series. I hope you will like it. Thank you very much!!