1. "But know this..."

Dear Colby Lexoni,

Today represents the five year anniversary of your previous stay in the Philippines sponsored by Bohol University. As an advocate for the name, I apologize for failing to reach the standards that were last promised you, and to prove so, I am inviting the group of 2016 to return to our reinvented program, which I have spent since our last-seen perfecting. I am certain that I can give you what I was not able to give you the first time.

I will pay you well -- your desired amount. It will be discussed upon your arrival.

Thank you and see you soon,

University of Bohol - Tagbilaran City

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Dear Colby Lexoni,

Ngayong araw na ito ay kumakatawan ng limang taong anibersaryo ng iyong nakaraang pagtira dito sa Pilipinas sponsored sa pamamagitan mg Bohol University. Bilang tagapagtaguyod sa pangalang nabanggit, ikinalulungkot ko at humingi ng tawad na nabigo ako sa pagtupad sa mga pamantayan na aking pinapangako at upang patunayan ito, inaaanyayahan ko ang grupo ng 2016 na bumalik sa aking muling nilikha na programa, na aking sinisikapan gawin simulat noon

Isinisiguro ko na kung anong nabigo ko noon ay magtatagumpay ngayon.

Babayaran ko kayo ng malaki, ang halaga na ninanais ninyo. Pag-uusapan natin yan sa iyong pagdating.

Maraming salamat at hanggang sa muli nating pagkikita,

University of Bohol - Tagbilaran City

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"You're telling me that there were six people total in the room at the time of the gun shot and not one of you knows who the shooter was? Not one of you laid eyes on him or her?"

The officer behind the desk huffed, and the pencil in his hand tapped against the piece of paper he had laid against it to jot down notes, but it remained blank thus far. One hand combed through his hair, aggravated with -- I don't know if one of us, all of us, or the situation itself, but something pissed him off for sure, and whatever it was certainly wasn't bringing us any closer to finding answers.

I blinked. I want to say it's out of the shock I had at what was still too new to sink in as fact, even if I did see the bullet implanted in the middle of my friend, Ryan David Javer's, skin, or maybe some other lame excuse like how the bright light of the police station was bothering my eyes, but I knew the truth. It was none of that.

This was pain. The kind of pain that burned behind your eyes like it were struck by lightning or exploded entirely by dynamite, and also fear. Fear because it came to me that in this world, was a merciless killer on the loose, who nobody knew what exactly they were capable of.

"Yes sir, that's correct," Nova, the youngest replied formally, hands in her lap. The rest of us were too locked-jaw to get out a word, and her being the crag among all of us, we weren't surprised that she beat us there. It hurt though, to see terror written all over her face when she spoke. She's never been known for that. I didn't think she'd ever be. This was a rare sighting-- one no one would want to see.

"Unbelievable," the officer announced.

"It might not be believable, but it's true. We were all in too much of a daze in those minutes," Jayvee piped in. I knew she would eventually. She always finds her voice, usually because she loves being the boss and she'd get over any feeling she needed to take that spot. I wasn't complaining though. For the most part, each of us liked having someone to fill that role.

The man then again, brought the pencil centimeters from the paper, prepared to get something to write. He was desperate for a lead just as much as we were. "Daze as in how?" He added on.

I took a deep breath, deciding I should contribute something to the investigation, even if it was only a sentence or so. I've watched far too many movies to know that the quiet ones always have evil up their sleeves, and if they didn't, the cops put so much pressure on them it looks like they did. If I didn't speak now, I'd break under their pushiness, solely because I wasn't the best with words, and I didn't want to get to that point.

"We were just injected by an experimental vaccine and we were experiencing some sort of side effect. Dizziness, nausea, and the like," I admitted, recalling it. A shiver went up my spine, having reminded myself that my blood stream was still rushing with whatever the needle put in me. I felt fine now in regards to that piece of this messy puzzle, but that doesn't mean I could relax.

"And you injected this in yourselves? Willingly?"

"Sir. Yes, we come for that one. A mail invite us, -- from many country," Jewee, the shy one, nodded. English wasn't his first language, and he didn't like to talk much if he didn't need to, but I had an assumption he was feeling the same heat as I was. Who wouldn't? The police always made your heart a little pitter-pattery from traffic tickets to accusation of murder, and everything in between. They just got to you somehow, regardless of how innocent you are.

"Yeah. We're from all over the world. Five years ago we were invited to a program at a university here in the Philippines that promised us a chance at better work after we graduated college, or were near-to and that's how we met. We didn't get anything from it, but we got another one in the mail recently and decided for one reason or another, to give it another shot," Jared joined the conversation last to back Jewee up, and each of us gave him a glare for his choice of wording. When it came out of his mouth, he instantly regretted using the term.

"I mean, chance. We decided to give it another chance," he corrected himself. "We were part of a guinea pig experiment for an about-to-be-released vaccine that promised to prove someone innocent or guilty based on the color of their blood. It was supposed to make the community safer. We already looked into it to see if we could find someone guilty-- but it gave us more questions. Not answers."

The officer finally got to getting some words down on paper, and he was contented with that, it seemed, to be getting somewhere after all the hassle and confusion. "Okay. Good for you for trying to help the community" he got to saying, dropping the utensil dramatically before he looked up. He sounded sarcastic. "But that still doesn't explain what your personal benefit was from injecting the vaccine yourself. There's always potential risks when it comes to this kind of thing. You must have had great trust in the provider, or you were bribed or something."

I cleared my throat. Jared was fighting for the spotlight, and he tripped over his words every so often when he was usually specifically talented with getting things across smoothly. Even so, it was rare he fought for major attention unless he thought he needed to, which I thought was fishy if anybody here was, but I doubted it. Besides, pointing fingers was always disastrous, so I wasn't up to doing that. Still, I wasn't ready for him to fool this officer into trust by his speech, while he left us behind despite his stuttering. Overall, he appeared to be the most helpful.

"We were told again, like the first time, we'd have a chance at a career," I answered for the sake of each of us. We needed to level this playing field out. We had to appear as a team. Not as opponents. Our stories had to connect. Otherwise, it'd ruin everything.

"How much of a chance, Mister Colby Lexoni?

I swallowed saliva at the mention of my name out loud. Nothing could've prepared me for that. Unsteady, I tried to reply. "We were supposed to talk about that on our arrival. We never got to."

"And you claim he was murdered. Isn't that right?"

Each of us nodded. For once, there was something we were all in together, but how could we not be? We saw him lifeless on the tile floor. We knew it was true.

"Then where is the body?"

Nova bit her lip to stop it from quivering. "H-he-- well, he's gone."

The man behind the desk looked fed up. He shook his head, and for a moment I swear I could head him click his tongue three times. Very quietly for certain, but it was there. "You were on the third floor of the University of Bohol in classroom 327, --you mentioned that when you first got here and in your emergency call-- and you were locked in for thirty minutes after the shooting you said, but the body is gone? Is this a prank? Do you realize what you guys are telling me?"

"We know what we're saying," Jayvee shouted out firmly. I didn't know how she could possibly have the energy to do such a thing with how this was unfolding, but I was proud of her for sticking up for us.

"If what you say could possibly be true, you realize that among you is a killer, and that all of you are suspects? You understand that an outsider could not have killed your friend from that high of a story?"

My stomach churned. I felt sick as if I'd throw up. I'd hate to have a job where I'd have to say such a thing in my vocabulary. I'd never be able to handle that, and I wanted to argue with him. I knew myself and I knew these people -- none of us were capable of such a thing.

Each of us nodded anyway. We needed help from somewhere and as long as it was looked into, we had to be glad about that. We had to rely on this to make any progress.

"You're really serious about this? It's absolutely bizarre." He checked in once more, giving us a last chance to back out if we were joking. None of us flinched, and that was an answer in itself. It was the only one he needed.

"I need to hear each of your alibis. Tell the story from the beginning."