The Sacrifice

In a bustling city, there stood a Grand Museum surrounded by tall buildings. Penelope,
Delilah, and Eleanor worked at this museum for over 3 years and started to build their
friendship. The three young teenagers were all under the supervision of Professor
Ophelia, who is also known to be the owner of the museum.

One chilly afternoon, Professor Ophelia called out the attention of the three girls to join
her in her office. This kind of scenario was never new to them, they already got the hint
as to what is the reason why Professor Ophelia asked them to be in her office. Without
hesitations, they made their way to the office and knocked on the door. As they set foot
in the office, the Professor started to discuss the agenda. They are tasked to go to a
remote island rumored to be brimming with archaeological wonders located at Savana
Province. Upon hearing this notice, they were so excited for another mind-boggling
adventure and discovery awaited them.

Penelope started to pack her things, which encouraged Eleanor and Delilah to do the
same. It was the 7th of November in the year 2002, the day they would leave the city
and journey to the remote island.

After three hours of sailing across the sea, they eventually arrived at their destination.
Stepping onto the island, they were astonished by its powdery white sand and fresh air.
They’re raring to go and explore every inch of it. The sun already started to set when
they arrived, so they decided to have some rest and prepare for tomorrow's exciting
adventure. A loud noise disturbed Eleanor and Delilah’s sleep, it was Penelope,
screaming and crying because of a cockroach. Eleanor got up from her bed and went
nearer to the cockroach, she stepped on it and said,

“Come on scaredy-cat, it’s already dead”.

Hearing those words, Penelope started to feel at ease and began preparing the things
she needed for their adventure. The three of them decided to have their breakfast and
planned where should they start hunting for archaeological artifacts. They were not
familiar with the island so it wouldn’t be easy for them to just go without planning
everything. Suddenly, Penelope got up from her chair and got something from her bag,
it was a map of the whole island.

Where did you get this? Delilah asked.

I got it from the caretaker of the island and borrowed it, Penelope replied.

After a couple of minutes, they finally finished having their breakfast and decided to rest
for a bit.

It was already 10:00 am when they decided to start their quest and Penelope led the
way. On their journey, they have witnessed the alluring beauty of nature. Tall trees and
green leaves all around. Sunlight peeks through the leaves making patterns on the
ground. They can only hear the birds chirping and monkeys swinging from branch to
branch.

Eleanor closed her eyes and said, What a calm and peaceful place.

On the other hand, Delilah was busy taking pictures of the scenery. Both of them were
busy minding their own business and didn’t notice Penelope’s absence. A scream
stopped them from what they’d been doing. It was a voice familiar to them, it was
Penelope. They sprinted immediately and followed where the voice came from, they
saw Penelope standing near a river, soaking wet.

What happened to you? Eleanor asked.

I saw a snake and ran, unfortunately, I stumbled and fell into the river, but don’t worry
I’m fine, Penelope replied.

Delilah sighed in relief that nothing worse happened to Penelope but her eyes went
through Penelope’s hand, it was the map, and it was also wet.

Penelope apologized for being so clumsy “I’m so sorry guys, I’ve ruined the map but
you don’t need to worry because I can still remember the way to where the artifacts are
located”.

Without waiting for the response of her friends, she marched forward. Hours passed by
but still, they hadn’t reached their destination.

Let’s rest for a bit, Eleanor said.

Perhaps we should go back to the island before it gets dark, Delilah added.

Are you all crazy? We’re almost there, Penelope stated.

She continues to move forward, leaving her two best friends. The two of them had no
other choice but to follow Penelope. As they are about to stand up, they hear the voice
of Penelope saying,

Guys, I found it!

The two of them went over where Penelope was and stumbled upon a cave entrance
hidden beneath the gnarled roots of a balete tree. Without any delay, Penelope began
pulling up roots to make room for them to enter the cave. Upon entering the cave, they
immediately noticed the heavy, eerie air. It was so dark that their flashlight became the
sole source of light. Driven by curiosity, they explored further, but then Eleanor stepped
on something odd. Looking down, she saw a skull. Startled, she leaped back and let out
a scream. Penelope and Delilah quickly inquired,
What's the matter?

Eleanor responded with a trembling voice, Look, it's a skull.

Without hesitation, Penelope bravely grabbed the skull and tossed it aside.

Come on, it's just a skull, it can't hurt us, she declared,

… and they moved on without further discussion.

As they continued to move forward, the air became heavier, there were ancient
drawings on the walls of the caves that made the atmosphere creepy. But, one thing
that caught their attention and stopped them from moving forward, was a mummified
snake coiled in the recesses of the cave. They were amazed but felt frightened at the
same time. Yet, despite the ominous aura of the mummified snake, they found
themselves touching it.

What a gem! Penelope stated,

We found a gem Eleanor added.

As their fingertips grazed its skin, the mummified snake fell to the ground, and the cave
began shaking. Terrified and stunned, Delilah and Eleanor fled in panic, but the intense
shaking caused them to tumble to the ground, leading them both unconscious.

The shaking stopped, and Eleanor woke up feeling a sting from an ant bite. She
realized her hands were tied, as were Delilah's. Waking Delilah, Eleanor scanned the
area for Penelope, growing increasingly anxious.

Penelope, where are you? Are you alright? she called out, but there was no answer.

Delilah regained consciousness and attempted to free her hands from the ties. She tried
to stand but stumbled because her feet were also bound. Using all their might, they
attempted to free themselves, but the sound of a footstep made them stop. A shadow of
a girl came closer, but it was too dark to see her face. As she drew nearer, they
recognized the familiar figure of Penelope, holding the mummified snake and wearing a
smile.

Thank goodness you're here! Please, untie us, Delilah pleaded. Penelope didn't move.

Help us, Penelope, Eleanor said. But Penelope acted like she couldn't hear them.

Why are you acting strange? Delilah asked.

Penelope chuckled and confessed, I planned all of this. I tied you up, so why would I
help?
Eleanor and Delilah were shocked.

Everything before coming here was part of my plan, Penelope said. "I just wanted to let
you know that to own the mummified snake, I need to sacrifice two souls”.

What do you mean? Eleanor asked.

Isn't it obvious? Your souls are the sacrifice so I can take the snake to the museum and
get promoted, Penelope replied with an evil laugh.

How could you betray us? Delilah cried. We treated you like family,

Penelope shouted, Stop the drama! You can't change my mind.

Penelope placed the mummified snake on the ground and reached into her bag for a
knife. Approaching Eleanor and Delilah, she reassured them,

Don't worry, it won't hurt too much, before bursting into laughter.

With the knife in hand, she stabbed Delilah's chest, causing her to cry out in agony as
Eleanor pleaded for her to stop. Annoyed by Eleanor's cries, Penelope also stabbed
Eleanor multiple times in the stomach. Both Eleanor and Delilah lost consciousness, but
Penelope could still hear their faint breaths. Proceeding without remorse, she opened
their bodies and extracted their hearts. Holding their hearts in her hands, she used the
knife to chop them into smaller pieces. Satisfied with her gruesome act, Penelope
cleaned herself up and prepared to return to the city, leaving her lifeless friends behind.

On her way to the city, Penelope felt a rush of excitement and pride. She was convinced
that Professor Ophelia, her accomplice from the beginning, would be pleased and
reward her with a promotion. Sitting in the car, she held the mummified snake in a paper
bag along with her wallet and the knife she used to kill her friends. As she reached for
her bag to grab her earphones, intending to listen to music, a sudden crash interrupted
her plans. A dump truck collided with her car, and tragically the knife in her bag pierced
her heart. The mummified snake fell onto the road, where a passerby picked it up.
Before Penelope's vision faded, she saw Professor Ophelia standing before her, holding
the mummified snake.

"It requires three souls as a sacrifice for ownership," Ophelia said,

…the last words Penelope heard before everything turned black.