Doomsday High Chapter Five: A Scarlet Heart [UNEDITED]

Sarah glared at me as I stood before her. She was so short that she had to hold her head up high just to give me a good look in the eye. She held her fists to her side, clenching them tightly. Anyone could easily tell that she was irritated.

I had to take her and J.R to an empty side of the clinic where no one else could hear our discussion. Rena might perceive my actions wrongly (if she minds), however, I would prefer it if she chose to give me the cold shoulder because arguing with her would be really bad at a time like this.

I faced the two new recruits,

“What’s your motive?” I asked them.

“We swear to god in heaven that we have no motive,” J.R. answered for her. “Haven’t we gained your trust, Sir Takanashi?”

“Sad to say, no,” I said. “You had me going a while earlier, but someone opened my eyes for me. You two are planning something and it’s definitely not good.”

“Bastard,” Sarah said, grinning sarcastically. “If killing was permitted in this clinic, I would have beheaded you by now. You’re so stupid.”

“Dropping the act now, are we?” I said, jesting.

“There’s no reason to put up a façade now that you’ve seen through it,” Sarah told me with a whip of her hair. “Our motive… well, it’s sort of your business actually. As far as I know, it includes you.”

“Let me start things off with Adeline… She’s Arthuria’s elder sister, and she wasn’t too happy about the disqualification,” J.R. revealed. “Arthuria was informed about it while she was in the clinic and she altered the timeline of the training course so that Section 3 would go up against Section 12. It’s a pity that you single-handedly defeated two really strong students from our section. Our president perceived that as a bad sign. She thought she had to do something quickly.”

“Go straight to the point,” I said.

“Our point is, we’re not infiltrating Section 12 to know what you guys are planning,” Sarah said. “We’re infiltrating Section 12 to kill you Mr. Takanashi. Once you get out of this clinic, we’ll do whatever we can to take your life. A one week suspension is enough to bring you down.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” I said.

“That’s what you think,” Sarah said. “You’ve done something terrible to Section 3. You’ve stained our reputation.”

“This school is not about reputations,” I objected.

“Then what is it about, Morisaka? Killings? The top students list?” Sarah barked back. “Maybe it is, but Section 3 has a reputation to uphold. We believe that the more fearsome one is, the faster he’ll achieve that well-deserved position in the list.”

“Fuck the list,” I told her. I was beginning to lose my composure. “Fuck that fucking list for god’s sake! I didn’t do anything wrong! I don’t get the reason why all of you are so obsessed with the list!”

“Obsession isn’t the right term. It makes us seem like psychotic…” J.R. said. He was so calm that it was pissing me off.  “We don’t have to repeat a goddamn thing, Takanashi. If it comes down to it, I’ll have to kill you myself.”

“You don’t have to kill me. I’m clearly not against anyone here,” I said in a crude attempt to convince them that I’m not their enemy. “I don’t even know why Dave made me the trump card.”

 J.R. hissed. “Quit lying, you goddamn mother f—“

“Let’s not sink to vulgarity,” Sarah said, resting her hand on his shoulder. She faced me. “Hope we’ll be less profane in our next conversation… If we get strike another one this proper.”

“Shut up,” I told her. “We’re not done.”

“If this must go on, I’ll have to add that I’m surprised, Morisaka,” she said. “I thought you’ll be more… confident in yourself. You always resort to degradation. It’s making us feel… guilty.”

“Guilt is for people who have a conscience,” I snapped at her. “Clearly, you have none.”

“We have no use for it,” she said. “Guilt and all things related to it are for the weak.”

“Being weak is not as bad as you think. Being weak has its own advantages,” I told her. “Section 12… We may be weak, individually. But after the short time I’ve been here, I’ve learned that weakness is—“

“Great, more drama crap,” Sarah cut me off. “You’re weaklings. That’s all there is to it.”

“Weakness is almost equal to strength,” I completed. “Section 3 is strong, but the rest of Section 12 could wipe all of you out.”

“How could they? They’re trump card is a wimp,” J.R. smiled..

I clenched my fists, drew my hand back, braced myself and shot it forward, aiming directly at J.R’s chin. The guy drew back instinctively and slammed himself on the wall, leaving him cornered. I raised my right hand and made sure it hit his face good this time. The guy winced upon contact and reduced himself to the ground, holding the side of his eye tightly.

Sarah hissed behind me and I glanced back reflexively to slam her on the wall, right beside where J.R. was leaning. She cried out in pain, but I didn’t care.

“Y-You’re insane, man,” I heard Dave say from behind me. I turned around to find all of Section 12 huddled together just to see the little spectacle I made. “That was unexpected.”

“They got on my nerves. They got what they deserved,” I said with a shrug. I felt better the moment I landed a fist on these two, but I can’t say that I didn’t feel guilty. After all, I questioned them and they gave me an answer. But the discussion got pretty out of hand, and they ended up verbally insulting me so this was probably the best way to end it.

“Wondered what they told you,” Dave said.

“They told me that they were out to kill me,” I informed him. “They know I’m a trump card. I wonder how—“

“In this school, once a trump card is declared in one section, the announcement is aired on every television in every dorm’s living area,” Dave explained. “As for Arthuria… She must have worked up a plan quickly. She must have sensed that you will be our section’s prime defense. That’s why a few minutes after you gained your position, we were infiltrated by these two worms.”

“Should we send them back to Section 3?” I asked.

“That’s for them to decide,” Dave told me. “However, considering the fact that they are highly deterred to kill you, we’ll have to take them to the dorms. As much as possible, we could persuade them to become one with this section. But before that, we should go to the library annex. We need to talk to someone there.”

“Who might that be?” I asked.

“You’ll find out later,” Dave told me.

Annabel, Jeck and C joined us in our journey to the library annex. We had to be cautious, since Annabel had been suspended due to her “unawareness” and she could neither wield weapons nor lay her hands on the enemy.  She couldn’t die again either, lest her suspension will be extended.

It wasn’t long before a foursome from Section 6 got in our way. Three boys – all sporting hulking bodies—, one girl – raven haired, alabaster-skinned –- and they stank of metal and blood. Judging from our current location, they were headed for the clinic, probably to pick up supplies or the like. Either way, they were also interested in attacking us, so we had to fight back.

Aside from paper cranes, Bernie loved using two long, leather whips. She held her alternative weapons tightly as she ran forward to give the girl a good beating.

Dave and the others encouraged me and Annabel to run ahead, but that was a terrible idea. Apparently, Annabel’s vulnerability had piqued their interests and my being a trump card had an effect too.

Two of the attackers; one a short boy wielding a sword and the other a tall, stocky dude holding a jackhammer, took on us.

I held out my pistol and pulled the trigger only to realize that it didn’t have any bullets left.

I ducked instinctively as the short guy’s sword flew past my head. Thinking of this as my chance, I delivered a knee to the guy’s stomach, sending him backward. The other guy tried to nail my brain with the jackhammer, but he missed terribly as Annabel pulled me out of the way.

We ran forward with the rest of Section 12 trailing behind us.

I glanced back in time to see Dave electrocute the jackhammer guy with his gloved hand.

We stopped at the staircase where lots of students from Section 6 where standing. They were staring at us, waiting for our section to make a move. It almost seemed as if they were anticipating our presence.

Dave smiled. “Looks like you’re the main attention here, Ken.”

“What? Me?” I breathed. “Shit. They can’t attack me. I can’t even attack them. I have no bullets on me.”

“That’s their advantage,” Dave said. “You’re the trump card. They want you to make the first move.”

Dave pulled out another pistol from the inside of his blazer and threw it to me. I readily caught it, bearing its weight for a slight moment. Even the small guns were heavy.

“Another temporary weapon,” he told me. “Once Willia—“ He shook his head. “—Decimo’s done making the weapons for you and Rena, we’ll hand them to the both of you right away. For now, you’ll have to manage with a bunch of common stuff.”

I nodded at him.

Guns started firing the moment I turned to face Section 6. Their aims missed, thanks to Jeck’s fast wits. He a few steps in front of me, swinging his axe to and fro in order to deflect the bullets. Sharp clangs could be heard as bullet met blade. Jeck’s axe was so strong that it withstood penetration.

“What are you waiting for?” Jeck said, glancing at me. “Shoot, damn it!”

I stared at him wide-eyed for a moment. “Can’t we be more conservative with our ammo?!”

“Shut up and shoot!” Jeck yelled.

Unsure of myself, I moved a little to the side and began shooting. Using two hands to hold a gun always made it more convenient, but shooting while standing was clearly less comfortable than sitting.

I managed to bring down two shooters before the third one got me. A bullet shot straight through my left shoulder. The pain was unimaginable. I had to pull myself down to a sitting position while clutching the wound.

Ivy ran and positioned herself behind me. She started shooting arrows in my place.

Bernie ran ahead too. She started swinging her whips in a circular motion while dodging bullets. Anyone who tried to shoot her missed badly and received a good spank from her.

It was hard to watch everyone else fight, especially when pain was eating my head up.

“Let’s get you back to the clinic,” Dave offered.

“Hell no,” I protested. It surprised me that I could even speak.

“The bullet’s still in there. If it dug in deep, it might damage your arteries. You’ll end up dead if that happens,” he warned.

“Dead is better than anything right now,” I said.

“Dead  is a state you wouldn’t want to be in. You’re not gonna help if you’re just gonna sit there,” he informed me. “And you’re not gonna help if you get suspended too.”

I shook my head, knowing that he was right. They’re always right. I stood up on my own. Then the worst happened. 

One shooter from Section 6 caught everyone by surprise and shot Dave on his right shoulder. He was propelled backwards due to the sudden force applied on him. Then he dropped and slid slightly down the staircase.

Ivy and I grabbed him with my good hand before he could roll all the way down.

I looked up and noticed that all of Section 12 was fighting now, and their trump card was too weak to give them a good head start. They were all doing good though. None of the students had managed to lay a bullet or a finger on them. It pretty much proves that they were trained well.

“Ivy,” I started. “It looks like our section’s full of fearful bastards.”

Ivy smiled. “Blame it on the Davester.”

We hurled Dave up the stairs while the rest of Section 12 fought in our place. The pain in my left shoulder was still there, but oddly, I had gotten so used to it. It was still torturous, but not to the point that I would black out again.

Dave groaned. “I could manage. Ivy, you should go back and fight with the others.”

“No,” Ivy protested. “I’ll take you to the clinic. That nurse had better get that bullet out of you before you do anything else.”

“I’ll take myself there,” he said. “Section 12 needs you now.”

“No. They need their trump card, and as you can see, our trump card is right here next to you, bleeding his life away too,” Ivy said. “If one of you gets unconscious, who’ll have to do the rest of the work?”

We reached the next floor, and Sarah and J.R. greeted us along the way with a heavy frown on their faces. They joined us in our walk back to the clinic.

“Lucky you didn’t kill us, Takanashi,” Sarah began. “Killing isn’t permitted in the clinic. The consequence is disqualification.”

“I didn’t intend to kill you,” I said. “I just needed to shut the both of you up.”

“Your methods have forced us to pay respect to you,” J.R. said. “Surely, we wouldn’t want to be knocked out twice by the same person.”

“We’ve decided to join Section 12,” Sarah said with a sigh. “For good.”

I looked at Ivy and she gave me a knowing nod.

“Looks like you’re bleeding shit,” J.R. told me.

“I’m a lousy trump card, remember?” I said.

“Unaware, but not lousy,” Sarah told me. “We’re all freshmen after all. We just need to beat ourselves to shape.”

We reached the door to the clinic and marched back inside.

The nurse looked at us with a questioning glance and frowned. “You again?”

“Yes,” I said.

Ivy led us to the back of the clinic where two empty beds stood seemingly isolated from the rest.

I climbed the small platform and raised myself to the bed as the nurse busied herself with another syringe and a small, familiar bottle.

“No. No more sleepers,” I opposed.

“Retrieving the bullet’s going to hurt,” she told me.

“I know. But I don’t want sleepers. I only need to get rid of this bullet,” I said.

The nurse apparently read my expression. “It’s another killing spree. You want to help.”

I nodded.

“That’s well off with me,” she said as she turned around and marched back to her mini office in another part of the clinic.

I sighed.

It wasn’t a moment too long before she returned holding another small, glass bottle and a cup full of water. 

The bottle one was half-full with pills. She handed it to me.

“Take two tablets,” she said. “Swallow them whole. Don’t chew. It’ll help ease the pain.”

“Is this morphine?” I asked.

The nurse smiled. “Just take it.”

I followed her instructions and watched as she moved back to Dave and injected him with the anesthetic. She also bandaged his arm while talking with Ivy about a bunch of stuff I failed to listen to.

Ivy began her walk back to the killing spree at the stairs. The two new recruits followed her.

Before she went, Ivy paused to look at me.  “When you’re done, check on Dave before running back to us.”

I nodded.

By the time she had disappeared, the nurse was back by my side with a pair of scissors, and she started cutting her way through the sleeve of my uniform to get a good look of the wound.

She examined it for a moment, observing the deep hole the bullet had caused.

“Goodness,” she started. “I wonder how much it took for you to resist all that pain.”

“Not a lot,” I said.

“Well…” She said, pulling out a pair of forceps. “This will hurt a lot. If you feel a little pain, take the part of your sleeve that I cut off, twist it real good and bite it. The morphine will block out most of the pain, but there’s no telling what could happen.”

“Try me,” I said.

The nurse grinned. “You’re one of a kind… Takanashi.”

****

I didn’t know how long the bullet retrieval process took, but to me, it seemed like years. I could feel the forceps digging into my flesh. The morphine helped a little but its effect was small. The nurse also had to walk here and there in short intervals since Dave was losing a lot of blood. She had to move back to her office… to a blood bank which was located right below it… and back to Dave’s side. She bandaged the bullet wound momentarily so that she could tend to mine while he waits in deep sleep. 

After the nurse had re-bandaged my shoulder, I glanced behind my shoulder to find Dave who was still very unconscious. His whole bed was stained with blood, but fortunately, the wound had stopped bleeding.

“Don’t worry,” she reassured me.  “He’s going to be fine.”

I looked back, unsure whether I should leave Dave behind or wait till he wakes up. The nurse still needs to tend to the bullet, and that would take a long while.

I decided to give the nurse a nod as a go signal.

She smiled as I hopped off the bed. It was then that I realized the clinic was almost full again. I walked the aisle in search  for a student from Section 12. Much to my surprise, there were none.

My mind processed a lot of information, including the fact that I had no weapons on me. I even had no memory of where I dropped it. Deciding that I could get another weapon when I reach the others, I took to the heels and ran out of the clinic..

My feet made a loud squeaky sound when I halted at the edge of the staircase. I was expecting an ongoing fight but there was no one around. Figuring they could be somewhere else, I decided to descend the staircase.

The end of it was dark and there was barely a sound or a soul about. I ran in circles in search of someone.

I ran through more unchartered hallways, hoping that I wouldn’t encounter someone while I was weaponless. I looked at the number above each classroom I passed, and watched them increase significantly…. 101… 103… 205… 207…

I kept running in circles till I ended up at the foot of the exact same staircase. I was lost.

“Psssst,” I heard someone call. Judging from the pitch of the voice, the person calling out was definitely a girl. Maybe Rena…

I turned around. There was no one there.

“Psssst,” she called out again.

“Rena?!” I yelled.

“It’s me! You idiot!” The voice said. At this point, I was able to familiarize the voice as Annabel’s.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“Right here!” She called back.

I let my ears do most of the work while my brain pinpointed her location. The source was nowhere around me, so I looked up.

She was hanging high above with a rope tied to her legs, suspending her in mid-air. If she falls head first, she’s doomed to be suspended for two weeks. I couldn’t help but smile at her state. She was clinging tightly to her skirt to prevent gravity from pulling it down.  She looked like a piñata that deserved some whacking… Now if only I had a really tall stool and a bat…

“Stop smiling. You’re taking this as a joke, aren’t you?” She said.

“No… No…” I objected, somewhat panicked. After all, this is Annabel. She’ll find a way to get out of her mess (eventually). But if I don’t help her get down soon, she’ll kill me…

Well, maybe not kill…. But she might make me see hell.

 I looked around for weapons. Aside from a damaged arrow and a slingshot, there was nothing left of the killing spree from earlier.

“There’s only a broken arrow… and a slingshot,” I informed her.

“You could shoot! Use your brains and hands and cut the rope!” she snarled.

“Why didn’t your brother help you get down from there?” I asked.

“I was running a little too fast. I guess I blacked out before I was caught in this stupid booby trap,” she told me. "I guess none of them saw me." 

“They could see you from the stairs,” I said.

“Not when they’re too absorbed with the fight,” she told me.

I took her point and climbed the staircase. I reached a step where I could easily cut the rope with the arrow. I loaded the arrow into the slingshot, aimed carefully and fired.

The rope cut easily and Annabel came down fast. She landed with a heavy thud. Her body had to graze the impact. Fortunately, she saved her head… and her life.

“Sorry,” I told her.

She groaned. “My head hurts… dang it…”

“How long have you been up there?” I asked.

“I don’t know… I only came around a few minutes before you clambered down the steps,” she replied.

She tried standing up, but she was still a bit shaken.

“Maybe we should get you to the clinic,” I said. “Dave’s there. He could use a companion.”

“Darn it. Not the clinic again. I hate that place,” she told me.

“Then where?”I asked.

“The dorms sound good,” she said.

“Great. I don’t have a map to the place,” I told her.

“Dang it. I’m bad at directions too.” She pressed a palm to her forehead. “Maybe we could try the library annex. Dave mentioned that we’ll need to go there, but now he’s knocked out so there might’ve been a change of plans.  It’s much safer there though. We can’t get killed.”

“But I don’t know where that is too,” I said.

“No problem,” she told me, pointing to the dark hallway behind me. “It’s just two lefts ahead.”

The trek to the library annex was silent, and there were no attackers, much to my luck. Annabel was a little dizzy. She told me it was the effect of hanging upside down for a really long time. She seemed calm all the while, and her legs were shaking as she walked. She kept falling down too. I had insisted on helping her but she told me she didn’t want to look weak, so she kept walking on her own.

“It’s here,” Annabel said, stopping in front of a huge black door. She gingerly opened the doors and crashed into the library, letting her dizziness get the best of her.

I looked ahead to realize that there were a few people in the library. They were not wearing their uniforms, but they were definitely students. Two if the small population in the library were girls, both looking astoundingly alike, wearing black, gothic cocktail dresses that ended at their knees.

They were incredibly cute, and they even walked simultaneously as they made their way toward the entrance. Both were sporting short hair with bangs framing their foreheads. The only thing that told them apart was their eyes. The girl on the right had beautiful emerald-green eyes while the girl on the left had a pair of blazing hazel ones.

Annabel hoisted herself up to a kneeling position.  When she looked up, she immediately backed away. “No… not you two again…”

The two of them smiled before running toward her. I thought they were going to do something really stupid like try to kill Annabel, but then I remembered that killing wasn’t permitted in the library. Nothing stopped me from trying to block their path. They quickly re-routed about me and got to Annabel in seconds.

I expected them to draw her out of the library but what I saw left me a little dumbfounded. They were hugging her like a long lost sister.

“We thought you weren’t going to come back here,” the emerald-eyed one said.

“Let go of me!” Annabel yelled at them.

“Hey, hey! Take it easy on her. She’s been hanging upside down for minutes,” I warned them.

They looked at me and spoke in chorus. “Who might you be?”

“Ken Takanashi,” I said. “Section 12.”

They looked at each other before looking at me again. The sapphire-eyed girl spoke first. “What’s your relationship with our Belle-chan?”

“I’m her friend,” I said.

“Her boy…friend?” The emerald-eyed one asked.

“Hell no,” I told them. I could hear Annabel shouting the same thing from behind the both of them.

“Okay then,” They said simultaneously. “What’s your business here?”

I could swear the question was directed at me and not at Annabel. They were looking at me curiously. I could even hear my conscience saying that if I told them we’re going to use the library annex as a temporary refuge they would send me out.

I cleared my throat. “I… We—“

“Well, well… If it isn’t another pair of ruffians from Section 12,” a masculine voice said from above. I looked up.

Sitting on one of the gigantic shelves of the library was a guy who looked like he had scored a good vacation somewhere on the beaches of a tropical country. He was wearing one of those Hawaiian shirts anyone could get in a souvenir shop. He even wore beach shorts to match. In his hand was a ruler pointing directly at Annabel.

“And look who decided to make another appearance. Your brother was here a while ago,” he said.

“Don’t you think I already know that?” Annabel said in a raspy voice. 

“Hmm… I just felt the need to inform you... for free, of course,” the guy retorted before jumping down. Gravity didn’t seem to have an effect on him. He landed on his feet. “Section 12 wanted a little bit of facts about Death Bringers and the likeliness that they would attack again.” He looked at me. “They even asked for your family’s history.”

I gave him a questioning look because clearly, I don’t see the reason why they needed to investigate me.

“You seem to be one suspicious person, Takanashi,” he said, walking in circles around me. “Your parents were once insane killers in this school… But here’s the catch.”

He paused for a moment. “They didn’t belong to any section. They were neutrals.”

He looked at Annabel warily and continued talking. “They usually formed alliances with people who refused to take sides. They held meetings in the main library, and eventually, they made the library their own dorm. Then, the former Section 12 infiltrated the library, forcing them out. You see, Section 12 submitted a letter to the principal, allowing them to use the library for their own selfish purposes. That’s how ruthless Section 12 actually is. I wonder how your parents would react if they find out you’ve joined their least favorite section.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” I asked.

“Simple. My role here is to give information… advices… like how an ingenious game hacker would give other players a bunch of tricks and downloadable cheats,” he said.

All of a sudden, a huge book flew out of nowhere and hit the guy straight in the head. He flew down, with the book still intact to his face. Seemingly unaffected by the impact, he hurriedly shoved it away and stood up.

“Ouch,” he murmured.

“I needed to shut you up for a while. You’re scaring Ken,” Annabel said.

“You didn’t need to hit me on the head with a dictionary,” the guy told me.

“It was the first thing I laid my hands on,” Annabel said. “By the way, you didn’t even introduce yourself to Ken. You’re so rude.”

“You’re the one who’s rude! You’re the one who’s throwing dictionaries at a senior!” He fought back.

“You deserved it,” she said.

“I didn’t deserve it. I was giving him relevant –“

“Information,” Annabel completed the sentence for him. “It’s the same thing over and over and over and over—“

The guy picked the dictionary up and threw the book back to Annabel. She was smart not to catch it since the book was huge and landing an impact on her lithe hands could break her bones. Instead, she gracefully avoided it.

The two girls from earlier clapped their hands and laughed a little. They were obviously engrossed with the little spectacle.

That was the moment Annabel got really angry. “Wanna die, Ace?”

Ace looked at me and pointed at Annabel with his thumb. “She’s mad.”

Annabel began chasing Ace round and round the library. I could practically hear them tossing books at each other from beyond the seemingly endless array of shelves.

This was definitely going to be a long night. 

Doomsday High Chapter Four: Facts [UNEDITED]

Ivy and the others dragged me and Rena to Section 12’s library before the training course ended so that we’d avoid the risk of getting hunted down by our new foes from Section 3. Those suckers might be planning for a better comeback so we had to move quick. Besides, Section 12 had a lot to explain about how Annabel died.

When we got to our destination, words started spilling out of Bernie’s mouth. She talked about how twins were often known as the weakest links in the entirety of the Doomsday High student body. She mentioned that twins had the disadvantage of being connected to each other by heart – which means that if one dies, the other dies along with him or her. In rare cases, however, the twins are connected only by body, so if one is injured, the other bears the pain without the existence of the wound itself.

“It’s a bit unexplainable. Triplets, quadruplets and the like don’t have to suffer the same kind of burden… This school just loves to mess with twins,” Bernie told me.

“Anyway, this does mean that Annabel is pardoned from the suspension?” I asked.

“No,” Ivy retorted inquisitively. “Dying as a contender in the course has no consequence. However, dying while watching the course does.”

“Awareness is a part of discipline here in Doomsday High,” Ryan said. “Unfortunately, Belle wasn’t aware, and neither was C. The boy’s luckier though. He died in the middle of the training course so he won’t have to face suspension. They’re both probably wide awake in the clinic right now, but they’re stuck there till the end of classes.”

“Can’t they be traumatized?” I asked, raising a brow. “Death must be painful.”

Bernie sighed. “Students of Doomsday High can’t fear death. Tell me, when you set foot in this school and discovered that you were at a terrible risk of dy- of getting done in, were you scared? On the first exam, did the blades terrify you?”

To both questions, I shook my head.

“Even the thought of getting diced by Anna’s chainsaw doesn’t really scare you, correct?” Bernie asked.

“Yes,” I said with a hint of realization. Anna may scare me, but the first time she tried to behead me with her chainsaw, I didn’t even feel the slightest tinge of fear. Maybe shock would be the more appropriate term for what I felt.

I decided to round up my near-death experiences since the day I came into Doomsday High. Whenever someone tried to kill me, I fought, not because I was scared of dying. I fought because I wanted to live things out and win. “This school really does things to your head.”

“We know,” Ivy said.

“So… Now that I’ve made a discovery, what else is new?” I asked.

“Well, because you pulled off a little stunt at the Arena of Demise, I’d have to declare you our trump card,” Dave said. “It’s a little too big of a responsibility for you since you’re a freshman, but our section hasn’t had a trump card since the day Dayrl left to strengthen his stupid little character in that game called war—what was it again? War make? War create?”

“Warcraft,” Jay rolled her eyes. “Idiot.”

“Yes. Warcraft,” Dave cleared his throat. “Anyway, he’s too busy playing his life away. His parents have given up on—“

“Excuse me,” I interrupted, raising my hand. “I have no idea who this Dayrl person is.”

“He’s C, Jay and Belle’s elder brother,” Dave told me. “Quite a nice fellow. He’s a great strategist too, but he never attended classes since he believes he could make do with his knowledge of computers. Like I said earlier, he used to be our section’s trump card, but with the grades he received, the school had no use for him, so they shoved his name out of the records. He could make a comeback as a freshman, but he doesn’t seem interested in returning here. For one thing, this school doesn’t suit his tastes. He prefers the non-realistic gaming world where he could fantasize about becoming a god.”

“He’s the main reason why Section 12 designs weapons based on ones from video games,” Jay said, pressing a finger firmly to her chin. “In fact, if he’s still around, we’ll find it easier to design a new weapon for you and Rena.”

 “Anna and Jay have tried convincing him to come back,” Bernie said. “He won’t budge.”

“Why would he? He doesn’t even like us,” Ivy said to no one in particular. The whole place quieted down in reaction to her statement.  In the momentary silence, the only the sounds of our breathing could be heard.

This went on for a while. Then Ivy decided to break the silence by muttering, “What if he… becomes one of them?”

“It’s possible,” Roni told her. “He hates it here.”

 “But he has siblings studying here. He can’t join them if they’re bent on killing everyone in this school,” Bernie objected.

“He won’t care if he’s already one of them,” Ivy told her.

My ears were flaring. I couldn’t relate to the conversation, much less interject my questions or reactions to all the words that flew out of their mouths. Their expressions were filled with worry and anxiety. I was about to shout something random, but Rena beat me to it.

“What’s them?” She asked.

There was silence again, but this one was short-lived.

 “They’re a group of Reapers,” Dave started,  “The students of Doomsday High decided to call them the Death Bringers. They want to bring down this school because they have the power to do so. To explain things further, I’ll tell you a brief history about our school.

“The world as we know it is divided into four parallel sides –Heaven, Earth, Unknown and Hell.. Our school is situated in the Unknown.

“The only way you could access the Unknown is if you come from a generation of Humans that have already entered this parallel universe. These Humans are the students of Doomsday High and their ancestors. Once you’ve made it in, you become a citizen of this universe – an immortal.

“When you go back to earth, your immortality must be kept a secret. If anyone finds out, you’ll have to kill that person. That’s one of the main reasons why DH students are trained to kill. Another reason is that there’s another group that’s out to get you. They’re called the Reapers. Reapers hate immortals, and a small group of them is going all out to bring Doomsday High down."

“That group is called the Death Bringers,” Rena interjected, eyes widening with realization.

Ryan nodded. “Some death bringers have been students of Doomsday High who’ve rejected they’re life here. In fact, our history teacher mentioned that the Death bringers have attempted to attack Doomsday High once.  That was probably the year before your parents graduated, Ken. They might know the story.”

“Too bad they didn’t tell me about it,” I retorted.

“Anyway, we ended up explaining a lot of things here,” Dave said. “Twins. Dayrl. Death Bringers.”

“We should get to the clinic,” Bernie said. “The other sections must be in their dorms by now. All coasts might be clear.”

“Might be,” Dave told her. “We can’t be so sure.”

I couldn’t let the library now. There were lots of questions floating above my head, and I needed to have at least one of them answered.

“Wait,” I said, raising my hand. “Before we go, I have one last question.”

“What is it?” Dave asked, askance.

“Who is Tommy… and Decimo?” I inquired. My senses stirred for a moment, as if I was asking the wrong questions, but I proved myself wrong when Dave answered straight-forwardly.

“Tommy is a student of Section 12. Guess he didn’t introduce himself. He shares his room with Will-- Decimo. They don’t get along well, but they seem to be setting their differences aside for the sake of our section. Without them, Section 12 will be wiped out over and over again,” Dave told me. “They’re room is located behind the bookshelf next to the one that hides the dining room. You’ll have to descend an almost never-ending staircase to get there.”

“Why is that?” I asked.

“If you look at the architectural design of Doomsday High, you’ll see that every quarter in each dorm are lined up like the steps of a spiral staircase. Your quarter, being the very first one, requires only a narrow walkway to your room. The Second quarter requires a staircase that descends to another room which is located below yours, albeit not directly. This goes on and on to the fiftieth quarter, which is Tommy and Decimo’s room, and it is located at the very bottom of the spiral.

I nodded my head to signal that I had understood every word he meant, though not completely. There were still a lot of questions stuck in my head and that prevented me from comprehending Dave’s explanations.

Dave stepped towards the exit. He probably thought that there was nothing else to talk about. The others sighed in relief, thanking heavens that we were finally going to leave, but then the doors to the library opened all of a sudden, and Arthuria made her way inside along with two other students from Section 3.

One was a short, tan-skinned midget with sleek raven hair and a very innocent smile. You could tell she was a freshman. The other was a young man in his teens. His legs were shaking out of probable nervousness. Obviously a newcomer too.

“What happened to Adeline?” Arthuria inquired.. She needn’t shout the question to shed her grief. 

“She got disqualified,” Dave told her. “She lost her mind after Jeck killed Keith. She couldn’t control herself. No one could. She got consumed by anger, so she went ahead and did what she wanted without knowing the consequences. “

Arthuria inhaled sharply. “How am I going to explain this to Keith?”

“I don’t know,” Dave told her. “He might beg for a re-match with Jeck. The guy’s the main reason why his girlfriend’s dead and gone anyway.”

Arthuria sighed. “I don’t want that. Even if all the Sections are at war with each other, I don’t want that.”

“No one wanted this, Arthuria,” Dave said. “Either way, we can’t turn back time. We didn’t expect a disqualification to occur on the first week. It’s too early for things like this. The freshmen are probably stricken. They can’t fear death, but they could feel all other emotions… sadness… worry… shock.”

“I know,” Arthuria whispered before glancing back at her two companions. “You two, introduce yourselves.”

“I’m Sarah,” the tan midget said. “Sarah Primera.”

“I’m J.R,” the boy said, glancing away. “Just… J.R.”

“I’m going to hand these two to Section 12,” Arthuria said. “You guys need them the most. With that said, I’ll be on my way.”

Arthuria looked at my direction and smiled. “Good job on the training course, Mr. Takanashi. Looks like Section 12 has a new trump card.”

I nodded.

“Don’t hog the spotlight to yourself though. Your fame could put you at risk,” Arthuria warned me. “You better take good care out there, firecracker.”

She walked out and with a snap of her fingers, closed the doors behind her. Another momentary silence ensued.

Dave cleared his throat. “So we’ve got…”

“More problems,” Jay finished the sentence for him before turning towards the new ‘recruits. “Welcome to Section 12, newbies.”

The two new kids nodded before huddling to my side.

Sarah grasped my arm. “So you’re Ken Takanashi!”

“Surprised you made it out of the course alive, man! You’re awesome!” J.R said. “I got done in on the first blade!”

“Now, now. Enough with the praises,” Dave told the both of them. “We’ve got to pick up three other members at the clinic.”

“The giant-axe dude, and the one with the scythe?” J.R asked. “You’ve got lots of cool weapons at your disposal.” He ended his statement with a sigh.

 Sarah looked at Ivy and yelled, “You’re the girl with the boomerang-slash-bow! Cool win, earlier. Your opponent barely even reached you.”

“It was a matter of luck my friend. I call my baby, the boomer-bow,” Ivy informed Sarah before picking up her weapon which she had conveniently laid on the side of the bookshelf behind her.

“I want something like that too!” Sarah shouted, excitedly.

“You’ll get it soon enough, “ Dave said. “For now, we should really get going.”

“Where to?” Sarah asked.

“The clinic,” Dave retorted, smiling at her. I couldn’t really tell if he was getting pissed off. It was obvious that he was in a hurry though. “We need to fetch Jeck, C and Belle.”

“Now?” J.R. asked.

 “Yes, yes,” Dave told him, rolling his eyes. He beckoned them with his right hands. “Now come on. We need to head to the clinic.”

The two new recruits nodded before following him like he was someone that needed to be guarded. Dave had an unsure look plastered on his face. He definitely wasn’t confident in the suddenness of the situation.  

I followed shortly after them, half-consciously dragging Rena along with me. She seemed unsure of herself somehow. She glanced at me for a moment and lowered her head back down.

When all of Section 12 had spilled onto the silent hallways, I pulled behind with Rena following suit. We joined Ivy and Bernie, who had chosen to cover up back. They were talking about stuff using their mother tongue. Knowing that they were not in the mood to talk with anyone else,  I looked at Rena who still seemed pretty upset about things.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

“I don’t think we could trust the new recruits,”  she whispered.

“Why?”

“Section 3 must be plotting something. I don’t know what,” she said. “I mean, how could they just selflessly turn over two new recruits when they definitely need them? It’s uncanny… bizarre. It’s making me puke.”

“I don’t think they’re the kind of people who’d betray us – well at least not now,” I told her.

“Look at this school, Ken. You can’t tell who’s who. The students. Everyone. They’re personalities are almost unstable – probably on the psychopathic level. Though I can’t really put them in the ‘psychopath’ bracket because they’re clearly sane enough to control themselves when the situation calls for it. However, they’re still bound to kill for what they want, and what they want is the top students list—“

“Arthuria is trustworthy, Rena. Squall said so himself. Even C told me that Section 3 is 

'nice and approachable'.”

“Even so. Athura tried to lay her hands on us… On you. And it’s for the sake of that fucking Top Students list, Ken. You heard her when she said that.”

“I know. But Arthuria—“

“Arthuria might be faking her personality for the sake of being loved, Ken. Don’t you think it’s a great strategy? To foil our minds so that she could slowly make her advancements—“

“I—“

“Don’t be a fucking hypocrite, Takanashi. I don’t fall in love with hypocrites.”

With that said, she stomped ahead.

“Damn. Quarrel,” I heard Bernie say. “What were you two talking about?”

“Nothing in particular,” I retorted.

“Nuh-uh,” Bernie countered. “I heard ‘Section 3’ over and over again. What’s up? Something wrong with the new recruits?”

“Obviously,” I replied. “Rena seems to be having a problem with them.”

“Tell me about it,” Ivy said. “They seemed so… fake… I can’t pinpoint if they were trying so hard to fit in or if they were putting up an act. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice…?”

“I’m bad at detecting lies,” I told her.

“That’s good on your part. I’ve noticed that you’re a bad actor. You’ll make your doubts a little too obvious,” Bernie said.

“Do you think they could hear us?” I asked, glancing up ahead.

“If they had the ears of a bat, yes,” Ivy replied.

“Rena must hate me right now,” I told them.

“Don’t think so,” Bernie said with a playful shrug.

Silence attacked us once more. It’s been what? The third time this happened? Either way, Section 12 has been quieting down a lot, and I didn’t take it as a good sign. Over the years in my past, normal life, I had learnt that silence within a group meant that the group wasn’t getting along well.

“Be wary!” Dave yelled from up front. “Attackers might come out anywhere at any time. You can’t predict the nature of their attack, so we might be wiped out easily.”

“That’s the disadvantage of sending us all out in the open,” Bernie stated rhetorically. “You idiot.”

“Some of us could have stayed behind, but it’s too late to say that. We’re already vulnerable at this stage. Some of the students from other sections may be hiding behind classrooms,” Ivy said.

We made a short halt at the foot of the familiar spiral staircase. The grand paintings  on its side had been stained heavily with blood. The carpet had darkened due to the spills. We made our way down slowly and cautiously. The staircase was a good place to be cornered, so we had to be very alert.

“Almost there,” Bernie said in a hush whisper.

When we reached the end of the staircase, we took a right to a white, rectangular door with a sign that said ‘Clinic’ written on it in bold, red letters.

“Finally,” Bernie whispered.

“So far, nothing bad has happened,” Ivy said, breathing a sigh of relief.

We formed a circle around Dave who had taken it as an obligation to open the doors to the clinic. The smell of medicine and the sounds of patients groaning as they came around greeted us. Colder air swept over us as we made our way inside.

“Finally. Took you long enough,” Annabel said. She was sitting on the bed nearest to the entrance. She seemed very well. Jeck was right across her, and her brother was on a bed not too far from hers.

Bernie, Ivy and I decided to huddle closer to her.

“You won’t know how nervous we all were,” Bernie told her.

“Yeah. And we’ve got new recruits,” Ivy beamed. “From Section 3.”

“Is that good news or bad news?” She asked.

“Mostly good. Partly bad,” I told her. “Rena doesn’t seem to be buying them. They seem a little too peculiar.”

“Tell me about it,” Annabel sighed. “Who would believe that Section 3 would give away two of their members easily?”

“Well Arthuria practically handed them over to us,” I told her, matter-of-factly. “She’s the Student Council President.”

Annabel shook her head. “You see, this school permits transferring of Sections on the first week of your life as a freshman. After that, you’re a part of your section forever. There are conditions though. If you join another Section and that Section isn’t what it turned out to be, you get to go back to your original Section or turn yourself over to another which suits your tastes. It’s only been four days into the first week so--”

“The newbies could act like spies,” I finished. “When they get the information they want, they could always go back and report to Section 3.”

“Precisely,” Annabel told me as she stretched her hand out and ruffled my hair. “You’re finally starting to come around, kid.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” I asked.

“Mostly good. Partly bad,” she retorted, smiling.

I turned away from Bernie and Ivy so that they could both talk to Annabel. I waded my way to C who was already conversing with Rena. They’re expressions were serious, but when they saw me coming their way, they chose to stop talking.

“Is there another problem?” I asked Rena.

“No,” Rena murmured. She walked past me, slamming her shoulders against mine.

“What were you two talking about just now?” I asked C.

“Nothing,” he replied.

“I may not have enough evidence to prove that you two were talking about something important, but if I’m not mistaken, you two were dead serious a while ago,” I said. “Is it about me?”

C put up a poker face for a moment before letting it go. “Yes. Yes it is.”

“What’s the problem this time?”

“Rena… She doesn’t want me to talk about this in front of you. My lips are sealed, bro,” He said.

“Can’t you at least give me a hint?” I begged.

“Sorry bro,” C told me. “No.”

“Darn.”

“You might want to ask her yourself,” C suggested.

“You saw what she did earlier. She just told me off. She doesn’t want to talk,” I said.

“Maybe not now. Wait for her to cool off.”

“Sure. How long will that take?”

“Patience, bro,” C reassured. “You know how girls are sometimes. They let their emotions get the best of them. Just do what I say and wait till she cools down. You might be able to strike a smooth conversation.”

“Thanks,” I told him.

“No problem,” C replied.

I moved away from him and decided to go to Jeck’s side where Sarah and J.R. were standing by themselves. I needed to have a good talk with them. I had to set Rena aside. They were more important. I needed to know what their intentions were… 

Doomsday High Chapter Three: Epitaph [UNEDITED]

My sleep was dreamless, and I didn’t know how long I stayed in total darkness. I only awoke to Rena’s voice calling out to me over and over again.

The first thing I saw was a very concerned Rena and Arthuria, watching me wordlessly. Arthuria’s red locks drooped to the side of her face as she stared at me. Turning my head, I found Bernie who was busy playing with a piece of paper which suffered from a series of folds.

“It’s Wednesday, Takanashi. Took you a day to wake up. The nurse had to amputate the leg,” Bernie told me. “Then she said that if you desperately wanted to recover it, you’ll have to get done in.”

“Not gonna happen,” I said, looking at my left foot.

As expected, it wasn’t normal anymore. It had been replaced by a prosthetic. I wondered what kind of mechanism it took for a robotic foot to act as if it’s an actual part of the body. Theorizing wasn’t an easy task on my part. There’s one thing I’m very sure about, though: walking on it would take a lot of practice.

Squall appeared from behind Rena and sat on the side of the bed, ignoring the creeks of protest from the bed’s feet.

“Looks like you’re good to go,” Squall said. “It’s a brand new day and it’s Twelve Fifteen. You’re late for the training course.”

“It's a must that he attends the training course,” Ryan told Squall as he waltzed into the clinic. “Representatives of Section 6 and 12 are up next—“ He glanced at me “—You wouldn’t want to miss a good fight.”

I stared at my leg as a question escaped my lips. “Who are representing us today?”

Bernie finished folding a paper crane before she answered the question. “Jeck and Ivy.”

***

We navigated through more unchartered hallways. My right hand draped over Rena’s right shoulder as she helped me walk straight. Squall rambled on and on about the fights that I had missed, though I couldn’t hear a single word he said due to the fact that most of my attention was on my left foot.

“The training course is held in a place called ‘Arena of Demise’,” Bernie said, taking up the area beside me. “It is located at the heart of the school. We wouldn’t miss it.”

“Are we close?” I asked her.

“Could you be more specific? Bernie asked me.

“Are we close… to the Arena?” I said rather firmly.

Bernie opened her mouth to speak but Squall beat her to it. “When we turn right, we’ll see a huge door. That’s the Arena of Demise,” He informed me with a grin.

We eventually reached a fork. The hall ahead was windowless and eerie. The one to the left was well-lit and it extended towards a staircase which lead to the ground floor. The one to the right was wide but ill-lit and cold. It led to two huge, rectangular, wooden doors with a dragon just barely visible on their faces.

The sounds of students cheering could be heard from beyond the door. I gulped. The bloodshed in there must be incredible. Students might be dying in the most unlawful way. Just hearing the simultaneous cheers was more than enough to give me a feeling of uneasiness. It was telling me getting killed in the arena was the most painful and traumatizing thing that could ever happen to me but for some reason, I didn't feel scared. I only felt really nervous...

The door creaked open slowly, as if to gather the suspense I was experiencing. Light protruded from the growing space as the door pulled inwards.

The cheering and screaming grew even louder as we paced into the arena. I couldn't help but stare in plain earnest.

The arena had the structure of a super bowl. The stage was practically a metal football field which was shaped into an oblong with three squares drawn inside it. Surrounding it were thousands of seats for the students. Twelve staircases sank into it, appearing like entrances to hell. Hovering over the stage, Four giant screens hung parallel to each other to provide a better view of what was happening. Cameras stood on each corner of the arena. Some were even suspended in mid-air to capture aerial views of the fights.

The students had grouped themselves to their respective sections, and Section 12 was located on the nearest left of the entrance.

We took a seat next to C who had blood all over his clothes. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as he focused on the giant screen which was faced our section in a viewable angle.

“Where’s my suitcase?”  I asked him.

“It’s in your quarter,” C retorted without even looking at me. I decided to follow his gaze.

Onstage, A camera was directed towards Ivy, giving her more emphasis on the screen. Her expression was blank, as if she had shut away all of her sanity so that she could stay conscious during her battle. Her eyesight was enhanced by a pair of pink-framed glasses. She wielded a composite bow, but she could only hold the mid-section considering that rest of it were stainless steel blades which were bent so that the bow formed the shape of a boomerang. Hanging loose on her waist was a quiver filled with arrows.

The camera automatically began to circle around her. On-screen, she looked like a newly-made character from a random, role-playing game. A red box appeared below her. On it, her name and section was written in bold white letters: Ivy Randall, 12th Section.

Her opponent appeared on screen next. Her skin was noticeably darker due to the lighting, but the darkness wasn’t able to conceal the pimples on her face. She looked thinner on camera. Her hair was long and disheveled. Blood coated her clothes.

Her weapon was a normal-looking spear. As the camera began to move around her, I made sure to pay attention to the red box which would pop out at any moment. Her name was foreign and familiar-sounding at the same time: Sarah Greenwich, 1st Section.

A bell resonated throughout the arena like a ceaseless voice which would forever signal an epitaph of doom. The fight began in not more than a second later.

Ivy began shooting arrows at her opponent in a definite speed. She was slower than I had hoped. Her arrows kept missing and her opponent, Sarah, bounced out of the way just as she made her target clear.

Ivy gritted her teeth in irritation and began running so that her opponent won’t be able to get close to her. Luckily, she had more stamina compared to Sarah who seemed to have difficulties in carrying her bulky body around.

Ivy began to shoot once more, and her aim was even better. Sarah was hit straight on the left shoulder. She doubled over, crashing on the ground with a heavy thud. She closed her eyes and tried to remove the arrow but Ivy caught her by surprise and began attacking her restlessly.

Arrows were aimed towards Sarah’s head, neck, torso and chest. She didn’t even have time to react. In the next minute, she was lying on the ground, choking for air and mercy. Her body coiled like a million shattered pieces bringing themselves together in agony as blood pooled below her.

Ivy moved towards Sarah and raised her bow. Without hesitation, she brought it down and beheaded her opponent. Section 1 and 12 were silent but the others continued to cheer for their representatives like optimists in the midst of chaos.

 Blood oozed out of the now-headless body as Ivy walked towards the middle of the stage. She faced Section 12 and raised her hands in a victory pose. She smiled triumphantly as she waved at her allies. Her fight was short, but it was more than enough to bring hope to our faces.

Section 1 groaned in disappointment next to us. I smiled in delight.

“Melee versus Range,” I said. “Isn’t that a bit unfair?”

“If you’re a pro, you’ll win despite the disadvantages you have,” C told me.

Ivy’s name flashed on the screen with a picture of her – hands suspended in midair with glee.

She started walking towards her Section. Her clothes seemed unstained as she prodded up the stairs to finally be able to rest. She stopped on the row of seats in front of me and stared at Jeck, who was the only person occupying the row. He was up next.

The middle section of the stage sank down, taking Sarah’s body with it. A new and cleaner layer replaced it just before it disappeared completely.

Ivy gave Jeck a high five as he stood up. He half-heartedly let Ivy take his place before moving towards the center of the stage.

As Jeck went down, Annabel ascended the stairs and took a seat next to Ivy. She sighed in annoyance and started talking in a hushed voice. I huddled a bit closer to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“He’s surely gonna loose again,” she said to Ivy.

“No… He won’t,” Ivy said. “Willia—Decimo enhanced his weapon yesterday. He told me that Tommy had taught him how to use it. He had been practicing all night. He also said it looked really cool.”

The names they stated were unfamiliar… Maybe Section 12 students who failed to introduce themselves on my first day in Doomsday.

“Oh really? Maybe I can use it later,” Annabel started. “To behead the one who’s got guts to listen in on our discussion!”

I jerked back in shock as she glanced at me with a meek smile. “If you wanted to hear the conversation, you could just say so. Eavesdropping is rude.”

“Sorry…” I told her.

“I’ll rip your eardrums out the next time you do it!” Annabel shouted, her squeaky voice booming loud enough to attract the opposite sections.

Ivy grabbed Annabel by the hair and started running her finger across Annabel’s jaw -- something a master would do to tame a cat --to silence her. Once she had calmed down, her attention was automatically drawn to what was appearing on-screen.

The camera focused on Jeck who was now holding a huge axe with intricate designs embossed on its sides. Its blade was painted a lush green and it had golden rims which glowed against the fluorescent light.

Jeck positioned himself on the very center of the stage. His back was against his opponent’s – a thin, dark-skinned, raven-haired lad, with a sword in tow.

I imagined Jeck’s fight to be short, considering the fact that he was holding a weapon fit for a mercenary. His only drawback was that the axe is obviously not lightweight, and he didn’t appear  to be a physically fit guy.

They walked away from each other, stopping only when they reached the edge of their share of the stage. Jeck turned around to face his opponent just as his opponent did the same. Their gestures stated that they were cautious, fearful that they might attack each other before the bell would even ring.

They faced each other and a countdown began on-screen. It was ten seconds to a highly painful death. I wondered how frustrating it must be for Jeck, who was on the upper hand, to wait for ten seconds to finish off someone who was very interested in killing him as well.

After the countdown, Jeck’s opponent appeared on the screen. His name was written in capital letters, along with other significant details of himself: Keith Kingston, Top Student # 2, 3rd Section.

“Section 3,” I muttered. “Aren’t they…?”

“They’re the best section, so far,” C told me. “But they’re not technically the most arrogant. Sometimes you’ll have to know them before judging them. They’re nice and approachable… when they’re not out to kill you, in the least.”

“I see…”

Jeck appeared on screen and there was an astounding lack of pimples on his face. The camera loved him. A lot.

The bell rang again, and Jeck’s response was immediate. He hauled his axe beside him. It’s blade sent sparks crawling across the floor of the stage as he ran.

Keith was poised in a fighting stance. He seemed like he was anticipating Jeck’s every move. Perhaps he was, since he easily ran out of the way before Jeck could even get to him. He spun around Jeck in an imperfect circle before targeting him on the side of his stomach.

Jeck used his axe to block the attack before countering it with an uppercut to his opponent’s chin. His measures were effective and in the next second, he was holding his axe effortlessly in a stance that was both threatening and serious. He swung his weapon towards his opponent in a waning motion, but his opponent was swift.

Keith was smirking now. He ran and ran in circles. Jeck followed him in with his axe in tow.

“He’s going to tire Jeck out,” I whispered to no one in particular.

“He does that every time,” C informed me. “It’s what makes him a terrifying enemy. I’d love to kill him even if he’s from Section 3. He’s as prideful as he’s a cheater.”

I gazed down at the stage and noticed that Jeck had slowed down dramatically. Back on-screen, his face was all covered in sweat despite the fact that the place was conditioned almost to the point of freezing.  

I gritted my teeth and crossed my fingers.

Jeck was gonna loose. There was no doubt about that.

His opponent spun around a circle again and Jeck, whose wits were dimmed by his weariness, followed his every move. He didn’t know that the guy’s goal was to make him as dizzy as hell. Then when he strikes the match, he could easily stab Jeck with his sword.

Jeck was persistent though. He stopped running but his head kept following Keith as the guy spun around faster and faster. He stared at Keith, his body frozen in time. He was standing with unmatched concentration.

Keith suddenly ran towards him with an unbeatable speed and tried to strike him down with his sword but Jeck was also fast. He blocked the attack easily and swung the axe to his left so that Keith could also be blown away by the impact.

Keith moved backwards to dodge the attack then he started running again. This time, Jeck ran with him. They chased each other around the stage, but Keith was faster and much more sly. He run a shorter lap and tried to strike Jeck down once more. Fortunately, Jeck had jolted to a stop just in time to counter the attack.

Jeck used the edge of his axe to jab Keith in the guts. The speed of his confrontation sent Keith flying across the stage. The guy landed and skied on his back for about five feet before stopping at the edge of the stage. He lied motionlessly for a moment and Jeck saw his chance. He ran towards Keith and raised his axe.

Seeing Jeck’s shadow hover above him, Keith rolled to his side to avoid the fatal impact of the axe. His smart move caused Jeck’s axe to miss. It also gave him more time to recover from the blow he received earlier.

Keith used his legs to kick at Jeck’s foot so that he’d lose his balance and fall down. Unwary of this, Jeck fell straight into Keith’s trap and doubled over. His blade followed him, flattened by gravity.

Keith, still weak and sweaty, stood up with his sword in tow and loomed over Jeck. He used his two hands to raise the sword so that once it pierced through Jeck, it would be painful and quick.

Jeck definitely wasn’t in the mood for dying. He tugged at Keith’s trousers with all the strength he had in him. Then he pulled, causing Keith to fall back to the ground again.

Jeck rolled away and picked up his axe before running from Keith. The camera followed him, making him look like a predator who was too scared to go straight for the kill. He halted when he was meters away from his opponent.

The camera moved back to Keith who was still lying on the ground with his face contorted in a way which meant he was experiencing a lot of pain. His breathing was labored and there was a thick layer of sweat on his clothes. However, he was determined to win, so he got up slowly and brushed himself off. He was angry.

He ran towards Jeck, even if his feet were barely able to carry him. He hadn’t even made it halfway across the stage when Jeck removed the head of his axe and swung it towards Keith. It zoomed across the stage like an unstoppable Frisbee. 

Keith was obviously unprepared for the attack as he had stopped on his heels and stared at the object which was flying straight at him. Before long, his upper body had dislodged itself from his torso. His insides spilled out. His legs, due to the sudden lack of psychomotor, gave way. His organs scattered around his pitiful corpse. Blood enveloped a huge part of the stage.

Jeck even found the time to hack out Keith’s heart. Then he stepped on the bloody remains before slamming the heart back down on the ground.

“Piece of shit!” He beamed, kicking at Keith’s dismembered torso.

His image popped unto the screen as he went to pick up the blood-painted head of his axe which had gone all the way to the edge of the stage. His face still lacked satisfaction.

As he huddled towards section 12, he found time to kick Keith’s remains out of the way. He wasn’t expecting someone to object to his animalistic actions.

A girl from an undeterminable section shrieked in utmost irritation and annoyance. I looked around just as everyone else did the same. All the sections fell silent. Then I noticed that Section 2’s stares were directed towards a girl from Section 3 who was making a quick descent toward the stage. She had chestnut hair, pale skin and she was very furious.

“Maroon!” She screamed. Her vowels were prolonged and her voice was very raspy. “I’ll kill you!”

She ran towards Jeck. Her hands were outstretched towards him, ready to grab him at any moment. Before anyone knew it, she was choking him. Her fury was unrivaled.

“Adeline!” Bernie shouted from down below. “Adeline stop! Don’t do that! You’re gonna get disqualified!”

The rest of the sections were silent, and even the other representatives had paused their battle just to watch what was going to happen next.

Two students from section 3 tried to stop her, but she shrugged them off and gripped Jeck’s neck even tighter. She was not interested in letting go. She was bent on ill-acclaimed vengeance.

Jeck was struggling to breathe. His face had turned purple in consequence of having no oxygen to breath in. He clawed at Adeline’s hands in hopes of making her let go of him, but she was too clouded with the obsession to kill him that even a call of her name or a pinch on the skin of her wrist wouldn’t bring her back to reality. He choked and coughed slightly.

“Adeline!” Bernie called out desperately. “Keith’s not dead!”

“You… made… him… suffer!” Adeline yelled, shaking Jeck back and forth. His pupils had rolled back into his eyelids as he began to lose consciousness.

“Adeline! Please!” Bernie begged. The rest of section 3 begged with her. The two who had tried to stop her earlier were already on their knees.

Two others came to pacify her. One girl held her by the shoulder, while the boy attempted to pry her hands off Jeck’s neck. It was still useless. She gave each of them a good slap before grabbing Jeck’s neck once again.

The guy was already unconscious. Maybe even worse – He was already dead.

The lights of the arena turned red all of a sudden and the four students who had tried to snap Adeline out of her ruthless fury ran back to their respective section.

Adeline was suddenly clueless of what was happening. Sirens blared and we watched in horror as Adeline’s wrists were bent ever so slowly by an invisible force. Soon afterwards, her feet followed. Every bone that snapped apart came with a petrifying scream from her.

She fell to the ground, her body still twisting and turning. Her spine protruded out of her back as her already-shattered legs folded inwards.

Her blood had mixed with Keith’s as the invisible force continued to fold her. Her head was the last to become a part of the massive cube which was once her body.

Then, as if on cue, a fire lit up from within the cube before it exploded to a million pieces. It was pure barbarism and inhumanity, yet, amidst all the brutality, the cheering had to continue.

I stared at the scene. Speechless. Unable to say a word.

The middle part of the stage of the arena lowered, along with Jeck’s lifeless body. Then just like earlier, it was replaced by a new flooring.

C suddenly stood up with his mouth agape. His eyes were fixed unto the screen. I followed suit and ended up wearing the same reaction.

Names of students from section 3 were flashed unto the screen, but I paid almost no heed to them. What got me the most was that on the lower panel, along with C’s and Jay’s full name, was my name in huge, bold-red letters that were impossible to miss.

“Shit…” I muttered.

C tugged at my sleeves. “Let’s go.”

“Dude, I’m in no condition to fight,” I told him.

“They don’t care. All they give a crap about is that section 12 won twice in a row. Let’s go,” he retorted with a stronger pull.

“Wait a minute,” I said, reaching out for my the left pocket of my trousers. Surprisingly, the pistol was still there. C forcefully pulled me probably because I was wasting time staring at the gun out of bewilderment.  Annabel handed C’s scythe over to him before we huddled down the steps.

“Good luck out there,” Ivy wished us.

Descending the steps took a few long seconds. My head was encompassed by a number of unsorted thoughts and questions. My emotions were all bundled up. I didn’t know what to feel other than inexplicable shock.

Jay joined us, holding a scimitar with a very long chain attached to its handle. Then we stepped into the spotlight together.

On stage, the screams of the surrounding students seemed louder and more omnipresent. I tried to block them by thinking about how I’m gonna make it out.

I looked at Jay and C, who clearly had something on their mind as they chattered away blankly. I wondered what they had been talking about and I pushed away the desire to eavesdrop on their conversation, partially because of Annabel’s recent threat.

I gazed at my feet and noticed that I was standing perfectly well despite the prosthetic. I calmed down. Maybe I could walk or run better too.

C and Jay walked towards me. The friendly air in them was gone.

“Apparently, Section 3 chose us to be their opponents because of what happened to Adeline. They’re madder than ever,” Jay explained before looking straight at me. “Since you’re not in a really good shape yet, I and C will handle most of the fight.”

“I’ll help in any way I can,” I said. “I don’t want to stand around looking like a coward.”

“Every person on-stage right now is a coward,” C said. “It’s up to them to decide whether or not they would summon the courage to battle it out.“

“Thanks,” I told him, not knowing what to say. I had to admit that the advice was a bit useless but I was gratified for it.. I became more motivated.

I inhaled and exhaled before looking back on section 12. My eyes found Rena and Squall. They both gave me a thumbs up.

C suddenly pulled me along towards the center stage. I looked ahead and saw that our opponents were burly and conniving. The one in the middle was a fat, black American who wielded a sword. His cheeks shook as he stepped towards us. To his left was a red-haired girl with a belt whirled around her waist. It was designed with holders for grenades and a gun. I gulped. To the right, wielding a spear, was a pale-skinned guy with slanted eyes that hinted he was an Asian.

We turned around so that we faced away from our opponents. C had his back pressed against the sword-wielder. Behind me, breathing heavily was the red-headed girl.

“Freshman?” I asked her.

“Yeah,” she confirmed. “Died once already. During the first exam, the be specific. Please go easy on me.”

“This must be tough for you,” I said.

“Yeah… It’s my first time getting into a fight which could literally kill me,” She told me. “Congratulations on winning first place in the first exam, Takanashi.”

I was a bit surprised that she already knew my surname. Maybe Squall and Ryan were talking about me while I was asleep in the clinic.

“Thanks,” I said. “May the best man win.”

“Yes,” she agreed.

I wanted the conversation to go on but C and Jay had started walking away, and I had to follow them to avoid looking like a harmless idiot. 

The three of us stopped on the edge of our side of the stage before doing a perfect 180 degree turn. I stared at our opponents. They were shaky, but they kept a firm and strong aura around them.

Vengeance. That’s what they wanted. Perhaps, more than anything in the world right now.

“For some reason, I feel scared,” Jay said in a hushed voice. 

“We all are,” C told her. "But right now, our fear is an illusion caused by these fags. Remember, we're not afraid to die."

Then the bell rang, chiming away weakly like a funeral song. I gulped before C and Jay ran ahead.

Jay began spinning the blade of her scimitar before throwing it up into the air. It went back down, strengthened by gravity. Then she hauled it up before it hit the floor and used it to hit the fat guy on the side.

His body wobbled as the head of the scimitar made close contact with his skin, but the impact wasn’t strong enough to damage him.

C was farther off, fighting against the red-headed girl. Her left hand was busy trying to tug off one of the grenades around her belt. Her right hand was already holding the gun. Her legs were shaking as she aimed for C and fired with her hand flying upwards, unable to bear the speed of the bullet.

C had ran out of the bullet’s range in the right moment. I took the time to watch it as it flew towards the arm of an unwary girl from section 4.  Then out of reflex, I ducked. The head of a spear zoomed above my head and caught the bits of the hair at the topmost part of my head. I could see the flecks shining against the light as they fell.

I started half-running, half-limping from the spear-wielder before he started landing more attacks.

“Running away now are you?” The boy said with a thick Chinese accent. “You can’t run from me.”

I aimed my pistol at him, but someone shot it out of my hand before I could even pull the trigger.

“Sorry,” the red-head said.

In a few moments, the head of Jay’s scimitar flew past my shoulders and its chains whirled around the spear which was dangerously close to my face. The Chinese guy looked at the chains that had stopped his weapon from being driven into my head. Jay pulled at the chains harder, leaving the spear useless on the ground now that it was left without a wielder.

The Chinese guy gritted his teeth in frustration. He clenched his wrists before running towards me, his hands wrapping around my neck in a death grip. My hands wrapped around his wrists in an attempt to pry his fingers away from my neck.

My eyes widened and my head spun as my brain begged for oxygen.

The guy was sitting on my torso, making it impossible to breath. I shook my head before one of my fists moved by itself and drove a good punch to the guy’s stomach. It wasn’t strong, but it was enough to make the guy pull back.

I used the chance to push him off of me and then I gave him a punch to the cheek. It was my turn to pin him to the ground, giving him ceaseless punches.

I raised my hand to deliver another punch, but I ended up pulling it back due to the sudden burst of a bullet. Nothing hit me, but when I glanced back, I realized that C had been shot. His shoulder was had started to bleed.

I was brought back to reality when the Chinese guy gave me an uppercut to my chin. I was so distracted by the scene that I had forgotten all about my opponent.  Fortunately, his punch wasn’t strong and I had regained my pace after a second or two. I started giving him more punches again, not caring if he was moaning for mercy.

“Stop,” he mumbled.

I stood up and stomped my good foot on his stomach. His chest flayed up and he started crying. “Please stop.”

It dawned on me that I was losing mercy on my opponent. His head was heavily bleeding and a streak of the red liquid had even streamed the side of his chin.

“I’m sorry,” I said, stepping on his stomach again.

His reaction came out as a muffled scream.

I did the same thing again and again and again before delivering a kick to the side of his chest. His body went rigid but it was very obvious that he was still alive. I could tell by his weak, labored breathing.

Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to move, I went to pick up the pistol which was sitting on the edge of the stage.  It was at an arm’s length when sword-wielder blocked my path with his big, burly body. He swung his sword at me and I quickly avoided it by falling on my knees. I made a quick round-about by crawling past him before I got to the pistol.

I glanced back just in time to see Jay whirl the chains of her scimitar around the sword-wielder’s head to pull him away from me. Forcefully jerking the guy from one place to another was irrevocably a difficult task. Jay must be very strong despite having the physique of a nutrition-lacking girl.

Now that the sword-wielder’s attention was back on Jay, I quickly picked up the damaged pistol and made a quick observation. Its head was completely shot off, but that didn’t mean it was useless. I stood up using the strength I had in me and crawled back to the Chinese guy whose eyes had opened due to sheer recovery. He may not be able to stand up  but I still had to be hasty about things.

I positioned the head of the pistol on the area where his heart was beating in an unsteady rhythm. I placed my left hand on the pistol so that it stood on his chest, then I pressed my hand downwards, driving the head of the said weapon into his body.

He groaned and coughed up blood. Then his breathing began to slow down like a clock which needed to stop ticking. 

I felt guilty, but the guilt was replaced by anger when the sound of an unexpected gunshot echoed through the air.

C brought his hand up to the hole in his chest. He lost grip of his scythe and crashed to the ground. His killer –the red-head – laughed at him manically. So far, she was the only one who looked unaffected by the course. She didn’t look tired and her clothes were the only ones which weren’t covered in sweat. Her fit of laughter was annoyingly incessant.

On the other hand, Jay was still standing, using her scimitar to attack the sword-wielder. Tainting her willful expression were treacherous tears which painted her cheeks. Being near her might frustrate her even more.

I hastily went towards C’s body and picked up his scythe. The red-headed girl was still busy laughing her face off. Her back was turned against me, so she didn’t even have time to react when I pulled at her hair and positioned the blade of the scythe against her neck.

“You’re a coward, Takanashi,” She spat at me. “You’re a good-for-nothing, spineless, stupid coward.”

I heard the sword-wielder scream out in pain somewhere behind me and I glanced back around to see Jay burying the head of her scimitar into the guy’s forehead. I brought my attention back to the red-head.

“Idiotic, imbecilic, moronic,” she continued. “You’re an unwilling, selfish, rude, ambitious bastard.”

“Maybe that’s what I am. You’re a good judge,” I whispered into her ear. “But do you know what you are?”

She chuckled heartlessly, as if her brain had completely lost its ability to control her words. “Bastard. Bastard. Bastard,” she sang in a low, teasing tone.

I gripped her by the air and whispered more closely. “You’re dead.”

I pushed her neck forward with all the strength I needed. It turns out, beheading someone isn’t as easy as I had thought it would be. It was like cutting off a pig’s head with a butcher knife – an act I had no experience with. Blood spewed out of her neck as the blade plunged deeper into her skin. Deeper and deeper it went, and I didn’t want to stop until she was done for.

Her scream came out in short gargles.

The blade only made it halfway across her neck, but her body was already out of life. I fell to my knees as her weight crashed unto me.

I pushed her off of me and watched her roll unto the ground.

Jay approached me cautiously. “You still on killing spree mode?” she asked me.

“Nope. I’m done,” I told her.

“Congratulations. That’s two in a row. It’s the first time something like this has happened in a training course,” she said. “And you did it with a bad leg.”

Section 12 cheered for us before all of them descended the stairs to congratulate me and Jay. I noticed that Annabel wasn’t around to intimidate me. There was something in me that detected her presence. I wasn’t used to seeing the rest of Section 12 without her.

“Where’s Annabel?” I asked all of a sudden. Even for me, it was hard to believe that I had uttered such a thing.

Ivy tapped my shoulder and answered the question. “She got done in.”