Worlds Beyond: Shattered (ON HOLD)

Chapter Four

A corpse.

I couldn't stop the scream that erupted from my throat, clasping my hands over my mouth tightly to contain the contents of my stomach that threatened to make their way up my throat. I stared in disbelief at something I wish I could forget.

It reminded me so much of my nightmares. I didn't mind seeing things like this in my dreams because they were not real. Just things made up from my imagination, things that wouldn't happen in real life. But this was real.

Someone had been brutally killed.

Just moments ago I was dancing with Cain, joking around with Jaden and everything seemed so normal. Who could've done something this horrible? It wasn't just a killing, it was straight up murder.

"What the fuck happened?" Cain snapped at the girl that was kneeled down closer to the body. She was trembling and her young face twisted in agony, tears pouring down her rosy cheeks. Was she the one that found the body?

"I-I was just walking a-around the garden..." She stuttered, her eyes still locked on the body next to her, "I heard a noise and-and suddenly this... fell f-from the tree and... I don't know what happened..." Her voice trailed as she began to cry harder, two girls approaching her cautiously to move her away from the body to cease her tears to no avail.

It fell from... the tree?

I looked over at the tree just behind the body and studied it for any clue that could tell us what happened. The tree itself was quite big, the old trunk coated in blood that dripped from the leaves above.

"Whoever did this must've hidden the body up there," Jaden said grimly beside me, moving around the tree to look for clues as well, "I would say they hid it out of fear of bein' found out over an accident, but that guy's more chopped up than a turkey in thanksgivin'. This ain't no accident." I nodded with a grimace at that, looking around at the bloody scene. How could something like this happen at a prestige university? It made no sense. Or maybe that's what this person was going for... to do something like this where you'd least expect it.

Some people had gone off to call the principal to inform him of what happened, others calling the authorities. I could see Sel and A were also in the group, staring down at the body in utter shock. There didn't seem to be any clues here, just that whoever did this had some real issues. I noticed as Cecil made his way through the crowd, pausing for a moment to look at the scene at his feet with a calm expression. He looked up and caught me staring at him with a confused frown. How he could remain calm after seeing this was beyond me.

"What happened here?" He asked calmy as he approached me, standing next to me to look down at the corpse at our feet with an expression void of emotion.

"Someone found this... student, he fell from the tree over there. There's not many clues, only that the body was probably hidden in that tree for some reason."

Cecil hummed at that, folding his arms over his chest and rubbing at his chin thoughtfully. Cain walked towards us slowly, frowning at the body as he kneeled down and dipped his fingers in the red blood that still oozed from the corpse. He brought them over to his nose to sniff at it, spreading the liquid between his fingers.

"No offense, but that's disgusting. What are you doing?" Cecil grunted at Cain's actions as well as other people and honestly, even I felt a little disgusted at what he did.

"Who the fuck are you? Are you lost, princess?"

"As lost as your sense of ethic, sweetheart. Probably your morals as well."