THE CULPRIT'S VERDICT

The Villa awaits, The Serpent craves, The Serdents prepare;

The Oblates hot on the trail.

I hopped onto the second car and secured the back seat, pulled out my earphone, and took off my not so high heels.

"Alissa, faster we'll be late!" my Aunt called her daughter.

"Coming!" Alissa shouted.

"It's good that you know your place." Just when I was about to put the earphones on my ears, the bitch entered and dared to mess with me.

I showed off a sharp glare followed by a rough smile, "Unlike you, trying hard to secure what's not hers." I didn't have any grudges against this bitch, she was just so irritating.

"Here come the two beautiful ladies. Oh! I'm a proud mom." My Aunt butt in right in time before Alissa and I broke into a fight. I flashed a lame smile, put the earphone on my ear, and positioned my body to sleep. I would rather take a nap than to deal with them.

The driver started the engine as the car in front of us started to move. Technically, the trip will last for two hours, and that would be enough time for me to take a sweet nap.

~~~~

"No. No!" I mumbled with my eyes closed. Somebody's hand was shaking me badly, trying to bring me back to my senses. "Wake up, Max, you're having a dream!"

I gasped and instantly looked for the car where Baba was. I saw them In my dream, no, from my nightmare. They were gobbled by darkness. I heard voices- laughing voices, and chanting words which I did not understand. I didn't know but the it seemed to be familiar and real.

I sighed as I glanced at a distance, their car was safe. What's with that dream? I just took a short nap!

Disregarding the uneasiness it had caused me, I placed the earphone back on my ear, but Alissa tapped my hand hard which caused it to fall on the surface of the car.

"What? Off to sleep again? I won't bother to wake you up if your nightmare visits you once more," Alissa mockingly declared.

"Max, stay awake a few minutes more and we'll arrive at our destination."

"I won't, Aunt. I'll just listen to music while waiting." After that dream, I wouldn't dare to sleep again. I searched for the earphone with my hands. Unable to find it, I sat on my knee so I could bend my body downward. There I found it near Alissa's heels, she was actually stepping on it. I pulled it but my eyes got stuck on the reddish thing quietly ticking under her seat. I opened my mouth in shock and got my hand fixed on my chest. Is it real or am I dreaming again?

I immediately went back to my seat and tapped my Aunt's shoulder with my shaky hands. She shifted her head and got worried after seeing the look on my face.

"What happened to you?"

"What? Have you seen a ghost?" Alissa asked. Annoyance was evident on her face.

"Ther-th-there's a bomb!" I stuttered as my heart jumped out in fear.

"What? A bomb?" she asked, doubting the validity of my words.

I nodded.

"Are you kidding? Where?" Aunt's voice was full of disbelief yet the horrified tone was overpowering.

"Under Alissa's seat," I pointed. She nervously sat on her knee and checked it with her own eyes.

"Bomb!" she shouted. "Stop the car!"

"Wait! Isn't the bomb connected to the brake?" I asked. The situation was worse but my delusional state was a lot worst at times like this.

They hushed for a second and thought.

"No, it isn't."

"Are you really sure?"

"Yes. I used the break earlier and it didn't explode. I will stop the car now." The driver used the brake and we were all shouting with our hands on our ears.

As soon as the car grinded to a halt, we ran fast out of it. We were too busy making ourselves safe that we scattered on different sides as we ran. The last convoy from behind us drove fast towards Aunt's direction, completely unaware of what was going on.

"What is happening?" The driver opened the car's window and inquired.

"There's a bomb in our car and it's about to explode," Aunt said with heavy breath.

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"What? Get in so we can get away here."

"Alissa, Max, come here. Faster!" Aunt shouted at us. I was about to approach, but my eyes caught Alissa sitting in the middle of the road, fidgeting her hands; fear made her body tremble. Before I even realized it, my legs had moved towards her. I held her arm tightly and pushed myself up with her. She was heavy as it wasn't in her will to stand nor move. She was still in a state of shock.

My eyes shifted as Aunt got in the other car, the driver ready to maneuver. But an eardrum-breaking boom stopped us on our position. I instantly moved my head in our car's direction, but it wasn't from there.

On the far side of the road, I noticed that the car my parents were in had caught fire. Thick swirls of smoke danced with flames as they devour what was left of the wrecked car. "Baba, Mom, "I uttered. Time seemed to freeze as I process the dreadful scene in front of me.

"Baba, Baba! Mom!" I screamed, my voice whimpering. I ran to their car when another blast came in harmony with my scream. A strong force pushed me; I tripped off and rolled over on the road. Even with a heavy head and a sticky liquid sliding from it down to my neck, my eyes still caught the scarred face of a woman and men in black running fast, trying to escape from something. But they were too late. An even louder blast blew up their car and it reached them. It then caused me to hear a very disturbing high pitch sound in my ear. The world around me started to turn as pieces of black living molecules strewn in my eyes.

My head slowly drop on my shoulder. And there, just like what I had seen in most tragic movies, the fire slowly consumed and devoured the people around me. It was like a hungry Dragon Slayer, powered up, gained its full force as it ate its

source.

Aunt, the woman who caused our family to almost break apart, was creeping and helplessly trying to survive as she reached her hand out to her daughter who was lying on the ground with no sign of life.

I weakly looked over the place, it was dark and creepy. The area was uninhabited and quite far from civilization. Shadows of tall and robust trees and the crackling sound of burning irons surrounded the night.

My heart was pounding hard, crying from within me. I don't like this nightmare! I need somebody to wake me up.

I felt tired, weary, and sick. My eyes were closing yet I tried hard to observe my surrounding. Then from a distance, I caught a glance of a shadow approaching towards my direction, a silhouette of a man. My eyes felt so heavy. I fought against the urge to close it but I got defeated.

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