8 - Wits for Life (The Reason Behind)
"Why are you here, Noah?"
"Sandali." Muling humakbang si Arkin palapit sa dalagang hindi man lang gumalaw sa kinatatayuan. "Kaibigan ninyo 'yong umamin na pumapatay at nakuhanan natin ng baril, bakit si Noah ang kinukwestiyon mo?"
"A dead person won't answer my questions," tuwid ang tingin na sagot ni Ally.
"Oh, baka naman, ikaw talaga ang may kinalaman sa nangyayari at naghahanap ka lang ng ibang pwedeng pagbintangan?" taas noong tanong naman ni Hailey.
"She doesn't have anything to do with this," pagdedepensa ni Paul para kay Ally.
Kunot ang noong nilingon ni Hailey ang dati niyang kaklase. "Bakit, Paul? Do you know this girl?"
"I do," walang pag-aalinlangan na sagot ng binata.
Magsasalita pa sana si Hailey ngunit nauna na ang binatang kinukwestiyon. Napunta dito ang atensyon ng lahat ngunit kay Ally lamang ito nakatingin.
"What made you think that Kingsley was lying?"
"So, he really was?" nakangising tanong ni Vince ngunit hindi siya binigyang atensyon ni Noah.
"Because whoever's behind this knew that you'll be here today," seryosong sabi ni Ally na nakapagpa-tahimik sa lahat. "I don't think they're someone who would just hope that Kingsley would ask you to help. They know that you have a reason to come here today."
"The guy who fell from the roof top, those who died on the gates, the girl who was shot..." Si Vince naman ang nagsalita. "...it was all planned. They were all killed to end up with the same number of male and females before entering Louie's Hall. If this really is just about Engineering graduates, why is the only Information Technology student still breathing?"
"Hindi namin kasama si Noah na sumubok humingi ng tulong at hindi din siya lumalayo sa grupong 'to. Baka naman wala lang talagang pagkakataon na patayin siya?" tanong ni Jerome.
"That girl was shot while being surrounded by all of us," ani Lia, tinutukoy ang babaeng sumigaw kanina at bigla na lamang humandusay.
Humakbang na din si Hailey pabalik. "Hindi naman sumigaw si Noah ng—"
"We won't be able to survive together if we're doubting one another," seryosong sabi ni Kingsley.
BINABASA MO ANG
Last Day at St. Louie
Mystery / ThrillerThe pandemic is over and the quarantine is now lifted. Almost a year after their supposed graduation day, St. Louie University's Engineering Class of 2020 were instructed to come to the campus once again to get their documents... or so they thought...
