Continuation of Chapter 1.
Akasha: Welcome!
Guty: Thanks…
Akasha: Seems we will be classmates. Who would have thought…
Her last sentence is accompanied by a warm smile. At that exact moment I take out of my backpack a small pocket notebook to write the following title: <
Akasha: What are you writing?
Guty: Nothing important…
Due to Akasha's quick insight, I am forced to put away my notes. She looks at me attentively, she has something in mind, I will have to find out more about her to support my theories.
Professor: Would someone like to come up to solve this exercise on the whiteboard? How about you, new guy? Guty, please come to the front.
Guty: Alright, professor.
Professor: These equations are very difficult, but we will help you to solve them.
Guty: OK.
I fucked up…, I was careless and ignored what the teacher was saying and ended up exposing myself to everyone, now being unnoticed would not be an easy thing.
Professor: I can't believe you have solved it on your own and so quickly, guys; there is a genius before us.
The professor's words did not help at all, I can feel them staring resentfully at me.
Akasha: I did not know you were so smart. A guy like you! Who would have thought…
Guty: It's nothing. It's just that I had seen this exercise before…
Akasha: I see…
This is bad. After a few hours the bell rings for lunch break. Everyone rushes to put their things away and runs off to get something to eat. I wait for everyone to leave so I can go eat my lunch on the university's roof. It seems quiet, apparently no one comes here, I will be able to enjoy my lunch on my own. After getting comfortable, I get ready to taste my sandwich, the vegetables are still visibly fresh, and the smell of ham makes my stomach roar.
Akasha: Oh! Here you are.
I couldn't avoid being surprised to see her. I was sure that no one saw me come up to the roof. She's smarter than I thought. Or, it could be that she knows something about me.
Akasha: Can I…?
Guty: Sure…
Akasha: I hate all the noise in the cafeteria. I prefer having lunch here, matter of fact, I always eat here, it's a quiet place and the breeze is nice.
Guty: I see, it really is a quiet place.
Coincidence? I do not know, it could be…, but ideally, it would be…
Akasha: Why did you decide to enroll in this university anyway?
Guty: It was a choice my parents made.
Akasha: Wow…, I think you are still in time to switch schools if you like.
Guty: Why is that?
Akasha: This school holds a great secret.
Guty: May I ask what kind of secret?
Akasha: The less you know the better, or you will not escape.
Guty: I am intrigued. If you're trying to tell me something just do so.
Akasha: Every time a new student arrives in class 3D, students start dying. Last year, nearly 13 students passed, although nothing reached the news because the school is good at silencing the media.
Guty: …Really?
Akasha: I really don't think you understand: now that you are here, all of us are at risk of dying. No matter how much they try to find out the reason for the murders, it always reaches a dead end, as if all was just a mere casualty. There was this one time a girl died in the school elevator, it was not even a year old! The wire rope snapped, the elevator crashed on the ground and killed the girl.
I can see that she slowly starts to be unsettled, leaving behind her calmness, she even stopped eating. I know she is telling the truth; she looks frightened, for which I have the theory that she might have witnessed the elevator death. Although I thought that she could be a suspect, by her reaction to the retelling, I have to discard her. But not fully. She could be a very skilled actress who can even convince me of it and thus remove any suspicions about her. I have seen this before, that's why I keep an ounce of suspicion for her in me. I have seen people capable of even manipulating their eyes' pupils to deceive the most intelligent agents.
Akasha: So, if you value your life, you should escape as soon as possible.
Suddenly a very peculiar sound emerges, it sounds as if a contention cable just snapped. This sound is followed by an identical one after a loud crunch… the water tank of the school is falling over us, and it seems that the wires that held it in place were cut, and it is about to go down on us. Without losing any time, I take Akasha's hand and pull her towards me, taking her away from the place the tank crashed. Her eyes are filled with terror and confusion.
Akasha: And so we begin…
Guty: It was just an accident.
Akasha: It's always an accident. Soon someone will die in another "accident" like this.
Guty: Go to the nursing office and stay there. I will take a look around here…
Akasha: Come with me, something could happen to you.
Guty: I will be fine, go ahead, I'll catch up.
Akasha: Aren't you scared?
Guty: I will be fine, unfortunately I always am…
I went and examined the wires that were holding the tank to determine how old they were and if that might be the reason why they snapped.
Akasha: I'll wait for you downstairs…
I can see the fear in her eyes; she seems to be scared just by this. I believe all accidents in this school are associated with paranormal things, but the paranormal is not accurate. I can see that the cables are, in fact, deteriorated and old; this could have just been a mere coincidence. Just after I checked the wires, a scream scratched my ears. It came from inside the building; I hurried downstairs, but as I got closer, I could hear another scream and then another one. What is going on? When I get to the source of the screams, I find myself just in front of my classroom. I slowly walk inside to see the terrified students. I don't think much before I look at the whiteboard; there is a message written in blood that reads <
Student: You caused this! I will kill you, so it ends now.
I dodged the student's attack and hit him with my right hand in his face… the effect was as expected; the guy landed on the floor out of combat. Nevertheless, the matter did not end there. The previous attack made the rest of his classmates fall into paranoia, lunging one by one towards me with the intent of ending me.
Students: If we kill him, it will all end, right?... Yeah, let's finish him, it's the only way, it all started when he showed up. Let's go!
It is the mission's first day, and I am already in trouble. Now I understand why the other agents died at the hands of a stampede of students… I jump, dodge, evade, block, and avoid all their strikes… but they keep coming, one after the other. So far, I have taken out 15 students. I still have 25 more left. As I keep fighting, I start to wear down. I can feel how I am running out of breath.
Students: Guys, with these garden tools we will kill him easily!
Guty: Where did they get those…?
The situation is tough as it is, but now they are armed with garden scissors, pikes, shovels, and even machetes; if this does not stop, no students will be left in this school. I wonder why no one has come to stop this. While I was still processing that thought I glanced at the windows of the school where I see the teachers, just watching, frightened by this scenario. They are scared to intervene, this school has no authority whatsoever. The only authority is the one each student has over their own hands.
I could simply let them beat me and show them the big mistake they just made… although I refuse to see a bloodshed so early in my mission. Even though I am cornered by them, I still think I can make it.
Students: Give up! It's just you against all of us! There's nothing else you can do!
Guty: Stop, we can still talk this through….
Student: Sounds as if YOU had us cornered. Don't you see you are outnumbered and unarmed? Aren't you afraid?
Guty: There is only one thing that I am afraid of, but it is beyond your comprehension.
Student: What could it be?!
They are filled with rage and adrenaline. Willing to take any and all actions they deem necessary.
Guty: The one thing I fear is… Myself.
Student: Oh, c'mon!
The students circle me to attack, trying to take my life, after a sigh… the battle continues when, suddenly, a scream snaps us out of it.
Akasha: Stop!
The scream halts everyone. The silence following it feels as heavy as a tombstone over our still-living heads.
Akasha: What are you all doing?
Her voice stopped them in their tracks. Then, as a storm after the hottest summer, she starts weeping. I am not far from astonished… Her crying could really sweep away an entire town.
Akasha: Why… are you all doing this?
Students: Akasha, … forgive us, she is right. We're acting like animals.
Finally this agony ended at the hands of Akasha. As her classmates try to soothe her, I just watch from a distance. I glance at my watch and only 5 hours have passed since I first arrived and all of this chaos broke loose… thankfully, there's only one hour left, so I head to my seat and wait for the bell. I have a feeling we might leave early…
The day is over, I walk towards the school bus and find an empty seat. It was a first day that could have ended very badly. I'm surely off to a rough semester… I look at the school, maybe there is not much time left for this place, it all depends on how well I can do my job…
Akasha: Can I…?
Guty: Hmm?
I did not realize she was here.
Guty: Sure, go ahead…
She sat down and we did not say a word to each other, until one of us, inevitably, broke the silence.
Akasha: Are you okay? Did they hurt you?
Guty: I'm always okay…
Akasha: Maybe this time, but it could have ended very badly. It was horrible… in the end, I could not bear it, I could not believe they were actually going to do it…
Guty: Fear does great tricks on the mind…
Akasha: Weren't you scared? You looked so unbothered, it was scary to watch, you know…
Guty: Fear… Do you really need an answer?
Akasha: Please…
Guty: I'll tell you some other day, this is my stop. I'll see you tomorrow.
Akasha: But…
A small sigh leaves her mouth…
Akasha: Alright, take care…
After what felt like a long ride back home, I finally got off the bus. The bus stop is right in front of a crystal store, some mirrors facing the street, so I try to look for blood or something similar on my uniform. Luckily, there are no stains.
In that moment, something catches my attention, the door of the bus is still open and it is about to leave, but at the very background of the bus I can see a smile full of evil, its eyes pierce my back as if it wanted to tear me apart, the eyes of a killer… thirsty for blood, nonetheless the darkness inside the bus would not let me see their face.
As the bus leaves, the evil face vanishes in the dark. I could feel death on my back…
Guty: Akasha…?