C:SOD Chapter 11 (Patreon)

ATTENTION

1st-year classes are suspended until further notice; please comply with authorities for your safety; do not enter temporarily restricted areas.

"What's going on?"

"Let me see!"

"Oh my god!"

Friday Mass will be dedicated to the late Francine Lee, and a memorial will be held for the recently passed students.

May she rest in peace.

Hermes stares up at the bulletin board after being questioned by the police himself. Even though he didn't witness the death this time, nor did he see ant blood, his stomach is still churning inside of him. Especially when he heard the friends of that girl sobbing behind him.

"No... no Francine couldn't have killed herself! Not Francine!"

Only a week after Evelyn Constantino, another life is lost in Carvalle. Hermes concludes this may be the same person who staged his sister's death. This isn't just for my sister anymore... I have to find out who it is.

First, he had to know more about the Equestrians, starting with one of them, Au. Hermes plugged in his earphones and listened to the piano MP3 that Au composed. Why did he give me this? It's just one song... did he keep one MP3 player for one song, or did he mean to give it to me?

Soft notes, E minor, a little hauntingly romantic. Hermes can't help but feel like someone is watching him whenever he listens to this; it's like the soundtrack of an obsessive romance. When Hermes enters his classroom on the 3rd floor, everyone was silent.

He takes out his earphones and asks everyone, "Where are Frost and Mavis?"

"Mavis is in the clinic, Sir..." one answers politely, as expected from someone who is talking to a teacher under Frost's protection. Another answers, "Frost is helping with the investigation."

"Helping?" Hermes puts his stuff on the table, but eyes the chair for any buttons or pranks. He looks under the table as well, then the students just in case they mess with him. But no, everything is clean and the class is well behaved.

Is this because of Frost? Hermes settles into his class, taking out his laptop. It's kind of scary... the more they are compliant...

"You see class..."Hermes sighs, closing his book for now. "We have lost two students in this school... whether it really was suicide or not, I want all of you to be safe and not go anywhere alone. Make sure you don't feel alone as well... I'm sure you have friends. If you don't, you guys can talk to me."

Someone scoffs. "Talk to you? Why would we?"

"If it weren't for Frost, we would've thrown you out the window."

"You're so cheap and disrespectful."

Hermes rolls his eyes, not taking any shìt from these brats. "Listen, you all are nasty to each other and your teachers, and I don't like your attitudes either. But I don't want any of you to die. Your parents might not care about you, and you might not care about me dying someday, but I'm a teacher and it's my job to take care of you. Now shut up and turn to page 35."

The students were silent as usual, but moreover taken aback by his strict but caring words. How dare Hermes Quinn talk about their parents. He has always come out as a cold person, but despite being harsh, he still comes off as caring.

Hermes opens his laptop and sits down, but the MP3 suddenly slips off his full pockets and violently drops onto the floor, startling the class. He assures them, "Nothing is broken. Focus on taking notes so you'll know what to do when we go to the Gym. Also, pick a buddy because nobody walks there alone oka... y...?"

He paused in confusion when he bends to retrieve the MP3, finding it broken. It broke off into two pieces, with the bigger part featuring a Type A USB that reveals this old-school MP3 player is actually a portable storage device with music-playing features.

Should I put this in? What if Au gave this to me to kill my files? Taking advantage of his students being busy with their notes, he plugs it into his computer disregarding any possibility of viruses. I already backed up my files, I need to know what's in this thing.

MUSIKA - 26.mp3

Voice_Call_Recording_MMDDYY.zip

A Zip file... So Au didn't just give this to him for music. The file wouldn't play in the player because it's compressed. Hermes plugs in the earphones and after decompressing the file, he heard something that made him stop breathing.

"I never should've stayed with him, Au... people are in danger because of me... no, no I was selfish... please help me... help me, Au."

"Thena-!" Hermes was reminded he isn't alone when all eyes were set on him. He goes back to his usual cold composure, "Ahh. Nothing. Continue studying, we'll leave in 10 minutes."

"Weirdo..."

"Is he schizophrenic?"

Hermes ignores them and keeps listening to the 1:21 minute audio, preventing himself from crying at the familiar sound of her voice on the line.

"I can't leave, he's gonna hurt Mavis! We have to keep Mavis safe first, not even Frost can stop him from hurting the boy! Au..." Thena cried out, "Lloyd... what am I gonna do...? What have I done...? This is all my fault... I... I'm sorry... please save me..."

What's going on? Mavis? Who is she so afraid of?! If it's not Frost, then who?!

Hermes takes out Thena's notebook again, trying to find entries of a different man that she may have feared. So far... none. I have to find Au.

that morning,

CARVALLE MEDICAL BUILDING

Mavis has woken up from the clinic once again, with everyone else in their classrooms. He puked in the bathroom again and felt cramps in his stomach so he has to spend time at the clinic.

As the young man sits up from the bed, he sensed someone in the room with him. "... you're here?"

No one answered, but Mavis knows he's here. Still with a cramped stomach, Mavis hops out of bed and walks towards the door. "Hello...?"

"Do you want me to kill you, Mavis?"

The young man gasps and leans against the hallway, fearful of the man before him. "... please... don't..."

"And why shouldn't I?!" Mavis is thrown back inside the clinic and pinned against the floor, the boy now crying and trying to keep his strong hands off his neck. "I told you. Hermes is mine! I told the others to not touch him, but what did you do?!"

"Ack-! Stop, please...—!" Mavis cries, running out of breath and his neck turning purple again from under those bandages.

"I told you to lure Hermes into the house, I didn't tell you to fúck him! Twice!"

For the first time ever, Mavis had lifted off his hands in order to spit out, "So you will?!"

The hands soften in shock, giving Mavis enough space to breathe in and cough out for a second, enough to stop him from facing death. However, it was only for a few breaths because the hands tighten again.

"You dare talk back to me?" Mavis starts to drift out of consciousness. "You're nothing. Nobody will ever love you. Not Hermes, not Thena, not even your own family wants anything to do with you."

Mavis sobs, "N-no... I... please... stop... stop this...!"

"You will die just like the rest of them! And you should've died instead of them, you worthless piece of flesh with no purpose of existence!"

"Stop—!"

But, it never stopped, and Mavis had finally run out of breath. The second he passed out, the hands lose their grip. The other male then stands up and walks out from the clinic, walking to the Johnson building where he can see Hermes teaching from the hallway windows. He smiles gently at the teacher.

"Thena... you got away from me... but you forgot the fact that you have a brother, who is exactly my type..." He waves at Hermes who noticed him, and the teacher was uncertain if he should wave back. But, he did, forcing out a smile. Knowing no one would hear, the man says to the Lady's sculpture, "... and this time, he's not getting away."

the next few days,

Today's the day, I have to find that missing boy! A sleep-deprived Hermes was hurrying to fix his clothes after waking up in the Priest's bedroom after a third round last night. Throughout the week, he couldn't get a hold of Au or his whereabouts, that guy is slippery! However, he's determined to find him today. He'll schedule a temporary leave and check all of the spots listed in Thena's diary for the entire day.

He was startled when he was met by a groggy voice from behind him. Such sexy, manly voice, "You're in a rush so early in the morning, baby?"

"I have class, it's 7am already," a cold-toned Hermes didn't even look at Daniel as he buttons his shirt.

"You know, you should leave some clothes here to avoid this situation. You can just shower and change here then go to class." Daniel leans into the doorway, staring at none other than the man he railed so much last night the bed created a dent in the wall paint.

"Or I should just stop hoeing around with y—" Hermes turns around and chokes his spit at the sight of Father Daniel fully nude with his curly hair almost defying gravity. "Jesus Christ, cover up, you scared me!"

Daniel laughs wholeheartedly. "Oh? It already scared you? It isn't even hard yet."

That made Hermes almost crack a smile, now looking at Father Daniel's goofy-looking face. But, he rolls his eyes and turns around to avoid getting distracted by such a handsome specimen.

"So what's your next move to find the killer?" Daniel didn't bother putting on clothes as he hugs Hermes from behind, uncaring that the teacher can feel that big limp díck between his àss. "I don't want you going anywhere alone, Carvalle is dangerous these days after the suspicious death of two students."

Hermes has finished dressing up and turns around with a serious face, only to be pecked in the lips as their conversation is laced with a little intimacy.

"I have to find this student... Au. I think he's my next lead and the closest one who could've killed my sister. But uhm..." Hermes looks down on those muscular chests and runs his hand along Daniel's sharp collarbone, avoiding seduction from the organ between them. "... do you know more about Thena's relationships with the student council? She's a lot closer to them than I thought..."

Daniel suddenly lifts a fully clothed Hermes by the back of his knees and have him seated on a table, where Hermes has a perfect view of the dìck that belongs to him.

"Thena is Mavis' tutor, my love, so Frost became close to her because of him. Frost being student council president became Thena's go-to for reporting campus incidences. I don't know if Frost has any feelings for her, I doubt he's even allowed to."

"What do you mean? Did Mavis forbid him?" Or... the other person...

"Not Mavis, no..." Daniel goes to kiss his neck lovingly, making Hermes sigh in pleasure. "Thena is... well-protected. Spoiled by Frost... but he had never confessed to her. Maybe because as Student Council President, he knows the rules and follows them."

"Hmm..." Hermes hums while they absentmindedly make out as if casually drinking coffee. There is another. I have to know more. "And the others...?"

"She talks to me about how annoying the twins are. They actively try flirting with her even though they're underaged. Other than that..." Daniel kisses him right on the Adam's apple, "Nothing else for the others."

"How do you know so much about Frost?" Hermes softly asks, making his throat vibrate under his lover's lips.

Father Daniel was silent for a bit, letting their lips play with each other for a moment until the priest hides his face in Hermes' neck. When he finally answered, "We have no power over the school. The kids do... these rich students. Teachers are merely servants that make them feel comfortable. I've seen Frost do things with his power. I've heard of Frost using his power against those he disliked. When you're a priest, you hear the point of view from other students."

"Father, I falsely reported that teacher for touching me... because Frost said so..." a first-year once confessed in church.

"Who, my child?"

"..." She said the name of the terminated teacher, whose role got replaced by none other than Thena Quinn.

Hermes gasps, especially when Daniel reveals that, "I've heard other students submitting to him only because he has dirt he can use against them. With the twins to gather information and intimidate people... and Au as one of the strongest and most admired male in Carvalle... Frost is the most dangerous to lead them all. That is why I don't blame you for sleeping with him... you'll be in danger if you reject that boy."

Hermes is now certain that Frost is capable of murder, maybe the latest incidences are because of him. But because of Frost's relationship with Thena, killing the woman he worked so hard to please is such a lousy revenge plot for someone as smart as Carvalle's student council dictator.

My next move is to get closer to the student council, or at least Au for now... I have to crack them open from the inside out.

AT CARVALLE,

Garden? No.

The five libraries? Fail.

Empty classrooms? Nuh-uh.

The rooftop? Nope.

The fúcking trees? No tall student sleeping there.

Hermes sighs as he goes to the 4th-floor library, finding it empty as always. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll find him...

He met a single female student scurrying through the hallways, clutching her uniform closed. "Oh, excuse me—" The teacher was ignored as she turned the hallway, and then he awkwardly realized that the student came from a very heated private session. She definitely didn't want to entertain him with an unbuttoned shirt and lips stained with fluids. Oh.

He was about to leave the opposite way when suddenly, "AHH—"

Before Hermes can look back at the girl or even react, he was pulled into the 4th-floor library and the door was closed. He gasps before freezing, tightly held in a familiar situation. The arms of a tall young man who is keeping him hostage on the floor of the library. One who covered his mouth so tight, even his brain struggles for some air.

The air of the school dimmed down, as Hermes' heart speeds up at the claustrophobic situation.

Sensing that he can't breathe, Au softens his grip enough for Hermes to stammer out, "Hey what-! What are you doi—?!"

"Shh!" Au covers his mouth once again and forces him to look at the door. There, among silence on the 4th floor, came slow footsteps and friction against tiles. There, in the half an inch crack of the library doors, came a shadow of a foot walking backward.

It was dragging something. A dead body—

Hermes can't help it and cries upon realizing the girl he saw earlier became a victim right in his eyes. There's a serial killer in Carvalle! I have to find out who! These poor girls!

He wants to shove Au away and reveal the identity of the confirmed serial killer of Carvalle. But, he cannot move. All he can imagine is Thena's body being dragged across the hallways, and Hermes can't do anything about it.

He can't do anything about it.

He can't do anything from across the line.

Au was shocked when Hermes tore himself away from his grip, only to turn around and cry heavily on his black uniform. Like a lost man, who lost his family... lost his purpose in life and lost control of his own body and emotions. He has tried to hide it, but he can't escape from his trauma; he can't help but cry against Au's shirt.

"Help... please..." He sobs incoherently, unable to keep up with his small panic attack. He wants to hide, he feels so trapped and it's terrible.

Au himself was lost in a trance, hesitantly hugging Hermes back especially when he got reminded of how Thena used to cry on his shoulder, too.

"Au, it's my fault... I'm sorry... please help me..."

To minimize the noise, Au holds Hermes against him so tight until the last of the shadow passes the door. By the time it did, and the killer is no longer heard near them, Au slowly softens up to make space for Hermes to breathe. Here, the teacher's breath trembles as he looks up at the man holding him.

He looks dangerous, tall, large, and very intimidating with his blank face. However, Hermes' fear faded away when Au tilts his head like a confused puppy, puzzled eyes scanning the fearful teacher's face.

"Wh-what are you doing..." realizing he's holding onto Au tight, he pushes the man away. "What do you think you’re doing—?!"

"Shh!" Au grabs his mouth and tackles him to the floor, surprising Hermes who never thought he could even hear Au's deep voice. The tackling was justified, however, when they start hearing footsteps and an unidentified muffled voice was heard.

"You hear that? ...someone's here. Go check it out."

Hermes widens his eyes, and so does Au until the only solution he can think of is to knock the teacher out cold with a punch in the neck.

later on, night time,

Hermes feels like he woke up in his dorm room. He opens his eyes to a familiar room structure; a bedroom the same size as his. It's the smell that's different... and... the paint, which is a royal blue instead of his plain beige wall paint. He notices that the bed is a little bigger too with a black duvet. The color scheme... dark and blue, and smells like the cologne of a gentleman in a ballroom.

He sits up in a panic, finding himself in a Queen Bed that is messy at the feet because of books and guitar strings. In fact, this bedroom looks like a storage room for multiple instruments.

"Au...?" Hermes whispers, concluding that this is the musician's room. He hops out of bed, opening the blackout curtains to see pitch black out there. "Shít, why did he bring me here it's nighttime!"

He panics, doing his best to step over and avoid the clutter on the floor to reach the door. But before he can even touch the knob, a shirtless man wearing an apron that covers his chest opens the door and scares the poor teacher. He's wearing earphones attached to an MP3 player, loudly blaring noises.

"Holy shí—Au?! Au! Wh..." Hermes was speechless at the man's attire, his hair up in a clip similar to a working mom's. "What are you... uhm... why did you bring me here, what happened?!"

Au pushes past him to collect a book from a bed, which turns out to be a cookbook. Without a word, Au opens it and shows a page dedicated for;

"Pancakes?" Au pushes the book towards him. Hermes steps out of the door and peeks in the kitchen area, seeing the open oven and the smell of burnt steel. "Uhm... you don't need an oven for pancakes."

Au rolls his eyes and goes to the kitchen, grabbing the pancake mix and staring at it like it murdered his family. Hermes, despite scared, slowly walks to the kitchen where he keeps a reasonable space between him and Au. Maybe this is my chance to... hmm, he didn't really hurt me he just... knocked me out but...

"Hey, you need eggs and oil for that!" Hermes stops him before he can put the pancake in a soup pan because it looks like the pan on the box. Au stares at him as Hermes takes over, replacing the soup pan with a frying pan. "I'll cook you pancakes alright? You don't put the mix and water in and call it a day."

Au does nothing but stare at him from behind, resisting the urge to ask for a hug from a man whose scent comforts him so much. He couldn't hear Hermes' ramblings, just his music and his inner voice desiring to touch him.

"Au?" Only when Hermes turns around and says his name did he realize he was being called out. "I uhm... I remember what happened earlier..."

What is he saying. Au subtly lowers the volume of his music, a little hesitant to do so but as long as Hermes is talking, maybe it wouldn't be bad.

"Thanks for... watching out for me back then... but... the girl, Au. Something bad happened to her, I must find her. If a third girl dies, I—" Too late. She did. And if I see her corpse, I'll go into panic again. "Au, do you know who that was? Who did that? What happened to the girl? So it has never been suicides?"

Talk too much, Au thinks, face not even moving even though Hermes is showing clear emotions of distress. Hermes feels hopeless that the man isn't talking so he sighs and wipes off his sweat, turning around to turn the pancakes.

"I'm so upset I can't do anything about it... I'm a teacher. I'm not supposed to let students die like my..." The pan sizzles when his tears drip on it, and before the other guy can witness it he wipes it away and takes a deep breath. "Uhm... I... I'll make you your pancakes and I'll be calling the police for an investigation. Thank you for helping me but I can't stay—"

Hermes gasps when Au ends up right behind him, wrapping his arms around the tense and terrified man.

"Au...?" Hermes is scared because Au is a potential suspect, but he'll have more chances of survival if he doesn't act out so he forces himself to calm down. His heart, still beating erratically. But behind him, he can feel Au's; and it's calm, serene, and patient while watching him cook pancakes.

"Okay... I made three pancakes... is this enough?" Hermes turns around and holds up a stack of pancakes, getting Au to release him. The taller man stares down at the flimsy three pancakes, knowing that a big man like him requires more than that. So, he reaches over to the cupboard and pulls out three boxes, slamming them on the counter and trapping Hermes with his arms.

Is he really holding me hostage for some pancakes?! "Uhh... Au, I can't stay for long, you can just order pancakes!"

Au scowls at him, and it can be quite scary when a man this size looks angry and one is trapped between him and the stove. "O-okay! Okay dámn, I'll cook... go make yourself busy or something. And put on a shirt."

Au returns to his blank state and turns around to remove his apron, making Hermes feel awkward at the presence of a man as mysterious as he is handsome. Hermes spots the steel bar on the bathroom doorway and the curl-up machine, coupled with other home equipment which explains how he still looks fit. Very well capable enough to overpower Hermes physically.

That's it, I'm growing my arms... the teacher grumbles himself as he proceeds to cook three pancake boxes for the brat watching TV right now.

later on, Hermes feels sleepy as he loads the last piece to the third plate. Waiting for it to cool off, his eyes start drifting off to the shelves, where there sit multiple photos of Au and... "His parents. How cute. Even he's so... cute?"

Young Au, about the age of 14, looks even more depressed than he is now between his two parents. What had happened for him to even be like this at such a young age? Or even younger, since Hermes just estimated his age. They look to be really rich; jewels on his mother, his father wearing the finest suit. Au is a beautiful product of two different races.

Hermes stops snooping around and decides to serve the pancakes to a male still watching TV loudly. He also eats half, too, from the bottom so Au won't know he ate from it. "Au? I have your pancakes. You better eat all of this and wash your own dishes, I have to go for tonight."

No answer, which is expected, but when he places the plate on the messy living room area, he looks at the motionless male only to find him dead asleep.

"Au?" He's asleep... Quite gorgeous when he is, because he looks less mad or sad. He looks peaceful, and it's a much better image than his broody grumpy persona. Hermes likes him better this way. "Hmm... you're not so bad... when you're unconscious. Won't you be cold?"

Hermes can't help it, this reminds him of his sister who used to pass out after her two jobs and college classes. He takes the duvet from the bedroom and lays it out on Au, letting his guard down the least bit. This morning… I expect a tragedy. Am I even ready for it? I’m a witness. Well… I’ll face it in the morning. I can’t overwhelm myself with trauma.

"You know, Thena only sleeps when there's noise from the TV. She gets sleep paralysis when it's quiet and she dozes off," Hermes talks to an unconscious body as if he listens to him, because he usually stays away from memories of her unless it's useful for the investigation. Now that he realized it... he blocks out everyone, even Thena's memories. “Thena… really doesn’t like silence. She doesn’t want to be alone with her thoughts. So she surrounds herself with noise. Like the TV.”

While he fixes the duvet on Au's chest, he can't help but stare at the man who could very well be his key to finding his sister's murderer. He already saved Hermes from one. He whispers as if hopeful, "Au, please... I wish you'll just talk to me... I need you... please..."

No answer, he is asleep. Hermes sighs hopelessly.

"Of course you won't, I'm not special for you to talk to—"

He yelps when a hand emerges from the duvet and grabs his own, pulling him back close to Au and alerting his panic. "Hey, I—!"

"Pancakes...." The boy mumbles, still asleep. That small hum of a word calmed down Hermes, but only weirded him out again when Au pull his hand to put one finger in his mouth.

"Okay wait—I know I smell like pancakes but—OW" Au bit his forefinger and starts sucking on the knuckle, making Hermes want to pull away. "Hey, that hurt! Au, wake up and stop being a cannibal!"

As Hermes tries pulling his finger away, he gets close enough so Au smells something even tastier from him. "Au, wake up—"

And he did, just to pull Hermes' hand over his head and grab him by the mouth... with his own lips. Hermes was stunned, and he doesn't know how to react when Au claimed his stolen pancakes right from his lips, his tongue, and it was sweet. Au tastes like orange soda, enjoying his tasty snack of pancakes.

Au, what are you doing— Hermes isn't sure of what this man will do if he rejects; maybe Thena did, and Au killed her for it. The fear of saying No; for one can't know how the other person will react. But, "Au, stop..."

He did, pausing and creating enough distance to ask Hermes 'Why' with his eyes, innocent to what he did.

"I uhh..." He's warming up to me. At least, right? "I made the pancakes, you like pancakes, right?"

Hermes is playing the role that he thinks Au wants him to play and presents him a plate of pancakes with a fork. "Come on, uhm… the syrup will dry up…"

Au looks at him, eyes a little lifted than his half-lidded dead expression. He looks a little more expressive, and even happier if you were to round up his blank emotions, especially after seeing Hermes offer him a smile.

Pancakes, he thinks, taking the fork and eating from the plate Hermes is holding. The TV is playing in the background, Au happily munching on the food. It tastes much better than the flour and water he used to bake in the oven.

"Au..." Hermes calls for his attention, to which the man looks at him with teeth busy with chewing. "You're okay with me, right? We're... friends now, right?"

Au said nothing but offered him a fork of pancakes, which catches Hermes off guard. Does that mean... yes...? Hermes is nervous, but he leans forward to take it, smiling once more. Au is a little entranced, seeing something different and feeling something different inside him.

"Kiss."

Hermes' smile drops. "... huh?"

Only Au's lips repeated the silent word, and he pulls down Hermes' plate to lean in. Probably to taste the pancake directly from him.

Hermes stops himself from pulling away. Because finally, he realized... I can make Au speak. He will speak with me. He will say what he desires... and soon enough... he'll say a name.

Au's lips land on his own once again, and this time Hermes did not struggle. For he had to do this, once again, for his sister. He needs a name from Au, and he can't have that if he pushes him away.

Forgive me father, for I have sinned... This time, Hermes once again takes advantage of a man's desires, enabling Au's forbidden attraction towards him. With a touch of his hand on Au's face, their kiss got deeper. Hopefully tonight, Au won't desire more than a kiss.