DAMNED

Chapter 8: The Trap in the Dark

It was Saturday, the one day they didn’t have classes, yet the group found no rest. Instead, they gathered in Joshua’s living room, curtains drawn against the morning light. The air was thick with tension, every breath heavy with unspoken fear.

Alice suddenly slammed her hand on the table, the sharp crack breaking the silence. “We can’t keep hiding. We have to go to the police!”

Cris frowned, his voice low and cautious. “What if they don’t believe us? Eugenio’s powerful. He could bury the case before it even begins.”

Alice’s voice trembled, but her determination cut through. “If we don’t report, we’ll die one by one. I refuse to wait for that.”

Robina’s eyes darted towards Raell.

He sat rigid, jaw tight, the weight of the decision pressing against him. Finally, he spoke, his tone steady but grave. “She’s right. We can’t fight this alone. We go to the police. Together.”

The group exchanged glances, fear mingling with fragile courage. One by one, they nodded, the pact sealed in silence.

Robina whispered, almost to herself, “Then it’s decided. Today… we go.”

The words lingered in the room like a final verdict. Outside, the world carried on with its weekend routines, but inside Joshua’s living room, the group braced for a storm that would change everything.

Eugenio Cardinal’s POV

The clock ticked past midnight as Eugenio sat in his study, the lamplight casting long shadows across stacks of papers and maps. His fingers drummed against the desk, impatience gnawing at him. The slow strategy of isolating Robina’s friends one by one no longer satisfied him.

He leaned back, eyes narrowing, and called Santos closer.

“No more one by one,” Eugenio declared, his voice low but sharp as a blade.

“I want them all. At once. Crush them. Leave her with nothing.”

Santos stiffened, unease flickering across his face. “All of them? That’s risky. Too many eyes, too much noise.”

Eugenio’s smile was cold, predatory. He rose from his chair, pacing with deliberate calm. “Risk is irrelevant. Tonight, they all fall. And when they do, Robina will have no one left to shield her. She will be mine.”

The words hung heavy in the room, suffocating. Santos lowered his gaze, his conscience twisting. Each command dragged him deeper into darkness, yet he obeyed — because defiance meant death.

Robina Aya Gasco’s POV

It was Saturday afternoon, the one day they didn’t have classes, yet Robina and her friends walked together with heavy steps toward the police station. Determination carried them forward, though fear clung to every stride.

Amanda whispered, her voice fragile but hopeful. “This is it. We’ll finally be safe.”

Robina forced a smile, though dread gnawed at her chest. “Yes. Safe,” she replied, though the word felt hollow.

As they turned onto a narrow street — a place so deserted that even if they shouted, no one would hear, with nobody around and no witnesses — Robina’s instincts screamed. The silence was unnatural, the emptiness suffocating.

Raell’s gut twisted. His eyes scanned the deserted path, every shadow a threat. He leaned closer, whispering urgently. “Stay close. Something’s wrong.”

Before anyone could respond, shadows erupted from the alleyways — swift, silent, merciless.

Men surged from the alleys, masked and armed, their sudden appearance slicing through the stillness. A van screeched to a halt, tires skidding against the hot asphalt, doors flying open with a metallic slam.

Screams tore through the daylight, raw and desperate. Robina felt rough hands claw at her arms, dragging her toward the van. Her nails scraped against the skin as she thrashed, her voice breaking. “Raell!”

Raell lunged forward, knife flashing in the sun. He slashed at one attacker, the blade glinting, but fists and boots hammered him down. He staggered, blood at his lip, yet fought with feral desperation.

Cris was shoved hard to the ground, the impact rattling through his bones. Joshua was slammed against the wall, his body crumpling under the blows. Krystina and Eyrah shrieked, swinging their bags wildly, straps snapping under the force.

Amanda and Alice clung to each other, sobbing uncontrollably, their cries piercing the chaos.

The narrow street became a cage — walls closing in, sunlight mocking their helplessness. There was no escape, no witnesses, only the relentless violence of Eugenio’s men.

Robina’s voice cracked as she screamed, “Help! Someone help!” Her cry echoed down the empty street, but the afternoon silence swallowed it whole. No footsteps came, no doors opened. Only the van’s open maw waited, ready to consume her.

Santos watched from the shadows, horror clawing at him. Eugenio’s plan had collided with the students’ — they were walking straight into the trap.

He whispered, “God forgive me,” as the men dragged them toward the van.

At home, Rose felt a chill crawl across her skin. She didn’t know the details, but she sensed Eugenio’s plan unfolding — the silence in the house, the way his eyes had gleamed the night before. Delgado’s death had already chained her voice, but her heart screamed for Robina.

She pressed her trembling hands together, whispering into the emptiness. “Please survive, child. Please.”

Her words dissolved into the air, unheard, but her plea carried the weight of desperation.

**********

Outside, the van doors slammed shut with brutal finality. The sound echoed like a prison gate. Inside, the students were trapped, their screams muffled by the roar of the engine as it lurched forward.

Robina clutched Raell’s bloodied hand, her eyes wide with terror. Her voice cracked, barely audible over the chaos. “We’re caught.”

Raell squeezed her hand weakly, his jaw clenched against pain, his silence more terrifying than words. Around them, Amanda sobbed on Alice’s shoulder, Cris groaned from the floor, Joshua’s head hung heavy, and Eyrah and Krystina trembled, their resistance broken.

Far away, in the dim glow of his study, Eugenio Cardinal raised his glass of wine. His smile was cold, triumphant.

“Finally,” he whispered, savoring the moment.

The predator’s plan had succeeded — and the prey had walked straight into his net.