(⚠️Warning: Description of corpses⚠️)
-Seungmin's POV-
The halls were packed as people moved in different directions, the sound of chatter and closing lockers causing a wave of nostalgia to hit as I continued to drag a disgruntled Jeongin through the maze of people. To most he looked blank, but thanks to the years I've spent learning how to read him, I could tell with only a glance that he was annoyed.
"Why do I need to go with you to lunch detention?" I looked over my shoulder as the hallway congested too much to move through, and he met my gaze with disinterested eyes.
"Because Felix and Jisung are following a lead, and the others are busy with classes. I'm the only one available to keep you company, so wherever I go, you do too." Even as I turned back to look in front of me I didn't miss the way he rolled his eyes, his moodiness getting the best of him as he followed my lead to an undesirable destination. What a brat. "Don't make that face, Innie. At least we get to see Hyunjin trying to control a group of students. That should be entertaining."
"Didn't he say lunch detention was empty yesterday?"
I hummed. "It's probably not gonna be that way today." I not so subtly shoved a girl out of the way as I guided Jeongin through the mass of bodies, and I could feel his gaze on the back of my head as he continued to ignore the people around us. He was doing a lot better than we thought he would, and though his brattiness had increased since we first arrived, Chan suggested it was his way of keeping calm in an uncomfortable environment.
"How are you so sure?"
My lips quirked up as I once again looked at him from over my shoulder, and I grabbed the handle of the art room's door before pushing it open. "Because today, people know that Hyunjin is the one in charge of it."
My dramatic statement was supported by the sight of a full class, gaggles of girls grouped up around the room as they talked amongst themselves. They all seemed a little too happy to be in lunch detention, and Hyunjin was visibly confused by the sight in front of him.
The poor guy was slumped in his seat as he seemingly racked his brain for an explanation, apparently oblivious to the admiring eyes watching his every move. For someone so skilled at reading people he was painfully oblivious to the crowd he had drawn in, but as he looked up to see me and Jeongin entering his classroom, he visibly relaxed.
He knew better than to treat us differently from the rest of the students, so while he obviously wanted to approach us, he kept himself in check and simply gestured for us to take a seat, much like he had probably done for everyone else that had arrived.
As soon as we had made our presence known the group of girls were no longer focusing solely on Hyunjin, and as we moved through the packed room, Jeongin stuck to me like glue. He was clearly uncomfortable with the eyes that followed us as we approached some of the few unoccupied seats that were left, and I glared at the people I caught staring as I angled myself to block Jeongin from their view.
Our hyung's weren't the only ones who drew the attention of the students, but while our hyung's were offered the safety net of being a teacher, the rest of us didn't have that. The student's were a lot more shameless around us, and didn't bother hiding their stares.
Jeongin ended up drawing the most attention, because for some reason, people seemed to find Jeongin's aloof nature rather interesting. He did his best to ignore those around him, but this only made them more persistent in their pursuits. So far it's only been a few dirty comments here and there, but it's already starting to escalate.
Felix was also struggling with this, though he dealt with it much better then Jeongin did. He was rather popular back when he was actually in high school, and easily fell back into the role of the attractive foreigner with a cute and bubbly personality. People were naturally drawn to him, and he was enough of an extrovert to not be bothered by it. He smiled at everyone he passed in the halls, and they never failed to smile back. He humored those who simply wanted to hear him speak in his deep voice, and he even allowed a girl to paint his nails during break. People seemed to love him, and it wasn't hard to see why.
Jisung, despite his anxiety, was doing rather well. He preferred to walk with one of us while in the halls, and we chose to avoid the cafeteria yesterday and instead ate outside, but when he was in a class taught by one of our hyung's, his personality slipped out a little. People were amused by his humor, and found him to be just as bright as Felix was, but in a more timid way.
Honestly, this should have been expected. My boyfriends were all rather attractive, and also now stuck in a building filled with hormones and teenage angst. The result of this combination? Exactly what was currently happening with Hyunjin.
As soon as the bell rang the room fell silent, and the students no longer attempted to hide their stares as they all turned to Hyunjin with expectation. His response was to blink, his expression as blank as Jeongin's. "That was kind of creepy, guys. Like a hive mind."
This one comment was able to elicit giggles from almost every single girl in the room, and me and Jeongin looked at each other before rolling our eyes. I couldn't exactly blame them. If you weren't used to Hyunjin's charms and the most attractive guys in your life were the male student body of this crappy prep school, then it's only understandable that people would end up fawning over a bunch of new and attractive teachers. And while he definitely wasn't charismatic in the typical sense of the word, he had a charm that was difficult to not eventually fall for. Especially since said charm was unintentional.
Hyunjin leaned back into his seat, his expression making it very clear that he was unsure on what to do next. "So did you guys, like . . . all get caught at a party, or something? Did you get caught robbing a bank? Seriously, why are there so many of you?"
Once again his words were somehow able to make the entire room giggle like love sick teenagers, but I guess sense that's what the room was currently filled with, it was to be expected. He finally seemed to notice the girls didn't intend to do anything but stare at him with heart eyes, and his confusion only grew.
No longer finding entertainment out of Hyunjin's struggle, I moved to pull my laptop out of my bag, but because of the lack of desks, I was forced to balance the device on my lap as I signed into one of my work accounts. I didn't hesitate to start working on decoding whatever virus was used to tamper with the cameras, well aware that no one in the room would be skilled enough to know what I was doing. I would honestly be surprised if they stopped drooling over Hyunjin long enough to even notice I was on a computer.
I could feel Jeongin lean over my shoulder slightly as he watched me. He had told me long ago that he found it satisfying to watch me type, and would often come into my room for that exact purpose. I didn't mind him hovering over me, and I tuned out my surroundings as I focused on the numbers flashing across my screen. If something happened, he would alert me, so I was able to let my guard down as I felt him rest his chin on my shoulder.
Whatever code they used to hack into the security system was encrypted, but the way they did it was rather odd. Code is a language, in a way. And like all languages, there are different ways to speak it. The code they used seemed more like a patchwork of different coding techniques instead of one consistent style, which had its pros and cons. While this makes it more difficult for others to decipher, it also takes more time to write and is weaker than more straightforward styles. That meant whoever did this had plenty of time to hack into the camera's operating system, and was most likely trying to buy themselves time instead of actually trying to stop people from reversing their code. Sadly, this didn't mean much. The entire purpose of hacking into a camera was to create a timeframe of unrecorded freedom. All this meant was that their coding style was perfectly matched with its purpose. Most would assume this meant whoever hacked into the cameras was smart for doing it that way, but the only reason they had to code the way they did was because they weren't skilled enough to do it without people noticing. That meant the culprit was a novice. And if they were a novice, I could track them.
My thought process was interrupted when Jeongin removed his head from my shoulder, and I looked up to see a girl hovering over us with hateful eyes. The entire room was silent as they watched her stare at us, and I could see Hyunjin rolling his eyes from the front of the room, almost as if something like this had happened before.
She simply stood there, staring at us with a level of contempt and disgust that was rather shocking to see from a stranger. However, that was all she did. Even after she succeeded in gaining our attention, she was adamant about holding eye contact for an uncomfortable amount of time, still as a statue as she refused to even blink.
It was creepy, but ultimately not worth my attention, and after a few more seconds of prolonged eye contact I looked back at my screen. As soon as my attention left her I noticed the way she tensed, but I was unfortunately too slow to stop her from reaching out to slam my computer shut. I flinched, fully prepared for my fingers to be crushed between the metal and plastic, but Jeongin was thankfully fast enough to reach out and stop the screen from closing.
He grabbed the edge of the screen and yanked it up right before it could hurt me, and the glare he gave her was enough of an indicator that he was already close to losing his cool. He said nothing as he glowered at her, and she didn't flinch at the violent hostility now coming off of him in waves. "Devices aren't allowed in detention."
"And killing someone isn't allowed on campus, but if you keep trying me, I'll gladly break that rule as well." His words were filled with venom as his knuckles turned white, and I set the laptop down near my backpack before resting my hand atop his shoulder. I gave it a reassuring squeeze as I leaned closer to him.
"Remember where we are." My words were quiet enough to only be heard by him, and he inhaled deeply before his grip forcefully loosened.
"Threats also aren't allowed. Apologize before I report you."
I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes, but I failed miserably. "If you're such a stickler for the rules, then why are you in detention? You got the hots for the teacher, or something?"
Her face twisted with disgust at my words, apparently repulsed at the thought of being attracted to Hyunjin. "You mean that can of crazy? Hell no. Now apologize."
"You're the one who attempted to hurt me. I'm not in the wrong, here."
Her glare only deepened as she stepped closer, and Jeongin stood up to block her from once again reaching out towards me. "Reach for him again, and I'll break your wrist."
"Alright, that's enough." Hyunjin's laidback voice was a stark contrast from the hostility radiating from Jeongin and the bitch, and his demeanor also seemed laid back as he made his way towards us. However, his expression was almost as dark as Jeongin's.
The bitch directed her glare at Hyunjin as he stopped about a foot away from us, and as expected, the sight of a serious Hyunjin was enough to earn even bigger heart eyes from the onlookers.
"I don't want to hear from you."
"And I don't want to acknowledge you exist, but sometimes life sucks. Now would you kindly leave my class before I call security?"
She scoffed. "Security? Seriously?"
. . . I kind of had to agree. It seemed like an overreaction, but I guess that was kind of Hyunjin's thing.
"Yes. You resorted to violence completely unprovoked, which shows you're unstable and have violent tendencies. You also refuse to mind your own business, and obsess over the actions of others. This combination makes you dangerous." Was he actually being mature? He was obviously overreacting in order to scare her into stopping, and was surprisingly handling the situation with a level of maturity I thought I would never see from him. "Also, you're annoying and I hate you."
. . . That seemed more like him.
"And you're way too childish to properly teach a class. If you report me, then I'm reporting you for how poorly you handle students." Her expression grew smug, but faltered when the only response she got was an unimpressed eyebrow raise.
"Go ahead, bitch. If you try to get me fired, I'm flunking you."
"As a temp, you don't have that ability."
He crossed his arms. "Watch me."
She froze, clearly trying to figure out whether or not he was bluffing, but when his expression of knowing confidence didn't falter, her resolve did. Hyunjin seemed to notice her hesitance, and he remained resolute as he continued to stare her down. "Now please leave."
"I can't." She seemed almost pained by this, and Hyunjin raised an eyebrow as he gestured for her to elaborate. She sucked on her teeth before muttering with a surprising amount of shame, "I have detention."
Hyunjin's expression slowly morphed into a sadistic smile, clearly enjoying her pain as if she was a terrible enemy he finally managed to defeat. "Is that so?" His tone was full of mockery, which she very much didn't appreciate, but before she could speak up he was already speaking over her. "What exactly did little miss snooty two shoes do to get detention?"
She huffed. "Fuck off."
"And now she's cussing? Oy vey."
Her fists clenched as she narrowed her eyes, meeting Hyunjin's calm gaze with one filled with fire. "I have no idea why you were hired as a temp, but I swear to god that I will tear down everything you have built here. You're messing with the wrong person."
He blinked. "Let me reiterate. You're annoying and I hate you."
The force of her slap was strong enough to force his head to the side, and his expression didn't change even as his cheek reddened from the blow. Everyone stilled, including the bitch who's hand was still raised.
Hyunjin sniffed before slowly turning back to her, and I grabbed Jeongin's arm before he could step in. He was rather fond of Hyunjin already, and though he would never admit it out loud, was equally as protective. It seemed to start after Jeongin officially apologized to him, because as soon as they made up, the tension between them seemed to disappear. And while Jeongin wasn't the touchy type, he put up with Hyunjin's clinginess and his weird obsession over touching the younger's face and hair. He seemed to trust him, most likely because Hyunjin had seen him at his worst and remained unfazed.
It took a long time for Jeongin to trust the rest of us. We spent a lot of time trying to prove to him that we wouldn't hate him for his violent tendencies, and that we wouldn't punish him for losing control. He attempted to hide the worst parts of himself, because up to that point, the only response he ever received for being himself was ridicule and abuse. But he and Hyunjin seemed to skip that step. Jeongin showed Hyunjin the worst parts of himself right out the gate, and Hyunjin was nothing but gracious. Because of that, Jeongin wasn't afraid to be himself around the older, and while he still felt guilt for what he had done, he was able to forgive himself because of Hyunjin. He didn't feel like a monster when he was with him, and there weren't very many people who could do that for him.
So it wasn't surprising that he attempted to step in, even though he knew Hyunjin wasn't actually in any danger. However, his interference would only make things worse, and we couldn't afford to draw attention unless it was absolutely necessary. Besides, the confident and sadistic smirk Hyunjin was now wearing was a pretty big indicator that he had the situation handled.
He stepped closer until he was right in front of the girl, and he leaned down towards her ear to whisper something to her. She made no move to step back, either because she was shocked that she hit a teacher or because she generally didn't care what he did in retaliation. However, whatever composure she had seemed to melt away as he whispered something to her, and she visibly stiffened as he stepped back with that same cocky smirk. Everything he said was too quiet for the rest of us to hear, but his last line of, "It's your choice," was spoken at a normal volume.
A couple seconds passed before she let out a shaky breath, and the entire room was shocked when she bowed deeply. "I'm sorry." Her apology was gritted out, her knuckles white from how tightly she clenched her fists.
His smirk morphed into an innocent smile as soon as she apologized. "Apology accepted, but you should probably apologize to the people you tried to pick a fight with, as well."
"I didn't try to pick a-" As soon as she stood up to face him again she instantly noticed the way his smile had fallen, and he stared her down with a blank yet creepy expression. He was kind of scary like this. He changed his expression so fast that it was difficult to tell what he was actually thinking, and he seemed so assured that things would go his way that doubting him didn't seem like an option. That simple look was enough to shut her up, and she turned back to me and Jeongin with a reluctant expression. "I'm sorry."
She jumped when Hyunjin clapped, an innocent and joyful expression once again painted on his lips as his eyes turned to crescents. "Awesome. Now, go to the back of the room and shut it." She did so without another word, and all the girls that watched her seemed rather freaked to see her so obedient. That only supported the assumption that she was this difficult to deal with on a daily basis, but if that's the case, what the fuck did Hyunjin say to her to make her give in so easily?
He made his way back to his desk with the same calm demeanor he had when he first approached, and he took his seat before looking up to address the class, the innocent look of confusion once again making its way onto his features. "So like I was asking earlier, why are there so many of you?"
—----------------------------------------------------------
-Hyunjin's POV-
It would appear as if the night had it out for me. It was very rare for me to sleep through the night, and I awoke from even the smallest of disturbances. While living on the streets that was both a blessing and a curse, because while I very much liked the idea of being murdered in my sleep, not everyone who approached me had such harmless intentions. Even in a much safer place I still found myself to be an incredibly light sleeper, but even before I became homeless I had been that way.
My father raised me to be a light sleeper, because he said I would never be able to take over The Red Sparrows if I could sleep through an assassination attempt. The way he made sure I would wake up from any number of disturbances was unpleasant to say the least, and I still had scars from all the times I failed to reach his expectations.
While I was at the mercy of my brother I spent most of my time asleep. I had lived in the basement, but it would be more accurate to call it a cellar. I spent two years locked up in a small cement room, and the only thing in there other than me were the chains that restrained me to the wall. I was constantly in pain, and the only refuge I had was to sleep and pray that I would never wake up. But I always did, and it was always to the sound of my brother approaching the door to my cement prison. Every time I was stolen from the world of sleep it was to be tormented and tortured, so against my better wishes, my inability to sleep through disturbances became not just a tool, but a hindrance.
A hindrance that meant I couldn't sleep unless it was completely silent. A hindrance that meant even a slight shift in lighting would wake me. A hindrance that meant I would sometimes wake up to the illusion of still being in that basement. But I couldn't be upset about it any more. It was this hindrance that saved Chan's life. That was more than worth the frustration I felt every time I was stolen from the realm of sleep.
Oddly enough, I actually slept better when I was beside one of the members. I had noticed it when Jisung and Seungmin slept beside me that one night, because while I had assumed their breathing and movement would wake me every five seconds, my mind was somehow able to better drown out disruptive stimuli. My sleeping habits were a product of fear. It was a defense mechanism, because for the longest time, nighttime disturbances only meant that someone meant me harm. The only reason I could think of as to why the members helped combat this was because I felt safer in their presence. This didn't make much sense, because based on their own sleeping habits, most of them wouldn't be woken up even if someone was actively trying to stab them. But for some reason, it worked.
That was part of the reason I never minded when they barged into my room at night. There had been a few times where one of them requested to sleep beside me, whether it was because they had a nightmare or simply wanted to. Every single time I allowed them to, and every single time I slept better then I would have if I was alone.
But because I was both alone and in an unfamiliar environment, my senses were on overdrive. When I had first heard the footsteps coming towards my door I simply assumed it was a teacher walking by, but when I heard the telltale sound of the lock disengaging . . . I'll be completely honest, I might have panicked. I completely forgot the fact that the headmaster gave us all keys to each other's rooms in case of an emergency, and my sleep muddled mind assumed the worst as I reached for my pillow knife.
I gripped the handle as I waited patiently for the intruder to approach, but to my surprise, instead of getting closer they simply turned on the light. "It's Changbin. Don't attack me." I let out a relieved sigh as I sat up, my back letting out a satisfying and slightly concerning crack as I stretched. I squinted slightly, my eyes not fully adjusted to the light, but even with my blurring vision I could instantly tell it was Changbin. Like I said before, I never forget muscles.
"What brings you here in the-" my words were interrupted by an unnecessarily long yawn, and I smacked my lips before continuing, "-middle of the night?" I looked back up at him after rubbing the remaining sleep from my eyes, and he met my gaze with a baffled expression.
"Did you bring your pillow knife with you?"
Oh, was I still holding that?
Sure enough I was still clutching the knife. It was rather impressive that I didn't cut myself when I was rubbing my face.
I tucked the knife back under my pillow before once again directing my attention towards him, and I shrugged when I noticed his expression hadn't changed. "Hey man, if you get to bring your belt glock, then I get to bring my pillow knife. It's only fair. Besides, knifey has separation anxiety."
He massaged his brow with a pained sigh. "Please never call it a belt glock. That sounds so weird. And you named it knifey?"
"About two seconds ago, yes."
He simply stared at me with a disbelieving expression, his hand still raised slightly as he seemed to question his life choices. "Usually I wouldn't be fazed by the things you say, but apparently I'm in the mood to be flabbergasted. But we don't have time for this. Get dressed into something you don't mind getting dirty."
As soon as his words processed I wriggled my brows suggestively, but his serious expression didn't falter. I grew slightly concerned by this, and I removed the covers before swinging my legs over the side of my bed.
"Is everything okay? Usually you wouldn't have hesitated to make a dirty or flirtatious joke."
I stood up and made my way to my suitcase, and I rummaged through the clothes I had brought but didn't bother to hang up. Thankfully none of them wrinkled, and heeding his warning, I chose a simple black tee and sweats.
"We found the teachers."
I looked over my shoulder to see him wearing the same serious expression, and his tone gave me all the clues I needed to make an assumption. "Are they . . ."
He nodded. "This is no longer a missing person's case, but a murder investigation."
—--------------------------------------------------
The walk to the lake was silent except for the chirping of crickets and the lapping of the water against the shore, and while the ambience was rather peaceful, it was obvious this peace wouldn't last. Storm clouds were brewing on the horizon, the stars slowly being swallowed up by the growing darkness. Birds flew past us as we continued down the trampled path, most likely to escape the upcoming storm that was already making the air smell earthy.
I continued to follow him as we walked along the shore, the path clearly not a planned one as tree roots sprung up from the ground and foliage grew back up through the worn down dirt. The longer we walked the closer a light in the distance became, and as we crossed a rickety wooden bridge, the sight of a wooden structure became apparent. Light spilled out from the windows and illuminated the space around it, the large building acting as a sort of beacon on the lake's shore.
We walked up the stone steps of the structure, and as we made our way through the large double doors, the scent of earthy decay wafted past us and into the open air. The scent was slightly startling, simply from its intensity and unexpectedness, but as I was used to the scent from my previous encounters, I remained unfazed.
The building turned out to be a canoe hut, large wooden canoes hung down from wooden beams that made up the structure of the unfinished ceiling. Past the canoes was an expanse of open space in the center of the wooden building, and it was in this expanse that the bodies of the missing teachers were laid.
The others were all busy with work, their expressions both serious yet not necessarily disturbed as they focused on the corpses laid before them on the large tarps. They seemed used to this kind of work, as well as to death in general. Not that I had any right to judge.
Felix and Chan seemed to be performing an autopsy on one of the corpses, and while this wasn't exactly the best place to perform such a thing, it was most likely the best they could do. There were no other places they could keep the bodies on campus, and they most likely had a good reason as to why they weren't sending them to a morgue. They still kept the procedure incredibly sterile, and while I had no idea where they got the supplies, the space around them seemed perfectly designed for such an act. They had all the tools necessary for cutting into someone, the right gear for magnifying smaller details, and even a mini stadium light that illuminated the body with a bright white light.
One of the other bodies was being examined by Jisung, though much less intrusively as he hadn't deemed it necessary to cut into them. Every time he noticed something he jotted it down, and he already had two pages full and was working on the third. He was surprisingly observant for someone who struggled to take things seriously, though work was definitely one of the exceptions.
Jeongin and Seungmin were doing something on a computer, though because technology wasn't exactly my strong suit, I couldn't exactly tell what. And Minho was busy taking pictures of the bodies and the items they most likely found on them.
Every single one of them wore surgical gloves, and me and Changbin were quick to follow suit as he handed me a pair. I slipped them on as I walked deeper into the hut, and I approached Jisung who was already halfway through the third page.
All of the bodies were abnormally bloated and blue, their eyes a milky white as they stared into nothing. They appeared to have been submerged in water for at least a couple of days, and based on the rate of decay, it was safe to assume they had been dumped into the lake. Signs of wildlife activity were visible on all of them, their skin showing signs of being eaten away and their eyes partly missing, most likely having been eaten by the lake's inhabitants.
The body that Jisung was observing was fully bare, which allowed the wounds on them to be completely visible. Rope burns were visible around the wrists and ankles, and the severity of them combined with how long they were all missing suggested he had tugged at them rather harshly.
A large and deep slit on the front of the man's throat suggested a possible cause of death, though because the water washed away all the blood, it was difficult to conclude whether or not they had their throat slit before or after death.
All of them had their throats slit, and from what I could see, also had similar rope burns. This could suggest the same killer, though assumptions could never be trusted.
I had seen plenty of corpses in my life, but I was never taught how to properly examine one. The things that I noticed were only a small percentage of what Jisung had, which was evident by just how much he had written down. I wanted to enquire, but breaking his concentration before he finished his examination would be pointless and counterproductive.
With this in mind I stood back up, and I found myself at a loss for what to do. They all seemed to be busy with something, and I wasn't skilled enough with this type of thing to offer much assistance. Changbin seemed to be having a similar issue, because while he also wore a serious and focused expression, he was still stuck lingering near the entrance.
We locked eyes as I made my way towards him, and he smiled slightly before turning his attention back towards the sight before us. I moved to stand beside him, and we watched on in silence as the others continued to find clues.
It wasn't a very nice feeling to not be able to help, but I knew if I was feeling that way, then Changbin must be feeling it worse. We were both out of our depth, but this wasn't exactly something I did for a living. For Changbin it was his profession, and while investigation wasn't the main part of what they did, it was still a part of it. But I guess they all had different skill sets. Changbin was better in a more hands-on or tactical situation, and while I'm sure he had some understanding of how to properly investigate, not everyone had an analytical mind.
My focus was interrupted by a shadow moving just outside one of the windows, and I nudged Changbin before gesturing towards it. He instantly stiffened, and he signaled me to move towards the window as he backed up towards the door, most likely so he could go around the side and catch them. I nodded, and though I wasn't fully certain on what he wanted me to do when I got there, I assumed diving through it would work just fine.
I lowered myself into a crouch as I slowly approached the window, making sure to stay out of sight from whoever was peeking in. The window was open, and I couldn't for the life of me remember if it was like that when I first arrived. There was no telling how much this person saw, and as the student's and faculty had a strict curfew, it was either a rule breaker who came across something they weren't meant to see, or someone who felt we came across something we weren't supposed to.
Thankfully the window was angled in a way that made it impossible to see the front door, and as Changbin silently made his way through the door and closed it behind him, I pressed myself against the wall right next to the window.
The figure was still there, though I wouldn't be able to identify them without revealing my location. And while I'm certain they would stay there long enough for Changbin to catch them, he had motioned for me to go to the window. Certainly I was supposed to do something, right? Otherwise he would have signaled for me to stay put. So . . . . Yeah, I think leaping through the window was what he intended for me to do.
I lowered myself so I could move right below the window without being seen, and I crouched and rested my hands against the ground so I could propel myself. After a deep breath I moved, and I leapt forward before grabbing onto the edges of the window and launching myself through. Thankfully the window was rather large, and as I seamlessly leapt through the window and onto the dirt ground, the figure startled backward before turning and running towards the nearby forest.
I darted after them, the sound of footsteps running behind me being a rather big indicator that Changbin was right on my heels. It was too dark to see who the figure was, but they were surprisingly agile as they pushed past the foliage and into the cover of the trees.
I was able to quickly close the distance, and as they stumbled slightly over a tree branch, I took advantage of their slow speed in order to reach towards them. They managed to dodge my hand, however, and they once again darted through the trees and further into the darkness.
It was only when thunder rumbled in the distance that I remembered why it was so dark, and I cursed under my breath as I continued to dodge trees. I was skilled at running, and rather fast too, but I wasn't used to this type of terrain.
However, the person I was chasing seemed to have less stamina than me, and the distance once again decreased as their pace slowed. This time when I reached out for them I managed to grab onto their shoulder, and I pushed them forward as they stumbled over their feet.
They fell to their knees, and I was quick to kneel behind them before raising a knife to their throat. They were clearly out of breath as they panted, and because I was now right up against them, I was able to recognize them.
The man was rather fit for his age, his silver speckled hair slicked back, though because of the chase, a few strands had fallen loose. His lithe form had a lot more muscle than I was expecting when I first saw him in his office, and even though he was out of breath, most people his age wouldn't have been able to run so fast.
"Headmaster, why were you watching us?" My voice remained calm as I kept the knife to his throat, because even though he was being suspicious, I couldn't automatically assume his guilt.
He only needed a few more seconds to catch his breath, and by now, Changbin had already caught up. I looked at him from over my shoulder before giving him a disappointed look. "I don't know why you told me to leap through the window. That was a terrible plan. We almost lost him."
He gave me an unimpressed look as he crossed his arms, though his attention was quickly directed at the blade in my hands. "You took your pillow knife with you?"
"He has a name, and no. This is my shoe knife."
". . . You're wearing crocs."
I shrugged. "Never said it was from this pair. And that's what you're caught up on? Not the fact that I outran you while wearing crocs in the middle of the forest?"
"No, but I am curious to know why you decided to wear crocs to a crime scene."
"Because no one else would wear crocs to a crime scene, and I wanted to be unique. Now I can't believe I have to be the one to say this, but I'm currently holding someone at knife point, so could we please be serious?"
"Oh, right." He moved around me so he could face the headmaster, his expression once again serious and he crouched down to be at eye level. "Wanna explain why you were watching us?"
I could feel the way he tensed, but as a raindrop landed on the tip on my nose, I sighed. "Actually, we should probably take him back to the hut. It's going to rain, and I don't feel like being in the middle of the forest while a storm is brewing."
Changbin seemed to debate whether or not we should try to take him all the way back, but as more raindrops began to fall, he eventually huffed. He stood back up before pulling out his belt glock, and he pointed it at the headmaster so I could get up. "You try something funny, and I'll shoot you in the leg. Try something I don't find amusing and I'll shoot you in the face."
—--------------------------------------------------
I kind of felt like I was in some kind of cult. This wasn't the first time I've been a part of a group surrounding someone tied to a chair, but this was definitely the least fun. While the members were startled at first when Changbin and I entered with the headmaster at gunpoint, a quick explanation was all it took to get them on board.
And while I'm certain the headmaster wasn't too pleased to be tied up to a chair, as soon as he realized we were all armed, he was quick to relent. It might also have something to do with the sight of the bodies in front of him, and while he seemed emotional over the sight, he wasn't disturbed. He viewed it with a level of calmness only earned when you had seen your fair share of bodies.
As expected, Chan was the one who took charge of questioning, though because we weren't certain of the headmaster's intentions, his usual tactics of torture were off the table, much to the disappointment of Jeongin.
"What were you doing outside at this time of night?" Chan remained frighteningly blank as he leaned over the man, and the headmaster met his gaze with a calm expression.
"It's not what you think. I got an alert that someone tripped the motion sensors in the canoe hut, and I went out to investigate. When I saw you guys with their bodies, I . . . I wasn't expecting them to be in such a shape. I knew it was most likely that they were dead, but I had held hope that they were still out there. When I saw them like that, bloated and rotting . . . I froze." His tone was grim and mournful, and I didn't notice any signs that showed he was lying.
"Why did you run?"
He scoffed. "I was startled when a form came at me out of nowhere, and when I finally processed it was one of you, I already knew what you would assume. I was hoping I could outrun him and avoid this misunderstanding altogether. Turns out even when my pursuer is in crocs they can still outrun me. One of the downsides to aging."
"Why are there motion sensors in the canoe hut?"
"Kids like to break in and use this place as a meet up. After catching one too many students' hooking up behind the canoes, I installed motion sensors in order to catch them better. Teenage pregnancy isn't a good look for a prestigious Prep School. And it's not the only place I've installed such things. Being in the military for as long as I had created a decent level of paranoia." His eyes trailed over to the bodies, his expression once again becoming sad. "And it would appear I was paranoid for good reason. But that's what confuses me." He locked eyes with Chan, his brows furrowed. "With the level of security I installed, it should have been near impossible for someone to do this. I used military grade security devices. They don't just fail. Especially not all of them. And definitely not without alerting me that something is faulty. Whoever did this most likely had a decent understanding of military devices. And it's not like I was advertising it, either."
His past in the military would explain not only his impressive speed and ability to move with ease in difficult terrain, but also his response to seeing corpses. All men had to enlist in the army for at least two years during their twenties, and it would appear the headmaster was enlisted for much longer.
"You know what this means, right?"
He quirked a brow. "That I'm currently the most likely suspect? Yes, I understand that. But as I know I didn't do this, I'll get you a list of every student with military parents, and every teacher who has already completed their enlistment."
Chan nodded, seemingly content with this, and he moved around the headmaster in order to remove his restraints. "We'll have to keep an eye on you still. I hope that isn't a problem."
"While I appreciate my privacy, I understand trying to protect it will only worsen my situation. You're free to do whatever you need, as you have been from the beginning. Just find out whoever did this to my teachers, and make them pay."
—------- To Be Continued —--------