The hallways had dispersed into a blur. The 3 boys– Anyasu, Larkins and Davee raced through the halls of the now-abandoned school. It had been a few minutes since Edgar had called, and now Anyasu was beginning to worry. Something unpleasant welled up within his gut, and his throat tightened. Instinctively, he knew that something had gone wrong, deathly wrong.
With haste, he forced his two other friends outside, practically dragging them out. Then, he dashed towards the school with them in tow. Now that they were in school, Davee led the way towards Inuwa's room and perhaps Edgar's location. Yet, in his infinite brotherly worry, Anyasu took to observing every orifice of every room in the building.
I need to tell him.
"Where is he, where is he? Where is he?!" Anyasu snapped. His eyes darted from door to door and from room to room. Yet, the only thing that was growing increasingly apparent was Edgar's lack of presence.
"Anya, don't be so worried. We will find him," Davee replied, strangely calm considering the given situation. But he seemed to lack much of his usual vigour; instead, it was replaced by a sombre– but thoughtful downward stare. "I know this school inside and out, remember? So there's no use in checking _every_ room."
At that, Anyasu sighed.
"I know, but–"
"–You're worried about Inuwa, right?" Davee answered. At that, Anyasu stared at him with a hint of bewilderment, to his frustration. "You think that I wouldn't be able to pick up on that after being friends for as long as we have?!" He yelled.
"Shhhh!"
"Shhhh!"
Both Larkins and Anyasu hushed the rowdy boy before he could attract any unwanted attention.
"You dumbass… stay quiet," Larkins said with a palm to his face.
"I know. I know. I was just trying to say, Anyasu, don't think we're not worried about I'nuwa too. Heck, I don't have a clue where my sister is right now, and it feels like I got yellow jackets in my drawls."
Anyasu pondered responding to his statement but chose to stay silent.
"So, stop acting as if you have it the worst. We're all equally as worried," Davee concluded.
At that, Anyasu flashed a crooked grin.
"You're right."
At that, the collective atmosphere dulled down from a passionate chase to a more leisurely jog. There was still a place they needed to go, but just from Davee's words alone and Anyasu's willingness to defuse, they began to approach the situation more rationally.
"How about we call Edgar's phone?" asked Larkins while scratching the stubble on his chin. "I'm sure he'll pick up if he's fine."
Yes, that. That was the reason they had so carefully ranged around the topic of Edgar. What would happen when they called his phone? His phone was always active; he was always alert. That was why– if Edgar didn't respond. Then–
"I think me and Anyasu would prefer to visit him in Inuwa's room," Davee replied, shooting a worried glance towards Anyasu, who had his head held down. "Besides, we don't need to call; as long as we keep using the overhead lights, we should be able to see it."
With that idea in their minds, they continued using the overhead lights to differentiate between the various types of rooms in the school. By doing that, they were able to slowly map out the area and figure out where the nurse's room was. It was a slow process, taking about a minute or two between every hall, but it meant that they'd not miss the nurse's room.
They had finally settled into a system when the lights flickered. Erratically, they flickered again and again. The dim yellow that had allowed them to narrowly navigate the chasm retreated instantaneously. Then, all became space. Then, an enormous feeling of dread washed over them, dyeing them in a sickly-sweet grape-like colour and then, with hesitance, Davee turned back towards Anyasu and Larkins. Both of whom perspired.
"We should turn back," said Larkins. "Let's turn ba-"
"No! We've already come too far. What about my sister? What about–"
"Listen to me now! We'll die if we stay here! I'll be damned if I continue pressing on when I've felt this quenching, deadening, emptying feeling in my gut!" He yelled, "I'm o-!"
"Larkins, shut up!" Anyasu demanded with a palpable venom in his voice. Then, all went silent. In all his years of knowing Anyasu, Davee had never heard him command someone with such malice. It was so new that he momentarily stopped moving to stare in bemusement.
"Are you saying that you'd leave Inuwa– a 14-year-old, alone, abandoned in a school overnight? The lights just turned off, and you're leaving him here? What if there's an intruder? As we're older, we have to be the ones to protect him!" Anyasu chastised Larkins relentlessly. "You're 15! Act your age!"
"I know, but aren't you getting that feeling too… that feeling that… you'll die?" Larkins said with much of his previous cowardly vigour drained. His eyes rested thoughtfully upon the silhouette of Anyasu.
"I am," Anyasu added. He was being truthful about this. Each hair on his body stood up as if a magnet was hovering over him. His arms broke out in goosebumps, and he could feel the sweat trailing down his forehead. Something was definitely wrong, but why did he just now realise something was wrong?
"I'm getting that same feeling as you, Larkins, yet don't you think Inuwa probably feels the same way? Or Edgar? They're probably more on edge than us. God. I hope they're safe," Anyasu continued. This time he donned a sicklier expression not unlike in any way to the side that the two had just seen moments ago.
"I'm still not confident in this building. I'm sorry, Anyasu, but is it okay if I look round the back? I'll go to the playground," Larkins sighed. He really did hate himself sometimes, but something at the back of his mind told him that leaving the school was his only means of survival.
Grimly, Anyasu nodded. Then, before Larkins could leave, he raised a closed fist at him. With a slight grin, he balled one back, and they connected. Then, switching focus to Davee, he nodded briefly and ran off in the opposite direction.
"Call us if you feel unsafe!" shouted Davee, who had already forgotten to stay quiet.
"Gah! Why'd you hi- oh."
"Idiot," Anyasu chided him, with a wry smile.
It had been around 5 minutes now, yet the boys still didn't have a clue of Inuwa's whereabouts.
"Are you sure you know where the nurse's room was?"
"Yeah, I'm sure of it. I remember going to it like it was yesterday," Davee replied.
"Really? I don't remember ever seeing you sustain a substantial injury," Anyasu tilted his head, bewildered.
"Yeah, I went there for my sister, Clarissa," Davee said. His sister had a rather weak constitution, and as a result she often went into the nurse's room, whether it be for the flu or nosebleeds.
"I see. Actually, I think I've gone because of Inuwa a few times too," Anyasu replied.
"Huh."
"Yeah."
The conversation died down for a minute as both the boys gathered the courage to elaborate upon the chaotic frenzy that was their minds. Anyasu managed to piece it together first and, as a result, started the next conversation.
"I–have so many regrets about Inuwa–and I don't think I'll be able to stop regretting them for a while," Anyasu choked out. Unusually, he was avoiding making eye contact with Davee while saying this, instead making the arduous decision to stare at the walls.
"Same here. My sister–I've been awful to her," Davee admitted, his gaze trailing off towards the ceiling. "I don't know why- I just sat there doing nothing as she went through all of that. And the worst part… the worst part is! That I went through the same."
"You were forced to study?! But you're–"
"An idiot? A dumbass? I know. I was lucky. My parents finally saw me for the worthless fool I am and dropped all investment into me. After all the neglect, abuse and hate, having no expectations– It felt amazing. Freeing, even."
Anyasu's eyes widened. He knew about what happened to Clarissa; in fact, he had spent a rather long time teaching Inuwa to be mindful of her experience whenever they hung out. But he never knew that his best friend could have been subjected to the same. He began to feel a lump form in his throat. How much did he truly not know?
"Your sister wasn't the same, unfortunately. From what I've seen, she's practically smarter than me."
"It's downright scary; she's able to do my papers for me easily. In fact, at home she's learning university-level mathematics. But funnily enough, she's not that smart when it comes to anything else."
"Really?"
"You've seen it. She's quite dense, irrational and awkward."
"I know, it's just that it's surprising to hear you of all people listing her negative traits."
At that, Davee hummed a low, dry chuckle and his eyes finally met Anyasu's. His glance told Anyasu everything, from his regret to the intense passion and desire burning within those irises.
"Because of that, I wanted to protect her and be admired by her. But I'm not smart, and I don't have money. She's also not interested in sports. But even then-"
"The only thing you could do was keep playing, right?"
"Yeah, I told myself that if I became the greatest at football, then I could afford to take her from my parents and then we could move out. For that goal, I worked so, so hard. But I've been wondering recently…"
"Wondering what?"
"What if that's made me short-sighted? I wasn't looking at what was in front of me, and because of that…"
He didn't need to continue for Anyasu to understand completely. So, shaking his head with a smile, he responded with an anecdote of his own.
"I said something I regret a while ago."
Curious, Davee tilted his head. Then, with a forlorn downward expression, Anyasu continued.
"I told my brother that I'd leave him soon."
Davee's red eyes widened.
"You're probably thinking: 'Why did you do that!' but you're far too kind to say it aloud," Anyasu added.
"Yeah."
The black-haired boy paused for a moment before he sighed.
"I told him that I'd leave to pursue politics since I got accepted into a renowned university for political science. They planned to put me on the accelerated course. But my brother didn't take it so well– and I think I know why."
"Why then?"
"I–," Anyasu cut himself off before he could reveal more, "I think I'll discuss this with him when the time comes."
"Ah, alright," Davee replied.
They had finally settled on a stagnant silence, both sauntering briskly towards the nurse's office. It was a much more challenging endeavour now due to the lack of light. However, Davee remembered the general direction and walked towards it. By following the slight changes in the darkness due to Davee's motion, Anyasu was able to loosely follow behind. At some point, Anyasu felt the urge to verify their distance from the office.
"Are we almost at the nurse's office?"
"Ye-"
"Unfortunately, we can't go inside– it's locked," resounded a voice foreign to both Anyasu and Davee. It was laced with a sense of humility and traces of regret. In fact, it had quite a nasal feel.
Suddenly, as if responding to the voice, the lights turned on. Showered by the golden hue of the yellow lights stood a boy with eloquent posture and noble hair. His scarlet irises emanated a subtle hue in the dark, and they were staring intently into Davee's own. He was holding something in his right hand.
Scanning down, they finally processed what the boy was holding. It was the severed head of Larkins, complete with the frayed, black stubble of his chin, the piercing on his right eyebrow, the overgrown shaggy mess of hair and a half-fallen red bandana. In his eyes, his demise was perfectly painted. An aghast look of fear, regret and anger, with drool trailing out of his mouth and his eyes rolled back.
The two boys stared back at those cold, cold eye whites. The aghast expression and the blood trickling down his nose. He was dead. That was easy to tell.
Davee and Anyasu unknowingly both felt the same way; a rush of bile threatened to overcome them and spill out on the floor as their hearts in tandem began pounding against the enclosure that was their chests like a gorilla in the zoo. Anyasu's golden irises went dull, and he tried to turn away, to do anything to avoid staring into those cold, dead eyes of his friend. The friend that HE had sent to die.
'I'll go to the playground'.
Larkins' death had all but confirmed that Clarissa and Edgar were in similar predicaments. Maybe the thought hadn't occurred to Davee yet, but he'd realise in due time.
As such, it was his fault. In fact, all of it could be traced back to him. He was the one who caused it all to happen in the first place. He was the one who let Larkins go out; he was the one who told Edgar to protect Inuwa with everything he had in the first place, and if you extended it even further, his negligence was the only reason why they were all separated.
With this chain of thought, it would be reasonable to assume that Anyasu would be increasingly consumed as the pit that was his regrets expanded dangerously and exponentially like a tumour, yet, in this situation. Anyasu remained calm. His golden irises looked straight ahead with a newfound clarity. His eyebrows furrowed resolutely, and he balled his fists.
"For what you've done, don't you think that dying 1000 deaths would be too light?" Anyasu said with an incredibly crooked smile. He felt like a malevolent, compelling force was guiding him to lurch forwards and strike.
Yet, if even Edgar was dead, then what was the point? He still had to see Inuwa; he didn't want to die. But he also thought about the degree to which all of his friends wanted to live. All those years that were stolen from them, if only he could pay them back now.
"For what I will do, dying even a million deaths may not be enough to atone," the boy replied with tears streaming down his face. Why was he crying? Was he insane?
"And what are you about to do?" Davee asked while walking forward, a strange expression plastered on his face.
"I'm going to kill you both-," it said, "–and when I've done that, I'll repent." His face darkened.
"How are you going to repent for killing?" Anyasu asked, his voice taking on a demanding tone as he struggled to understand the words of the boy.
"I'll repent by being more efficient next time," he concluded. A dastardly grin crept its way up his features as he said this.
"Anyasu, he's bat-shit insane. We need to run!" Davee hollered. Yet, Anyasu was stuck, frozen in place from the sheer mechanical sociopathy exhibited by the boy. He clenched his teeth. He couldn't let this boy meet Inuwa, no matter what.
"You can try to run, but I've blocked off all exits. This school will be the site of a behind-closed-doors massacre."
All the exits were blocked off?
There was truly nothing they could do to remedy the situation. The arcane, supernatural feel of the boy combined with the looming prospects of death cast an extreme shadow over Anyasu. If they were guaranteed to die, then what was the point of doing anything? If he was going to die, how should he go out? Would he ever see his brother again?
At that thought, Anyasu bristled, and his face scrunched up like a raisin. Then, he suddenly felt a soft but warm liquid trickle down his face. A much more uncomfortable-feeling one began to gather at his nose.
Am I about to cry? How pathetic, I don't remember ever crying before…
"Anyasu! Snap out of it! I've got a plan!" Davee shouted towards the downwards-facing Anyasu.
"What is it?" He responded with a glimmer of hope radiating from his eyes.
"Run! You said there's still some regret you had with your brother! He's in a room nearby; get to him!"
"But what ab–"
"–My Clarissa is already safe and sound somewhere, so don't worry!"
The poor fool hadn't realised yet. Anyasu thought.
"But–"
"Now go!"
With hot, steaming tears crashing down his face like the throes of a waterfall, Anyasu felt his pace accelerate to that of a dash. With almost absolute certainty, he knew that his best friend would die there, all alone– with the false hope that his sister was alive.
At some point, Anyasu couldn't hold it in anymore. The idea that he had left his best friend in that condition, the addition of the deaths of Edgar and Clarissa and the brutal demise of Larkins. He felt tremors echo from his gut as his heart accelerated. Then, the bile scaling up from his gut had finally found a way to release itself, and with that he crouched, next to the door of the nurse's room, and the floor became liquid.
Meanwhile, Davee stood face to face with Vector. Crimson eyes met Scarlet, and a deep frown met a twisted grin inexplicably contorted.
Then, with terrifying precision, a spike of a strange, meaty colour and texture launched out of Vector. However, Davee's instincts had already primed him to dodge. He couldn't describe it, but he felt as though a force had compelled him.
Vector then repeated the action, with another spike. Then another. Each spike wedged itself inside the walls of the school like a bolt inside a pipe, yet they weren't reaching their desired target. Davee seemed to be dodging them effortlessly with much skill and grace. Vector clicked his tongue. It was like his attacks were moving in slow motion to the boy. Or maybe he had become much faster.
"Yes, that's it," Vector said with a wide grin, "It's beginning to awaken in all of you."
"What is?" Davee said while dodging another spike and leaving over another. He felt unusually athletic that day, and his body responded to his actions with dexterity and speed.
"The power of Majikichi…" Vector trailed. Then, with incredible speed, Vector analysed the situation.
I can't let the Ol Shantarre develop that power. If he does, then I won't be able to stop him. I must kill Davee now. But I can't use too much Majikichi. What should I do?
Suddenly, a visceral thought cemented itself within Vector's head. It was so demented, so relentless that he felt compelled to let out a soft chuckle.
"Davee… why are you prolonging your suffering?" Vector asked, as another spike came flying at Davee.
"That's easy! I don't wanna die, and I wanna see my sister! To meet that end, I don't care what I have to do!"
"You say that, but you let Anyasu see his sibling. If you truly didn't care, wouldn't you have let him stand there like a fool?"
"….!" Davee stood there, corrected.
"So hypocritical. You don't know anything, nor do you try to know. That's why you're fighting a pointless battle right now,"
"What do you mean by pointless?!" Davee shouted. He was fighting for a purpose– his sister. His friends and his life.
"Saddening," Vector said with tears forming at the corners of his eyes. His purple hair swayed from the force of the spikes launching towards Davee.
Davee swished and swayed back and forth, dodging one, dodging two, dodging 3. He had begun to creep closer and closer towards the idle Vector, all while avoiding every attack. Hope seemed to seep back into the building as the surrounding area became brighter and brighter, engulfed in the luminescence of the silver moon.
The darkness was slowly being overpowered, and with that idea came the revival of hope. For a split second, Davee believed that he would win, that he'd avenge his friends, that he and Anyasu could survive and live a tragic but fulfilled life of longing, regret and hope.
Yet, like the infinite wait before a decapitation by guillotine, the air tightened around Davee as Vector began to speak. Davee could barely make out what he was saying from the noise, and he had never bothered to learn how to lip-read.
But, from the cascading intent radiating off of Vector along with the subtle glow of his scarlet eyes and his widening grin, it was obvious– even to a fool.
"Your Sister is dead."
–And just like that, the darkness returned. This time, it wasn't the surrounding area engulfed in it. No, it was the darkness that had wedged itself deep within the caverns of Davee's heart. It washed over everything- his goals, his life, his relationships and left a hollow shell in its wake.
He couldn't accept it; he wouldn't. But his body had already begun to respond; it seemed like it knew.
That split-second lapse where Davee's hope was overpowered by the ensuing darkness that emanated from that declaration was all that it took.
"Clari–"
A single tear welled up from his eye; it was all for nought, everything. His best friend Anyasu would meet the same untimely fate too.
Then, a spike found itself wedged in his chest, and all went dark