Nethania

Chapter 10: Unknown

UNKNOWN

THE night's chill was creeping onto my skin. The hustling wind blew through the field, making the leaves rock and rustle, making the grass bow down.

I rested my back on a tree as my knee folded and my foot stepped against the trunk. This school was in a peaceful slumber for a long time, but a deaf cry was hovering around every corner of its perimeter. I gazed above. The place was dim. Only the moonlight illuminated the whole scene. The empty hallways were lightened by bulbs.

I've been in this academy for some time and I thought this was the most impressive school I went to, and they proved me right. I was amazed by how they managed this little kingdom of knowledge, but deep down, I was deeply disappointed when I learned of a secret that had been buried for a long time.

I looked down and just stared at two cigarette butts on the ground. My lips rose. Someone's breaking the law, huh?

I heard footsteps crunching dried leaves on the ground. I fixed my hoodie and clenched my fist. "Hey, not sleepy yet?" A dinky voice made my system calm. I unclenched my fist when I recognized my friend.

I shook my head and leaned back against the trunk. "No, I want to feel the wind before I go to bed," I said, looking aloof.

"Oh, I see." Meg stepped closer to my spot. "Do you mind if I stand beside you?"

I turned my head to her. "Go ahead, no one would suspect us, right?" I chuckled, lifting my gaze from her.

Meg tittered. "Of course no one. We're only two left outside." I felt her leaning on the trunk beside me.

I sighed. "Yah and don't you worry about the curfew?"

"No. Why would I? That's only a curfew. I can run fast," she spoke, "And by the way, why are you still awake?"

I laughed. "How sure are you that you could outstrip the campus police? And why are you not sleeping too?" I asked, disregarding her question.

"I asked first, Dev."

I gazed at her and I caught her staring at me. "Simple, I ain't sleepy."

"Is that the real reason?" she sneered. "Hmm... I doubt that. Let me guess, you are just satisfied because your first mission succeeded, am I right?" She peeked at me from my side, leaning her body sideways with squinted eyes.

I inserted my hands into my pocket. "You're good at guessing, Meg. I'm happy that I killed her without them noticing, and it turned out much better. Someone was accused of killing her. Wasn't that good news for us?" I smiled, peeking at her.

She nodded and went back to leaning on the trunk. "It was good news. At least we were off of their radar and list of suspects. And good thing you did it right."

"Of course I should do it correctly," I blatted out, "my hands are itchy to kill them one by one."

"By the way, did you already uploaded the letter or whatever you may call it?" Meg asked, kicking away the leaves with her foot, making a rustling sound.

I stared at the leaves. "Yes. As soon as I procured the letter—which I call the dead letter—I immediately uploaded it on a reading app. You know I'm fond of using gadgets, so I took advantage of a reading and writing platform app to spread the dead letter," I retorted, combing my hair to fix it after it was blown by the wind.

"I saw it," she exclaimed. "The one you showed me lately. I like the cover, it's simple yet attractive. But how can I help you?"

I snorted. "Just act normal and listen to her. She knows what you will do. You remembered her, right?"

"Of course! How can I forget her. She's one of the kindest students I ever met, but unfortunately, she's not one of the luckiest," her voice trailed off. I looked at her. Her head hung low.

I remembered her telling me about her. She was so happy to tell me everything she knew, and she was happy to know that I was willing to help her.

She giggled. "I like how you kill Margaret. I bet you're good at cooking barbeques, aren't you?" She pointed her finger at me while grinning from ear-to-ear.

"I knew how to insert a sharp stick through the meat, yet I'm not that good at cooking it." I shook my head. "But the baton was too long and dull. It gave me a hard time inserting it into her flesh. I even bathed in her blood, and all I could smell was her thick, rusty blood," I recalled, glancing at her.

"That's yucky and eww," she snapped. "If you asked me to kill someone, I'd rather use poison than stabbing my victim. I don't like seeing blood scattered everywhere, Dev. I like rushed death," she expressed, waving her hand in disagreement.

"So how will your victims feel the pain if you just poison them? Stop dreaming of being a serial killer if you do that," I said, staring at my hand.

"So? Wouldn't I be a serial killer if I just poisoned them? Should I kill my victims with blood spurting out from their throats?" she asked sarcastically with a raised voice, putting her hand on her waist.

"Yes, so that you will know the feeling of a blood bath."

"You're disgusting, Dev! Do you want me to vomit here?" she shrilled, narrowing her eyes at me.

"No. Because I won't let you do it. Go away if you want to vomit but don't retract your words, Meg. You vowed that you would help me and her," I remarked while looking at her. My voice was serious and low.

She heaved a sigh. "Why would I retract my words? I never thought about it until you said it. You can trust my words, Dev."

"Okay, you said it."

"Now what will you do next that you already killed one of your targets? So that I'm aware of what's happening if you ever start your official revenge."

"You'll simply hear several reports of killings and rampant news about corpses." I winked that made her cringe.

"Don't wink at me, Dev, it's abhorrent. Just tell me what to do because I'm willing to help you if you need help. You know where to find me, right?"

"Of course, Meg. I know where to find you. Why? Are you leaving me here?"

She yawned. "I feel sleepy and it's late too. I need to go home. Bye. You're fun to talk with, Dev. See you tomorrow," she bade farewell and waved her hand while smiling at me.

I just nodded my head to her. She strode along the hallway while looking below. When she was gone from my sight, I stared at a distance again.

I took out my pocket notebook along with my pen from my pocket. The bulb from the hallway gave me light as I stared at the paper which was filled with names she knew. I marked X the name of Margaret Fylvin. I scanned my list for my next victim and my eyes widened when a hand materialized out of nowhere and pointed a name in the middle.

I nodded and stared at the name. I know who will be my next victim. I pocketed my pen and my pocket notebook. I decided to go to my victim's home.

I left the tree and strode down the pavement. My hands were in my pocket. The chilling breath of the wind made my body shiver. I peered around to spot a campus policeman roving around. The curfew is about to start and I have to go home.

I stopped and fixed my gaze at the building where my next victim was living. "Dorm 1M," I murmured, smiling.

My head turned around when I saw a flashing light behind my back. They're starting to rove around the area. My feet carried my body rapidly until I reached home.