Ang init ng araw, pero may hangin na malamig na sumasalubong sa akin.
When I step off the boat, parang napawi lahat ng pagod ko sa byahe. Hindi ko alam kung dahil sa ganda ng isla o baka kasi sa feeling na malayo kami sa lahat ng problema. Wala kaming cellphone since pinaiwan samin yun and our parents agreed para raw makabonding namin ang isa't-isa, walang distractions, just us. Pero sa kabila ng lahat ng 'yun, may isang pakiramdam na hindi ko maalis—yung feeling na parang may mali. Hindi ko kayang i-ignore 'yun. But then, looking at everyone who's with me, I can't help but to push the thought away.
The island looks amazing, though. Napaka-private, and the mansion that stands before us is as grand as any villa you'd see in the movies—tall white walls, surrounded by trees and the ocean in the distance. Medyo isolated, pero mukhang perfect na lugar para magrelax. I look around, trying to push away that nega feeling sa dibdib ko.
It's supposed to be the perfect getaway, a vacation we all need. Kai—our friend who invited us—has been bragging about his family's private island for weeks. He's been saying this trip is going to be the best one ever. "Trust me, guys, you won't regret it," he said pagtapak na pagtapak namin sa pribadong isla na pagmamay-ari ng kanilang pamilya. And I wanted to believe him. I do. Pero ngayon, as I stand in front of the mansion, parang something is off. I can't shake the feeling.
"Excited ka na ba, Reese?" Tanong ni Guia habang binabaybay namin ang daan papunta sa loob ng mansion. I can hear the excitement in her voice, but when I look at her, all I can manage is a tight smile.
"Yeah, I guess," I say, but I'm not sure if I even believe myself.
Sabi ko nga, baka nag-ooverthink lang ako. But then again, it's Kai's vacation. And Kai... he's always been the unpredictable one. Alam ko kung gaano siya ka-competitive, and now that we're here, parang hindi na siya gaanong normal. Medyo may pagka-weird siya today.
We all gather in front of the big door and Kai, with his usual confident grin, opens it wide.
"Welcome to my little paradise, guys!" he says, almost too enthusiastically. I look inside and, for a moment, I forget the strange feeling.
Inside is everything you'd expect from a luxury home—huge chandeliers, fancy furniture, the smell of fresh flowers. Everything is perfect. Pero may weird na tension pa rin sa hangin. Hindi ko maipaliwanag.
We all step in, and that's when Dominic, Zion, Josh, Hans and Leo start laughing, talking about some random thing that happened during their flight, iba-ibang kami kasi fullybooked na ang sched ng planes pero inantay naman kami ni Kai sa airport since di namin alam papunta sa private island nila. Si Karen naman, parang laging tahimik, trying to absorb everything. Guia and Eliza, on the other hand, pull me aside.
"Alam mo, we should play Mafia," she whispers to me, her voice barely audible.
Mafia? Sa isang private island? It's a classic game, pero parang ang weird maglaro nito dito, parang hindi ko kayang mag-relax.
"Mafia?" I repeat, feeling unsure.
"Dito? Seriously?"
Eliza just shrugs, her face lit up with that usual playful grin and so did Guia.
"Why not? It'll be fun. Walang phones, we need something to do, right? Something fun and exciting."
I can see how excited she is. Laging ganyan si Eliza—quick to think of something to make our time together memorable. Pero something about the idea just doesn't sit right with me. Still, I don't want to ruin the vibe. Everyone else seems to be on board.
I glance at the others. Dominic's already nodding. Leo's actually looking forward to it. Even Karen, who's usually the level-headed one, seems down. The rest was just plain excited.
"Okay," I finally say, sighing.
"Let's play."
Kai's grin widens when he hears that.
"Great! Let's start!" Then he claps his hands together.
"Alright, let's make this interesting. So we're ten in here and we've got the usual Mafia, Villagers, and... a Police Officer and Doctor. So, I guess you know the rules?"
The rest of us nod. The Mafia game is simple, really. The Mafia tries to kill off the Villagers without getting caught, while the Villagers try to figure out who the Mafia is. May mga roles pa like the Police Officer and Doctor, na may special abilities.
"Okay," Kai says, his tone turning serious.
"Let's start. I'll be the moderator. I'll pick out your roles through touching you. Everyone, close your eyes."
I do as I'm told, and for a moment, I wonder how real this game is going to get. He started picking the mafia, the doctor, the police, and the villagers. He instructed us to open our eyes and we did.
Napatingin ako sa lahat. Excited ang mga ito kung kaya't napangiti na lang ako.
"Let's start. The night has come.. the mafia needs to pick the first person to kill."
We can all hear the murmurs in the background as the Mafia silently makes his pick. The game begins, and even though I know it's just a game, there's an uncomfortable tension in the air. As we all sit there in the dark, I can feel my pulse racing. I try to calm myself, telling myself this is just a game, nothing more. But it feels... real. Too real.
Kai announces the end of the first round. "Okay, open your eyes."
Everyone does, and the first thing I notice is the way Karen is looking around, confused.
"What happened?" she asks, but the moment she speaks, Kai speaks up again.
"We have our first victim," he says, voice cold but with that usual hint of playfulness.
"Karen, you've been eliminated."
Everyone gasps, looking at her in shock. Karen's face drops.
"What? How?" she asks, but it's too late. The decision's been made. She's out of the game. There I saw her walk towards her room.
Kai just smiles, but it's a smile that feels too forced.
"That's how it goes, right? Now, the rest of you—let's see who's next."
The next round begins. Kai gives us a moment to breathe before continuing.
"Alright," he says, his voice carrying authority now.
"The night has come. Mafia, decide your next move."
The sound of the waves outside is the only thing I hear as I shut my eyes. Parang ang bigat ng hangin sa loob ng mansion. Seryoso na 'to. Walang nagbibiro, walang maingay. I hear faint shuffling—siguro galaw ng mga paa—pero nananatili akong nakapikit. Ang hirap, knowing someone in this room might be planning something sinister, kahit in-game lang.
"Okay, morning has come. Open your eyes."
I do as he says, and for a second, I think nothing happened. Everyone looks normal. Leo's cracking his knuckles. Dominic is half-smiling, trying to ease the tension. But then Kai speaks again.
"This time... we've lost another villager."
Lahat napatingin sa paligid, clearly trying to figure out sino. Until we notice Dominic, slumped forward on the couch, not moving.
"Bro," Leo calls out, walking towards him. He lightly shakes Dominic's shoulder.
"C'mon, it's just a game—"
Then we see it.
The blood.
A thick crimson stain slowly spreads across Dominic's chest. It drips onto the white couch, bright and horrifying.
Eliza and Guia scream. I stand frozen on the ground, still trying to process what's happening. Lahat nagtayuan, pero walang makagalaw.
"Dom?" Leo's voice cracks as he stumbles back.
This isn't part of the game. This is real.
"Kai, what the hell is this?!" I shout, panicking.
Kai steps forward, pero hindi siya mukhang shocked. He just looks at Dominic with a blank expression. And that's when it hits me—this isn't an accident.
"Where's Karen?!" Zion shouted frantically.
"She went back to her room... right?" Hans added, but fear was evident in his voice.
Guia suddenly bolted towards the hallway papunta sa room ni Karen.
"I'll check!"
The next thing we heard was a blood-curdling scream.
We all ran after her, our hearts pounding, unsure of what we would see.
When we reached the room, Karen was lying on the bed... covered in her own blood.
"Oh my god..." Eliza whimpered, her voice barely audible.
I stumbled back, clutching the doorframe for support as my mind struggled to make sense of what I was seeing.