She scanned the entire room where they were now resting. Ericka didn't need Jasmin's story anymore—she already knew what had happened. The only thing left to do was to change what was meant to unfold. They couldn't let harm come to any of them. As Thalia had said, they would come out of this alive.
Ericka noticed Thalia sitting in deep thought, while Ruth had fallen asleep beside her.
"Thalia, I want to ask you something," she said quietly.
Thalia looked at her intently. "What is it?"
"I want to understand what you meant earlier—when you said it felt like you were in the body of the soul in pain. Like you were reliving their life. Did I understand that right?" Ericka asked, carefully but directly.
Thalia didn't answer right away, as if weighing her thoughts. Then she slowly nodded. "Before we got here, I had traveled again. I was inside the warehouse—the place where Ellese was tortured and killed."
"That's horrible… Was it cruel?" Ericka asked.
Thalia nodded again. In her travels, she explained, she didn't hear conversations—just memories floating around her, like watching a silent film. The visions revealed fragments of the past, like a puzzle she couldn't always solve.
Thalia's journey was different from Ericka's. She didn't just witness the past—she lived it. Ericka glanced at her, startled as the images returned—two women, a child… and most vividly, the man she'd seen digging into the ground with bloodstained hands.
"Thalia…" was all she could manage.
Thalia blinked. "Why do you look so pale?" she asked, concerned.
Ericka swallowed hard. The vision was still vivid. She had seen a house soaked in blood. A man had entered—gun in hand—and he had shot two women and a young boy. Their bodies had dropped like broken dolls. The man's face was hidden, masked like the others in the uniform of the same organization they'd seen before.
It was unmistakable.
"Ericka?" Thalia's voice brought her back.
She looked into Thalia's eyes. "Thalia, do you remember the family that was killed in that house… the one near yours?"
Thalia's expression darkened. "Yes. That was the murder reported a month after Ellese and Felisa died. Their family was massacred—bathed in blood. Even the young boy… no one was spared." Her hands clenched into fists.
"That was your cousin's family, wasn't it?" Ericka asked gently.
Thalia's eyes brimmed with emotion. "Yes. Our houses were just across from each other. That night, they were all taken from me."
"Do you know why it happened?"
"I don't know the full story… I didn't want to know. The pain of it all—it was too much. I wasn't ready to carry it." Her voice broke slightly, but she stayed composed.
Ericka respected that. She didn't push for more. She only nodded.
"Are you traveling now to find the truth? To uncover what really happened to your cousin?" Ericka asked quietly.
Thalia didn't speak. She clutched her jacket tightly. The silence was her answer.
"They're here now, Thalia. You might not see them—but they're trying to tell you something," Ericka said gently.
Thalia nodded. She believed Ericka. She never doubted her ability to see the unseen.
There were still too many questions. The root of it all remained buried—entangled in secrets, blood, and betrayal. But one thing was clear: a soul seeking justice would never stop until it was heard. Until it found peace.
"We need to escape," Thalia said.
"There's a path," Ericka whispered. "There's an exit nearby. A woman told me—your cousin, I think. She said we must be careful."
Ericka didn't explain further. She closed her eyes and saw it—a narrow tunnel, barely large enough for one person to crawl through.
"When they wake up, we'll leave," she said calmly.
"But going back is dangerous. If they see us, we're finished. And if they find this hideout…" Thalia trailed off, her worry deepening.
"We're not going back," Ericka said. She pointed to the small hole, partially hidden by cobwebs.
"That's our way out."
Thalia met her gaze. "You really think this will work?"
"Trust me. Your instincts are strong—listen to them, Thalia. Let's trust our survival instincts."
Thalia scratched her head and gave a slight nod. She didn't argue further.
A heavy silence settled between them.
Suddenly, Ruth woke with a gasp, her breath ragged. She was drenched in sweat, panic written all over her face.
"Ruth?" Thalia rushed over. "What's wrong?"
"I feel sick," Ruth groaned, her arms clutching her stomach. "I had a nightmare… It was horrible."
She doubled over and vomited, shaking.
Thalia comforted her, gently helping her lie down again.
When Ruth finally calmed down, they waited, giving her space to speak.
"I saw corpses… so many. It was like they had been dumped into a dam. The stench—it was unbearable…" Ruth whispered, her face pale.
She retched again.
"Don't say anything more. That's enough," Ericka said firmly.
Ruth nodded, curling into herself. They waited in silence, knowing that once Jasmin had rested enough, they would begin their escape.