Joy Has Gone

Chapter 9: The Psycho Next Door

Chapter 9
The Psycho Next Door

FOUR STUDENTS from Dimsdale High. . . Apat na ang namatay. Nakakatakot isipin na parang ginagawang target ng karumal-dumal na patayan ang lungsod na 'to. Kung sino o anuman ang gumagawa nito sa'min, wala itong puso. Halimaw, demonyo. . .

Anime Mendoza, Jenny Protacio, Anrie Veran, and Louie Delos Reyes. Four Dimsdale students who didn't do anything bad. They do stupid things, sometimes, but they are just a bunch of teenagers who were living their student life in this fucking stupid town. For Pete's sake! They don't deserve what happened to them! They weren't just killed; they were murdered! Kailan ba magigising ang mga tao sa lugar na 'to? Akala ko kapag nagkaroon ng bagong krimen sa lugar na 'to, may mangyayari na. Mali pala ako. They still keep a blind-eye on this matter! Lintek!

"I don't think I can go to my next class today. I wanna go home and give my parents a hug as long as I can."

Biglang nagsalita si Hani sa tabi ko. Nandito pa rin kami sa labas ng building kung saan bumagsak ang katawan ng kawawang sina Anrie at Louie. Nakatayo lamang kami at nakatingin sa mga pulis at ilang mga medical personnels na inaasikaso ang bangkay ng dalawa. May mga nakaparada ring mga police car at ambulansya dito. Ang ilang pulis ay pinapalibutan ng yellow line ang paligid ng pinagbagsakan ng dalawang bangkay. Hindi ko alam, pero ilang beses kong nahuhuli ang ilang mga pulis na nakatingin sa direksyon ko. Minsan, nagbubulungan sila habang nakatingin sa kinaroroonan naming apat. Ayokong mag-assume na sa'kin sila nakatingin pero hindi ko maiwasang hindi mag-isip. May nagawa ba ako? O baka praning na naman ako? Is my brain messing with me again?

I looked at Ruby. She's sitting at the back of the ambulance, hugging her knees. May nakapatong na puting tuwalya sa likod niya. May iilan pa ring mga dugo na natitira sa katawan niya, pero kahit papano'y nabawasan ito; hindi tulad kanina na halos maligo na siya nito. Some medical personnels are trying to clean the blood on her face and clothes. Nurse Eleventh is trying comfort her too, dahil for sure sobrang tindi ng emotional trauma na tinamo niya mula sa nangyari. Ngunit nakatulala lamang ito at parang hindi pinapansin ang kahit na sino sa paligid niya. Isa pa, hindi pa rin siya tumitigil ang pag-iyak. I could see the pain and grief in her eyes.

I wonder how Hani went through that phase when I was shot that night.

"Kawawa naman si Ruby," muling saad ni Hani. Napatingin ako sa kaniya at bakas sa mukha niya ang sobrang pag-aalala. "My whole childhood years, all I did was to hate her and her friends. She's mean, she's a bully, BUT she doesn't deserve it. She saw her friends literally dropped dead in front of her. I don't know how long she could handle that. The pain of losing someone important in your life, I went through that. I hope she could handle it. Life is so beautiful, yet the world — the people, is so cruel."

"I agree to that, Hani." Si Aria. "This place is super scary na. Shocks! It's getting even more creepier than before. I know Dimsdale has a history of deads-deads, but living in the era kung saan sa harap ko mismo may namamatay, super scary. Feeling ko, grounded na naman ako ito. Gosh! I really hate having paranoid parents! I'm seventeen na. But feeling ko, I'm still only twelve!"

Aria is right. While growing up, we heard and knew the story of the Dimsdale's dark history. Sa mga kwento pa lamang, takot na takot na kami. But living in the moment where the actual killings are happening? Fuck, this is more terrifying — knowing there's someone or something out there in the woods, waiting for us to be lost in the dark and ready to devour us.

"Bro, as part of the DLOMH, we need to do something."

Bigla akong napalingon kay Jonas nang bigla siyang bumulong sa'kin. Agad namang nakunot ang noo ko. "Di-el-ow. . . what?"