Murder In 5sc1 (Part 1)

Ah yes, hope I got your attention. Just when you thought my stories were becoming a wee bit predictable.

Murder in 5sc1 (pronounced '5 Science 1' for those who really must ask) was a silly little story I wrote back when I was...no prizes for guessing. What started off as a joke in between periods eventually become a dramatic 5-parter-complete-with-epilogue riddled with cliches and inside jokes which some of my classmates read and claimed to enjoy.

Now 8 years older and wiser, I shall courageously attempt to refresh this old-school tale minus the kiddy insider jokes. It's gonna be darker and more sinister than most of my recent works, but still a thrill of a ride as always. To make things more exciting, this time I've actually thought of the ending before I start and will sneak in bits and pieces of it as we go. No magically-appearing Agongs here okay.

So buckle your pinafores and tuck in your shirts kiddos...it's time for Murder In 5sc1.
Murder In 5sc1 (Part 1)


The wailing sirens blared incessantly, a sweet symphony of relief to her. Finally!

Two sturdy officers stepped down from the first patrol car.

"Cik, kami menerima panggilan kecemasan dari sini. Apa kejadiannya?"

"Dia...dia...bunuh mereka semua. Classmate saya."

"Okay, bertenang cik. Kami akan menyiasat dan mengambil langkah-langkah yang diperlukan."
He turned to another approaching colleague. "Razif, kau jaga dia dulu. Ini kes pembunuhan."

*****
25 Minutes Ago

Click. Click. Click.

Everyone stared in speechless horror as the lights flickered on to reveal Cassandra sprawled under the desks.

As the title of the story suggests, a crude slit ran across her neck, releasing an outpouring of dark blood that seeped into her light blue prefect's uniform.

She was, for all intents and purposes, dead.

"Dah...dah mati, cikgu."

No one said a single word. Outside, the rain started pouring violently, delivering what the grey skies had been threatening all afternoon.

"W-we should check her first." Nora whimpered. "Maybe she's not dead yet."

"Let me check." Kim stepped forward. "I'm a qualified first aider."

"No. Hands off." Eddy held her back. "Don't you dare touch her. This is a police case."

"Did anyone call the police yet?"

"Is the killer still around?"

"Teacher, I want to go home now!"

"EVERYONE QUIET!" Mr. Bala boomed. "I'm going to get the police."

He gingerly stepped over Cassandra's body, clearly trembling himself. In the back, a few girls huddled and started crying. Philip, ever the class monitor, was trying his best to remain composed while doing a head count.

"That's strange." Mr. Bala repeatedly twisted the door handle. "Why is it lock-"

BOOM! A deafening bolt of lightning simultaneously cut him off mid-sentence and blew out the lights. Hysteria ensued as the girls started screaming in the near-darkness of the now full-blown thunderstorm.

"Stay calm! STAY CALM!" Philip's voice rang out. To very little effect.

"What happened to the lights?"

"Fuse tripped." Boon the class geek studied the wiring sternly. "And the fuse box is outside."

"Mr. Bala!" Sathia called. "Where are you?"

The sky had become dark very quickly, making it hard to see. Philip strained his eyes at the door, but could make nothing out. Mr. Bala wasn't standing there like he was before the lightning flash.

"It's too dark."

"Here, I have a handphone! Use the light." Vivian pushed her Sony Ericsson W518a into Philip's face.

"What the...why are you bringing a handphone to school?"

"Hey! Do you want to look for Mr. Bala, or not?"

"Hmph." He took the phone and repeatedly pressed the middle button to keep the light on as he inched towards the door.

"Mr. Bala? Mr. Bala...are you there?"

A lump steadily grew in his throat. This can't be good. Why isn't he answering?

"Philip...where are you? Did you find him?" some girl asked.

"Wait."

Like ships to a beacon, a dozen pair of eyes trailed the solitary light of the handphone across the room. Slowly it went around the teacher's desk, over Cassandra's body, past the blackboard...

Plonk. Philip clumsily tripped over something, dropping the handphone and making Vivian shriek in the process.

"You IDIOT! My phone!"

"What?!" Philip shot back crossly. "It was an accident, okay?"

To his surprise, she started screaming. Not out of anger, though.

It was a scream of utter terror.

His eyes followed where her finger pointed, and before he knew it, he was screaming and scrambling like a madman too.

There, lying in a pool of fresh blood, was Mr. Bala with his throat slit open.

To be continued.