REVALAUN

Running inside a labyrinth which continuously led me through identical sets of hallways with tall walls and doors I could no longer count. No matter how fast I run or how many times I make a turn, I can't seem to find a way out.

The moving puppets was ridiculously scary. But what I did find interesting is that they all have one thing in common, each and every one of them had strings attached to their limbs. What do the strings mean?

Lumiko ako sa isang hallway at pumasok sa isa sa mga kwarto. Nagulat ako nang wala akong makita kundi walang hanggang kadiliman. Sa bawat pag-apak ko sa sahig, may mga ripples na lumalabas. Ang malaking ripples ay tumigil sa ilalim ng isang pinto. It's only ten feet away from where I'm standing.

Doors are meant to take me somewhere, right? Maybe it's a way out of here. Without second thought, I walk towards the door and pushed it open only to fall right into the freezing water, just like the one where I first found myself in. Though it's different, this one's a lot darker, and colder. I struggled to resurface, and out of panic I started kicking my feet when I felt something grab my leg. When I opened my eyes underwater, I saw a puppet pulling me down into the dark abyss underneath the ocean. They brought me down to somewhere else and I thought I was going to wake into reality, but when I opened my eyes I saw a burning house. I'm standing outside a gate baring witness to the fiery horror before me.

"Do you know what happens after you die?" I jolt in surprise when someone spoke beside me. It was Ainsley.

I gape at her when I saw that her hair is raven black, unlike its usual golden.

"What happened to your hair?" My eyes met the emerald glow of her eyes. "Your eyes..." I trailed off, swallowing hard at my own sentence. They were green now.

That's when I realize something. The Dying Moon's cover showed two eyes with two different colors, blue and green but they both belong to one person.

"Souls don't disappear, Revalaun," she suddenly said, averting her eyes from my stare. "Sometimes they end up getting trap, and I think I'm one of the unfortunate ones."

She pointed her finger towards the burning house. That's when I saw two women running out of the house through the front door, the woman with a robe was screaming and her hand was covering half of her face. Meanwhile, the other one held a worried and guilt striken expression, I recognize her as Ainsley Gonovan.

"Somehow, I found myself trapped here and unable to leave, replaying the time I killed her, over and over again."

I didn't say anything.

"Maybe it's because I never got over the guilt. The guilt became a catalyst to bind me here. After all, our sins will never go unpunished, and this is my personal hell to punish me with."

"You're not the Ripper." Napakuyom ako ng kamao pagkatapos sabihin 'yon, at nang maramdaman ang pagbaling ng tingin niya sa'kin.

"Congratulations, you finally figured it out."

Napalunok ako sa kumpirmasyon niya, hindi ko alam kung ano dapat kong maramdaman. There are still questions left unanswered, and I'm still battling with myself whether or not I want to know the truth.

"If you're not the Ripper, then how did you—"

She quickly cut me off. "Get accused? That's because someone blamed it on me."

"Is it because of what you wrote in the book?"

The similiarities of the events in the book and in our reality led her to become a primary suspect of the Ripper Murders. They weren't much of a coincidence, everyone believes her detailed narrations was because she knew the murders all too well... which meant the possibility of her being behind it. But there was more evidences against her to prove she was the culprit behind the murders.

The corpses buried in her backyard.

"Paano ang mga bangkay sa bakuran mo?" tanong ko pabalik na ikinatahimik niya. Nagpatuloy ako. "And the pictures, the books and the articles they found in your house about Jack the Ripper, how can you explain that?"

"Like I said, I was framed."

Umakyat ang dugo ko sa naging sagot niya. That doesn't explain anything!

"They were in your house," I reminded her, my anger rising from every breath I'm taking in and out of my system.

I'm still not entirely convinced she's the Ripper yet.

If she's not the Ripper, then he could still be out there. Mas lalaki ang problema ng La Salve dahil bukod sa mga nakatakas, buhay pa ang Ripper, and he's walking amongst us undetected.

"I had them around because I was looking for the Ripper's identity," she told me, her voice didn't change. "I knew he was idolizing them, and knowing what he likes and think about them might tell me who he is." She look away and watch the two women in front of the burning house pushing and pulling at each other, fighting under the tragedy of a broken friendship.

Suddenly, tears brims the corners of her eyes as she closed them as if already expecting what's going to happen. Then, I heard a pained scream which clawed my heart, so I look at where it came from and just like in the book, Ainsley Gonovan was crying over the body of a friend already bleeding cascades.

"If you read the book," mapait na sambit niya sa tabi ko. "Alam mo na kung anong unang ginawa ng main character. She buried the body someone else killed."

Naintindihan ko na kung ano ang ibig niyang ipinapaliwanag sa'kin. "Why did you bury his victims? In that way, you were only helping him."

"I wanted to survive. I want my mother to survive. Following him meant our survival."

"He threatened you." 

Ainsley's crying continued in the background, her painful screams made me look back at the scene. Ainsley was on her knees, crying over her dead bestfriend. I felt an eerie feeling in the air when I saw someone stepping out of the darkness. I couldn't see his face clearly, the haze made my eyes blur and the smoke is casting over the scene like a closing curtain of a play. The last thing I heard was Ainsley's fading voice.

"Simon."

Her voice rung in my ear as I jolt awake. The ringing died down by the frantic voices around me.

"What the hell, Revalaun?" Inis na bungad ni Detective Davis. "Bakit hindi mo sinabi sa'kin na hindi maayos ang pakiramdam mo? Tss, nadagdagan pa ang poproblemahin ko!"

The hammering in my head was excruciating and the detective's yelling is not helping it ease.

"Anong nangyari?" ungol ko, at pinilit ang sarili na umupo.

Seryoso niya akong pinanood bago inutusang ang dalawang pulis na nakita ko kanina. 

"Nawalan ka raw ng malay at nahulog ka, mabuti matigas ang bungo mo," sagot niya. Nagawa niya pang turuin ang noo ko at nanggigil na tinulak. "Kung nabasag 'yan, edi dalawa na ang namatay dito. Pakibawasan nga pagiging lampa mo."

"Oh give him a break, Davis. Kung makapag-alala ka nga kanina para ka si Rose sa Titanic." Gavin grinned when he walked over to us, he kneeled down and help me to sit and lean on one of the shop's glass cases.

Nagpatuloy si Gavin sa pang-aasar niya. "Revalaun. Revalaun!" He mimicked the way Rose had screamed for Jack's name in the Titanic.

"Anong katangahan ba ang pinagsasabi mo? That's not how I—" Pinutol ni Detective Davis ang sarili niya at sinapak ang braso ni Gavin bago nagsalita muli. "What are you even doing here?"

Natawa ng mahina si Gavin habang minamasahe ang braso niya. Pansin ko ang pagrehistro ng kaonting inis sa ekspresyon niya.

"Kasi trabaho ko? Pinatawag nila ako dito para imbestigahan ang nangyari." Tiningnan ako ni Gavin, halata ang pag-aalala sa mukha niya. "Ayos ka lang? Napapadalas na 'yan ah."

Sinalubong ko ang tingin nilang dalawa, kumunot ang mga noo nila sa sinabi ko, "I have a dead serial killer in my dreams."

Tahimik silang dalawa, akala ko wala na silang isasagot pero biglang tumawa ng malakas si Detective Davis.

"Hoy, Gavin, alam ko sinabi niyo may sakit si Revalaun pero hindi ko alam ganito na pala siya kalala."

Naguguluhan akong napatingin kay Gavin. His horrified expression got me more confused. Why is he looking at me like that?

"Gavin, what did you tell her?"

I saw him swallowed. Although his eyes were directed at me, they weren't looking in my eyes but in between my eyebrows. He's avoiding the question.

"What did you tell her?" ulit ko, diniinan ang bawat salita.

Detective Davis look between us, there was guilt in her eyes. She knew she wasn't supposed to say it.

"Dr. Jay said that if you've been in stressful events it might trigger your memories to return," he started. "And you'll go back to..."

Gavin battled with himself. I saw the hesitation in his eyes but I can't have that, won't let him do that to me. Inabot ko ang kwelyo niya at tiningnan siya diretso sa mata. Gusto ko malaman niya kung ano ang nararamdaman ko ngayon. Sawang-sawa na ako sa mga sekreto, sa pagtatago. Gusto ko malaman ang totoo.

Gavin seem to understand so he replied, "You've been diagnosed with schizophrenia at fifteen. Dr. Jay believed you had it for a while, and it's what led you to do it, Revalaun."

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. "Anong ginawa ko?"

"Noong tinanong ka ni Dr. Jay kung ano nangyari sa gabing pag-aresto kay Tito sinabi mo sa kanya kung bakit ka nagsumbong. Sabi mo sa kanya may nagsabi raw sa'yo na papatayin kayo ni Tito, kaya naisipan mong tunawag sa pulisya para humingi ng tulong. Nalaman ni Tito ang ginawa mo, at nagsimula siyang saktan si Tita sa harap niyo bilang parusa."

Tumigil siya para tingnan ako diretso sa mata. "You set the house on fire, Revalaun, and you claimed the walls told you to do it. They were nothing but hallucinations so were the voices."

"So you're basically telling me I'm crazy?"

Kaya ba nilalayuan nila ako, dahil akala nila mababaliw na ako?

"No! We're saying that you're sick and you need help," agad na kontra ni Gavin. "Revalaun, the only way we know how we can help you is by keeping you away from this mess."

"Why? You think the grisly happenings are going to make me snap, right?" I slap his hand away from trying to reach me, hissed at him to fuck off.

The anger I'm feeling right now is drowning me. I can't understand what they're saying. I don't even remember all of that happening.

"I don't need your help," I told them with finality. While retreating, my thoughts wandered over my own words.

Hindi ko nga ba kailangan ng tulong? Hindi na ba sapat ang mga hindi kapani-paniwalang nakikita ko para masabing hindi ako maayos? Bullshit. I refuse to believe something is wrong with me. Nothing's wrong with me.

Ainsley's real. The Ripper still being alive is real. Everything's that happened to me is real, they're not hallucinations.

I went downtown to the public library, went to the archives and took as many newspapers that involves the Ripper Murders. May nakita rin akong ilang diyaryo tungkol kay Riley Hyde at sa tatlo pang nakatakas na kriminal. Kinuha ko silang lahat at nilagay sa isang plastic bag na napulot ko. Paalis na ako nang sigawan ako ng librarian pero hindi ko siya pinansin, walang lingon akong umalis at buo na ang loob sa kung ano ang sunod kong gagawin.

"Kuya, anong ginagawa mo? You can't just barge in here like this." Narinig kong tanong ni Penelope na nakasunod na sa'kin.

Umuwi ako ng bahay dahil wala akong ibang mapuntahan na lugar para magawa 'to, kailangan ko mapag-isa at malayang magawa ang gusto ko

"Penelope, this is my house, too." Matigas na sabi ko sa kanya. Natigilan si Penelope nang harapin ko siya. "So don't tell me I can't be in my own house."

"Kuya, that's not what I mean."

Nilagpasan ko si Penelope at paakyat na sana ng hagdanan nang makita ko si Katrina sa itaas. Masama ang tingin niya sa'kin.

Huminga ako ng malalim. "Isa ka pa, Katrina. Don't make everything about you. You're not the only one who's suffering."

Umiwas ako ng tingin sa kanya nang makaakyat ako't dumiretso sa kwarto ko. Malakas kong sinara ang pinto sa likod ko, alam na mararamdaman ng dalawa ang galit ko sa lakaa ng pagbagsak nito.

I want everyone to know that I'm mad. They're the ones who put that anger in me, so it won't matter if I make them feel that.

Lumapit ako sa pader at pinagpupunit ang wallpaper hanggang sa makita ko ang bricked na pader. Kinuha ko ang plastic bag at kinalat ang laman sa sahig, at pinaghiwalay ang mga newspaper. Tumayo ako para kumuha ng pushpins, red thread, at sticky notes sa desk ko. Pinagpapawisan ako habang inaayos lahat ng kinakailangan ko. Hindi ko alam kung bakit ang bilis ng tibok ng puso ko at ang init ng pakiramdam ko. I think I knew I'm on to something, I'm getting closer.

Right now, I'm going to make a murder board for me to be able to shed some light on the enigma of the Ripper Murders. Wala na pumapansin at walang bumabalak na malaman ang totoo dahil naniniwala sila na katapusan na ng murders nang mamatay ang pinaniwalaan nilang Ripper. However, Jacqueline Paige is not the person we thought she were. She was also a victim of the real Ripper.

I picked up the scissors and started cutting the newspapers into pieces starting with an image of Jacqueline Paige. Her hair was black and eyes were emerald green. I didn't recognize her at first since I often watch the news or read about whatever the hell's happening in La Salve. Now I know why my sisters seem to make me avoid seeing them. Kagaya ni Gavin ayaw nilang matrigger ng mga pangyayari ang pagbalik ng memorya ko... kasabay ng mga 'hallucinations' ko.

Pinagdikit ko ang mga pira-pirasong papel sa pader at pinagkonek sila gamit ang red thread at minarkahan ang end point ng threads gamit ang pushpins, simula sa larawan ni Jacqueline Paige hanggang sa mga headlines tungkol sa Ripper Murders: Ripped Apart, The Ripper Strikes Again, The Ripper Conspires with the Killer Doll, and many more. I also highlighted the victims' names to see how they're connected from each other and to take note how many victims were there in the murders.

Pumunta ako sa computer ko at nag-search tungkol sa mga kriminal na nakatakas sa Tartarus. I took some notes about their patterns in killing until how they were captured. I printed their pictures and articles I found online about them.

Sinearch ko rin si Dr. Tammy Corazon at Kid Schneider, at dinikit ang mga larawan nila sa pader malapit kay Riley Hyde, nagsulat ng information nila sa isang sticky note at dinikit 'yon sa ibabang bahagi ng mga larawan nila. Kinuha ko na rin ang mga balita tungkol sa nangyaring aksidente sa Infinity Bridge, ang massacre sa Psyche Hospital at ang murder kay Dr. Jason Hernandez, kay Dr. Jay, at sa pagtangkang pagpatay sa kapatid ko.

Kumuha ako ng marker at sinulat ang mga pangalan nila. Kumuha ako ng isang sticky note at sumulat ng question mark doon at tinabi sa larawan ni Jacqueline Paige, sa ibaba ng pangalan niya ay ang tanong na, 'Who is Simon?'

Umatras ako para tingnan ang ginawa ko. Ang nasa gitna ay ang larawan ni Jacqueline Paige, katabi nito ay ang sticky note na may pulang question mark at ang tanong kung sino si Simon. Napatingin ako sa kaliwa at nakita ang larawan ni Riley Hyde at tatlong kriminal na tinulungan niyang makalaya, naroon ang tanong kung bakit niya ginawa 'yon.

Sa ilalim ng mga larawan nila, larawan ni Papa at Mama noong kinasal sila, sa ibaba nila ay ang tanong kung bakit tinukoy nila bilang 'Traitor' si Papa. Naalala ko ang nakita ko sa panaginip, ang mga puppets na nasa hapagkainan, kung titingnan mabuti may pagkakahalintulad sila sa mga taong nagmarka na traydor si Papa. Naisip ko na siguro magkakilala silang lahat at nasa isang pagsasama, si Papa ay nabigyan ng pangalan ng traydor dahil may ginawa siya para masira ang samahan na 'yon.

Tumingin ako sa computer ko at tinipa sa search bar ang mga pangalan nila. Nakumpirma ang iniisip kong dahilan nang makita ang results. Finn Williams, Rage Uy, at Hansel Daniels were arrested and sent to Psyche Hospital after my father's arrest. According to this article, thanks to an anonymous tipper they were identified as Valentine Gio's accomplices, cult members from what they call a 'Family', which the police believed as a group of serial killers led by Valentine Gio. The group was created long before my parents got married.

"Anong kinalaman ni Riley Hyde sa samahan?" tanong ko sa sarili. She couldn't have been one of them, she was still young. Kasing edad niya lang ang mga kapatid ko. In 2017, naaresto ang tatlo, fifteen-year-old pa lang si Riley Hyde kaya imposibleng nakilala niya na ang tatlo.

Ano nga ulit ang nangyari pagkatapos ng kaso niya?

Mabilis ang pagtipa ko sa keyboard. Lumabas ang results, marami ang lumabas kaya isa-isa ko silang binuksan sa magkakahiwalay na tab. Sa unang tab, naroon ang tungkol sa pag-ampon sa kanya ng isang pamilya. Ayon sa pamilya, umalis ng bahay nila si Riley Hyde. Sa pangalawang tab, isang buwan ang nakalipas bago naaresto si Riley Hyde at dinala sa Psyche Hospital pagkatapos makakuha ng tip ang pulisya tungkol sa ginawang pagpatay ng dalaga. Ayon sa kanila, tumira si Riley Hyde sa isang abandonadong dollshop at doon niya ginagawa ang mga pagpatay. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang makita ang larawan ng nasabing dollshop, pareho sa nakita ko sa panaginip kung saan nakita ko si Papa. Bigla kong naalala na may batang lumapit noon kay Papa, napalunok ako sa sumaging tanong sa isip ko. What if that child was Riley Hyde?

Nagtipa ako sa keyboard para balikan ang balita ng pagpatay sa Hyde family. Year 2008, Riley Hyde was only eight years old when it happened. My eyes widened when I saw her picture when she was eight, and she was wearing the same dress I saw the puppet was wearing. Kung memorya ko 'yon tungkol sa nangyari noon, ibig sabihin nandoon si Riley Hyde, siya ang batang babae na nakakita sa pagpatay sa shop owner. Riley Hyde met my father, but could she have already known about their group? She was too young.

Napaisip ako ng matagal, binalik ko ang tingin sa murder board. Ngayon alam ko na konektado ang tatlo kay Papa dahil sa isang samahan, pero hindi ko matukoy kung paano na-involve si Riley Hyde sa kanila. Pabalik-balik ang tingin ko kay Riley Hyde at sa tatlong kriminal. Kumunot ang noo ko nang maalala kung saan sila pumunta pagkatapos nilang makatakas. Sa Psyche Psychiatric Hospital. Bukod sa naroon si Papa, doon din sila dinala. Posible kaya doon sila nagkakilala lahat? It's possible. That's where Jacqueline Paige was sent, too. She met Riley Hyde there.

They're all connected to one another. Mabilis ang naging pagtipa ko sa pangalan ng ospital, pumunta ako sa website nila at nakita ang mga services nila. Naroon rin ang larawan ng bawat batch ng mga pasyente nila na gumagaling na't binigyan nila ng permiso na makalabas na. Tumigil ako sa pagi-scroll nang makita ang isang larawan ng mga napalabas na pasyente, at isa sa kanila ay si Kid Schneider.

Holy shit, he's also admitted in Psyche? If he's been there, that would explain how he had known Riley Hyde. Kumunot ang noo ko nang makilala ang babae na katabi ni Schneider, si Dr. Tammy Corazon.

Ayon sa page siya ay isa sa mga psychiatrist na tumulong sa mga treatments at therapy ng mga pasyente ng ospital.

She did a great job, she even helped Riley Hyde escape. Note my sarcasm.

Sumandal ako sa upuan ko't pinaikot para makita ang board na ginawa ko. Napagkonekta ko na ang mga thread, pero wala akong makitang thread na magtutukoy kung sino si Simon. He's the real Ripper who dumped his crimes to an innocent person. If it wasn't for him, Jacqueline Paige shouldn't have suffered in his place.

Naalala ko rin na naroon siya sa panaginip ko, sa hapagkainan at sa memoryang pinanood namin kung saan namatay si Talia Evergreen.

Simon didn't leave any bread crumbs to follow. Regardless of what I think, I can't prove he's the Ripper if I did happen to find him unless I have evidence.

Simon must've made a mistake, I hope. He's human, and he's bound to make a mistake. I know he could've left a bread crumb somewhere. I just have to find where he had left them. I'm going to start from where it started.

I know that he was there when Ainsley or Jacqueline Paige killed Talia.

Everyone else had a counterpart in Dying Moon as characters, like Ainsley and Jacqueline, and the Ripper and Simon. Talia Evergeen is a character who also exists in reality. I was right to think that the characters in the story are referring to real people... just like the murders.

"Hello?" Napangiti ako nang marinig na sumagot siya. "Tobi, I need your help."

***