Point of view: Luis Vargas Morales and Ressell Vargas Monteverde
A profound silence settled over the meeting room; no one moved or breathed normally as Bella’s words echoed repeatedly in our minds.
—Loki knows who is going to die after Lisbon.
I felt a chill run down my spine and glanced at Luis; he looked equally shocked, for if Bella was telling the truth, Loki had uncovered something far bigger than we had imagined.
The meeting continued in the main office of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
Luisana Morales stood beside María de Vera—the new interim academic coordinator—facing us.
Luis.
Me.
Jessica Jones Vilma.
Bella Chávez Reyes.
Ana María De Vera.
Gabriel Flores.
María López.
And several student council members; we were all waiting for an answer.
María de Vera crossed her arms.
—We have to assume the worst.
—What does that mean?— Gabriel asked.
—That the killer is still inside the school.— Fear instantly appeared on everyone’s faces.
No one wanted to say it out loud, but everyone was thinking it.
Jessica remained motionless, her headphones hanging around her neck; for the first time, she looked terrified.
Bella slowly opened a folder she had brought with her; inside was a piece of paper—folded several times, old and worn, with damp stains.
Jessica recognized it immediately; her face went pale.
—That handwriting…— Bella nodded.
—Yes.
It’s Loki’s.— My heart began to race.
Luis stepped forward.
—Where did you find that?
—Among the things Loki had hidden away before he died.
Bella carefully opened the letter and began to read.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
—If you are reading this… it means they’ve already started killing us off.
I felt the air leave the room as Bella continued reading.
—Don’t trust appearances.
The enemy is closer than you think.
Jessica slowly lowered her gaze—the same warning, the same paranoia, the same fear Loki had felt before he died; Luis clenched his fists.
—What else does it say?
Bella took a deep breath and continued reading.
—I found a list.
I don’t know who wrote it, but it contains the names of people connected to the school…
The room fell silent.
—What names?— I asked.
Bella shook her head.
—The letter is incomplete.
Someone had torn out a few pages.
A sense of disappointment washed over the room.
Another clue ruined, another secret lost—then Jessica spoke.
—Loki didn’t write things down without a reason.
We all looked at her.
She swallowed hard.
—If he mentioned a list, it means he saw it himself.
And if he saw it…
…then that list exists.
Ana María nodded.
—And the killer is likely using it, too.
“Like a hit list?” No one answered.
Since we all knew the answer, the meeting ended a few hours later, but no one went home with an easy mind.
That night, I stayed in the student council room, reviewing Loki’s documents.
Jessica was still there, sitting by the window and watching the rain for several minutes; neither of us spoke.
Finally, I broke the silence.
“Are you scared?”
She hesitated before answering.
“Yes.”
For the first time, she spoke the truth without holding back.
“Me too,” I admitted.
Jessica looked at me, surprised.
Then, we heard footsteps.
Luis appeared, holding a black envelope; his expression was serious—far too serious.
“This just arrived at my office.” He placed it on the table.
There was no return address—only the symbol of a black circle crossed out by a red line.
That same symbol again.
We opened the envelope; inside was a photograph—a recent one taken on school grounds.
We were all in it.
Luis.
Jessica.
Bella.
Ana María.
And me.
Our faces were marked with red ink—like targets, like victims.
Someone was deciding who was next, and beneath the photo was a handwritten phrase:
“One of you won’t make it to the end of the semester.”
No one said a word, because for the first time since Loki died… the killer wasn’t just sending warnings anymore; he had announced his next crime.