Project: Death for Classroom Zero

Chapter 10: School Horticulture Arc

He is a man raised in cruel world—every world’s a cruel, but his was sickening.

His father was convicted—guilty—for a family murder. Feeling betrayed, his father killed his mistress after knowing that she had a family she was hiding to his father. His father killed her and her family out of anger, because he felt betrayed. Yet, he did not realize that he had also betrayed his own family.

His mother was a dealer of stones. A tablet; pills that most teenagers and party goers uses in order to become hyper-active. It was at the later age when he realized that his mother was selling methamphetamine and ecstasy. Since childhood, he had believed that her mother sells legal medicinal tablet. When he realized she sells illegal, he did not know if he was going to be happy or disgusted.

Disgusted, because the reason why they were still alive, was because of drugs that society will never accept.

Or perhaps happy, because he might be able to experience the sensation that a club drugs can bring. He was long been curious about it.

He grew up in a strangling society.

It was a place where the weak will be preyed upon by the strong; that the criers will be mocked by the laughers. That is why, he learned to adapt. He learned the art of being strong; of showing intimidating aura that can weaken the knees of anyone he would face. He learned to suppress his weak feelings. Even the natural feeling of sadness, empathy, and … fear, he learned to suppress and place it at the hidden part of his mind. Locked. Caged.

Yet, as he pushed his body towards the back, it seemed that the weak emotions he was long hiding has finally found its way to unleash themselves, and creep through him. As he look at the face of that woman whom he always thinks as useless, a weak form in human race, he could not help himself but feel the dark emotions gripping his insides. Especially fear.

As he look at his professor phantomically crawling, he realized that the feeling of fear could not be suppressed. It was just, for a long time, he hadn’t experienced any frightening instance which made him feeling horrored. Only at this point. In this moment.

Feeling the dreary emotion, he realized that once a person felt the creeps, it would make one’s whole body numb. And breathless.

His mind went blank when he finally saw that the woman was above him, smiling, kissing him on his cheeks.

The last thing that he knew was his ear-shattering scream, after he felt the literal severing of his ears from the bites and chews of a calcium-infused teeth.

Now, he found himself standing. Shaking. His left foot were covered with casts, his severed ear and around his head were tightly bandaged. He has long opened his eyes. He was long awakened. But it was just at this moment when his vision partially cleared.

His breath tight and short.

Looking at the ground, he saw his Classroom Zero classmates lying on the floor. They were unconscious.

His vision scanned through the surrounding. Everything was green.

“Gardening.”

Even his voice, it felt distant upon hearing. His ears might have been under trauma. Feeling something painful, he held his chest. His breathing kept on narrowing. Something painful, like a needle, was puncturing his lungs.

He sat. And Curled.

With a groggy voice, he said, “H—Help.”

He closed his eyes and collapsed.

***

Feeling the tightness of his head, Tristan slowly opened his sandy eyes. It was itching, just as how his chest was itching from something.

Finally clearing the blurriness of his eyes, he immediately scanned the surrounding.

“Where am I?” he asked himself with the use of his rasp-whispering voice. Above him, he found clusters of tree’s branches peering down on him as they swayed on the rhythm of the slapping wind. Grunting, and holding his head, he sat down, with the intention of removing his confusion of his mind while lying.

He realized that he was lying on the ground, along with other of his classmates on the ground. He could not easily recall how they fell into this weird place. He could not even recall how did they pass out, that he just found himself and the others in the middle of a forest-like field.

Looking at his chest, he saw the PVC ID he once wore being attached to the Josen High’s school lace, hanging on his neck. He remembered that it was the reason why they were electrocuted at the building outside, the first day he came on Josen High. He felt terrified just by looking at the ID. He planned to quickly remove it away of his body, but… he concluded that what if when he remove it, a consequence might occur?

He looked again at the ID. Seeing the pictures and information inscribed on the card, he could not hide his fascination. The ID was now filled with his personal information, along with his picture, his thumbmark, and his signature.

Remembering that he had a company, he quickly scanned the group of unconscious students. He looked for Rain.

Disturbing enough, but he could not find the woman at the group of his unconscious classmates. He found Timmy and Tammy in the swamp of bodies, and he unhesitatingly awaken them.

“Ugh… Wh—Where are we?” asked Tammy.

“I don’t know. We just came here from the cafeteria without any recollection how.”

Her twin sister, Timmy, stood up as she hold her nape, trying to remove its painful stiffness. “I guess we are now about to do our next lesson,” she said as she scan the surrounding.

“That Gardening?” Tristan asked.

“Maybe,” she replied.

Passing the time, Holder saw his classmates slowly waking up one by one, and questioningly observing the forest.

“Does this mean we’re outside Josen High School?”

“I doubt that.” Behind Tristan, he heard the erupting cold voice of Rain.

“Rain!” he greeted. “Glad you’re fine.”

“Where did you came from, Rain?” asked Timmy.

Looking back from the path where she had came from, she answered; “somewhere here. I checked this forest.”

“What did you see?” Timmy immediately asked.

“Nothing. But I doubt that we’re outside the Josen High. I am guessing that we’re still inside the building solely for the Classroom Zero.” She pointed her index finger above. “If you’re going to look, you would see something.”

“A wall,” Tristan said as soon as he realized where her finger was pointing.

“We’re still inside the Josen High. Inside the building. It’s just that… I am not sure what lesson would we be studying right now. I‘m afraid the nature of this place would come out after their announcement.”

“Th—Then, let’s just … let’s just wait for the announcement of Professor Buenavista or anyone from Josen High before we move. I’m quite afraid here,” said Tammy. Her hands were uncontrollably shaking.

“Tammy’s kind of feeling stressed whenever she’s surrounded with plants and trees. She’s imagining those were monsters,” Timmy said. Plastered on her face is the act of mocking to her sister.

“Sh—Shut up, Timmy. I’m trying to calm myself.”

From the hinges of the trees, at the holes darting at the tree’s barks, a loud waft of familiar harmony came off. It was the same sound that had awaken them earlier this morning: the second variation of Mozart’s brilliant piece.

“Here it goes,” Tristan heard Timmy whispering.

After the passing of few quick seconds, they finally heard the usual greeting of their professor.

“Good morning students! Welcome to the second day of classes! I am so glad to announce you that we would be having a thrilling activity!” The hyper-activity and excitement heard through her voice was incomparable to the professor who chewed and devoured the fleshy earlobe of one of their classmates. It was as if she had not made a terrible and horrifying scene just earlier.

“Our lesson for today is Horticulture. We will have an activity where we will meet different species of plants that was preferred by our principal to be included in our garden area. Inside this forest, we would be able to find those species of plants hidden somewhere. You can have yourself paired. All you have to do is to bring it to the greenhouse. Each pair shall bring the plant that we are going to ask. Take a look at your back, and you will see the greenhouse I am pertaining.”

Following the instruction of their professor, all of the students veered their gazes to the greenhouse that was actually not on their back earlier, but had just appeared—erupted from the concrete ground.

“There on the greenhouse, we will be cultivating those rare species of plants. Until we can use it for the front gardens of the Josen High. Of course, there is a punishment to those who would not be able to bring the plant specie you are all tasked to find. What punishment, you may ask? Well, you know it. Among anyone, you know to what extent does our punishment can be.”

Tristan—and perhaps every players—swallowed their drying lump of saliva. A screen slowly popped from the cluster of leaves grouping near the bodies of the trees. From there, the picture of a plant, unknown to Tristan, was displayed. A titan-sized flower that blooms in death-like sonata of colors. In the middle, a flesh-colored unknown thing stood proudly, while the petals of the death-colored flower surrounds below. Under the picture, its name were included: Amorphophallus Titanum

“I—I believe that is a flower called Titan Arum,” said Tammy.

“I am not familiar to it,” said Tristan. Though, indeed, he was fascinated to orchids and plants cultivated as an ornamental plants, wild flowers such as this were not his expertise.

“Amorphohallus Titanum is also known as corpse plant.”

Timmy scoffed. “Name’s not a fun.”

“Good luck, my dear students! Have fun in your task!” Professor Buenaventura made a sudden stop that had slapped an impact to all the students. And then…

“Don’t die,” she said.