It was a day like any other; as usual, I was walking by the long hallways of the agency, only feeling the cold air coming from the air conditioning on my skin. I knew my superior was just about to arrive… without saying a word, I handed over my report, and he spoke.
Superior: Congratulations on another successfully resolved case. You are the best in our department, Agent Guty.
Guty: Thank you very much, sir, although I hate being sent to such crowded places…
Superior: Casualties are to be expected, Guty, they cannot be avoided. It is the small price that must be paid in order to keep peace.
Guty: With all due respect, sir, we have different opinions about what 'peace' means.
At that moment, I knew without the need to ask that he was about to entrust me with a new task, another new mission where I would have to put my intelligence to the test to solve the mystery and end the problem before the situation forces me to show my other face and erase all evidence.
Superior: Guty, there is something I need to tell you.
Guty: Where am I to go now, sir?
Superior: Something strange is happening at a university school in Japan.
I know I am still young, at 23 years old, but I hate being sent to work with young people my age. They just get in the way, making my job harder. I don't get why young people my age worry so much about nonsense. I know I sound like an old man, but as time has gone by, I have learned to value the small things life has to offer.
Guty: Sir… Is it necessary that I go to that school?
Superior: I have no other option; I have sent four officers; nonetheless, they have all died under strange circumstances.
Guty: Strange, sir?
Superior: Indeed, they have died in very unusual traffic accidents as if death was chasing every agent I send.
Guty: I see…
Sometimes there's just no remedy, one must do what must be done.
Superior: Your flight departs tomorrow at 9. I hope you are ready; I am counting on you, Agent Guty.
Guty: Yes, sir.
Without saying anything more, my superior walked away; I just stood there thinking how hard my next mission would be; maybe I needed some vacation. Hours passed as if they were mere seconds. While I was rolling sleepless around the bed, in my mind, I was looking at images of past missions that did not end the way I intended them to… deaths that I carry on my conscience for my incompetence; I guess sometimes things don't work out the way one would wish. When I could finally sleep, my body relaxed in my comfortable bed; I heard the alarm on my cell phone telling me I had to leave at once.
Guty: There's no way…
I removed the sheets from me and got up from the bed. It was approximately 5 am when I woke up; it did not take long to get ready for travel. In a couple of hours, I was ready and boarding a cab; the cab driver asked:
Where should I take you, buddy?
Guty: To the airport, please.
Cab driver: Sure thing.
Without delay, the cab driver took me to the airport in Los Angeles. My arrival was perfect. With 75 minutes remaining to board my plane, I paid the cab driver, took my luggage, and entered the airport. As I walked towards the entrance, a strong wind lifted dust and trash. The force was such that I had difficulty seeing an Interpol agent standing at the door. I knew quickly from his facial features that his nationality was Japanese, so I approached him.
Interpol agent: You must be Agent Guty. Please walk with me. I will escort you to Japan and brief you on our current situation and why we had to request Interpol's aid.
Guty: Got it.
Interpol agent: You might be wondering why we need people from Interpol for a task at a school.
Guty: Not really; things like this happen pretty often; killers don't need to be 25 or 30 years old to be dangerous, and my job is to stop them no matter who or what they are.
Interpol agent: We are really counting on you
After that, it was a very informative trip, a school where there is a very peculiar class where each time a new student arrives a series of murders starts, in which no one has been able to decipher who is responsible, it's interesting that although years go by there are still murders happening only in that class which could mean the killer is not the same or is it? A very peculiar thing I must say is that the Interpol agent also mentioned that there are even talks about a curse. I have never believed in such things, least of all feared them, and I will find out who is behind all these murders and will not rest until I find them.
While I drink a sip of coffee, I can see that we are arriving in Tokyo Japan, within seconds I hear the flight attendant confirming my theory. After getting off the plane the Interpol agent takes me on a tour around the city, indicating to me the location of my apartment and that of the school I will be attending.
Again, everything seems calm, as if nothing is happening. However, under all this calmness, there's a hidden killer, someone who, up until this point, has done whatever they want without anyone stopping them—up until today.
The Interpol Agent says goodbye, thanking me again for coming here to help them, although I do not know if he should because if the mission in Tokyo goes wrong, the city will never be the same. I unpack my things and organize them in my apartment. It is an easy task that takes me a couple of minutes. When I finished, I read the full report about this issue. As I read, it surprised me even more as I was informed that four Interpol members had died before my arrival.
Nevertheless, no one had mentioned that 47 local Tokyo agents had died and 14 elite infiltration agents from Japan; this is more serious than it seemed. I lean back on a comfortable sofa in the apartment. In a hasty move, I searched for my laptop and quickly looked into the news reporting this issue. Nonetheless, my efforts are frustrated by finding nothing. It seems the Japanese want to hide all this matter entirely from the citizens to prevent them from falling into panic… wise, but too much blood has been shed already.
I turn off the laptop. I will try to sleep. I need a rested brain to start hunting this murderer tomorrow. I take some sleeping pills, I take resting seriously, and I need in my five senses tomorrow. I go to my room, and as soon as I lay down, I am consumed by sleep; the night passes so quickly that I cannot perceive it. The alarm on my cell phone tells me it is time to work. I quickly finish dressing up and get ready to go to school. I wait with a cup of hot coffee for the school bus. It seems the school does offer such a service, which is unusual where I'm from. The bus does not keep me waiting for long; within 5 minutes, it arrives. I calmly get in, remembering not to spill my coffee. I feel the passengers staring; they have noticed I am new and foreign. I calmly look for an available seat, and without haste, I place my backpack on the floor to start drinking my coffee peacefully. In just a second, a beautiful girl boards the bus, and her beauty stands out above all the other passengers on the bus. I drink my coffee as I gaze upon her. I must admit she is beautiful; people greet her, so I think she is someone popular or known at the school... interesting. Slowly, I will find out things here. At that moment, the girl stopped in front of me; I paused and looked around me and saw no empty seats except the one next to me. I move aside, giving her room to sit down, which she calmly does. Afterward, I heard a slight murmur that did not seem friendly. I look around me, and it seems the rest of the passengers disapprove of her sitting next to me; it is not something I care about since I am not here to socialize. I drink my coffee and hear someone speak to me.
-Is it hot?
The girl next to me asked, I lowered my cup to be able to answer her question.
Guty: Yeah, it still is, why do you ask?
Girl: I also like drinking coffee on a winter morning
Guty: Coffee is an antioxidant which delays aging and helps you to fully wake up.
Girl: Oh… Is that why you drink it?
Guty: No, I drink it because I like it.
A subtle smile appeared on her face. Apparently, I said something that she liked although I don't really know what it was.
Girl: I see you are new around here, what's your name?
Guty: Guty.
Girl: Guty what?
Guty: Just Guty.
Girl: You don't have a last name?
Guty: No, I don't have one.
Girl: That is very rare, you know… My name is Akasha Uria.
Guty: Pleased to meet you.
Afterwards we had a calm chat about basic information, where I live, where I was born, etc. While I talked to her, I found out she was part of the student council and she was also a martial artist, it was surprising for a girl like her. Apparently, she knows a lot about the school. Maybe I can benefit from our friendship, as the day progresses, I will find out. When we arrived at the school we took separate paths. I headed for the principal's office to ask about the location of the class that has caused so much terror. When I arrived, the principal was waiting for me. He was aware of my mission there and told me he would cooperate to the full extension of his capabilities. After discussing some details, he indicated the location of the classroom, my schedule along with a list of students attending. Without further questions I thank him for his time and head over to the classroom. On my way there I am reading the list, line by line, checking every name until one captures my attention…, a very peculiar name on the list <
After a while, I find myself in front of the classroom, where I enter without hesitation. I open the door and look at the professor explaining mathematical equations, but I stop to attend to me upon my arrival. I immediately explained to him that I was a new student who had been transferred to this class. When hearing this, many of the students looked at me with hatred. One of the girls in the back of the room appears to be crying in silence; something is wrong here; all of this is accompanied by silent murmurs that seem to be against me. Even in the middle of so much agony in the group, only one person welcomed me; when I heard her voice, I quickly confirmed what I thought. Akasha was in the group, welcoming me to the class. The professor signalled an empty seat for me right next to her. As I walk toward it, mysterious paper balls fly with the intent of hitting me. Seems like I already have enemies. Unfortunately for them, none of the paper balls hit me. As I walk towards my seat, a foot appears in my way, trying to make me trip and fall; it is a pity that it did not work either; I stepped over it. After all these obstacles, I managed to reach my seat, frustrating the plans of my newfound enemies.
Akasha: Welcome!
Guty: Thanks…
Akasha: Seems we will be classmates. Who would have thought…
Her last sentence is accompanied by a warm smile. At that exact moment I take out of my backpack a small pocket notebook to write the following title: <
Akasha: What are you writing?
Guty: Nothing important…
Due to Akasha's quick insight, I am forced to put away my notes. She looks at me attentively, she has something in mind, I will have to find out more about her to support my theories.
Professor: Would someone like to come up to solve this exercise on the whiteboard? How about you, new guy? Guty, please come to the front.
Guty: Alright, professor.
Professor: These equations are very difficult, but we will help you to solve them.
Guty: OK.
I fucked up…, I was careless and ignored what the teacher was saying and ended up exposing myself to everyone, now being unnoticed would not be an easy thing.
Professor: I can't believe you have solved it on your own and so quickly, guys; there is a genius before us.
The professor's words did not help at all, I can feel them staring resentfully at me.
Akasha: I did not know you were so smart. A guy like you! Who would have thought…
Guty: It's nothing. It's just that I had seen this exercise before…
Akasha: I see…
This is bad. After a few hours the bell rings for lunch break. Everyone rushes to put their things away and runs off to get something to eat. I wait for everyone to leave so I can go eat my lunch on the university's roof. It seems quiet, apparently no one comes here, I will be able to enjoy my lunch on my own. After getting comfortable, I get ready to taste my sandwich, the vegetables are still visibly fresh, and the smell of ham makes my stomach roar.
Akasha: Oh! Here you are.
I couldn't avoid being surprised to see her. I was sure that no one saw me come up to the roof. She's smarter than I thought. Or, it could be that she knows something about me.
Akasha: Can I…?
Guty: Sure…
Akasha: I hate all the noise in the cafeteria. I prefer having lunch here, matter of fact, I always eat here, it's a quiet place and the breeze is nice.
Guty: I see, it really is a quiet place.
Coincidence? I do not know, it could be…, but ideally, it would be…
Akasha: Why did you decide to enroll in this university anyway?
Guty: It was a choice my parents made.
Akasha: Wow…, I think you are still in time to switch schools if you like.
Guty: Why is that?
Akasha: This school holds a great secret.
Guty: May I ask what kind of secret?
Akasha: The less you know the better, or you will not escape.
Guty: I am intrigued. If you're trying to tell me something just do so.
Akasha: Every time a new student arrives in class 3D, students start dying. Last year, nearly 13 students passed, although nothing reached the news because the school is good at silencing the media.
Guty: …Really?
Akasha: I really don't think you understand: now that you are here, all of us are at risk of dying. No matter how much they try to find out the reason for the murders, it always reaches a dead end, as if all was just a mere casualty. There was this one time a girl died in the school elevator, it was not even a year old! The wire rope snapped, the elevator crashed on the ground and killed the girl.
I can see that she slowly starts to be unsettled, leaving behind her calmness, she even stopped eating. I know she is telling the truth; she looks frightened, for which I have the theory that she might have witnessed the elevator death. Although I thought that she could be a suspect, by her reaction to the retelling, I have to discard her. But not fully. She could be a very skilled actress who can even convince me of it and thus remove any suspicions about her. I have seen this before, that's why I keep an ounce of suspicion for her in me. I have seen people capable of even manipulating their eyes' pupils to deceive the most intelligent agents.
Akasha: So, if you value your life, you should escape as soon as possible.
Suddenly a very peculiar sound emerges, it sounds as if a contention cable just snapped. This sound is followed by an identical one after a loud crunch… the water tank of the school is falling over us, and it seems that the wires that held it in place were cut, and it is about to go down on us. Without losing any time, I take Akasha's hand and pull her towards me, taking her away from the place the tank crashed. Her eyes are filled with terror and confusion.
Akasha: And so we begin…
Guty: It was just an accident.
Akasha: It's always an accident. Soon someone will die in another "accident" like this.
Guty: Go to the nursing office and stay there. I will take a look around here…
Akasha: Come with me, something could happen to you.
Guty: I will be fine, go ahead, I'll catch up.
Akasha: Aren't you scared?
Guty: I will be fine, unfortunately I always am…
I went and examined the wires that were holding the tank to determine how old they were and if that might be the reason why they snapped.
Akasha: I'll wait for you downstairs…
I can see the fear in her eyes; she seems to be scared just by this. I believe all accidents in this school are associated with paranormal things, but the paranormal is not accurate. I can see that the cables are, in fact, deteriorated and old; this could have just been a mere coincidence. Just after I checked the wires, a scream scratched my ears. It came from inside the building; I hurried downstairs, but as I got closer, I could hear another scream and then another one. What is going on? When I get to the source of the screams, I find myself just in front of my classroom. I slowly walk inside to see the terrified students. I don't think much before I look at the whiteboard; there is a message written in blood that reads <
Student: You caused this! I will kill you, so it ends now.
I dodged the student's attack and hit him with my right hand in his face… the effect was as expected; the guy landed on the floor out of combat. Nevertheless, the matter did not end there. The previous attack made the rest of his classmates fall into paranoia, lunging one by one towards me with the intent of ending me.
Students: If we kill him, it will all end, right?... Yeah, let's finish him, it's the only way, it all started when he showed up. Let's go!
It is the mission's first day, and I am already in trouble. Now I understand why the other agents died at the hands of a stampede of students… I jump, dodge, evade, block, and avoid all their strikes… but they keep coming, one after the other. So far, I have taken out 15 students. I still have 25 more left. As I keep fighting, I start to wear down. I can feel how I am running out of breath.
Students: Guys, with these garden tools we will kill him easily!
Guty: Where did they get those…?
The situation is tough as it is, but now they are armed with garden scissors, pikes, shovels, and even machetes; if this does not stop, no students will be left in this school. I wonder why no one has come to stop this. While I was still processing that thought I glanced at the windows of the school where I see the teachers, just watching, frightened by this scenario. They are scared to intervene, this school has no authority whatsoever. The only authority is the one each student has over their own hands.
I could simply let them beat me and show them the big mistake they just made… although I refuse to see a bloodshed so early in my mission. Even though I am cornered by them, I still think I can make it.
Students: Give up! It's just you against all of us! There's nothing else you can do!
Guty: Stop, we can still talk this through….
Student: Sounds as if YOU had us cornered. Don't you see you are outnumbered and unarmed? Aren't you afraid?
Guty: There is only one thing that I am afraid of, but it is beyond your comprehension.
Student: What could it be?!
They are filled with rage and adrenaline. Willing to take any and all actions they deem necessary.
Guty: The one thing I fear is… Myself.
Student: Oh, c'mon!
The students circle me to attack, trying to take my life, after a sigh… the battle continues when, suddenly, a scream snaps us out of it.
Akasha: Stop!
The scream halts everyone. The silence following it feels as heavy as a tombstone over our still-living heads.
Akasha: What are you all doing?
Her voice stopped them in their tracks. Then, as a storm after the hottest summer, she starts weeping. I am not far from astonished… Her crying could really sweep away an entire town.
Akasha: Why… are you all doing this?
Students: Akasha, … forgive us, she is right. We're acting like animals.
Finally this agony ended at the hands of Akasha. As her classmates try to soothe her, I just watch from a distance. I glance at my watch and only 5 hours have passed since I first arrived and all of this chaos broke loose… thankfully, there's only one hour left, so I head to my seat and wait for the bell. I have a feeling we might leave early…
The day is over, I walk towards the school bus and find an empty seat. It was a first day that could have ended very badly. I'm surely off to a rough semester… I look at the school, maybe there is not much time left for this place, it all depends on how well I can do my job…
Akasha: Can I…?
Guty: Hmm?
I did not realize she was here.
Guty: Sure, go ahead…
She sat down and we did not say a word to each other, until one of us, inevitably, broke the silence.
Akasha: Are you okay? Did they hurt you?
Guty: I'm always okay…
Akasha: Maybe this time, but it could have ended very badly. It was horrible… in the end, I could not bear it, I could not believe they were actually going to do it…
Guty: Fear does great tricks on the mind…
Akasha: Weren't you scared? You looked so unbothered, it was scary to watch, you know…
Guty: Fear… Do you really need an answer?
Akasha: Please…
Guty: I'll tell you some other day, this is my stop. I'll see you tomorrow.
Akasha: But…
A small sigh leaves her mouth…
Akasha: Alright, take care…
After what felt like a long ride back home, I finally got off the bus. The bus stop is right in front of a crystal store, some mirrors facing the street, so I try to look for blood or something similar on my uniform. Luckily, there are no stains.
In that moment, something catches my attention, the door of the bus is still open and it is about to leave, but at the very background of the bus I can see a smile full of evil, its eyes pierce my back as if it wanted to tear me apart, the eyes of a killer… thirsty for blood, nonetheless the darkness inside the bus would not let me see their face.
As the bus leaves, the evil face vanishes in the dark. I could feel death on my back…
Guty: Akasha…?