AN: Alright, new chapter at a more reasonable time, this one does get a little graphic with the execution so bit of a warning for gore.
Day 23, 1902 Hours, Trial Room
This time the trial room was decorated to match Rowland's talent. It was decorated with schematics and sheets of paper displaying facts when inspected closely that were pasted on the walls while stacks of how to books littered the corners of the room. Monokuma resided in his throne as per the other trials, and the new portraits of Rowland, whose portrait bore the plain 'x', and Perdita, her portrait was marred with a stylized 'x' in the form of crossed red opera glasses marking her as a culprit like Adam. There was also one standing in for Ferris, except it was only grayscale without the red 'x' showing that the chemist was still alive, or at least assumed to be alive.
John took his place between Paris and Chloe, watching as everyone else took their places as well. Shi-ru sulked in a corner, sitting on a stack of the how to books. John looked at the podium, realizing he had forgotten to note its form. It was stylized off basic desks. John looked up towards Monokuma in time for the bear to give his opening spiel.
"Okay, in case any of you are absolute morons, the purpose of this trial is to determine which of you blackened their name with murder! If you pick the correct student, they will be punished for their crime, pick the wrong student and everyone else will be punished, including our little absentee, and the blackened student will get off scotch free, now get on with it its getting late," Monokuma finished before settling back into the throne leaving the students to their own devices.
"I believe a basic breakdown of the trial as we know it is a good opening point." Alexander said, "Citizen Rowland was stabbed in the back of the neck in the storage room around five fifteen when he died, at that point Scientist Ferris was injured in the vicinity of the crime severely enough to require professional medical aid."
"Does anyone know where he ended up?" Barry asked, staring at Mary as she was directly opposite him.
"No," Alexander said, grimacing, "we were unable to locate him."
"Hang on," Paris said, before anyone else could interject, "you guys said that the nurse's office was locked when me and John ran into you."
"She's right, and it would make sense to seal the office against outsiders in case the murder tried to get in and finish the job."
"Okay, but the door didn't lock when I brought Paris in for Jane biting her," Chloe said, causing Jane to hiss at her in displeasure.
"Jane wasn't actively trying to escape though, she only attacked me and ran, not a full on murder so it might not have counted to seal the door," Chloe countered.
"It could also be that Ferris barricaded the door, with Shi-ru's help," John offered as an alternative, which Chloe acquiesced to.
"So, we're assuming that Ferris ended up in the nurse's office?" Mary asked, "We can't just do that, if we had gone off assumptions in the last trial we would all be dead."
"It might be better to examine the actual murder closer before we worry too much about where Ferris got to," Atsuko said.
"She's correct that we need to focus on the actual corpse rather than the guy who was hurt," Billy said.
"How do we know that Ferris wasn't the one who killed Rowland though," Louise said quietly.
Silence rolled over the courtroom as her words sunk in.
"We've all been acting like he's innocent but we have no proof," Louise continued once no one countered her, "We didn't do that with Mary when she was under suspicion so-."
"We should get everyone's whereabouts," Atsuko cut Louise off.
"We were all in the nurse's office about that time, me, Stutters, and John," Chloe said, jabbing a thumb towards the other two.
"I was in my room," Barry said, gazing off into space.
"I was trying to help Alexander with the computers," Billy said, Alexander nodding in confirmation.
"I was in the art room hiding in a cabinet," Jane said, gritting her teeth as she spoke, John unsure if she was embarrassed that she was admitting to hiding in a cabinet or hating the fact that she was revealing a hiding spot she could have used.
"I was looking in the halls for Ferris because he ran off while I was in the kitchen." Atsuko said, looking down.
"I was in the Greenhouse," Mary said, "trying to get some sun."
"I was in the chemistry lab," Louise said.
"So, Louise, Atsuko, Mary, Barry, and," John hesitated, "Ferris were all alone." It didn't feel right accusing Ferris when he couldn't defend himself.
"We don't really have that much more evidence, right?" Barry asked.
John thought about it and with a spark of horror realized the musician was right. They didn't have a murder weapon, the motive had hit home with all of them, and there were still multiple people under suspicion.
"Was there anything helpful from the autopsy, Citizen Louise?" Alexander asked Louise hopefully.
She crushed his hopes with a shake of her head, saying, "They caught Rowland while he was slouching, so it was an easy enough wound for anyone to inflict."
John grimaced as everything slid to a standstill, waiting for Monokuma to comment or force them to vote. As the silence lengthened without comment from anyone John looked at the bear, noticing that several other students were also glancing at the animatronic animals. Monokuma was completely stationary, along with Shi-ru, which was starting to become disturbing. John couldn't help but imagine that Monokuma was preparing the mass execution, and John couldn't help but wonder if the guilty party would be forced to watch as the rest of them died. It would fit with how the bear worked normally.
"Well it's his funeral!" Monokuma suddenly said, scaring every present student.
Shi-ru stood up from his spot and vanished, as Monokuma sat up from his throne.
"There will be a short recess while we wait for the stupid bastard who got stabbed to arrive, assuming he doesn't bleed out first," Monokuma said before vanishing from his throne as well.
Silence fell across the courtroom as the others began looking back and forth between each other. With Ferris's presence the trial would now have an eyewitness, or the culprit actually present during the proceedings. John couldn't help but be curious as to what would have happened if Ferris had been found guilty while he wasn't present. Would he have been dragged through the empty halls, down the shaft to be executed, or would they, Monokuma and Shi-ru, simply have ceased giving him aid and let him die of his wounds, although it sounded like they might be doing that anyways.
The silence was unbroken, as though they all believed that as long as they didn't break the silence it would prevent Monokuma's return and they would be allowed to stand there, silent, forever. It turned out simply to be nothing but fantasy though, as the doors to the elevator slid open, and out came Monokuma, leading Ferris, who was using an IV as a crutch which screeched every time he moved it; and Shi-ru who returned to his seat on the stack of books.
Ferris limped slowly to his spot in the circle of students, looking at the portrait of himself in disgust before kicking it over in disgust, shattering the glass across the floor. He took his spot finally, settling himself down in a sprawl over the podium. He looked horrible, the front of his shirt had a few holes in it tinged with red, and bandages were visible underneath. The smile was gone from his face, and a menacing scowl hung in its place. He was scary, Ferris, with that scowl across his discolored features. Even despite of his small stature.
He glared openly at Louise, and John began to see the forensic expert degrade. It started with her meeting his gaze, then shifting uncomfortably, finally her breathing began to accelerate and that was when Monokuma spoke.
"And with the recess over the trial will now resume!"
"You killed him!" Louise screeched, pointing at Ferris accusingly.
"No, I didn't," Ferris stated calmly.
"Yes! I saw you! I was scared to admit I was at the crime scene before but, I don't want to die!" she wailed.
"Which is why you keep lying," Ferris countered.
"I'm not! I saw it!" Louise screamed slamming her fists against the podium.
Ordered had broken down as the two fought, everyone else remaining silent as they both accused the other. Alexander finally attempted to reestablish order by yelling, "Silence!"
Louise fell quiet and took shelter behind her podium, Ferris simply looking at the tactician in exasperation, which Alexander noticed.
"Now, tell us what happened one at a time, starting with you," Alexander said, pointing at Louise.
"Well," she began, looking over at Rowland's picture before continuing, "I was walking through the storage room…"
Day 23, 1713 Hours, Storage Room
Louise watched as Ferris tripped and let go of the radio, letting bounce towards where Rowland was standing. Rowland leaned down to pick it up, supporting himself on the shelving when Ferris darted forward, a knife flashing out of the pocket of his sweatshirt. The blade disappeared into the back of Rowland's neck and came out just as smoothly. The brainiac straightened up slightly as he felt the blade but it was only a reaction to the prick of the knife and he died about the same time as when Ferris played the knife back.
Louise stepped back and to her horror, the cord she had attached to her made noise, alerting Ferris to her presence. The chemist moved faster than she thought possible coming to where she was. She had enough sense to throw up her arms and catch his arm, redirecting his stroke so that it went wide and his hand smacked against the shelf, loosening his grip. She ceased upon this and grabbed at the knife, snatching it from his hand and thrusting it at his chest before fleeing as the chemist collapsed.
Day 23, 1929 Hours, Trial Room
So you saw Ferris stab him and then you fled after Ferris attacked you, in which you knocked the knife from his grasp and stabbed him with it," Atsuko said, Louise nodding earnestly, "why didn't you just say so from the start?"
"I was afraid that he'd die and then I'd have admitted to killing him and I would've died, I don't want to die," Louise said.
"Alright, Scientist Ferris," Alexander said before Atsuko could continue to question Louise, "what is your version of events?"
"I found Rowland already dead, heard footsteps, turned and…"
Day 23, 1718 Hours, Storage Room
Ferris turned to see Louise with a surprised look on her face, which quickly turned to panic as she began to slash at his chest. The radio slipping through his fingers and a knife rapidly approaching his internal organs, Ferris had several options with which to continue. He went with the easiest.
Ferris dropped the radio on his head, causing him to stumble right before Louise stabbed the knife into his chest the first time, not exerting enough force to get past his ribs. He staggered again as Louise successfully forced the knife into his chest, before she fled as Ferris fell backwards, the knife stuck in his chest.
Not the best choice but it seemed to have worked without him dying.
Day 23, 1935, Hours, Trial Room
"After that I dragged myself through the air vents, doing my best to not jostle the knife until I found my way to the nurse's office where Shi-ru treated me. Some of your luck seemed to have rubbed off on me Atsuko, the stab that actually made it into my chest went right between my lungs and heart, heh," a smile formed on Ferris's face, "you know what they say, one in ten's never going to happen but one in a million is a sure thing!"
"Who says that?" Jane asked looking at Ferris suspiciously.
"They do," he responded smoothly, further interaction cut off by Louise shouting about how he was lying again.
Alexander roared for silence again, leaving the room absolutely silent before Barry said, "Well, are we voting or what?"
"Wait we might have more evidence," Atsuko said quickly, looking around hopefully for someone to weigh in with something else.
"No," Ferris said, causing Atsuko to look at him in shock, "We have all the evidence, two people admit to being present and both say the other did it, both stories put the murder weapon in my hands," Ferris produced a bloody knife from his sweatshirt pocket, "and I'm just glad Rowland was healthy and o negative in blood type."
"Well, where was the knife from?" Atsuko tried.
"Storage room," both Louise and Ferris said at the same time, the former shooting a glare at the latter.
"Alright, I can see you're not going to let this go so I'm just going to say its voting time!" Monokuma said, leaving no room for argument from the students.
John watched as Ferris and Louise both quickly slammed their hands down casting their votes, followed by Atsuko and Alexander, Barry than Billy, Chloe clicking a picture shortly after. John paused to think along with Jane, Mary and Paris. It was down to which of them did he trust more, Louise or Ferris.
Ferris was a good friend, while Louise was only an acquaintance. Then again, Ferris could be banking on his bonds with the other students to protect him from suspicion. But, Ferris had had so much more reason to kill before this, such as when his life was directly being threatened, unlike now when it was fairly indirect. Louise was also unstable because of her depression, so logic dictated that Louise was the one who committed the crime. But the logic was biased towards Ferris.
John shook his head, now or never. John voted for Louise.
The last few votes came in shortly after John had made his selection. The roulette wheel emerged and the ball was sent spinning, everyone watching closely whenever it neared Ferris's and Louise's spots, waiting for the ball to stop. John watched with a slight amount of horror as the ball tracked to a stop in front of Ferris, and instead of the usual fanfare that played a dramatic riff played.
"You bastards couldn't have been more wrong! Ferris Dalton the Ultimate Chemist didn't kill Rowland Chadwick the Ultimate Brainiac," Monokuma said, "all of you will now be punished," Monokuma paused as the looks of horror had settled across everyone's face expect Louise who looked hopeful, "is what I would be saying if you guys had actually picked Ferris and not Louise Sully the Ultimate Forensic Expert who did in fact kill Rowland Chadwick the Ultimate Brainiac!"
The roulette wheel spun rapidly causing the ball to come loose of Ferris's spot and land in front of Louise instead, the forensic expert stepping back in horror.
"No, no, nonononononono," she grabbed her head and began shaking it.
"Despicable," Jane muttered, "no better than Perdita."
"No, I don't want to, I don't want to," Louise said, now retreating from her podium towards a corner of the room.
John looked over at Ferris and was surprised to see a look of pity on his face for the girl who had tried to kill and frame him.
"Well, now that the joke's over let's get on with the punishment shall we?" Monokuma said, causing Louise's cries of fear to crescendo as he brought the gavel down, triggering the animation and the scrolling words stating Louise Sully has been found Guilty, punishment commencing…
Louise ran as the chain shoot out to seize her by the neck, missing her and destroying the books Shi-ru had been resting on during the trial sending the penguin flying. Another chain shot out grabbing her by the leg and dragged her towards the execution room. Everyone followed as she was dragged to a table where a group of Monokuma's in lab coats gathered.
The Anatomy Lesson
The Monokuma's clustered around Louise blocking her from the others' view directly. A Monokuma raised a knife, the others raising a myriad of other sharp objects giving Louise enough time to scream in horror before they all descended on her.
There was a multitude of organic sounds before one Monokuma came away clutching one of Louise's eyes, still attached by the optic nerve. It directed the view to the others before pointing it down as to give the forensic expert a view of her own body being taken apart. Another Monokuma stood up, and began parading around her intestines, followed by one carrying her stomach, the lungs were held up by another one before another one took out her heart, still beating.
At this time a Monokuma removed Louise's brain from her skull along with her other eye. John could hear the sounds of people throwing up as well as a thump as someone fainted. John finally managed to snap his eyes away as he saw them begin to parade strips of skin, Louise's heart still beating. He joined those throwing up, especially after he heard a splatting sound, drawing his attention to see that the Monokuma carrying her stomach had dropped it, causing it to split open.
Finally after what felt like hours, a Monokuma cut the heart away from the body, ending the grisly execution.
No one but Ferris stayed around to listen to Monokuma's taunts, Chloe carrying Jane who had been the one to faint. Alexander leaned against the wall of the elevator, while John leaned onto his knees. Mary had sat down, and Atsuko was leaning against her staring blankly towards were Ferris and Monokuma spoke. Paris was holding her hair awkwardly, and John realized that there was vomit clinging to it.
He stood up and walked over to her, before saying, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
She looked at him a bit on surprise but shook her head. It was at this time that Ferris joined them. The ride was quiet except for the sound of Shi-ru working the machine. It remained this way until they got off. They quickly broke apart to go and sleep in their dorms. John paused to grab mouthwash from the school store. Rinsing his mouth out as he walked and spitting it out directly onto the floor too traumatized to care. That execution was horrifying on a level beyond Adam's and Perdita's.
John laid down on his bed and spent the night staring at the ceiling until sleep came to him early in the morning, which was haunted by the dead students once again, a whirlwind of burned and butchered flesh, of clattering bones and floating organs.