"Hey! I warned you not to do anything inside your room. You took that boy's body parts and left them on the manhole last time—that nearly got us caught. Do you know how much pressure I was under during those police investigations?"
The man hidden in the dark growled angrily.
"I'm sorry, boss," the school guard said nervously. "But whenever I see a dead body, I just… can't control myself. I was drunk that day too. I barely remember anything from that night."
The mystery man clenched his fists.
"You ate some of that boy's meat. That's why the church rejected it. Boss likes fresh meat. Because of you and that other idiot, we couldn't parcel three bodies. Do you have any idea how much money that cost us? You fool!"
The murderer panicked.
"Yes, but it wasn't just me. That 'glass guy' took bites from them too. I couldn't stop him—you know he's one of the permanent members of the organization. Did you even scold him?"
The mystery man took a sip from his drink and replied coldly,
"He got punished for what he did. But at least he knows how to do his job. He eliminates all traces, makes sure no one gets arrested. Unlike you—dumping a body near the school, for god's sake."
"You should be thanking me for saving your ass back then. But I won't keep doing it. A boy named Walid saw you dismembering the body. You know what happens to people like you… right? You've put the entire organization in danger."
"W-Walid…? That bastard!" The guard panicked. "Shit, shit, shit! I was gonna handle him myself. I heard his name that day—I wasn't sure if he really saw me. I think there was someone else with him too. Please, master, give me one more chance. Just one day. I'll clean up all the evidence. I'll prove my worth. Please…"
"You took that body from your fridge without our permission," the mystery man said, now wearing a demonic smile. "You don't have to worry about Walid anymore. You are dismissed."
The school guard's face went pale.
"What… what do you mean by that? Why are you smiling like that?
You forgave me, right? Right…?
H-Hey, who are those two… WHO ARE YOU? DON'T COME NEAR ME! ANSWER ME—WHOOOO AREEEE YOUUUU!?"
ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!
ARGHHHHHHH!
ARGHHHH!
Two tall men entered the room and stabbed the school guard with sharp knives. He begged for his life and tried to fight them, but it was hopeless. Blood spilled everywhere. His life ended, slowly, painfully.
"Clean up this mess," the mystery man said calmly. "Dump the body somewhere far."
"Can't we make it look like a suicide?" one asked.
"Impossible. Look at the scene. He tried hard to escape—too much struggle. If we fake it now, we might leave something behind."
He left the room without turning back.
"So long, partner," one of the men muttered. "Your idiocy got you killed."
Present Day
The death of our school guard spread more fear than ever. The fact that he was killed proved one thing—he wasn't the only monster.
The serial killings weren't over.
Everyone thought he was the main killer, but it turns out he was just a pawn. A killer, yes—but not the killer. The real one is still alive.
Students stopped coming to school. Fear ruled everything.
It was already August. Getting a transfer now was almost impossible. The principal wasn't letting anyone leave either.
Many students ignored school calls. Some refused to open the school gate entirely.
Then, everything changed.
The police announced they had caught the killer.
It was a 36-year-old man, reportedly mentally ill. He was seen with Onni three days before she went missing. He was also seen with Hassan.
"Are you confirming that you killed those students?" the officer asked him.
"Yes, I killed them. Hehehe," the man chuckled. "I killed more than just those two."
"What was your motive?"
"I love killing children… and eating them," the man smiled. "I boil their meat and cook it very well. I love blood. That little girl—mmm—I kept her body parts and made different dishes. The soup was delicious."
"You eat human meat?" the officer asked, trying not to gag.
"That's what I said. Are you stupid, officer?" the man mocked.
He confessed everything. The court sentenced him to death.
It was finally over. Or so we thought.
A few peaceful months passed.
It was 2012. We had entered Class 7. Life finally felt normal again.
"Hey… I don't see Jewel in class," I said to my friends. "Hasn't he come back from his village? He never misses class."
"He did," Bappi replied.
"Huh. It's boring without him. We can't even play cricket properly. He's the only one who can take out Zubayer."
"Did you say something?" Zubayer asked proudly. "Jewel can't take me out."
"He got you out in the first over last time," Bappi teased. "You couldn't even run five."
"Hmph. That was luck. I have both skill and luck now."
We laughed.
But then a few days passed. Jewel was still missing.
His parents were away in the village, so no one realized he was gone. A missing report was filed. We told the police everything we knew—but it wasn't much.
He had a fight with his father recently. His father even beat him up. We thought he might've run away.
But ten days passed.
Still no sign of Jewel.
Everyone hoped for the best, but fear returned like a bad dream.
It felt like last year all over again.
On January 31st, over 20 days had passed since Jewel disappeared. School had ended and we played cricket for a couple of hours. Six of us were there. After finishing, we left the school grounds.
Half an hour later, one of my friends realized he had left his wallet on the field. It was already dark—no one usually goes near the school after sunset. Too many rumors. But he went in alone. We waited outside.
Then we heard a scream.
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
We rushed inside.
We saw a man holding a heavy bat, hitting our friend mercilessly. The man saw us and ran.
He wore a face mask. We couldn't see his face.
Our friend was badly injured. We called the grown-ups. He was rushed to the hospital.
Two days later, the police came to question him.
"Hayashi, just feel safe and tell us who attacked you. Your friends gave us some details, but we need your version too."
Hayashi nodded, trembling.
"That day, I went back to the field and saw my wallet lying there. While picking it up, I noticed a strange man digging the ground. I thought maybe he was burying something… dangerous."
I asked him, 'Hey mister, are you looking for something?'
"He turned and looked at me. He had the eyes of a devil. Like I was food."
He began chanting,
'Blood! Blood! I want to see.
Blood! Blood! I want to eat.'
The man muttered to himself.
He asked me, 'Who are you? What are you doing here?'
"I got scared. Tried to leave. But before I could run, he hit me. That's all I remember."
"Did you see his face?" the officer asked.
"I only saw his eyes. Red, with small eyebrows. He was skinny. Wearing a red t-shirt."
The Day After
A phone rang. It belonged to a tall, handsome man.
He picked it up.
A woman's voice on the other end.
"Another day, another date," the man said with a smirk.
"I've been waiting!" the woman giggled. "You're late… but so handsome today."
"Sorry, beautiful," the man said. "I had to prepare myself. You're too stunning—I wasn't ready to look at you."
"You're such a romantic," she blushed. "I already like you."
They laughed, talked, and shared a lovely dinner.
The man returned home later that night.
He was holding a strange bag.
Drip. Drip.
Blood leaked through it.
Inside was fresh human meat—bloody and raw.
Not beef. Not chicken.
It belonged to the same woman he had just dated.