Chapter 17

Liam and Desmond quietly ate their food. The sound of the wind whistling was loud.

Suddenly, Liam felt a sense of unease and looked up. Benjamin and Jacob had frozen, still holding their knives and forks. Liam stopped eating and sighed deeply.

"Hey, if you have something to say, just spit it out."

He pressed them, but neither of them said a word.

"Come on, say something. Hey, Ben!"

Liam raised his voice, but Benjamin remained unresponsive, as if he hadn't heard. He just stared at his knife. Jacob, who had been looking down, raised his head and looked at Liam.

"Calm down."

Jacob tapped the table with his left hand. A loud sound echoed. Liam was momentarily stunned by Jacob's unexpected attitude, someone who had never rebelled before, and then a surge of anger rose within him. Being ordered around by someone he considered inferior was one of the things Liam hated the most.

"Hey, what's with you guys? Do you think you're better than us now?"

"Haha."

Benjamin laughed, still staring at his knife, completely oblivious to the tension. This only irritated Liam more.

"What are you grinning about?"

"Haha, just a joke, right?"

Benjamin replied calmly, still not taking his eyes off the knife. Liam was surprised that the two, who usually cowered, maintained their assertive stance. Maybe the rumor that they were trying to leave the group was true.

"Come on, just say it. I already know what you're thinking. You're all scared of getting in trouble with everyone at school, so you want to leave the group. Just say it. Say it!"

"Calm down."

Jacob tried to soothe Liam again. Liam had expected him to apologize as soon as he raised his voice, but now he was convinced that Jacob was serious about leaving the group. Liam glared at Jacob, who just grinned back.

"Ben, why are you staring at the knife?"

In stark contrast to Liam's boiling anger, Desmond asked Benjamin in a cool tone. Benjamin remained motionless, still holding the knife, and didn't respond to Desmond's question.

The sound of a spoon stirring soup could be heard. Jacob seemed unaffected by Liam's outburst. As his anger rose, about to explode—Liam suddenly noticed something odd about Jacob's movements. Something was definitely missing, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

His anger slowly subsided.

Something was wrong.

Jacob was moving his spoon to his mouth in a steady rhythm, like a wind-up doll.

That's it, Liam realized. The movements lacked any human touch.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that Jacob's left hand, which had hit the table earlier, remained a fist, not moving at all. Only his right hand was moving between the plate and his mouth, as if it had forgotten all other actions.

"Jay, stop that. It's creepy."

Jacob didn't react to Liam's words. Liam and Desmond exchanged glances. Desmond seemed to have noticed the oddity too, shrugging as if he had no idea what was going on.

"Ben is just staring at the knife. It's creepy."

Desmond said to Benjamin. In response, Benjamin looked up and smiled, but his eyes didn't match the expression. It was unsettling.

Benjamin raised his knife high.

"Hey, hey. That's dangerous. Put it down—"

Before Liam could finish, Benjamin swiftly brought his right arm down.

Red liquid splattered on the table.

The knife had pierced the back of Jacob's hand, who was sitting next to him. The white potato soup he had been stirring now had a red tinge.

Liam was speechless, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"Huh? What are you doing!?"

Desmond screamed and stood up, knocking over his chair.

Benjamin released the knife. It remained motionless, having pierced Jacob's hand and stuck into the wooden table.

"Haha, just a joke, right?"

Benjamin grinned.

"No, a joke? Can this be a joke...?"

Liam managed to say, recovering from the shock, his lips trembling.

Jacob continued to stir the now pink potato soup, seemingly unaware that he had been stabbed.

"Hey, Jay. Do you realize this?"

Desmond asked, his mouth twitching.

"Calm down."

Jacob replied, as if answering Desmond's question.

"Haha, just a joke, right?"

Benjamin said calmly and resumed eating. His hand, which had grabbed a piece of bread, was stained with Jacob's blood.

"Haha, got it. You're just messing with us, right?"

Liam said, his voice trembling.

They must have planned this prank in advance. Seeing their unflinching expressions, Liam hoped this was the case and let out a deep breath.

"Right? Man, a prank. I thought my heart would stop."

Desmond said, righting his chair.

"So, what's going on?"

Liam reached for the knife that seemed to be stuck in Jacob's hand and the table. Jacob slowly raised his left hand. Red liquid dripped from the knife onto the table. He raised his left hand further, and the knife handle slipped through his palm, making a sharp sound.

"No, this is too realistic. Haha... Hey, Des?"

"Ah... yeah..."

Jacob held the knife handle with his right hand and pulled it out of the table. The sound of swallowing was clearly audible, but Liam couldn't tell if it was from himself or Desmond.

"Jay, put the knife down. Come on, you've had your fun."

Liam tried to reason with Jacob.

"Calm down."

"Haha, just a joke, right?"

Jacob and Benjamin were grinning. "Calm down." "Just a joke, right?" Liam realized they were repeating the same lines, as if they knew no other words.

His back was cold, and he couldn't stop sweating, even though it was winter.

Jacob stood up and positioned himself behind Benjamin, who was sitting next to him. What would he do next? Paralyzed with fear, Liam's eyes were drawn to every move Jacob made.

Jacob raised the knife. Before Liam and Desmond could stop him, he brought the knife down forcefully, aiming for Benjamin's head.

Benjamin's spoon fell to the table, making a metallic sound. The moment he was stabbed, Benjamin's body went limp, but he didn't collapse, perhaps because Jacob was still holding the knife. He looked like a marionette with a string attached to the top of his head.

Liam and Desmond let out silent screams. This wasn't a prank. Something was wrong. Everything was wrong.

Desmond stood up again, backing away from the table. Liam tried to stand but felt a sharp pain in his leg, remembering his broken leg. He reached for the crutch leaning against the table but knocked it over in his haste.

Jacob pulled the knife out of Benjamin's head, and Benjamin fell forward like a marionette with its strings cut. Dishes overturned, and soup and bread scattered. Blood dripped from the top of Benjamin's head, pooling on the tray and table.

Jacob switched the knife to his right hand and gripped it firmly. He sat down as if nothing had happened.

"J-Just a joke, right!? Reveal the trick! Hey, Ben, wake up! Ben!"

Liam screamed, half-mad.

"Calm down."

Jacob calmly tried to soothe Liam, placing his right hand, still holding the knife, on the table, the tip pointing upwards.

In the next moment, like Benjamin, Jacob collapsed onto the table, as if his strings had been cut.

Liam saw it happen. The moment the knife's tip pierced Jacob's eye.

The sound of the wind howling was the only thing he could hear. Liam couldn't speak.

A loud thud came from behind. Startled, he realized he had forgotten to breathe. Turning around, he saw Desmond on his hands and knees on the ground.

"Ugh, cough. Cough."

Desmond vomited on the grass. Liam averted his gaze, desperate to get away from this place, and reached for the fallen crutch.

His hands—his whole body—were shaking.

Liam managed to pick up the crutch with his trembling hands and stood up from the chair. Without waiting for Desmond, he walked along the brick path leading to the bustling cafeteria.