Chapter 7 Echoes

The car slowed down as we passed a line of abandoned vehicles on the side of the road. Bloodstains marred their surfaces when I peeked inside.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea. Maybe the Grove is already overrun by zombies," Caite said, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

I could see the hesitation in Vino's expressions. He was starting to doubt our plan too, but we needed to meet our friends as we had planned earlier.

"Look, we should still head to the camping site," I suggested, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "We agreed to regroup there."

Caite shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "But what if it's too dangerous? We could be walking into a trap."

"We can't just leave them behind," Vino countered, his brow furrowing in thought. "We need to at least check it out."

"Fine," Caite relented, though her tone suggested she was still uneasy. "But if it looks bad, we head straight to the District Hall for backup."

I nodded, feeling the weight of our decision. With that settled, we parked the car and stepped out.

Vino entered the site first while I lingered behind, trying to call for our friends again.

I mustered the courage to dial Rina, Britt, and Gabby. Unlike before, I didn't hear an automated voice message this time; they simply didn't answer. I wiped away the tears that had started to fall and ended the call.

We made our way toward the camping site, and when we arrived, it felt like the sky had fallen on me once more. It was abandoned.

The flickering lights of the campfire illuminated the chaotic scene before us. Signs of struggle were everywhere-particularly among the tents, which lay crushed to the ground as if a giant had stomped on them.

One freezer stood ajar, its ice long melted. Scattered belongings littered the ground, evidence that an attack had sent everyone fleeing in panic.

I searched for Vino and found him at the edge of a cliff, his phone flashlight casting a beam into the darkness below. He knelt down as if examining something at the bottom of the ravine.

He called me over, and I approached his side. The cliff wasn't too high; it didn't make me dizzy. Following the light of his flashlight, I spotted something familiar suspended in the lagoon below. It was a black shawl that belonged to Gabby.

There were also no bodies floating nearby. That meant only one thing. They were alive-but still in grave danger.

"Janjan, makinig ka sa akin. Kahit ano pa mang mangyari, lagi mong tandaan na wala kang kasalanan," he said firmly.

"Wala akong kasalanan?" I stammered, barely able to breathe through my rising sobs.

He held my face in his hands and looked into my eyes with intensity. "Wala kang kasalanan."

'Wala kang kasalanan' echoed in my mind like a haunting refrain. I wanted to believe him, but deep down, I knew I was lying to myself.

I fell back to the ground, my face buried in my arms. "You're wrong, Vino. This is all my fault." My voice trembled as I struggled to keep it steady. How many breakdowns would he have to witness today?

He wrapped his arms around me again. "No one's at fault here," he said softly, comforting me like a child.

"You don't understand!" I pulled away from him slightly. "I'm the one who suggested we should go to the Night Cirque! I'm the reason Trixie got eaten! I'm the reason Shae became one of them!"

His eyes widened, shock washing over his face as the weight of my words sank in. Oh, right. This was the first time he was hearing about Trixie and Shae's deaths, and I could see the emotions flickering behind his gaze-disbelief, anger, and sorrow all mingled together.

"Jane..." he began, but I cut him off, picking up a stone from the ground and hurling it away in frustration.

"Kahit baliktarin mo pa ang sitwasyon, I'm the damn reason we're here!" My voice echoed back at me as I yelled into the void. Each word felt like a dagger twisting deeper into my chest.

"Why am I still even alive?" I shouted. "Ah, alam ko na!" I stood up suddenly, laughter bubbling up that sounded more like a sob. "Ito na siguro karma ko," I said bitterly, trying to mask my pain with humor.

"Tama ba Vino?" I turned to him, searching his face for understanding. "Ito na ba karma ko?" My question made his brow furrow deeper as he processed what I had just said.

"Get your shit together," he said firmly as he grabbed my arms, grounding me in that moment. "We all made choices, but none of us could have predicted this. No one knew this was going to happen, so don't let yourself be clouded with guilt!"

I wiped away another tear that had slipped down my cheek and stepped away from him.

The world around me blurred into a haze.

"O, saan ka pupunta? Hindi mo na sila hahanapin?" he asked.

I paused and faced him again. "And for what cost?" I shot back. "So that we could lose each other too?"

He looked stunned for a moment, frozen in place.

"Huwag na muna tayo maging tanga," I broke through the silence as I walked away from the campsite. "Maraming papatay sa atin sa gubat."

Caite was right; we should have called for backup and a search party.