Theo directed his attention towards Felix asking ' Why do you think the event school trip from last year is related to this ? ' . Felix flipped the group photo they found on Prik's room and pointed at the symbols at the corner.
-.-- --- ..- / ... - .- .-. - .- .-. - .. - / ..-. .. .-. ... - / -.-- --- ..- / -.- .. .-.. .-.. . -.. / .... .. -- --
Grey commented ' Wait , that looks like morse code '. Theo questioned ' So, What does it say ? '. Pax glanced at Felix while slowly mumbling ' You started it first , You killed him ' , but it was loud enough to hear with just four boys in an almost empty room. Grey was now confused yet had also had a vague idea on what was going on , he spoke up ' Does she mean that someone killed somebody? But Who ...? '. Felix quietly suggested ' It's written behind the group photo from their school trip. I guess that has a meaning. Why was she absent from the trip '. Grey opened the record books saying ' Few years back , I couldn't go on the school trip with something going on with my family. I remember the protocol is to submit a letter for the absence with reason and parents signature to validate that reason. If that was the case back then , as it's set in 2014. It must be here somewhere', he flipped through the papers neatly gathered and arranged accordingly. Among the printed copies, the one handwritten caught their eyes. It was the letter from Prik addressing why she couldn't attend the school trip.
Pax summarises ' Alright! So , on the day of the school trip, Her father who drives taxi suggested to drop her but she did want to bother him and took the bus. When she got off at the airport, she panicked to see the police called her stating that this number was the last called number on her dad's phone. And they have called her to inform that her father has passed away from heart attack. When he was fetched out from his taxi , it was already too late. They were some bills in the back seat. That was the reason Prik couldn't attend the school trip. That's a medical reason, why did she say somebody killed him '.
Felix answered ' I don't know about that , but look at this '. He pointed it at the photo Pax fetched from the locker, it was the three victims posing coy for the picture under the album school trip. ' Guys , doesn't it look like it taken from a taxi ? ' , Grey's words put them in dilemma, a state of wrecked emotions. Felix trembling hands pointed at the timestamp on the picture, " 9.27 am , 03/04/2013 ". The time sang a familiar tune to them , Grey screamed ' Guys !!! The yellow notes. It was 9,27, bystander'.
Theo pondered ' Alright, 9 and 27 matches with the time but what about the word bystander? '. Pax massaged his temples saying ' I think , I might know the answer...', three pairs of eyes looked at him with anticipation. The boy continued ' On the letter it was mentioned, it was already too late when the services came to him. So, it means that man had heart attack while he was driving. Those three took a pic in the taxi. If you focus on the mirror, it reflects a rabbit doll hanging on the dash cam which is exactly same to the one on Prik's keychain to her school bag. I think those three were the passengers and just ignored the suffering man and left some bills at the back seat. Look at the date on the group photo, it's a week after. Maybe Prik connected the dots , that girl was bullied by the people who left her dad to die. That explains the keyword BYSTANDER '.
Theo nodded ' That's a sufficient motive, strong enough to kill '. Felix tapped his knee in rthym , mumbling ' The paperwork for moving out...proves the alibi was false. So , that's a crucial evidence to make Prik the prime suspect. But , we something that will make her the killer. what could that be..? '. Grey knocked on the table bringing back the attention ' As I was saying , the killer used formalin to suffocate her. Look at the table '. The boys went around searching for any anomalies , Felix and Theo glanced at each other confused as they couldn't see anything like that. Pax pointed out at the curve of the wooden table ' Wait..the bag on the table looks different, as if this portion got discolored '. Grey clapped his hands saying ' Yup , the alcohol lamp is supposed to contain Ethanol that's less toxic but Maple had switched them to Methanol cause her paper was on separating ethanol from methanol. The killer knew about it and took advantage of it , there seemed to be struggle. Methanol discolors the leather material when it comes in contact with it. The background is set in 2014 , where analog watches were the hype. If we are lucky , we can get the crucial evidence '.
Pax stood frozen in his tracks while quickly hid his trembling hands , Felix and Theo let out a sigh exclaiming ' I wish luck would be on our side'. They ran back to Prik's room , everyone had one goal " Find the damn watch ". They looked under the bed , opened all the drawers. Grey said a statement that froze the time for them , ' Guys ! According to the paperwork she moved out of the dorm. How can we believe that a evidence will be here when it's not even the killer's room '. The boys slouched on the floor , most were mentally and physically tired. Felix thought to himself ' I'm pretty sure this game was designed to end with us if we find something. So , the crucial evidence is here somewhere. If ain't the dorm , Where she could hide it...? Male dorm? , other rooms ? Staff room ? Rooftop ? Girl's washroom ? Science lab ? Lockers ? The classroom ? , it must in a place where nobody's line of sight falls at '.
Theo had something else going on his track of thoughts ' I can't read his mind , it's concerning me '. Grey was silently observing someone that looked calm despite of the internal roar he's feeling right now. Felix screamed ' Shiaa!! That was a word play ' grabbing the attention from others. They looked at him dashing towards the classroom , they followed him. He slammed open the doors , the lights went on automatically. The boy stood in front of the board glancing at something on the wall. He asked Theo to hold on the chair for support while he's reaching for the frame that had the school motto " God is watching us ". The realization hit the others like a crashing wave onto the shore ' The killer had placed the evidence on a place where nobody looks at which the frame that says ' God is watching us ' '. Felix slowly got down while tapping on the edge of the frame until it broke it two and a watch fell on the floor. The boys looked at each other , the moment that will determine whether it will be a celebration or a funeral. the bell rang alerted the last minute left to save their lives. They took a deep breathe and Theo placed the watch in his hands. Grey screamed ' It's pale brown , the sign of discoloration. We did it '. They had no time celebrate the moment , cause they haven't placed the evidence, the briefing has to be done. One negative thought ran through their mind ' What if we are wrong...? '.
The boys ran to the LED Mirror , the mechanical voice announced ' Stop the time '. They stood in a line they same way they stood on the first day they got here but in counterclockwise this time. Felix whispered something to Grey's ears ' Keep an eye on him '. They took turns explaining how they solved the case , the mechanical voice slowly modified into an unknown human voice that said " Thanks for your effort..."
-x-
YOU ARE READING
Room Of Requirements
Mistero / ThrillerFour boys ends up waking up in an isolated locked room. The death game starts as they open their eyes, the game that will require them to succeed. It was literally a do or die for them. They were instructed to solve missions in the mornings and solv...
