Project LOKI ③

SPECIAL: Gold

"I never thought he would volunteer," Lorelei commented. "Akala ko magiging busy siya sa pagpaplano kung paano magiging mas nakakatakot ang Halloween dito sa Clark High. You know, him plotting crimes... and other stuff."

"Well, he must have a lot of free time in his hands," I said. "Or he's planning something horrific inside that horror house. We must be on guard. Always."

Twenty minutes later, our dreaded turn came. The staff at the entrance greeted us with a scary smile. Thanks to our fame, he recognized us as the QED Club. Usually, seven people are allowed to enter the house per turn, but he said that we are special. He only allowed the four of us to come and asked the next-in-line students to wait for the next turn.

"Pwede na kayong pumasok," the staff said.

I felt the cold breeze coming from the dark hallway. Only lit candles guided us through what seemed to be a labyrinth. An eerie music was also playing, hyping up the horror feels. What an obvious trick. To make our trip here scary, they had to manipulate our senses of sight (the darkness inside), smell (the scent of burning candle), hearing (that scary background music) and feeling (the coldness).

Jamie tightened her grasp around my arm while Lorelei and Alistair stood side by side.

"Alistair, if a knife-wielding zombie comes running to us, subdue him," I instructed him.

"What? Why do you want Al to tackle a zombie to the ground?" Lorelei asked. I couldn't see her clearly, thanks to the blanket of darkness, but I could feel her curious gaze.

"Because zombies do not wield knives. If they do, obviously that means they intend to do us harm," I explained. "Stein's a part of this charade, so we should expect the worst."

"I doubt he would ask one of his lieutenants to hurt us while enjoying a horror house trip."

I looked ahead, seeing some movement in the shadows. "One mistake that a strategist can make is underestimating what his enemies may d—"

"BOOOO-HOOOO!"

"KYAAAAAAAAH!"

🎃🎃🎃

I opened my eyes slowly. What happened? What was I doing in our school clinic?

Ah, yes. We were taking a stroll inside that horror house... I instructed Alistair to take down a knife-wielding zombie... I was telling Lorelei why we should be prepared... and then... something really scary appeared in front of me.

"Gising ka na pala, Loki." A young woman with braided hair came close to my bed.

I tried to sit upright in the bed. I must have passed out while I was in the horror house. Or maybe someone hit me in the head and rendered me unconscious? Let me ask my companion here.

"What happened to me, Jami—"

My mouth froze as I stared at the girl's face. Her hair that reaches past her shoulders was braided and hanging on one side. At first I thought she was Jamie because of her looks. But something made me think twice.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The young woman looked at me strangely. "Are you pretending to have an amnesia? Loki, you got spooked inside that horror house. Pero hindi naman siguro gano'n ka-traumatic para makalimutan mo kung sino ako."

Those hazelbrown eyes. Those pinkish lips. And that angelic voice. I can't be mistaken.

"Lori! Loki is acting weird!" the young woman called. I can't get my eyes off her. I tried to, but every time I looked away, I found myself looking back at her.