Chapter 13: Toxic Love Part 3
12:05 P.M. Day Five
Mausoleum
Trial Room
Jibo spoke up after everyone had taken their spots. "I shouldn't need to repeat the rules of a trial, correct?" He asked. No one responded. "Very well then, you have until I call time or otherwise to solve this case." He waved a hand in the group's direction. "Begin."
As before, there was a moment of silence as everyone around the circle looked at each other. "So, where should we begin with this one?" Teresa asked.
"Unfortunately, the alibis don't seem particularly helpful, same as before really." Victoria admitted, running a hand through her ponytail. "Most of us were alone when the scream happened, and in different parts of the available grounds."
"Well, did Sabishī find anything the Surgeon left out?" Clarisse questioned. Said Surgeon in question was indignant at the perceived slight against his competence, but remained silent for the sake of getting this business over with.
"Actually, everything seemed as the report said." Sabishī confirmed, looking over everyone. "Though, I think I was able to figure out how he was stabbed at least."
"How he was stabbed? Is that really relevant?" Shawn wondered skeptically.
"As a matter of fact, yes." The Undertaker countered. "Specifically, from what I could gather of the angle of the stab and depth of blade penetration, I think that Adrien was stabbed because, at the time, either he or whoever it was that was holding the knife was running at the other."
"What?" Gary asked, confused.
"Either Adrien ran into the knife, or the killer ran into Adrien while holding the knife. They weren't just standing still at the time." Brooke translated, Sabishī silently nodding in confirmation.
Alexis glanced in the direction of the Ultimate Scarecrow. "Well, I would think a certain Scarecrow wouldn't need much strength for such an action."
Shawn shot a glare at the Brazilian, surprised and incredulous. "Seriously, I'm getting accused of murder again?!"
Alexis was unaffected, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest. "You were alone, and no one has seen you since yesterday. You could've been planning something up 'til now, and seized an opportunity when you found someone else all alone."
"h-Hey, don't try and pin this on me!" Shawn yelled, pointing at the Latin-American Mythologist. "You were alone too! You could've just said you were ogling the snuff paintings."
"Except, just like the last time, I have The Gallery's Curator herself as a witness to my lack of involvement in this murder." Alexis pointed out.
"Can confirm." Mackenzie helpfully chimed in. Some of the others still looked uncomfortable that someone was willingly checking out the paintings, but no one commented.
"W-Well, the Librarian had to've seen me, right?!" Shawn asked, shaking slightly as he directed his gaze to the Dragon. "I was in there for hours, and she was at the desk that whole time!"
Jibo turned to the dragon-woman in question. "Well, dear Librarian. Is this true?"
Saino thought it over.
Flashback
The drake threw the female against the cave wall, muscles bulging under the scales. She stared up at him, lust burning in her eyes as her wings spread. Their tails moved erratically, but gradually started moving in sync to each other as they coiled together.
Saino eagerly read through the pages, tail and wings quivering in excitement (and other things). This author, this sole human out of all others, they understood her. She turned the page, eager for more.
". . . I don't recall seeing the scarecrow, no." The Dragon flatly stated.
"OH COME ON!" Shawn yelled out.
"Wait." Victoria interrupted, "I doubt it was Shawn."
"And why's that, may I ask?" Alexis queried.
"Well for starters," the other girl explained, "we established he doesn't have much strength last time we were here. Could he really have stabbed someone?"
Alexis was unconvinced. "Strength wouldn't matter if he goaded Adrien into lunging at him. He's certainly annoying enough for it."
"Screw you."
"No thanks, straw is far too coarse for my tastes."
Kinsei let out a loud amused snort at that last comment.
"In any case," Alexis continued, "unless anyone has any further evidence to share on thi-"
"Uh, a-actu'lly," all eyes turned to the Banshee, "we uh, we di' find som'thin' a'bit odd in th' kitchen." Kelley hesitantly spoke up, playing with a lock of her hair as she looked around the room. "There was this rope noose off t' th'side o' th'room, an' it looked like it'd been used rec'ntly."
"The heck was a random noose doing in the kitchen?" Elle questioned.
"Hmm, forgot about that." Alexis commented.
"That's kinda a big thing to forget." Sabishī brought up.
"Well I didn't see you mentioning it."
"I was still going over the cause of death, Adrien wasn't strangled. Besides, Shawn's not strong or heavy enough to strangle anyone."
"A fair point, in both cases." The Brazilian conceded, bringing a hand up to her chin. "On that note, however, The Phantom of the Opera is known for, among other things, the title character using a Punjab lasso to kill people. Given Adrien's talent, I suppose it would fit with the 'theme', such as it were."
"So, what, does that mean that was Adrien the one that started the fight?" Gary asked, looking around the circle.
"Wouldn't be the first time that happened, unfortunately." Brooke grumbled to herself, only just loudly enough to be heard by the others. Some flinched at the reminder of the previous trial.
"Maybe it was planted to frame him or something." Elle suggested.
"How would that help anyone?" Gary questioned, incredulous. "He's the one that died, and it probably wasn't a suicide."
"Wai', was'it?" Kelley suddenly asked (someone had to).
"The angle wouldn't work for that." Sabishī explained. "Even if he was running at the wall or threw himself to the floor, it would've made for a different impact."
"Oh. Righ' then."
"Either way, that should probably clear Shawn as a suspect, right?" Victoria asked the group. "He's a scarecrow now, strangulation likely wouldn't even work on him."
"We could always check." Alexis offered helpfully.
"You keep your hands off me!"
"Well we could!" Shiro called from the staff ring.
"Shiro, no threatening the subjects that haven't been found guilty of murder yet." Jibo called out. The Executioner huffed, but stayed quiet.
"In any case," Victoria continued on, "he also would have no motive to go to the kitchen. He's made it clear he can't eat normal food anymore."
"If Adrien really did set all this off, he could've arranged for the Scarecrow to meet him in the kitchen." Alexis pointed out.
"Well why the straw man with an inch on him as opposed to practically anyone else?!" Brooke demanded, annoyed at the back-and-forth with the Brazilian. "He could've attacked Kelley so she wouldn't scream when a death happened." She noticed Kelley flinch a little at that suggestion. "Uh, n-no offense, Kelley."
"Uh, i-it's fine." The Banshee replied, rubbing her arm self-consciously.
"Well, either way," The Brazilian complained, "this still doesn't leave us any closer to finding who the murderer is."
"You'd be surprised." Eric spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "I think there's a way to work out who's really responsible for Adrien's death."
"Well then, elaborate please." Alexis responded, waving a hand his way.
Eric looked over the group as he spoke. "The noose was frayed at the actual looped part, which like Kelley mentioned earlier suggests that it was used. Whoever got attacked probably fought him off, knocked him to the ground - hence the mask getting knocked off his face -"
The Scarecrow interrupted. "Yeah, actually can I just say: wow was the other half of his face ugly. Like, damn."
"SHAWN!" Victoria yelled angrily, glaring at the straw man. "That's someone who died, what the heck!?"
"s-Sorry, just thought I'd bring it up." The tactless Scarecrow defended meekly.
Victoria's glare remained unabated. "Now is really not the time, seriously."
"Anyways," Eric called attention back to himself, "they fought him off, knocked him down, grabbed a knife, then ended up stabbing him."
"Sounds like a stretch, but fine." Alexis replied with a shrug, crossing one leg in front of the other. "How does that help?"
"Well, there's something else I've noticed." The Cryptozoologist stated, looking over to one of the other boys in the room. "John," he called out, getting the startled-looking Paleobotanist's attention, "ever since we woke up here, you've always worn that bandana around your hair. But right now, it's around your neck, and it has been since the investigation started. Could you take it off please?"
"N-Now wait just a minute. What are you suggesting here, huh?!" Elle demanded defensively. "John didn't do this, I already told you all that!"
"So you say." Eric responded, clearly skeptical. "But considering you were in your own room away from him, I find your word, and by extension his, insufficient."
"Well, then lower your standards cuz I know when he's lying, and I've only gotten the truth out of him."
"Whether you've said the truth is a different story, then."
"Now listen here, you bastard," The Paleontologist was getting more angry as she went, "John's innocent, ya here me! Innocent!"
"I disagree."
"I DON'T CARE!"
"ENOUGH!"
... The surprising part wasn't what was said.
The surprising part was who said it.
John Michelson, the Ultimate Paleobotanist, a man who hadn't talked in front of anyone else since they'd woken up in the mansion, had just spoken up.
Elle looked surprised and horrified, hands clasped around her mouth.
John looked around the circle, resignation in his eyes as he ran a hand over his uncovered hair. "I'm ... I'm sorry, everyone. I'm sorry that I tried to deceive you all, honestly. Clearly though, it wasn't going to work any more than when Logan tried it."
Everyone continued to look at the Paleobotanist, his words meaning slowly dawning on all of them.
"s-So, you are the killer?" Brooke asked, quietly.
John looked down at his podium, silent. Reaching up, he removed the bandana from his neck, exposing a ragged red line running from one side of the throat to the other. Rope burn, as from a noose.
"I can explain."
Flashback
John had made his way into the kitchen, hoping to find some sort of light snack before lunch. While he and Elle had avoided doing anything too strenuous this time, he'd still gotten a bit of an appetite from it. He was looking over the contents of the fridge, when-
swoop
Suddenly, rope flashed past his gaze and landed on his neck. Before he could register what was happening, the rope tightened, he found himself being strangled.
URK
Thrashing about as the assailant dragged him from the fridge, he could barely make out the tanned skin tone and the beginnings of a tuxedo. Adrien? The only part of his face that was visible from this angle was the half covered by his alabaster mask. While he hadn't really paid much mind to it before, from the angle John was currently at, the mask actually looked threatening as it loomed over him.
He couldn't do much more than struggle and try to get his fingers under the rope before he passed out - or worse - from the lack of air.
"This is what you get, you fucker." He heard Adrien say, a dark tone to his voice.
What? What's he- question later, avoid death now.
Getting an idea, John abruptly dropped to the ground, his fingers keeping the rope from restricting further. The unexpected shift knocked the Italian off balance. Seizing the opportunity, John grabbed the tuxedo shirt and threw the other man forward.
Adrien flew over John and roughly slammed into the ground. His mask went flying from the impact, exposing the disfigurement underneath (ew). That only seemed to enrage the boy further.
As Adrien leapt to his feet, John tossed the noose aside and grabbed a butcher's knife from a nearby counter. He held it out before himself defensively. "a-Adrien, stop!" He called out.
If the Opera Phantom was surprised that the silent Paleobotanist had finally spoken, he didn't show it. "Not after what you did, you sick fuck!"
"What, what did I do?!" He demanded, confused.
John's ignorance only seemed to enrage the Phantom further. With a war cry, he lunged at the other boy.
SQUISH
It took John a moment to process what had happened. That the knife was now buried in the Opera Phantom's chest. He let go of it in surprise. The man staggered back a bit, turned around in a half circle as though trying to process why his shirt was turning red, before he collapsed back to the floor.
"Dang," the Phantom coughed out, "I-I didn't even get to s-sing." His chest stilled.
The Ultimate Opera Phantom was dead, his final note unsung.
John stood in in shock, barely aware of a sudden piercing wail building up in the background. He ran out of the room, unthinking.
Present
"I ran for the Dining Hall, made my way around through the Foyer, and ducked into my room after Brooke and Sabishī left. I cleaned up any blood on me, hid the rope injuries as best I could think to, and just hoped that I'd fade into the background long enough for something else to happen." The Ultimate Paleobotanist finished explaining. His face was downcast, befitting a man facing his end.
The rest of the room remained silent, processing what had happened; how yet again, someone had been forced to kill to survive.
Tears started to stream down Elle's face, her shoulders shaking from quiet sobs at what was about to happen.
Finally, The Mastermind spoke up. "Well, if nothing more is going to be said, then it is time to vote."
"And a quick reminder," The Alchemist added cheerfully, "correct choice or not, if someone doesn't vote at all, they'll be receiving a punishment right alongside the culprit. Just in case you forgot or were unaware." He quickly glanced in The Homunculus' direction. "Wait, have we mentioned that yet, I forget." Said dual-toned boy just shrugged.
Quietly, everyone placed their votes. Elle remained unmoving, unwilling to move, refusing to act against the man she loved, the only person she really had left in the world from before the Tragedy. Seeing this, John placed his own vote, then hopped over to Elle's podium.
Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder, and turned her to face him. Teary eyes met calm ones.
"Elle, I love you." He pressed his lips against hers, tenderly, before hugging her.
She embraced her lover, tightly. "I love you, John." she whispered.
Moving a hand down her back and around her waist, he eventually grasped one of her hands in his own.
"Keep living."
And deftly moved it towards the podium, pressing the screen and registering her vote.
Elle moved back from his embrace, shocked and even feeling lightly betrayed that he'd done that. Before she could speak up, The Ultimate Biologist made his announcement.
"The results are in. In the end, all but one voted - correctly - for John Michelson, The Ultimate Paleobotanist. And one vote for Shawn Wagner."
"Fucking Seriously!?"
"John Michelson," Jibo continued unabated, "you have been found guilty of Adrien deGyle's murder. It is now time for your punishment. And since you seem to have already said your final words..."
Chains dropped down, latching onto the Paleobotanist and yanking him out of sight, the bandana falling from his grip in the process.
"JOHN!" Elle cried out, reaching up ineffectually towards him.
"Hee hee, time for some real fun." The Executioner said as he ran out of the room.
"Oh, I couldn't agree more." The Alchemist commented to himself as the screen came down. "I just could not agree more. Heh heh heh."
12:30 P.M. Day Five
Mausoleum
Punishment Chamber
The Paleobotanist was dropped into a room. It looked similar to the mansion's conservatory, only lacking in most of the plant-life. In the place of said plants, there was a giant mass of vines occupying the space before him. Shiro's voice called out from somewhere overhead.
"Behold: The Vines of Death!"
That didn't sound good.
Suddenly, sickly-green vines, laced with tiny thorns, whipped out from the mass and wrapped around his arms and legs. He attempted to pull free, but that just caused the thorns to dig in further.
As he struggled, more vines lashed out, binding themselves to his torso and pulling. Losing balance, he fell forward, landing under still more vines that dug their painful thorns into his body and pulled him further forward.
He couldn't escape. He struggled with all his might but that just trapped him further. The vines squeezed so tightly in some areas he could hear the bones cracking under their pressure. What even was this thing?
Then, as he approached the center of the mass, it appeared.
A giant, poison-green form, like a giant Venus Fly Trap, rose up before him, maw opened to reveal the rows of teeth-like protrusions.
He couldn't get away. He was going to get eaten by a plant that shouldn't even exist.
Finally, as he was hoisted into the air over the maw, a final vine, this one with thorns and spikes far larger than the rest, lashed out.
SHRASSH
His throat was torn out. Blood was spilling like a faucet into the plant's 'mouth'. He sputtered and convulsed for a few moments longer, before finally slumping forward, completely limp. The vines relaxed, and the body dropped face first into the blood soaked maw, which SNAPped shut around the upper half before receding into the depths.
The Ultimate Paleobotanist was dead. Reduced to a hungry plant's meal.
12:34 P.M Day Five
Mausoleum
Trial Room
Everyone was quiet, in shock (for the most part, Alexis actually looked fairly neutral) after the Paleobotanist's death. Elle was silently weeping, her knees giving way as she collapsed to the ground. All she could do was hug herself as she rested her head against the side of the podium. Her hand grasped her fallen lover's bandana tightly.
Mackenzie, naturally, simply sketched out the boy's final moments while Shiro walked back into the room, looking very pleased with himself.
"And thus ends this trial." Jibo announced, before coughing slightly. Then the coughing escalated to the point that he had to pull a cloth out of his coat to cover his mouth with it. After several seconds of ragged coughs - during which several members of the staff, most notably Syd, looked on with varying degrees of concern - he finally regained control of himself and stowed the cloth away, before standing quickly. "The second floor of the mansion will be made available to you all tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon." With that, the Mastermind left quickly, followed swiftly by the rest of the staff bar Sebastian.
The remaining participants continued to stand in silence for a few moments longer. Finally, Kelley and Sabishī made their way over to Elle.
"Uh, e-Elle? w-We should head back now." Kelley said quietly, lightly resting a hand on the other girl's shoulder.
Elle remained silent, but eventually nodded slightly. Stuffing the bandana under her hat and grabbing Kelley and Sabishī's offered hands, the Paleontologist slowly rose to her feet, before following the other two out the door. The rest of the group followed behind.
Five of their number dead in as many days.
And things would only get worse going forward.
[11 participants remain]
A/N: And so ends the second trial. Come back next time for some down time ... and possibly a little more than that.