Chapter 2

Jasper stood there amidst the body parts and remains of the hundreds of students that were at the party. A bloody river flowed through the floor cracks and along the walls to the front door. Jasper felt as if he was standing in the land of the dead staring at the river styx. Death surrounded him. Jasper looked to his right and saw his diced up friend Kota barely breathing, blood gushing from his mouth arms and legs. He fell to his knees, his heart pounding as if it were going to leap out of his chest. Adrenaline rushed through jaspers body as he sat there hyperventilating. His vision started to turn red and blurry. He began to slowly blackout and before he sunk into the darkness, he saw what he could only comprehend as DEATH itself.

Everything turns to black

Jasper flickers in and out of consciousness.

At one point he saw the top of an ambulance

At another he was turned on his side and he saw Kato rushed into the operation room

The last he was on his back again staring towards the ceiling

A black cloaked Dark figure with a pitch-black foggy scythe Staring back

Everything goes to black

A few hours passed by, and Jasper woke up lunging forward gasping for air.

He looked around the room quickly

To his Suprise it was empty except for another hospital bed with a curtain pulled around it.

He then quickly looked up remembering the Mysterious figure looming over him

Nothing was there.

He sat back and took a deep breath

He thought

'I'm alive. I'm in the hospital so...that wasn't all a bad nightmare.... where's Kato is he okay?'

Jasper rolls to his side to get up and go look for Kato but he hears some shuffling in the covered bed next to him

He walks over to the curtain and pulls it aside

What he saw almost made him hurl

His dear friend Kato was laying in the bed and looked like he was half dead

His right arm and right leg were amputated at the shoulder and hip and his left leg was amputated at the knee cap

He was missing 2 fingers on his left hand and had a gash across his right eye

Jasper stood there in shock wondering

"How did it end like this"

Kato slowly opens his eyes

At first his vision was blurry

As it cleared, he saw his best friend who looked like he was about to throw up

"What's up with you, you look like you lost your best friend" kato said sarcastically

Jasper stood there speechless

He Didn't know what to say., Kato was clearly clueless about his condition

The meds must have number the pain

"Hey, you just going to ignore me man...... oh damn my head hurts, I had the strangest dream last night. I mus have blacked out at the party because there was this old dude who...."

He finally looks down and realizes his condition,

How he could not see realize sooner jasper could not figure out

Kato sat there and shock, he lifted his stubbed leg up as far as he could

He looked at his hand and missing arm

Kato sat there in disbelief

His life

His career

Everything over in a one night

“How are you feeling …”

“How am I feeling…. HOW AM I FEELING!!! how do you think I’m feeling . My legs , my arms ! There gone . How else am I supposed to feel.”

He paused for a second letting his rage gather . Then he continueded even angrier

“MY LIFE IS OVER , I can’t box , I can’t play sports , hell I can’t even go to the bathroom by myself! Everything is over !…”

“Hey it’s gonna be ok … we can figure something out there’s new technology ….you can get a bionic arm or prosthetics ,look to the bright side”

Even saying it jasper couldn’t really believe it himself

“A bionic arm? With what money ? You think I’m gonna get payed for this ? All of that was really real you were there ….you witnessed it . Would you believe something like that ever happened …. And look at you completely untouched … you were always the lucky one …never had any consequences”

“Hey don’t be like that this could have happened to either of us…I was really afraid i was going to die… I’ve never been afraid of anything but now…”

“HA… your finally brought down from your high horse , never afraid of anything well look at you now it didn’t happen to you it happened to me , your afraid of death …. Bullshit everyone is afraid to die . Im afraid of never walking again on my own to feet , I’m afraid of getting an infection and having the rest of what I have amputated off . You have nothing to fear. I have everything to fear.”

The ETG began to beep faster and faster . Kato’s eyes got wide and he reached his one good arm up to his chest over his heart and grasped his shirt . He looks at tobi and said

“Get out!”

Jasper said back in a confused tone “But Kato I..”

“GET OUT!!!” Kato yelled interrupting Jasper.

A nurse rushed into the room and saw his heart beat monitor . She noticed he was having a panic attack and called in other nurses to help sedate him . They kindly asked Jasper to leave since the patient is in distress.

Jasper yelled out “I’ll be back Kato!” over the commotion and walked out of the room.

Jasper left the hospital and went home. Apparently a day had passed and it was Sunday afternoon when he woke up . He was worried about his friend but also has many other things on his mind like , the massacre that killed hundreds of his peers and incapacitated his bestfriend, and the dark looking figure that he saw while he was in and out of consciousness.

During following week jaspers reality became darker and more negative,as his fear of death began to creep into his everyday life. Over the next week their were 2 more massacres that resulted in 138 deaths. As well as a terrorist attack with over 200 confirmed injuries but no fatalities reported.

The next day Jasper returned to school. He felt as if everyone tried to move forward but he could almost feel the aura of death and despair lingering in the air. The week was long and dreadfully. Classes were operatingng at bare minimum to give the kids a break rack. Why they didn’t just shutdown school I don’t know. I geuss to give the kids a safe place to be . Either way at the week drug on.

Then finally , Friday came and as Jasper promised kato, he returned to the hospital . As much stress as Jasper had on him he tried his best to put on a smile. As he walked into the hospital he could tell things had been busy lately . Nurses and doctors were running around pushing patients on stretchers and wheelchairs to different rooms. There was so much commotions and movement Jasper could barely see the front desk. Also there was a line, almost backed to the door with family members, friends , or waiting patients. Jasper waited in line like the rest . As he stood there he looked around , he saw injured people all over the lobby and waiting rooms. Family members were crying and patients looked as if they were already half dead. Just as he did at school it was as if he could feel the hopelessness and desperation oozing off of them. Except here it was so much Jasper felt nauseated. So much that he started to believe he was claustrophobic.

Jasper thought ‘ I get it. Things have been rough lately . Between these serial attacks and terrorist attacks it’s hard for people to breath . But this….is overwhelming. I wonder if they will even let me see kato.”

After about 45 minutes of waiting tobi finally reaches the front desk . There were 3 secretary nurses. On in green on in blue and one in pink.

The green dressed nurse was on the left talking to a man asking about his daughter. The nurse in pink was talking to a beautiful looking brunette in a flower sundress with shades on . They were conversations fairly low for all the commotion going on.

Jasper turned towards the lady in blue waiting for his question.

“Sorry about that it’s real busy In here kind of distracting.”

“Yea I get it what could I do for you today you don’t look injured and we aren’t taking visitors at the moment so if there isn’t an emergency I am going to have to ask you to leave”

‘Just as I thought’ Jasper thought

“Oh ok well I was wondering when does kato Kepler get released?”

“Hmm..let’s see here”

The nurse did some typing into the computer.

Jasper sat there waiting , getting more and more claustrophobic from the tight enclosed space he was in. That’s when he heard it . It was loud and roudy in that room and he only made out a few words but he heard it clear as day. Before the lady in the sundress next to him walked away she said to the nurse

“Thank you for Mr.keplers things he…”

‘Kepler….could it be a coincidence… yea that’s what it has to be a coincidence it couldn’t be the same person . Kato doesn’t have any family here it’s just me and him here for college .or am I I’m just trippin’

”I’m sorry sir but Mr kato kepler was signed out of the hospital on Wednesday .”

“He was signed out by who? He has no family here.”

“Oh my apologies sir he signed himself out. He reported that he was better and good enough to go home with the assistance of his benefactors.”

“Benefactors who is that?”

“I’m sorry sir that’s all the information we have and can give you so if that’s all I need to move to the next person thank you”

“Sorry thank you”

Jasper turned around and walked out the hospital completely confused.

‘Benefactors? What benefactors? Was it someone that offered him a help ? Some tech company maybe looking for lab rats? I hope he didn’t sell himself off to some strange people. That woman in the flower sundress might know something.’

Jasper looked around swiftly. He catches a glance of a flower dress and brunette here flapping in the wind as it turns a corner. He quickly runs after her. When he turned the corner she was already at the crosswalk the next block over. He had to find out something so he decided to yell to stop her but just as he opened his mouth to say something a semi truck next to him honked his horn and started arguing with the driver who fell asleep in front of him. Jasper got distracted for a second and when he turned around she had just turned another corner. Jasper sprinted that way and chased after her. But to jaspers suprise when he turned the corner it was a dead end alleyway. Although he was sure she turned down this way it was unmistakable, there was no where else to go .

Jasper thought hard about what he could do or where she went , checking trash cans, tried to open doors , and even attempted to open the sewage cover but it was to heavy. Eventually stuck and confused he went home. That night he racked his brain with ideas on how to find Kato he knew something was fishy about this whole thing and he promised himself he would find out what it was .

Turning time backwards a week to Sunday night, after Katos panic attack .

It was 11:56 and Jasper lay awake with the tv on watching the news.

The tv:

Anchorman “on tonight’s channel 12 news we have another tragic story , a new victim has been added to a spring of murders that have been occurring in the same area as the recent frat party massacre. The bodies were found mutilated , organs and limbs were splattered everywhere. It was a very gruesome scene. The suspect has not been caught yet or identified, if you see anything strange happening in your neighborhood hood please speak up and call 9…”

Kato mutes the tv

“Huh that’s what there calling it now ‘ The frat party massacre’ what a joke why would you name something like that. But still I geuss I was lucky to even make it out. That maniac is still on the loose…”

Kato looks at the ceiling and sighs

“I geuss I should apologize to him…”

He said out loud to himself elf thinking about out his argument with Jasper

Kato looked down at his body and anger began to swell up inside.

“But then again it’s not like I could just get up and go to him …damnit…I can’t do it…I can’t do anything anymore …”

Tears began to slowly run down his face as he puts his hand

arm over his eyes and lay back.

“Or can you …”

Kato quickly lifts his head up and scans the room. He saw nothing,

nobody was in the room, but he swore he heard a voice. The tv was still muted

so he knew it must have been a person. He kept searching but couldn’t find

anything out of the ordinary. It was just him, the tv and the furniture and the shadows.

Then he noticed…..the shadows….

Every cell in his body froze.

In front of him on the wall below the tv was the shadow of a woman…..who wasn’t there?

Kato thought ‘Impossible it’s not my shadow I can’t even stand, what the hell is that?”

The shadow stood there for a second then started to unmerge

and separate into 5 different human sized shadows.

Kato's heart raced as he watched in horror, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

‘This is it huh? Death and his ghouls have come to kill me finally.’

He began to think things couldn’t get any worse but then the shadows eerily melted off the wall into pools of shadows on the floor. From these pools 5 black figures arose and stood in front of Kato .

He was 5 seconds away from having a heart attack.

But suddenly the shadiest figures began coming into view like a camera lens focusing on a certain target.

Once the darkness cleared, 5 Masked, cloaked individuals ,all staring intently at Kato.

On each cloak was an insignia over where the heart, this same insignia was on the middle of the forehead of the mask as well.

Kato thought it reminded him of the zodiac wheel .There was a circle with 12 portions and on each portion there was some sort of symbol. It was dark though so he couldn’t make out the symbols individually.

After a minute of silence, the smallest masked person in the middle spoke.

“Will you not ask who we are.” - Unknown

She was clearly a woman but her voice woman’s other than frail. Kato’s breath caught in his throat, his fear momentarily eclipsed by curiosity.

“Well, you came in here without permission so shouldn’t you be stating who you are?” - Kato

“Permission is a trifle concern of ours. We have been watching you, Kato.”

With this ominous declaration Kato could do nothing be shiver in fear . But he kept up his facade.

“Watching me , for what. Why would a strange group like you be watching after someone like me. I was never into shady things. And even if I was . With the state I’m in why bother.”

Suddenly his fear dissapeared. He now felt offended.

‘Why didn’t they come earlier. Maybe I would have never went to the part if they did.’ Kato stared intensely at the masked figures, his frustration mounting.

As the tension in the room grew thicker, the woman chuckled softly behind her mask. Next sentence: We have been watching you because of your potential, Kato," she said, her voice taking on a more serious tone.

“My potential…”!!! He said raising his voice

“What PORENTIAL could I possibly have now.!”

He yelled at the woman emphazing his words he swinging his amputated arm and let around. He winced in pain as he did but his anger overwhelmed the pain.

She slowly bowed.

“I’m a sincerely sorry of the tragedies you faced. But it was all for a reason. In fact this incident is what unlocked your True potential.”

The woman's words echoed in Kato's mind, bringing a mix of confusion and curiosity.

“My true potential…. What could that even mean… who even are you people?”

“My apologies. It seems you were right I should have introduced myself from the start.”

She stepped back and simultaneously all the men in the back stood at attention. Like a bunch of professional military officers.

“My name is Capricorn. And we are the Zodiacs.”

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***