“That is something we can’t confirm. The locals believe the god will create a new world with no crime or poverty.”

“But then how are we gonna do business?” another producer jokes.

One by one, heads turn my way. I blink.

“Well?” Armani asks. “Surely you know what this ‘new beginning’ is?”

“It’s not the rapture,” I say slowly. “We believe that the world is nothing but a dream of the Diwata. When He wakes, the dream will end.”

“That’s pretty vague,” Producer One complains.

“If the belief is that the world is nothing but a dream,” Leo says, “then what happens once the god wakes?”

I shrug. “We are born anew.”

“So it is like the rapture,” Producer Two says, chuckling.

“We don’t need the prophecy to make sense,” Hemslock says calmly. “People’ll eat up those pseudo-religious theories and justify their own belief systems for it.”

“What I don’t get,” Armani says, “is what the trees have to do with these sacrifices.”

They all look at me again.

“Balete trees are sacred to the Diwata,” I reply. “Burying family with their saplings is a sign of devotion. He gains nourishment from the dead as He sleeps, and they in turn are promised eternal bliss when He wakes.”

“So He leeches off people in exchange for their peace of mind?” Producer Three sniggers. “Sounds like my ex-wife.”

The remark is met with a smattering of laughter.

“Are there any known species of balete that grow underground?” Hemslock asks intently.

“No,” a researcher answers. “But previous expeditions have found evidence of ancient burial sites here—nothing beyond traces of human remains, though.”

“Any evidence of balete found with those bodies?”

“No—but the bones are old, several centuries in most cases, and none of them were intact when they were unearthed, so it’s doubtful we’d find evidence of any balete trees buried with them as well. We can test the sinkhole for evidence.”

“They found roots growing on Alex Key,” Hemslock says, “They were balete. I checked.”

“We’re getting ahead of ourselves, Reuben,” Producer Two reminds him. “Sam, continue.”

The head writer clears his throat. “The plan is to give an overview of the curse and the legend surrounding it in the first episode, then focus on the known victims for the next three or four. See if we can get footage to tie fact and lore together more conclusively. We still don’t have a lot of information about the first two deaths. The corpse tree was a godsend—we’ll splash that for the first few episodes.”

“How many victims have there been?” Producer One interrupts. “Didn’t they record over fifteen deaths on this island already? So haven’t they’ve surpassed the quota for the eight needed to awaken the god?”

“Most of those deaths won’t count for the curse, sir. The deaths need to match very specific requirements. That we were able to confirm with the locals.”

“A convenient explanation to keep the con going, don’t you think?”

“Someone must be actively offered up as a sacrifice for it to count,” Hemslock says. “I don’t doubt though, that this god is not above killing anyone that it thinks is unworthy. If a serial killer sets out to kill eight women but kills men and children as well, then they’re still his murders.”