They stepped out of the tent for a while. Ruth's mind is exhausted from everything that has transpired from earlier to now, and it appears she still hasn't responded to the questions. She also heard a voice greeting them as they entered the forest.
You finally arrived, sister. That was the voice she heard. She closed her eyes; her head was hurting now. Worry and speculation about what would happen over the next three days replaced the excitement she felt earlier this morning.
She wanted to go home and just rest, but she was here now. She scanned her surroundings. Their tent was close to the teachers, and the men's camp was quite far away.
They passed the road where the two siblings were killed back then, quite far from their city. They called out to her about the siblings' murder. She remembered their appearances, according to the news she heard when it became a hot issue in the eyes of the public due to the gruesome incident.
Many bullets rained down on it as a result of its death.
"Ruth!" Someone called her.
She just turned around and saw Thalia, who was clearly annoyed with her.
"I've been calling you for a while; are you okay?" she asked her.
Even though Thalia is not a boastful person, she is a kind friend to her.
"Sorry, my mind is still a mess right now." Ruth just said it and smiled.
She just nodded. "The teacher said we should take a break first." This is what Thalia said.
They returned to their tent; their companions for the next three days were also there. They each had their beds, which they were arranging. Thalia and the others will sleep next to each other later.
"They said we're going to have a bonfire tonight." That's what she heard Ericka say.
"Oh? I want to go ghost hunting tonight. They say there are many wandering souls here. According to what I've heard, many women have gone missing in this area." Kim spoke, her excitement evident in her eyes.
He even saw Christine shake her head.
"You'll get yourself into trouble with that kind of thinking. We don't possess a comprehensive understanding of this location, do we? Besides, the forest surrounds us here." That's what she heard from Ericka, who was looking at her phone.
They just exchanged glances because Ericka was right. It's better to follow the protocols given by the teacher because it's for their own good as students.
They didn't join the conversation with their companions in the tent anymore. Ruth even saw Thalia fiddling with her phone.
"Don't you ever lose signal on your phone?" She posed this question as she sat beside her.
"Not really, it's stable; it's actually puzzling." Thalia said.
"Maybe it's because of the standing towers there; that's why we never lose signal here." Ericka added.
So, she just nodded.
"I'm going to sleep for now; just wake me up when there's an activity, Ta."
"Okay." Thalis muttered, and Ruth just lay down.
She fell asleep right away because she was so sleepy.
Sweetie, wake up. Someone tapped her cheek gently.
Ruth didn't want to be disturbed then; she wanted to sleep because she was tired.
She heard faint laughter; in her mind, maybe her companions in the tent were just chatting.
Sweetie, wake up. It gently shook her and tapped her cheek. She felt the warm palm caressing her cheek. Startled awake, she rubbed her eyes.
Strange faces greeted her. A woman greeted her with a smile.
"Sweetie." She received a call from a woman she doesn't know. She was surprised that the voice calling her when they arrived here was the same. The woman who called her by the nickname Sweetie just smiled.
Her face was gentle and familiar yet seemingly unplaceable, so she studied her closely.
The woman hugged her tightly.
You're here too, Sweetie. The woman said.
Thalia felt a chill back then, so she abruptly pulled away from its embrace.
Her appearance startled her when she turned to look again. This is the woman she saw, bloodied and transformed, wearing the same uniform as her with bruises on her body.
We waited for you for so long. The woman responded with a smile.
Chesca, sweetie, you will remember us. The voice even sounded like it was pleading.
Chesca? Who? Me? But my name is not Chesca. Only one question crossed her mind.
You will save us in this world.
The woman was slowly disappearing, so she suddenly sat up as if her dream were real. He touched her cheek as well as her forehead.
There was a look directed at her back then. "Are you okay?" Her companion asked her.
She just nodded then. She suddenly felt thirsty, not knowing what was happening now. Ruth's mind became even more chaotic. She lay back down and couldn't sleep again because she didn't know where to start answering her questions.