Project: Death for Classroom Zero

Chapter 53: Blood and Freedom

Wearing a laboratory gloves, Principal Copper entered a room. A certain, anonymous nurse welcomed him, and with a careful movement, she placed the surgical mask on the principal’s surreal face.

“What’s the condition of the man?” Principal Copper firstly asked, the moment that the woman was done placing the surgical mask on him.

“Sir, his pulse is 90 beats per minute, his temperature is 38 degrees Celsius, Blood Pressure is 120/80 mm Hg, and 17 breaths per minute,” the nurse recited.

Principal Copper looked at the man who was lying on a pain-cushioned medical bed. He was unconscious. Having received a medication, he has fell on a deep, peaceful slumber.

However, both Principal Copper and the Nurse knew that he will never wake up again.

“Seems he had good signs, except for his temperature,” Principal Copper said.

“Yes, sir. His temperature has been worse earlier, but it had slightly dropped right before you come inside.”

“Good. Then we can proceed with the operation. His temperature does not matter, after-all,” Principal Copper said.

Hearing the Principal, the nurse nodded.

“What’s the name of the patient again?” Principal Copper once again asked.

The nurse quickly ran towards the table, and then scanned through a record sheet. “His name is Caspian Jones, Sir,” she attentively answered.

“Caspian Jones,” the principal repeated. As he told the name, he looked at the bearer of it. Indeed, this bulky, huge man was deeply trapped in his slumber. There were sweats forming on his forehead, and his face was pale. Looking at the cause of his fever, the Principal winced when he saw that it was caused by a huge wound found on his left arm.

“Contact the accounting department. Tell them to give incentives to the bank account of the family of this man. They deserve it, especially that we’ll be using his body,” Principal Copper said.

Quickly, the nurse ran to a telephone at the corner of the clinic. She frantically typed on it, and then immediately called the accounting department about the issued order of the Principal.

Now, it was the time for him to work. On the left side of Caspian’s bed, different surgical tools was neatly placed and arranged: 14003-G Vannas and 501745 Metzenbaum scissors; Reverse, Ceramic and Hemostatic Forceps; Retractors, and other different thing that was waiting to be used.

Principal Copper is not a professional doctor. He never dreamed to be part of the bustling emergencies in an operating room of a hospital. However, he has studied medicine and already has a degree under his name.

For him, studying medicine is also an additional knowledge which he can use in sooner and later times.

Having no mistake, with the current passion-project he was doing, the Project Zero (and the new project he has been proposing), he needs a wide knowledge about human anatomy—and with his uncontestable mind, he has already posses it.

While the nurse was busy talking to the accounting department, Principal Copper has started the operation. With extreme care, he grabbed the scalpel that was placed beside the scissors.

Having it on his hands, he unhesitatingly started to cut open the man’s big, bulky chest. The skin horrifyingly opened—from the center where the collar bones met, to the track of the ribs, down to the poor man’s stomach. Blood spilled out, and fountained from the body. Though it was a terrifying murder, Principal Copper was calm—carefully opening the body, securing that the important internal organs would not be damaged.

However, something has happened while he was in the middle of his work: Caspian Jones was awaken. His eyes jolted opening—all in surprise and in pain. He searched his surrounding, and found his stare fixing at the man who wore surgical mask, gloves, a laboratory coat, and holding a bloody, murderous scalpel.

Seeing that reaction, Principal Copper smiled. It was under the face mask, but with the c******g of his eyes, one could say that he was smiling.

Seeing the surprised and pained expression of Caspian, he felt satisfied.

“Did you an inject anesthesia to this man?” Principal Copper asked.

Having him and the nurse only found at the laboratory, the nurse knew that she was the one that is being asked. She placed the telephone on-hold at first, and then answered him: “I … I did not, Sir. B—Because … that was your instruction.”

Principal Copper has smiled wider—more vile and evil. “Good,” he said, praising the nurse. After asking, he continued slicing the skin and tissue of Caspian.

Having his body being opened, Caspian could have screamed and forced himself to get away of his bed. However, he could not. Both of his left and right arms were chained at the edge of the table, making him unable to move. Aside from the chains, his body felt weak—as if his energy was straightly drained out of his system.

Principal Copper was confident that this man would not be able to use his brute strength while he performs the surgery. It was because instead of anesthesia, he instructed to the nurse earlier that she will be injected with a kind of sedative which he himself has created: a kind of drug which the effect was extreme loss of strength and energy.

In that way, Caspian could not fight back.

In that way, he could not scream or ask for help.

In that painful way, Caspian’s shocked and pained eyes remained widely open—but he was unconscious. Lifeless. Dead.

The moment that Principal Copper successfully detached the whole part of the lungs away from Caspian’s body, he died.

Without any sense of guilt, he placed the huge, fresh lungs on a clean sheet of plastic, and then placed at a small container-like machine that will preserve the organ. After the lungs, he now carefully and precisely detached Caspian’s heart, and made the same procedure he had done to the lungs.

At a single, normal look, he could be seen as a professional doctor. He moves fast, precise, and with care. In fact, he could compete with highly awarded and amazing doctors known in the field. But … if one would look at what was inside his mind, they would say that this Principal … was a demon. A ruthless, terrifying one.

“Hey, Principal Copper. Were you not feeling pity to what you have done to that man?”

From the locked door of the clinic, it clicked open, then a man appeared. Principal Copper was not surprised by it, because there are only very few people who has a key to open any locked spaces in the Zero building. Judging from the voice, he immediately recognize who it was.

“Hello, Sir Jin. How are you?” Principal Copper asked as he continued slicing Caspian’s organs.

“Well, here. Still not fine with my XP syndrome, and still mad at you,” the man, Jin, said.

From that, Principal Copper did not reply.

“You’re gross, Principal Copper. Look at the blood pooling on the ground. Are you not disgusted with it? Wow, you are indeed a crazy man.”

“What was the reason why you are here, Sir Jin? Please tell me immediately because I am busy here.”

“Well, I am just to bring some sort of information,” Jin said. “About that stupid man.”

In a solemn snapping of seconds, Principal Copper stopped cutting the part where Caspian’s liver was attached. With a look of interest, he stared at Jin.

“Tell me,” Principal Copper commanded.

“Well … that stupid man was already found. He was staying at a lone woman’s place, hiding there like a coward, gay spider. And, and, and … you know what’s interesting? That woman who helped and let him stay in her place, is a mother of one of the current participants of Project Zero. Her name is Carlissa Fauxier, the mother of a student named Tristan Fauxier.”

“Arvin …” Principal Copper muttered under his breath.

After a minute, he turned his back at Jin and continued on what he was currently doing.

He said, “let him stay at that house for a week,” he said. “Let him feel that he was finally free from our wrath, as if we’ve forgotten him. Then … after a week, release the Toddlers once again, and let it hunt and eat him. Alive.”