The next morning the three of us awoke with various aches and pains all over our bodies. We tried not to let it bother us as we headed down to the dining hall to meet the girls and have some breakfast as we had done the day prior.
When we arrived in the common area, the atmosphere was drastically different from just twenty four hours earlier. Everyone seemed either sad or angry for some reason.
I could not possibly fathom that everyone would wake up cranky after the work out we had gone through. There was something else going on, and I needed to find out what it was. We found the first upper class-men that we saw and asked him what was up with everybody's behavior.
"Those damn upper ranks, they murdered two of the first year students who were late coming in from the training last night. The worst part is that they killed them right outside of our doorstep." The boy said through clenched teeth.
I was shocked that someone would actually murder two low ranking students, what had they done to deserve this? It was sickening to think that there was someone on our campus who had targeted them because they were in the weakest rank.
My mind was instantly taken back to when Aldin had threatened me after acquiring our abilities. Even if his words did not sound truthful that day, there could be many students with the abilities and the coldness to pull this off.
We walked away from the irate boy and walked into the dining hall. Gathering our morning meals, the three of us sat down and waited for the girls as we ate.
"That is so messed up man, just because they were weak they got killed by sone jerk off with a better ability? No, guys I cannot accept this school for what it allows to happen," Brady blurted out in a fir of passion.
"I hear you man, and I think we all feel the same way. However, as long as we are at the bottom rung of the school, we can't change anything," I said, staring him dead in the eyes.
It was at that moment that Dana, Linda, and Valerie approached our table looking just as sluggish as the day before. They all sat down with a huff and we understood why, the soreness was unbelievable.
They of course had heard about the killings and wanted to hear nothing about it while we ate.
"Thank you guys, we felt like we owed you our gratitude. If not for your actions yesterday, it could have been one of us who lost our lives." Linda said, suddenly standing up and bringing her hands to her face in a praying motion.
Brady leaned back in his chair and laughed, "As I have told these lads already, we are brothers and brothers stick together. With that being said, you are now our sisters, and brothers protect sisters with our lives."
As we sat and talked I realized that all of us were trying to keep the conversation busy. There were two options for this: One was to keep our mjnds off of the deaths and the possibility that it could happen again. The second was to try and delay the inevitable work out under Pain.
We all finished out meals and began to make our way to the arena. During our walk, we beard other students whispering about the murders that took place in the night. Apparently the victims' names were Don and Cheryll. They were the last ones to show up to the dorms after the training. When they were found, both bodies had been cut into many pieces, with all limbs and their heads removed.
My heart went out to these two unfortunate students, but what was done was done. I had a mission, become strong enough to defy those who looked down on me. But if this plan was to come to fruition, I would need people to rely on. I was sure that I could trust my new found friends, and when the time came, I would make sure that they came along with me.
For now though, i had no choice but to endure the torture of Pain and his training regiment. I knew it would all pay off in the end though, as I was fairly certain that the upper ranks relied heavily on their abilities, not their not their own physical strength.
We once again arrived at the arena and took to our designated spots, stretching as we waited for Pain. When he finally showed up, he held a smirk on his face.
"I heard that two of my flock in H rank were disposed of last night, what a shame. Let this be a reminder for all of you to not slack off on your training," Pain said as he began the day with the same brutal workout as the day prior.
Once again, everyone was exhausted by the end of the day. Again, most people who were able, carried others to the dorms, this time staying together in groups of four or more. As we all walked back, we couldn't help but jump at every slight sound that came from the darkness.
.........….
He watched tonight as he had just the night before, waiting for the weakest to show themselves. It did not matter if the students decided to walk in bigger groups as it only meant more targets for him.
He watched as a specific group of three boys and one girl started to fall behind significantly. Almost all of them complaining of muscle cramps and other various pains. They sat down to catch their breath before continuing onward, unaware of their current situation.
Since this group was a bit bigger, he could not risk even one of them making it back into the dorm. This would be the perfect spot to catch his prey.
That night, the campus was as quiet as it always had been, aside from a few moments of frantic screaming and the sound of flesh being sliced into ribbons.
He admired his handiwork and made his way back to the place which he called home. As he washed the blood away from his skin, only one thought kept repeating in his mind, 'I will rid this place of the weak'.