A tragedy in the camp reported being one of the biggest unsolved cases in town. Five years later, as April regained her consciousness, some of the memories at the camp along with her sister had been taken away from her. When she goes back to the cri...
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I drove out of our house at four in the afternoon. According to my sources, the camp's closed on weekends and the guard's schedule ends at five— just in time after my hour-long drive.
The magnificent sunset view of the camp made the place look less frightening. After a long time, the view reminded me that the place was the one I enjoyed spending weeks of my summers in and not a horrific reminder of a tragic memory.
After I was sure that no one's around, I slowly went out of my vehicle and surveyed the area. I knew that aside from the main gate, there's a low fence at the back. Pagkatapos sumilip sa rehas ng gates, naglakad ako patungo sa likod ng Camp Ackerwood. I expected to see the barriers but I couldn't help but be surprised by how much the place has changed over the years. The bushes are overgrown and dried leaves littered every space on the ground. Natatabunan ang daanan ng pinatayong mga yero.
I jumped a bit ng biglang tumunog ang isang bahagi ng harang na para bang pilit itong binubuksan. Iniluwa nito ang isang lalaking may hawak na camera. Mas lalo akong nagulat when he seemed familiar to me.
Lawrence Mariano?
Mula sa bahagyang pagkakayuko ay tumingin siya sa akin. I'm right, it's Lawrence. I recognize him because he's a staff of Arcadian, our school's magazine. Ngumiti siya sa akin at naglakad palapit.
"Hi!"
He looks so relaxed for someone who breached a private property. I have't entered the area yet but I'm already shaking.
"Hi, I'm Lawrence," pakilala niya. "Ikaw si April, di ba?"
"Yes." How did he know? Gusto kong itanong iyan pero may mas gusto akong malaman. "What are you doing here?"
"Ikaw? What are you doing here?" His amused look brought a grin to his face. Mas lalo akong kinabahan.
Hindi ako sumagot because it's complicated. I'm not even sure if there's anything here.
"Anyway, to answer your question, Arcadian is making an article about some popular legends and mysterious stories for the last decade. The cases surrounding Camp Ackerwood are among our article highlights, so I'm taking shots around the area," he narrated. Bahagya akong tumango.
He eyed my reaction closely before proceeding. "We've collected a lot of stories so far but nothing comes close to the mystery surrounding this place."
We both scanned the area. I know what he means. I'm trying to uncover one of these mysteries myself.
"April, kakausapin ka sana ng EIC namin this week pero since you're here, I might as well ask you now." May pag-aalinlangan sa boses niya.
"Ask me what?"
"Can we do an interview with you? About your sister?" he asked carefully.
I've never done any interview about my sister's cases except during the inquiry with police and the detectives handling the case five years ago. Even when reporters bombarded our home for a statement, my parents never answered any of them.
