Jake's head was already hurting because he hadn't slept yet; they were taking a short break from searching for Jasmin, who had suddenly disappeared. He was massaging his temples to alleviate what he was feeling at that moment.
He was unable to locate and follow the tracker that Jasmin, the student, had received. He found the tracker in a dense forest that rarely receives human visits.
They couldn't find its body.
They can only shake their heads. The sun was about to rise, and they still had no lead on where Jasmin was.
Jake thought Ruth was also missing back then, as well as Thalia. He didn't want his burden to increase if two more students went missing. They could hardly rest while searching for the missing student; what if three went missing?
Some teachers immediately noticed his behavior. Stood up from his seat. He observed the swift movements.
"Sir Jake, come here." He heard his companion's call.
He hurriedly went to where he was being called.
"What is that?" He asked when he arrived.
"We saw a corpse there." The voice was serious, without a hint of a joke.
He nodded.
"Let's confirm if it's Jasmin." He said.
"The kids are not awake yet; I know those people will start snooping around again. Please let other teachers handle this circumstance." Said his colleague.
His fellow teachers nodded in agreement.
They didn't want to alarm the children's camp, and they were afraid that panic would increase if it was found out that a corpse had been seen.
It is also limited who will accompany them to the place where a corpse was found. They also don't want to cause confusion among the students.
They were informed that only three would go, and he was one of them.
They were walking through the dense forest, which their students hardly ever visit anymore.
"There." Pointing to his companion at Jake.
Jake immediately looked at what the other teacher was pointing at. He immediately saw it. They were getting closer when they smelled a foul odor.
Because they wanted to confirm if this was indeed one of their students. Even though they could smell the contents that were about to rot, they immediately approached.
Jake guessed it was a woman because it had long hair that seemed to be turned away.
"It would be better if we called the police first. Let's not touch the corpse for now." That was his sudden suggestion back then.
In cases and crimes like this, they should not disturb the crime scene, as important evidence might be lost.
His colleagues had already thought about it.
His two fellow teachers nodded.
"It's better if we don't let the kids near and inform them about what we've discovered." He even said.
He was the one who informed the police that they had found a body. It's morning now, and the sun has appeared. They are waiting for the police to arrive so they can confirm the situation.
So that the fears they are feeling will also go away. They are in a distant part, looking at the lifeless woman.
He could only shake his head.
Who could be the deranged soul who committed such a crime? Could they extinguish the dreams of the youth who are just beginning to blossom? He thought to himself back then.
He didn't mind the hunger and lack of sleep. He wishes that their student Jasmin were still safe.
The police, along with the S.O.C.O., have also arrived. They immediately reported what they saw to the police.
Afterward, they also examined the surroundings.
He quietly observed the actions of the police. Jake had already seen the student's face.
This is indeed a woman.
They looked for an I.D. to identify where it came from.
"This has been dead for a long time; it seems this is not the crime scene. It was just thrown here in the forest." That's what they heard.
He was very grateful that it wasn't Jasmin's body. He was happy but also saddened by what happened to the woman who was the same age as Jasmin. He could only shake his head.
He even saw its heart torn apart and its intestines missing, with no eyes either; the condition of the corpse was pitiful. He estimated that the child they saw before was just in the neighboring town.
They went back because they had already identified and confirmed that it wasn't Jasmin.
"Kidnapping is really on the rise, especially among young girls. Many are missing now; they are only found after a few days without their intestines and their organs." Jake could only hear about it.
His companion nodded. "It seems they are selling the organs of their kidnapped victims. Human trafficking is becoming common again nowadays. I hope the root cause of the killings here will be addressed." He saw his co-teacher just shake his head while speaking.
Jake didn't interrupt the conversation anymore. It's not just human trafficking that's the problem, but also the blatant black market and illegal activities that the law does not accept, especially the open use of drugs.
Because of the events, he didn't know who to side with and how to defend the youth in the way he knew.
They also reported that the body they saw was not Jasmin.
"Good thing. I hope we can find Jasmin too." Said the worried teacher.
They still need to continue the activity.
They also held an emergency meeting to focus more on and tighten control over the students they handle; a curfew alone is not enough. This is also for the students. They hold the teachers responsible for the care of their students, as their safety is in their hands.
They still hope to find and rescue Jasmin, and they pray that the events they are currently experiencing do not escalate further. They will return home safely, without any lack, and without any bad memories the students will create from this camping trip.
He also doesn't want the children who were almost in danger to have trauma. He should pay more attention to Thalia and Ruth, lest they disappear from his sight again, like last night when they almost vanished at the same time, claiming they were just going to the restroom.
He could only sigh and feel drowsy and tired in his body.