(Later that afternoon)
Harry, a fresher in forensic science, was trekking to a tuck shop on the west end of their department building. He met a group of middle-aged men he knew as security officers.
Harry: Ah, good afternoon, sirs.
Officer 1: Oh, Hans
Officer 2: Good afternoon,
Officer 3: Our able wrestler, so you remember us today?
Harry:'still with the wrestler tag.'
Officer 1: How is everything now?
Harry: I'm fine, sir. How's work? This one you people are enjoying your salaries today.
The officers laughed; they did so for a while, snickering at themselves.
Officer 2: Don't start, Harry. Won't you go and join your fellow students in your war?
Harry: war…?
The 40-something year old pointed at a sight ahead.
It was Vic!
And a mob of raging students surrounded him.
Harry: Can't you guys do anything?
Officer 2: …
Officer 1: That boy...
Harry: You mean Osas. That is as mad as they say.
Officer 1: That boy, he threatened us. He threatened us not to be involved.
Harry: That doesn't mean you should sit around and do as he says.
Officer 3: The matter is... complex.
Harry: Still (stomps his feet on the ground), you guys have to fight for what's right.
Officer 2: (raises his voice) He's possessed! A possessed maniac! He told us that he'll hunt down our families if we don't do as he says. Tell me, does that sound like what a normal person would do?
Harry:'mtchew' (walks away) cowards!
Officer 1:'sigh''
Officer 2: (bows his head)
Officer 3: That boy... he's always been like that.
10 minutes earlier
Vic and Paul were at the lecturer's office.
The one at their department.
He's checking papers, dust marks, and footprints. Since no one was there, he used the opportunity to look for clues as to where the lecturers had gone.
The place quickly turned into a mess. He and Paul searched here and there for anything that could pique their interest.
Vic: This place is so disorganised! (Tosses a drawer from its shelf to a corner nearby.)
KLA-NG!
Vic: Paul, have you seen anything?
Paul is sitting on the rug; a drawer labelled '100 level' sits in front of him.
Paul: All I'm seeing are student complaints.
Vic: Why won't they complain? (sticks his hand in vase)
Paul: 'Groan.' Where's the test questions? The answer scripts something forgeable!
Vic: (his hand, stuck inside the vase) C'mon, let's ditch this place. There's nothing here.
Paul: (looks at Vic) your hand.
Vic: Ah, it's fine!
He smashed his hand—the vase, rather—on the desk.
The clay, jade coloured vase shattered into a million pieces.
Paul: (jumps away) Lord of mercy!!
The shards were accompanied by some foreign objects.
Vic: Hey, hold on.
Vic took a squat and picked up a small see-through sachet, housing a white substance.
He took it to his nose and sniffed it loudly.
Vic: What is this? (Tosses it at Paul.)
Paul caught the sachet and sniffed it too.
Paul: It smells like (sniffs it again). cocaine
Vic: Cocaine, what's that?
Paul: (looks sternly at Vic) The mat teacher takes weed.
Vic: Oh, yeah. I knew. (He puts his hands on his waist and looks on the floor.) Hey, there's a note.
Paul: where? (looks around the floor.) Oh. (He picks up a small piece of paper.) 'Mtchew,' it's just a list of matrix . numbers. and my own isn't on it.
Vic: That isn't useful at all! (Slumps on the rug.) This place is a dead end.
Paul: But we've searched all the offices in this building...
Vic: so?
Paul: Let's give up!
Vic: No! (Stands up.) Let's go check the dean's office.
Paul: Are you mad? We can't do that! Let's just leave this place, guy.
Vic: (walks towards the door) Give me the key.
Paul: what? I don't have the dean's key.
Vic: (looks at Paul and stretches his hand at him.)
Paul: … (sticks his hand in his sweater pocket and brings out a bulk of keys.)
Vic: (snatches the keys from him) thief!
They left the office to a ring building, a grassy courtyard in the middle. The offices that surrounded it had their doors busted open; Vic refused to lock them, but Paul tried to close them so they would look unscathed.
They walked on the corridor, towards the main exit of the building.
Paul, making faces at the floor, stuck his hands in his pockets.
Vic, with his arms behind his head, moved his eyes here and there.
Vic: That newspaper... Why did it say it's only I and her that can stop all this?
Paul: What are you talking about?
Vic: I found this newspaper; no, I came across it rather. It can predict the future. And the future it's predicting now is happening as we speak.
Paul: (looks at Vic)... Okay
Vic: It has everything ( sticks his hands in his bag and brings out the daily 9)—everything about, well, everything.
He opened the daily 9, to the section on the kidnapping.
Paul:'Wait, he's serious?' So, even about Osas?
Vic: Hmm, no. I guess it's not really omnipresent as it is omniscient. Omniscient in time. Hey!
Paul: You can just use it and find your clues.
Vic: You're slow, Paul. I realised that. 'Hehehe' I know how we can win!
Paul: (brings out his phone) I wonder where Harry went (slows down, tries making a call) Maybe he's at the arcade... 'no network'
Vic: (still in the newspaper) Yeah, good for him.
Paul: But, (catching up to him) personally, I think it'll be nice without lecturers for a while.
Vic: Well, your thinking is wrong, dude; we need those guys as much as the next university, I think.
Paul: Be honest, guy, do you care about the lecturers?
Vic: Of course not; I just want to graduate, that's all. And I'm sure Bimbo knows what she's doing; she might even solve this case before I do.
Paul: (hears distant chatter) hm?
Vic: (looks up) What is that?
They get outside the building to meet a mob of students, with eyes and mouths packed to the centre of their faces. They were holding mop sticks and plaque cards with various quotes against lecturers in the air and talking among themselves in loud sounds. The heat of their emotions blasted at Vic and Paul; it startled them.
Vic: (tries walking perpendicular to the mob)
Osas: Kai, Where are you going??
Vic: uhm… away?
Osas: Victor, hmm, Victor, DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?
Vic: My name is Vic! get it right!
Osas: Because of you, Victor, one useless thing landed her hand on me.
Vic: Isn't that your fault though? I just stood there minding my business. Seriously though, guys nowadays are always looking for who to blame; no one's responsible anymore. 98 percent of you are harlots in trousers; getting all those harlots in skirts pre-
Student 1: Keep quiet!
Student 2: Men are victims!
Vic: Your father's a victim!
Osas: SHUT UP, YOU TALK TOO MUCH.
Vic: (rolls the newspaper and puts it in his bag, folds his arms.) Okay, what do you want?
Osas: First of all, what were you doing in that departmental building?
Vic: (looks to his side and behind himself to notice that Paul isn't by his side again.)
Osas: answer the question, you...
Vic: KIAA!!
Without warning, Vic took to his heels.
He ran away from the mob as fast as he could.
Osas: After him, after that Freedom Fighter.
'GRAHHH'
The mob stumbled and roused; they went at him, every single one of them, while shouting at the top of their lungs; their rage took to the skies. The ones that were holding plaques threw theirs on the ground so they would be more efficient.
Now Vic was a fast runner, faster than the average 17-year-old. He could clock 60 m/s if he was inclined to and outrun anyone who decides to chase after him. So to him, there was no chance of ever getting caught by anyone. His main goal now was finding Paul, who was supposed to be by his side, while avoiding the numerous protests that had broken out between the students. Most places in the school were in chaos; the 'no lecturers' group had blocked all the roads to the front gate and tortured any security officer who tried to call for outside help; the 'call the police' group was arguing with the opposing group, bringing up points and reasons that fell on deaf ears. They were desperately trying to call the police without being seen, and the peace group (who just wanted a calm society) were vastly ignored, so the members either joined the 'no lecturers' group to avoid being attacked or went to the hostels to ignore it all. All this took place without reaching the Senate building to avoid the wrath of the unpredictable VC.
Vic: Whoa, the school has become hell on earth.
(Late afternoon)
While her surroundings were in peril, Vivian was seen eating at a small and empty cafeteria far from the lecture hall. No one, but she went there, which was why she was always there to begin with. She's also reading an article on Amazonian history and laughing to herself at the people who failed at their quests for exploration, something no one else would laugh at.
Vivian: Hehe, losers!
The waitress, a middle-aged lady, was always concerned every time she saw Vivian.
Alone,
A normal sight at that point.
Mrs. Waitress: (tightens the wrapper on her waist) Madam! This one that you are laughing alone; when will you ever change?
Vivian: Change what? I'm perfect…
Mrs. Waitress: Stop saying that thing, please; I'm tired of hearing it. I see your mates passing by the shop, and they're always around their friends—but you're just on your own; that's dangerous. How would you survive through school?
Vivian: (looks at the woman) The same way I have for the past 17 years—and as far as I can tell, I'm not a ghost yet, I guess.
Mrs. Waitress: So, you want to die alone?
Vivian: Die alone? (drops her book) Why would I want to share a coffin in the first place?
Mrs. Waitress: Ah! (claps her hands) That's not what I meant. Oh, I mean that you don't want people to be by your side throughout your life? Won't you get married?
Vivian: Sounds uninteresting.
Mrs. Waitress: But don't you have at least one friend?
Vivian: Well, I have a lot of deep, meaningful conversations with myself; we tend to hang out with each other like all the time.
Mrs. Waitress: (cramps her eyebrows together) You're hopeless!
Vivian: (looks at her with a raised eyebrow)... Yay, lucky me (goes back to reading).
Mrs. Waitress: 'groans' (heads to the back of the cafeteria, muttering words to herself).
Silence…
Vivian: (slouches on the table with the book still in her hands) You wouldn't get it (drops the book); no one would.
A cold breeze blew into the room, and with it, Vic showed up at the cafeteria, out of the blue, jogging at a place and gasping out of breath.
Vic: PAUL! Where did you go? PAUL! (Looks into the cafeteria.) 'gasp' Vivian! You're here? What a charming surprise.
Vivian: 'groans' (she bows her head and puts her hands on her head) What is this?
Vic: I've been looking for you all over the school for hours now (runs over to Vivian). Well, I've been looking for mostly Paul, but you're good too. What are you doing here yourself? Oh, by the way, have you seen Paul? Or just forget; I don't need him again. I found a clue to finding the lecturers (slams the newspaper on the table, again). This would lead us to the lecturers, at least, that's what I think it would do. Here, look at it, look at it, see it, see...
Vivian: AH!! What? What? (She snatches and looks at the paper.)
Vic: It's a letter from the maniac that kidnapped the lecturers. I think if we can locate the owner of that handwriting, we'll be able to find and apprehend the abductor, yeah?
Vivian: (looks at him with one eyebrow slacked down and half her upper teeth open.) What? NO! That's… 'Sigh' (she shakes her head and looks back at the paper.) This is just the same news you showed me.
Vic: Yeah, I know (sit on the table), but get this, this info; that info has everything we need for this case.
Vivian:... eh?
Vic: It's filled with clues.
Vivian: … sure
Vic: 'Ugh' that story; it's from the future, yeah? After everything has happened. But in this present time, the events in that paper haven't been concluded yet. So if we use the future as a reference,
Vivian: (looks up) We can save everyone!
Vic: Actually, I was going to 'say'solve the case's, but yeah, you're right! 'hehe' I didn't know you cared.
She did,
She had her mind clouded with it since he brought it up.
'Save everyone'?
Easier said than done,
She couldn't do it,
She wasn't allowed to succeed.
Her mind was in a riot, and the distractions didn't seem to work as they normally did.
She furrowed her brows and nested her elbow on the table.
Vic could see her frustration being channelled inward; such things he noticed well.
Vic: hey! Vivian.
Vivian darted her eyes about, then looked at the guy's forehead.
Vivian: w-what?
Vic: What do you want to do now?
Vivian: I-it won't... It doesn't matter.
Vic: Yes, it does!
Vivian: I can't do it. I can't do it.
Vic: Then let's go, yeah? (Jams his fists and palm together.) Where two or three are gathered, there's nothing they can't achieve!
Vivian: That... is so corny.
Vic: No, it's not; my dad said it's from the Bible.
Vivian: (stands up and tucks the book in her bag; she looks at him blankly.)
Vic: 'Grins.' What's the plan, Amanda Waller?
Vivian: 'Smile's lightly' . First, we need to find the location of this 'Dotu' guy. (puts her finger on her chin) I'm guessing the place will be heavily guarded; we don't need too much attention, so we have to sneak past them, draw their attention to something else (shuts her eyes), and then the real trouble would be inside; we'd have to find the lecturers and sneak them out of the place somehow. This guy's probably experienced in these sorts of things, so he might have a secret base somewhere far from his place, somewhere they'd never find kidnapped people. So we just need time; if we look around his house for clues, then we might find something. A distraction... a huge distraction...
Vic: (his jaw drops, he shakes his head) or we just wing it, yeah?
Vivian: (opens her eyes and puts a palm on her forehead) 'That's sucide!' meh.
Vic: deal! Great plan, not, of course, better than mine.
Vivian: What's yours?
Vic: It's simple: we rekidnap the lecturers.
Vivían: 'This guy simply doesn't think.' Yeah, we'll do that, eventually.
Vic: 'ha-haa!' perfect!
Vivian: Osas's reign has to come to an end, and simply getting back the lecturers will not be sufficient. One way or the other, we're going to have to confront him. It doesn't have to be directly, but with the way things are going, it is inevitable.
Vic: I'm cool with that.
Vivian: right.
Vic carried the newspaper to his table, rolled it, and stuffed it in his bag.
Vivían: That paper is our guide, and there's more to it than we know, but we'll rely on it for now.
The two walked outside; they were greeted by the thick, humid air along with the stench of smoke.
Vivian: sniff sniff, cough cough
Vic: Easy now.
Vivian: I smell... tyre.
Vic: They probably burnt another one.
Vivían: another-
Tak tak
tak tak
Footsteps.
Vic and Vivían looked up; it was Harry. And he looked tense.
He was the first person they saw after leaving the cafeteria's alley.
But on his back was a student,
Unconscious girl bleeding from mouth.
Vic: Oh, Harry!
Harry: Vic (walks past him), can't talk right now.
Vic: Where to?
Harry: hospital
The school clinic.
Vic: alright. Hey, don't worry, yeah? Vivian and I are going to fix all this. You hear?
Harry: Good luck. It's bloody out there,
His voice was fading as he spoke.
Harry: Be careful.
His figure was that of a selfless hero, never hesitating to lend a hand to even strangers.
Vic could only imagine what went on in his head.
Vic: It stinks to be him.
Vivian: Tell that to a mirror.
Vic: (chuckle). So how did Harry not notice you? That was weird.
Vivian: … (silence)
His mind bounced back to Bimbo.
Vic: That's true! We should let Bimbo know this.
Vivian: We should?
Vic: yes! Trust me, it will not end well if I don't call her (brings out his phone and starts dialling).
As Vic was about to call the class rep, a bullet from above whizzed through the device, knocking it out of his hand. He looked in the direction of the gunshot and frowned at the guy he saw standing on the roofs, staring down at them.