The first thing Henry noticed the moment he exited the hostel was the number of cars parked just outside the building, they definitely weren't commercial ones judging from the dressing of most of the people who had brought them. Henry took a moment to scrutinize the building again, and then it hit him when he watched a student exit the hostel and hurry towards one of the parked cars with a number of luggage in hand. The school was about to turn empty as students had started contacting their parents for evacuation. He shrugged and then turned back towards the direction of the lecture halls.
The door's knob turned and then the door swung open just as he was about to walk in.
"Mr. Monroe, right?" Henry looked at the fellow who had just emerged from Mr. Parker's office with a note pad in his hand. He swallowed a lump before nodding in response.
"Found anything yet?" he asked timidly.
"We hope to," Detective Miles replied and then walked away almost at the same time. Henry pushed the door open and walked into the office. Mr. Parker's look at him as he closed the door gently seemed to tell that his presence wasn't unexpected.
"Henry Monroe," Mr. Parker said, hardly taking his eyes off the documents in his hands, "please do have a seat."
"Mr. Parker, what's happening around here?" Henry asked abruptly. The Professor took off his glasses and then slowly looked up at his student. There was a moment of silence which fell on them in the room, he sighed gently before he replied.
"That's what we hope to find out."
"That's what you're yet to tell the school authorities," Henry said firmly, "I'm not dumb you know, you've hardly even flinched from the moment all this started."
Professor Parker fell back into his chair with one arm resting on the armchair and the end of his eye glass in between his teeth without saying a word.
"You're right, I just might have a hint about what's happening here," the Professor replied calmly, "but there are no concrete evidences to prove anything."
"Three unexplained dead bodies isn't enough proof?" Henry said, trying hard not to sound overly disturbed about the whole thing.
"Enough proof for a serial killer?" Mr. Parker paused, "Yes."
"Is that what we're really up against?" Henry couldn't just believe he had actually heard that right, 'serial killers' were the least of their options right now and he sure did expect Professor Parker to at least know that.
"Like I said Henry, there are no concrete evidences to prove anything." The professor answered dismissingly. Henry's phone buzzed in his hands, he answered the call from Chris who told him to head over to the Vice Chancellor's office immediately.
"The death polls would rise even more Mr. Parker," Henry said, holding the door open, "hopefully we don't get to be part of it."
"Which is most unlikely," Professor Parker added as he watched Henry leave the office.
Henry found his way through the school to the V.C's office. A second visit in two days was more times than most students had ever even been in that block. He got past the receptionist and into the hallway where the office was. Just as he got to the door, the voices being heard from within made him stop at the door for a moment to take a deep breath before finally pushing the door open.
"The students said they heard noises," the detective from earlier was seated at the corner of the Professor Wells' table, interrogating Henry's two roommates who sat in front of him.
"Well that was me trying to force the door open," Kendrick answered, "the door seemed to have been locked from the inside."
Detective Miles paused when he noticed Henry's presence in the office, he gestured at an empty seat for him to join them. Quite unsure, he walked over to where they were, taking a moment to scan through the room again.
"Now I won't ask you about what you think about today's incident because you'd probably still stick to your story about 'being haunted'," the detective started after he had placed aside the note pad in his hand, "one thing I'd like to find out though, is how you always get to show up at the murder scenes."
"It's only normal that you place us as suspects," Henry said, "that's not going to solve anything."
"You don't believe in the unseen, right?" Chris asked the detective who scoffed at the question which sounded quite amusing to him.
"Not until I found out that the Easter bunny's all a stupid joke," he replied.
"I never did too," Chris answered calmly, "until I watched Mr. Edward murdered by nothing."
The detective went silent at Chris' remarks as though trying to take it all in. The door swung open and Professor Wells alongside Detective Maloney came through. Without a word, Detective Maloney started setting up a projector as the V.C and Detective Miles shut the blinds of the office. Henry's heart thumped against his chest as he started breathing through his slightly parted lips. Chris' eye came in contact with Henry's and then Kendrick as Detective Maloney backed away from the projector which displayed a countdown of numbers in black and white.
"Footage from the last 24 hours up until now," the detective said to them as soon as the hallway of the hostel's third floor appeared on the screen and then the entrance, stairway and also the lavatory appeared on the screen making a four display. The play back had lasted for about 4 minutes when Mr. Parker joined them in the office; he remained silent, watching the random movements of students across the hostel.
"Fast forward to this morning," Mr. Parker said to the detective causing him to turn to the professor with a questioning look, "do it."
The movements of the students on the screen went into a fast motion for a moment until the entire hallway, entrance, stairway and lavatory was empty. Henry's heart skipped a beat the moment something walked through the hallway in a flash, causing Chris's heart to leap and Kendrick to gasp.
=||=||=
Please don't forget to add to your Library if you haven't. I'd love to hear your feedback and hey...remember to Vote if you liked this part.