Death Cast

00.3 | The Penultimate

The local government recently addressed the growing dangers posed by the small old buildings of a post-urban community located in one of the main city's central business districts. The yellowed buildings, riddled with ominous cracks and fissures, failed to meet the city’s new building code and have been issued for demolition.

Prior to the 1990s, it was a thriving center of revitalization, brimming with business opportunities and extensive commerce. It was twenty years later that the world entered a rapid transition from modern to contemporary living, resulting in the development of various technologies. Skyscrapers and high rise buildings become prominent, covering the dwindling community.

Many people had left in recent years, leaving only small families who couldn't afford to acquire new houses or had a sentimental feeling to place they grew up.

There are, however, new people looking for rentals in the area, and the majority of them are looking for a low-cost housing. After all, despite the security issues, it is still in the center of the city where a small two hundred and fifty square feet is relatively costly.

On the surface, it appeared as if nothing unusual was happening outside the old-style block residential complex as the couple of cars drove discreetly around the area. The gravel-filled street was plagued with potholes that made driving difficult, and the mud from the damaged pipes on the corner splashed onto the road. In order to avoid alerting the residents inside, the uniformed personnel was sure to avoid making any noises.

As soon as the officers had pulled into the designated spots, they rushed out and scurried around putting up warning signs. The building was surrounded by yellow caution tape with the words DO NOT CROSS written on it, drawing the attention of early morning joggers.

Their leader, Gavin Trivett, stood by and furtively watched his subordinates scour the area.

Police Lieutenant Gavin Trivett possesses a solemn air about him.

He is close to six feet tall, with broad shoulders and powerful legs. He is forty-five this year, which is unfathomable given his sharp brows and blue deep-set eyes, which made him appear younger.

However, his stiff demeanor, which stemmed from his line of work, made it impossible for him to convey an amiable feeling. When people encounter him, they have a fearful urge to surrender.

Trivett has been working for more than twenty years in the force, specializing in capturing Autumns. The number of people he had sent to death was greater than the number of people he had spared, with the majority being executed on the spot and the few escorted to the facility.

None of them were left unharmed.

Early in the morning, Trivett received a report of an Autumn appearing in a residential area. It is a seventy-year-old woman who has no children and lives alone with two Siamese cats.

Apart from growing geraniums on her doorstep and the raucous sound of the portable radio cassette drawn with a 1975 marker, this elderly woman seems unremarkable. She lives on the fourth floor.

"Come along," Trivett grunted.

Following him is a new intern, a probationary police officer named Myles Martel, which is rather short and has a defiant look. The always frowning expression accentuated an unapproachable demeanor, subconsciously making people ostracize him.

Myles is carrying out a quick survey of the apartments to see if there are any residents left. The report came early in the morning and the patrol division stated the majority of their calls went unanswered. These individuals are most likely still sleeping, and some are expected to return to sleep.

Each floor was extensively investigated, the inhabitants escorted out in a semi-daze state. No one dared to object after the officers made it apparent why the evacuation was necessary, even though there were a few grumbles about the nuisances the Autumns had brought.

The armed troop made its way to the third floor. The landlord distributed renters evenly throughout the building, with the third and fourth floors having the fewest residents. The majority of the rooms on the third floor are vacant, with the exception of two rooms in each corner occupied by a family of four and five and a university student in the center.

The other officers were assigned to take care of the two families while Trivett and Myles headed towards the center. Arriving on the door step, Trivett took a step forward and knocked on the door quite heavily.

A few moments later, the gritty sound of metals getting unlocked came from the other side. The door creaked as it was pulled open narrowly, showing only half of the resident's body.

The corridors are dark due to poor lighting, as it contrasted the light inside the squalid apartment, leaving a shadowed expression from the young tenant. The hollows under the sunken eyes appeared darker, making him look like an emaciated ghost.

Trivett customarily presented his badge and police ID card, and stated, "I am Gavin Trivett, Police Lieutenant Officer of the Special Division, Autumn Dispatchers Department."

Myles also provided his identification thereafter, "Myles Martel, Probationary Police Officer."

"We would like to request for your full cooperation," Trivett placed his badge back on his inner pockets, his face solemn and serious. "A resident is infected with a maple leaf mark. All the residents are required to leave the establishment immediately."

The point is direct and clear. To prove he understood, the tenant nodded his head. Between them, an unnerving silence crept in, inadvertently giving off an odd vibe. Trivett held some suspicion, giving Myles a pensive glance, before scrutinizing the young tenant again.

"Sir, what is your name?" Trivett inquired.

A casual voice replied, "Jaerim... Jaerim Ashford, sir."

"Ashford, you say?" Trivett took a thorough look at the young man who was standing meekly inside the confined space. He couldn't see the person's face well in the poor light, but the ashen skin and pale lips made an impression on him.

He happened to meet the other's eye, which appeared to have an uncanny expression that sent shivers down his spine. The intuition of someone facing constant threat screamed on the back of his mind, telling him this man is dangerous, suddenly alerting his survival instincts.

Definitely, there's something wrong in here.

Trivett secretly sent a signal to Myles and palmed his gun. He pretended to display an amiable expression by smiling but the taut face only made him look terrible. It made Jaerim become tense and vigilant. Any person who sees that look will be terrified right away.

"Sir, could you please step out? We would like to ask a couple of questions."

Jaerim did not want to come out. Signs of panic roused from his frowning brows suddenly but are then immediately straightened out. He closed the door to take a step back and opening it again widely fully exposing his body.

The first thing the officers noticed is the gauze pad covering half of his left cheek. People have some misgivings about people covering their faces and much more when it comes to the officers. Myles habitually pulled up the scanner, switched it to the light setting meant for detecting the maple leaf mark, and focused it on Jaerim's body.

Jaerim was startled from the sudden scanning is then replaced by an incredulous look, as if saying, Why are you scanning me? Trivett has been observing Jaerim's expression and did not expect to receive such a response. Could it be their assumptions are wrong?

Myles look at the reading and found out that everything is all right. The result is unexpected, so he took a double take and scanned Jaerim again with a higher frequency. The result showed a negative - Jaerim has no maple leaf mark.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" Jaerim hinted a what the hell are you doing expression and eyed them suspiciously. He started wondering if they are true officers since it is common to fraud people using fake uniforms.

Trivett relaxed his taut muscles and coughed off a relieved sigh. He gestured to Myles to put away the scanner that was pointed at Jaerim. The scanner has been tested to yield accurate results, so he did not doubt after it gave the first results. Though, it doesn't mean his suspicions towards the youth went away.

"What happened to your face," he directly pointed out.

"Um..." The nervous expression came back again, showing he is reluctant to tell them the answer.

However, under Trivett's watchful eye, Jaerim finally caved down and bowed his head. Twenty-two years is still young, it is natural for him to be unable to match a veteran's aura.

In the end, Jaerim went into great detail about how he got drunk after breaking up with his girlfriend the night before. On his way home, he found his ex-girlfriend kissing another guy, which made him feel humiliated. It's not even twenty-four hours, and yet the girl whom she loved is now sitting in another man's lap.

Unduly influenced by alcohol, he sneaked into his ex-girlfriend's house and broke her father's car. A large chunk of glass hit him on his face, causing a wound to open up.

Many people noticed the disturbance that immediately alerted the nearby police department. Jaerim managed to flee before anyone could see him.

He thought someone must have seen him and reported it to the police. He became wary when he saw them since he thought they would arrest him.

"..." Trivett is speechless.

He never thought children play this hard now. He gave Myles a puzzled look as if asking if this is how the young ones act today.

Myles instantly jerked his head sideways, rejecting whatever idea his boss' mind has. Even though he and Jaerim have a close generation, he would never be as bold to sneak into someone's house. 

It is Jaerim who is being weird here!

Trivett did not ask if Jaerim is telling the truth since he could smell the stink when Jaerim opened his door.

The groundless suspicions have been clarified so Trivett decided to let Jaerim go. Sneaking to someone's house and ruthlessly destroying their property is a crime but since nobody had seen him and nobody got hurt from the mess, Trivett pardoned Jaerim but he still recorded his name and school ID.

They waited for the young man to collect his things and escorted him out. Both of them kept a close eye on Jaerim as he descended the steps to make sure he is out of range before they turned around.

Jaerim stopped walking and looked back.

Both of his hands and knees are shaking. The whole time, he tried to maintain a neutral face, courageously enduring the pain on his aflamed cheeks. His back is soaked with sweat, eyes lidded with tears and lips trembling in excitement.

The embellishment of fear is prominent in his stance.

He watched the officers ascended the dingy stairs with indescribable eyes. Jaerim knows it won't take long before he will be discovered. He wiped the sweat off from his brows and began walking forward.

A hint of glory can be seen faintly in his expression. The pain in his cheeks is nothing compared to the reverence of death. A cornered animal will brandish its claws in the face of danger.

Nobody wanted to die without fighting.

Jaerim will not end up dying today.