POTENTIAL: THIRTY-ONE

**TRISHA POV**

Why did you agree to this? With the countless options available, why this? You can just go away and leave this place," I asked one question after another.

The woman sighed. "We have nowhere else to go. Dr. Deguro provided us with the necessary things we need. This is the only way to repay him." I was left speechless by her reason. It seemed too shallow, but for them, it was enough to support their decision.

"Why are you feeding this creature, Doctor?" Alex asked.

Instead of Dr. Deguro, Sky answered, "To keep him dormant."

"Sky is right. When this creature becomes active, many will die. Not only here but also in the nearby city," the old man explained.

"In that case, we need to kill it," Alex suggested, a thought that I also had. I didn't want anyone else to sacrifice for this creature.

"That would be impossible, Alex," the doctor responded with disappointment. "As I mentioned, he is similar to Acey, making it difficult to kill. Its regenerative ability is 10 times faster than ours. It will keep on regenerating until everyone gives up."

"How did you know about this?" Sky inquired, still wearing his suspicious look.

"Quinnie and I used to work here," declared the doctor, surprising all of us.

"Then, how did you survive the fire? I thought only Sample 45A survived?" I am now confused by the information I'm receiving. My mind refuses to accept the information.

Dr. Deguro answered, "It was our day off when the fire happened. After that accident, Quinnie and I parted ways. I preferred to stay here while she pursued her dream of becoming a candy maker."

"She mentioned that you created Jerkilious to smear her reputation. Is it true?" I asked.

The doctor nodded, "I did that to warn everyone about her candy."

"So, it's true that she uses human flesh for her candies?" Alex concluded.

"It seems I know why she's attacking you, Dr. Doctor," Sky announced, grabbing everyone's attention.

"You're right, Sky. Quinnie wants Sample 45A for her candy recipe," Dr. Deguro confirmed Sky's thoughts.

"Not for her candy, but for herself," the young man corrected.

"Herself?" Dr. Deguro raised an eyebrow.

"She will use Sample 45A's ability to heal herself—"

"And be immortal," Alex added.

Imagine Quinnie becoming immortal. That means she no longer needs the clones, and she can live forever as the Candy Queen.

The whole room fell silent after the statements of the two. We never expected to end up in this situation. We were supposed to save the children, but it seems our plans will take a different turn.

******

**ALEX POV**

Knowing the truth was just too much for my brain to process. At first, we thought Dr. Deguro was the enemy, but we never expected that the person who helped us, in the first place, was actually our true adversary. What a turn of events. Is this what they call a twist of fate?

"Are you okay with this?" Sky asked. I knew he was concerned, but it was necessary.

"We can't just let Quinnie become immortal. If that happens, many people will die at her hands. We need to stop her at any cost."

"Alex?" Trisha called, raising both of my eyebrows. "Maica told me that you can communicate with someone from a distance. Can I ask for a favor? Can I talk to the kids Quinnie is holding?" she hesitantly requested.

"Do you have a picture?" Trisha instantly grabbed her phone and searched for a picture. After a few moments, she handed me her phone. I took it and saw a picture of Trisha and a girl smiling exaggeratedly.

"Her name is Verna." I closed my eyes and started to establish a connection with Verna. In a few moments, I succeeded.

"Verna."

"Who are you?" Verna asked fearfully. It reminded me of the time I talked to Maica in a similar way.

"I'm a friend of Trisha. Are you okay?"

"Wha— W-We're okay, but we're all scared. Please, save us," she pleaded, tears welling up and ignoring the fact that what was happening right now was far from ordinary.

"Where are you?"

"We don't know. It's too dark here."

"Don't worry; we will save you." I ended the connection and opened my eyes. I faced Trisha, who had been waiting for me, wearing an anxious and eager expression. "As of now, they're okay."

Trisha let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

******

"What makes this creature dangerous?" Trisha asked. We are now in Dr. Deguro's laboratory. He informed us that the thing inside the tube, Acey, was actually a part of the creature. They were studying it to find a way to defeat it.

"Due to its high regeneration rate, it was expected to grow larger than it normally should. Probably, as huge as this warehouse," Dr. Deguro compared.

"That big?" Trisha reacted in disbelief.

Carlo also shared his observations and information, "We also found out that this thing has the ability to move and think. It seems like it created a brain on its own.”

"The question is, how do we kill it?" I announced the question that had been bothering my mind.

"We have to find the core," Sky warned a suggestion agreed upon by everyone.

Trisha was the first to offer an answer. "The brain?"

Sky shook his head. "This creature could already regenerate before it created the brain. That means its core is not the brain." Both Carlo and Dr. Deguro agreed. If it's not the brain, then what is it? "By the way, did you conduct a microscopic examination on this one?" Sky pointed to Acey.

"Not yet. Every time we take him out, he has seizures," the doctor explained.

"How about documents or files?"

"None."

"Then we should know why this part is isolated. Maybe we can find something," Sky suspected.

******

Trisha and I were outside with the children, while Sky, Carlo, and Dr. Deguro stayed in the laboratory to perform tests on Acey. I still notice the sadness in Trisha's eyes regarding the fate of the sacrificed children. I feel sorry for them. Even though they were about to die, they still had the right to a proper death. It's just painful to think that their tomb was inside a monster's stomach. It's just... cruel.

I noticed Trisha standing up, followed by her walking towards the direction where everything happened this morning. "Are you leaving?" I asked a reason for her to stop. I stood up and approached her.

"I'll just check on them."

Them? She means, those kids?

"I'll come with you." We started walking until we reached the entrance of the forest. Trisha continued treading while I followed. After a few minutes of trekking in this deserted forest, we reached a cemented part of the woods. Six tall boulders surrounded the platform, with a rectangular block at the center.

"Is this where they leave the children to die?" I asked, but Trisha just kept on walking until she reached the so-called block. I was surprised when she suddenly started singing. I never knew that Trisha could sing.

Her sweet, lovely voice echoed throughout the quiet forest. For some unknown reason, I suddenly felt calm. Every tension in my body vanished. After that, apparitions of the dead kids started to fill the spaces of the ritual site. They were smiling, and some of them were crying. But one little girl caught my eye. She walked toward Trisha and stopped just in front of her. She climbed the block and hugged her. It's the sweetest thing I'd ever seen.

Trisha's song ended, and the spirits of the kids started to fade until everything went back to normal. I walked toward Trisha and noticed that she was sobbing.

"Are you okay?" I asked with concern.

Trisha sighed heavily while wiping away her tears, "I'm fine. I just always get emotional whenever I sing that."

"What was that song?"

"The Death Song. A farewell song. I used to sing it every time a child in the orphanage died due to illness," she explained.

I placed my hand on her shoulder, "It's beautiful."

"Thanks." She let out a deep breath. "I wanted to give the kids a proper burial, but I can't do it alone. I need your help, Alex… again."

I smiled, "How can I help?"

Trisha and I were now leaving the forest after giving the children a proper burial. I cleared the back portion of the ritual site and buried their remains. Trisha offered some flowers and prayers before we left. It didn't take long for us to exit the forest. We headed straight to the others as it was getting dark. Upon arriving, we immediately went to the laboratory to check on their progress.

"Any luck?" I greeted the three who paused from their work.

"We managed to prove that this creature can regenerate at a faster rate, but it's not enough to answer Sky's question about why it is separated," replied Dr. Deguro.

"We need another sample, and it should come from Sample 45A. We need a comparison," Sky announced, surprising Trisha, Carlo, and me.

"That's suicide!" objected Carlo.

He's right; it would be a suicide mission. But we don't have a choice. Many people will die if this thing continues to exist.

"I'll go, but I need some equipment," I volunteered.

Sky's reaction caught my attention first. I know it's hard for him to let me go, but we both know that I'm the only one capable of matching the creature's strength. "I'll call Maica to get some," he added. "I have trust in you. I know you'll come back." I just smiled at his statement.

"Are you sure, Alex?" Trisha asked with concern.

I gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Trisha, I'll be back. In fact, we'll save your friends together." I patted Trisha's shoulder to comfort her.

"Maica is on her way," Sky informed us.

"Okay. So, what do I need to do?"

"You need to collect a small piece of its flesh, maybe the size of your palm. But be gentle so as not to provoke it. You have to inject this first..." Sky pointed to an automated syringe with local anesthesia. "...and wait for 30 seconds for the anesthesia to take effect."

"What if it notices me?"

"Then try your best not to be noticed. We don't want this monster rampaging on the surface," he warned. "And one more thing, if this creature already has a brain, it could have thought of some ways to protect itself. So, you should be careful. We don't know what this monster is capable of."

"My team will accompany you," Dr. Deguro offered. I just nodded since they've already covered everything. But—

"However, there's still one problem," Sky interjected.

I think I know what it is, so I beat him to it. "How do we get there?"

"I was thinking of suggesting the Comfort Room (CR), but it's too disgusting," Trisha suggested. Indeed, it's gross. I preferred getting bone-crushed than dealing with human waste.

"The ritual site," Carlo suggested.

******

"Are you sure about this, Maica?" I asked my friend who decided to join us.

"Now you're questioning me when I'm already dressed?" she protested. "Don't worry, Alex. I survived being kidnapped, fought with the girls, and escaped being killed by a crazy clone. This one should be easy."

"Don't be too sure."

We were at the warehouse waiting for the others to finish preparing. There were seven of us—Maica and me, two guards, and three ninjas. Ninjas. Haha. After a few minutes, they finished, and Dr. Deguro held a short briefing. Then, we started walking toward the ritual site. It's already night, and according to Dr. Deguro, it's the best time since the creature sleeps at night.

I narrated everything that happened to Maica, and she was shocked by the revelations she heard.

"...and we buried them properly," I finished the story.

"Those poor kids."

We reached the said ritual site. "We're here. Okay, everyone, stop," I instructed the group. I faced them to give some final reminders and have a last and final overview. "Once we're inside, try your best to stay still and unnoticed. If you see something horrible, don't shout. If you need to tell me something, just whisper. Got it?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Maica playfully responded, earning laughter from the others.

I raised an eyebrow at her, "Really, Maica?"

"I just wanted to match your commanding tone, so I went along with it," she reasoned. I sighed and faced the ritual site.

"Place the lights!" I ordered, and they took out the lights one by one, positioning them. After that, I prepared the ropes for our descent. We also wore our oxygen tanks with breathing masks, as Sky estimated that the air down there could be toxic. We secured our safety harnesses, locking them onto the rope tied to a sturdy tree. "Ready?"

Everyone nodded, signaling their affirmation. I faced the ritual site and extended both of my hands. Dr. Deguro theorized that the entrance should be just under the floor, so I would remove the cement. The floor began to tremble. The cracking noise of tree roots and stones filled the silent forest.

I slowly lifted my hand, bringing the floor along with it, revealing a large hole in the ground. A gust of hot air escaped from the hole, confirming that there was indeed something alive beneath us.

I moved the platform about a meter and placed it back on the ground, covering half of the hole. We couldn't fully open it; less hole meant less noise. We couldn't afford to wake up this monster.

We descended one by one into the pitch-dark hole. It was so deep that I couldn't see the floor below. I was the last to descend, and right after me was Maica. It took us exactly three minutes before we reached the ground. As I landed on the damp ground, I suddenly felt nervous and uneasy.

"This feeling," Maica mumbled. It seemed we both felt it. This creature was so evil that its mere presence could drive you away.

"Let's start moving."