Project: Death for Classroom Zero

Chapter 15: Death Rose

Tristan knew that the valley of flowers is also the valley of formidable death. 

Along with Rain, they had climbed down the valley. They crept to the steep land formation, clinging to the erupting rocks which served as their support downward. It was not a large valley compared to other famous similar kinds of land formation on earth. This was modified and synthetic. A small size of a valley in which a small river was flowing in the middle, and around its bank, different brightly-colored flowers were growing, swaying with the harmony of the fettered wind. 

When they finally finished creeping downward, they smelled the powdery scent of flowers that was growing. At some point, it was the smell of honey, sometimes jasmine, sometimes of a hyacinth. Tristan could not stop himself from admiring the flowers that  bloomed in the valley. 

“Are you sure you’re a man?” Rain asked her.

“Huh? Why?”

“Your face cannot stop screaming the look of admiring the flowers.” 

“Were men not allowed to appreciate the beauty of the flowers?” Tristan asked Rain. 

“Could.” 

“Then we’re okay,” said Tristan with a flaunt of a smile on his lips. He continued admiring the flowers despite knowing that Rain could have been judging him because of being flower enthusiastic. 

“I don’t judge you, okay? It’s just that … this was the first time I met a man admiring the beauty of flowers. That’s too rare.” As if reading what was on Tristan’s mind, Rain said.

“You’re just into your own world that’s why you’ve seen it rare.” 

“That’s a good point, thank you,” Rain said with a scowl towards Tristan. 

Looking at the beauty of the flowers, they both agreed to rest for a minute, and make themselves admire the beauty of different random flowers growing on the ground. 

“Look, this is a rare flower. The Middlemist Red. Only two species of this kind of flower could be found in the world.” Tristan pointed at a lonely red flower that was being surrounded with purple-colored orchids. It has a beautiful geometrical arrangement of petals which was even made more satisfying, since it was colored with romantic red. 

“It’s beautiful,” Rain admired. 

“The beautifuls are the rares in this time, aren't they? Two hundred years ago, this flower was one of the most blooming specie. But in this period, they chose to hide themselves from us. We appreciated too much of their beauty to the point that we didn’t know we’re hurting them.” 

Rain nodded, and continued staring at the redness of the flowers. 

Tristan wanted to say that the flower was as beautiful as her, but he felt afraid that perhaps Rain might get angry at him. She might even think that he was into her, wherein in fact, it was just a way of showing her admiration. 

Because Rain was just like that. Beautiful, complex, but as cold as fatal red. 

A scrunch of the grasses had made Tristan and Rain move their gazes away from the Middlemist red. Something is in the surrounding, coming towards them. About to attack them. They knew it.

“Tristan, as much as I want to take time in admiring that Middlemist, I think we need to move.” 

Tristan nodded. “Good choice.” 

Under the cluster of beautiful flowers, something was crawling—like a snake—and about to attack them with one furious bite. 

“Run!”

Even though they had not yet confirmed the creature that was crawling towards them, they started to scurry away from the spot. 

A shrieking voice had erupted from  their  back. They do not need to look back to know that something frightening was following them, crawling, with an undeniable desire of devouring their vulnerable bodies. 

“Quick, Rain!”

Tristan saw that Rain was being left behind, for she was running out of energy. Tristan undeniably has a lot more endurance than Rain. But Rain does not falter even despite the fact that her pace was slowing because of fatigue. Instead, Tristan followed the beat of her slowing pace. 

“Are you stupid?” Rain asked as he saw what Tristan was doing. 

“No, I’m not. Are you okay?” Tristan does not have anything but pure concern for her. 

Another ear-tormenting shriek has disturbed their ears, and they have to cover their eardrums to suppress the sound.

While running, they were not able to see that on the path, a moving vine was on the ground, waiting for them, ready to make them stumble down the ground, and be devoured by the unknown floral monster chasing them. Tristan was the first one who was victimized by the moving vine. With the pace of their run, they were not ready for the sudden disturbances in their balance.

As Tristan fell, Rain followed. The both of this Classroom Zero student rolled on the ground, onto the dirt.

“Ugh…” 

Tristan’s head was searing with pain as it hit a stone that was on the ground. Luckily, Rain fell on his chest which made her saved from the bother of the pain. 

They would want to lie and rest on the ground, for their body was exceptionally tired. But when the screech again pierced through the air, the fear crept to them once again. 

“Tristan!” They were not able to stand back again, and run. Instead, they crawl to the ground, backwards, while looking at the horrible creature vying for their blood. 

Looking at it, the cause of the screeches was just a rose. 

A rose that blooms beautifully with its red petals. But the moment they saw its titanic size, they instantly knew that it was not just an ordinary, elegant rose. In the middle of its petals, something terrifying had made Tristan and Rain push more of themselves backwards. It doesn’t matter if their arms and feet were wounded and scratched with the stones and soil. What matters to them is their lives. 

Because, they knew that the creature would not hesitate to devour them. With its mouth similar to the cryptozoological Mongolian Death Worm in the middle of the petals of the rose, they knew they would not last a second if they would enter its raging mouth.

Its transparent saliva fell from its mouth, as if the juice of the flower. Peculiarly, its saliva smelled the fragrance of the real rose.

This rose was about to attack them when someone—a man they do not know—ran towards their front, holding a mystically burning flower, and throwing it to the monstrous rose.

In less than a minute, Tristan and Rain were staring at the man’s back—and at the rose that was frolicking in blisters of fire.