The Horrorscope - Episode 11: Chopped and Quartered

Have you ever tried to kill someone? She looks at me with concern. What do you mean? I sigh and look at everyone around. I assume you must have done some experimenting early on. I don’t know how young or old you are, but it stands to reason that you must have tried to kill yourself at least once, if not tried to kill someone like your annoying little brother. Right? Or was that just me? They all sigh collectively. Anyway, we have no regard for life, since we’re quite literally immortal, or almost… Right? I can tell you that I’ve cut my arms off, both of them. Not at the same time, obviously. I don’t know what I expected to happen when I did it the second time. But, whatever, that’s besides the point. I shot myself thrice. The third time was for fun. Once in the legs, once in the chest and once in the head. Telum smacks me over the head again. Get to the point. I sigh. What I am trying to say is that I literally cannot die. So, for me, it doesn’t make sense how Scorpian or any of the billion people from ten years ago died.

I understand, Mr. Kei. But, that’s what I am telling you. Their organs all stopped working, which is why they died. I slam the table. I know! How did it happen? Telum smacks me. Calm down. I take a deep breath. The thing is… We only have theories. We don’t really know how they died. You’ll see on the video yourself. When we looked at the bodies brought here, the only trauma we found on them, was from their circumstances when they died. So, nothing that could have suggested that they died from any blunt force trauma. I start to pace around. So, I’m right, we can’t die from any physical damage. She looks at me and nods. Yes, as you stated before, even if you hold your mouth and nose shut, you can live happily, as long as you don’t exercise, in which case… I interrupt her. As with anything else you fain and remain unconscious until your can breathe or whatever again. She smiles. Good, you paid attention in school. And besides all that, we can’t die from getting poisoned, having organs or pieces removed.

I get it. I interrupt her once more. I know all this. Then what were your theories? She goes to a cabinet and pulls out a large folder and slams it on the table. These are the files on the people that have died ten years ago. That is the file of Mr. Scorpian. She points at the folder in front of me on the table. And these… She goes back to the cabinet. Are… The folders of all the experimentation I had to do in med school and throughout my career. She slams another five tall folders on the desk. The ones from ten years ago and Mr. Scorpian are exactly the same. So, I had to go through all these ten years ago and now with this tragic passing, once more, and re-read everything. My peers had a theory that somehow the souls were extracted. But, no one had any evidence for that. So, we dropped it. Another theory that was going around that time was that maybe extraterrestrials destroyed the planet of the zodiac sign an thus killing them all. But, again… I sigh. Of course, that’s not true. That’s not how things work and the planets for each zodiac sign can be observed by simply looking up at night. She nods. Exactly. But, there’s one more theory that I don’t know if I can tell you about… She says as she looks at Telum. I too turn to look at him. He nods… It’s the brains…

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New Arc - The Pilot Program 2021

Tokyo

A roar that shakes the buildings is heard as the empty city echoes the HUSK. A faint alarm is heard throughout the city as he begins to stomp around looking for pray. Buildings crumble, roads crack, water bursts out, gas pipes crack and electronics light the fuse to the fire, creating explosions that envelop the husk. As the city is engulfed in flames and destruction, the ground starts to shake. With its big horns, thick yet hollow bones and with no eyes but a face full of millions of holes, the husk bashes into a skyscraper twice its size as the ground starts to shake even more. The husk stops as his bones shot up with long needles, he takes a few steps back. Silence fills the city as the sun shines and reflects into the skyscraper’s windows. As his long needles slowly lay back down, the ground stops to shake and two arms shoot up from within the building. Glass falls to the floor, the hands grip the husk’s neck. The metal screeches as it twists around the bones trying to crack the husk’s neck. Its needles popup. Some scratching the giant mech, some piercing its armor and some going through him. The dark grey mech pushes as the neck bones start to crack. As the husk tries to escape its needles has trapped him in the grips of the mech. A snap is heard as birds start to fly around and the alarm is silenced.

Another one, huh?

Yeah. It’s the fifth one this year. And we’re barely in March.

What’s the damage?

Probably into billions again.

We need to deploy it faster.

And what would you have me do? I can’t force the pilots to sleep in their ARCs. It’s a walking nuclear reactor. We were lucky it didn’t detonate when those needles pierced it!

I don’t know, but, figure it out, commander. We’ve pulled trillions into this program and all we have to show for are two prototypes and now a broken piece of junk. We’re supposed to be the country that birthed mechs.

They can kiss my ass. You can’t put a price on salvation and then complain when you get saved. The fact that we even have people capable of withstanding any of the pressure needed to pilot a mech is a miracle of proportions.

Commander Kotei. What would you have us do with the husk?

Contaminate it and if possible, bring it in. We need to examine it.

Yes, sir.

Knowing them, we’ll sell it piece by piece to the highest bidder again. We need to find out why or even how this keeps happening. Each husk more drastic than the other. Something is off here…

Commander.

Oh, Shin-san. How are you feeling?

Feeling? What’s that? He starts laughing. I lost all feeling in my body the second time I piloted that ARC Mech. He says looking down at his shaky hand.

I’m sorry for putting you through this.

Don’t apologize, commander. At least I get bragging rights for being born as someone special. He starts laughing once again.

You truly are. Since you’re the only one to survive this process. By the way, they want us to deploy you faster. Any ideas on how you’d be able to do that?

We can always try doing it without the capsule pit. It is faster.

Yes, but it’s more dangerous. And there’s always the change of losing control of the ARC. Plus, think about the strain on your body. We were lucky that this time it was a husk you took out easily. Last time you were stuck in a coma for a few months. I can’t put you in such danger. If you die, then we’re all doomed. His stare turns to a blank one as he stares right through me. By the way, Shin-san. How’s therapy?

Oh, doctor Shirazawa is wonderful. She always knows the right words to speak in a moment of need. And I’ve been doing these cool exercises to deal with the PTSD and the medication does its thing, so that’s good, I suppose, he says smiling as an explosion is heard outside and another husk appears on the horizon.

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The Horrorscope - Episode 10: How a Billion Died

That’s not a coil… Ken interrupts me. Then what is that? Telum looks at me as I ask the question. For all we know it could be a grenade or some weird new device. Put it in the bag, put the bag over your head and let’s go meet the mortician. I quickly stop him. Wait. There is one more thing. Telum sighs. What? I slowly make my way back to the bathroom. Ken, please open the window until you can go to the outside of it and just breathe on it. I can feel their eyes looking at me weird. Just do haaa on it. I can hear Telum getting annoyed. Just warm breath, I need you to do the haaa thing with warm breath on the window, see if anything was stuck on it. So we know if the window was opened from the inside or the outside. He the one to kill your partner might have been someone he knows. Fuck! I quickly ramble as I hide inside the bathroom. I can hear Bala laugh at me. What are you laughing at? Telum asks Bala. Nothing… It’s nothing, I swear.

If we spend one more fucking minute in this apartment, I am going to lose it. Ken closes the window. There is nothing on it, Kei. You can come out. As I come out Telum throws the bag at me. Put it on and let’s leave. As I put it on I can hear Bala ask Telum if he really hates places where people died. I can’t help myself but laugh. Of course I do. If we were meant to die, we would’ve been programmed by nature to do so. And what happened ten years ago was the biggest tragedy of… Well… Forever… As we descend with the elevator all the memories of that day come back rushing as a shiver runs through my body. People simply collapsing. Planes and cars crashing. They were screaming. Immortals screaming as they saw a billion people simply die. What a strange day that was. People closed themselves in their apartments for a month. Everything shut down. Governments tried to reason with people, but they were scared. Those brave enough to work were repaid nicely. The doctors that usually helped with migraines and other body pains were suddenly put to work on the dead. They worked intensely for one year only to come up without an explanation… But I worked too that year.

Hey, Kei. We’re here. I take the bag off my head, rub my eyes and look at the mortician. She has such a symmetrical face, it’s uncanny. I can’t help myself but stare at her face. Kei, this is the mortician that worked on Scorpian. I keep staring at her face. Her name? Telum hits me over the head. We’re not disclosing it for obvious reasons. I scratch my head as I reach out for a handshake. She raises her hands and takes a step back. Okay, I get it. I’m going to call you doc, if that’s fine with you. She nods. Did you work ten years ago? She nods. Oh, perfect then. I’d ask you for how many years you’ve been practicing medicine, but it doesn’t matter. So, how does one die? Can you explain it to me? Because it doesn’t make sense what you wrote in that report. We don’t have a heart, so our whole internal system can’t really be interrupted in any way. We don’t exactly breathe when we don’t exert ourselves by running or doing some hard work. So, how does an immortal die?

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The Horrorscope - Episode 9: Window of opportunity

I hate this. I so hate this. I’m going in the bathroom. They turn towards me. What are you going to do there? How is that going to be helpful? I laugh nervously. I am going to try not to faint and hold onto something to ground me. Telum pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. Fine. Bala, Ken, please pull the curtains. As they pull the curtains a blinding light covers the room. Okay. Now, how do we open this? I hide myself in the bathroom. There are three possibilities! One… You might gently tap the windows for them to pop in and slide them to the side! Two… There is a button somewhere that does all that for you! And three, they might not open at all. Which means they might have been pulled out somehow! Telum enters the bathroom. You know we could hear you. There was no need for you to scream. He turns towards Ken and Bala. Okay boys, let’s find a switch first…

They start pushing all sorts of light switches. And I can’t stop myself from thinking that they might be sucked out by a gust of wind and fall from the fiftieth floor. Why is he so afraid? He knows we’re immortal right? Even if we fall, in a minute he’d be able to get up. Ken looks at Bala and shrugs. Sometimes I don’t understand him either. Annoyed at what I am hearing I try to get up. You know I can hear you, right? I’m not exactly dead or gone. And it’s a phobia, of course it doesn’t make any damn sense. It’s so dumb. No luck. Well, let’s try to push the windows gently. I can hear them getting closer to the windows. Bala and Ken start counting down. And push… I hear a click. It opened! Kei, come look. I start laughing. No fucking way! I’m not leaving this place. I can hear Telum sigh. You just describe it to me! As I look down at the floor I can feel something grabbing me by the back of my neck. You coward! You’re coming to see what we’ve found. I feel like a terrified cat being held by the back of its neck.

Open your eyes! Slowly I peak with my eye at what they did. See? It barely opened. Something is stuck. I quickly close my eyes again. Take some pictures and bring them here. Telum slaps me on the back and throws me towards the window. Go look with your own damn eyes. Ken extends his crab claw. Here, come. I take him by the arm. As I look up and down the window, I don’t see much of anything. I was expecting maybe some scratches. What do you see? I shake my head. Not much. Bala, could you please try to close it and open it slowly? Maybe whatever it is stuck or broken will fall? He nods. That’s weird. It doesn’t make any noise. So then, how can it not be open fully? I tug on Ken. Hey, can you take Bala up? Maybe he can see something up there… Telum gets closer. I’ll do it, I’m taller. He extends his arms, grabs Bala and raises him up on his shoulders. Can you see anything? He nods. Here are some gloves, Telum says. Bala reaches up slowly to pull something out. He gently clutches it between his palms as Telum lowers him back down. Here it is… We all look with the same expression on our faces. What is that? Ken asks. It looks like some sort of coil…

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The Horrorscope - Episode 8: Something's Foul

The door opens. A figure with his face covered and a hood over it enters the room. A tall centaur follows him into the room. Hello. My name is Telum, says the Centaur. And this here is my partner… Let’s call him Bala, he continued. What the… Why did you have to scare us like this? Why couldn’t you come in normally? Why is he dressed like we’re about to execute him? He looks at Ken. Is this the one from ten years ago? Do you really think he’d help solve this case in any way? Ken reaches with his crab arm out to salute him. Sir, yes, sir. At the very least he can give us some insight maybe, or a new perspective. He turns towards me. Listen here… I interrupt him. Kei. He sighs… Kei. This is a very sensitive matter, we couldn’t bring what you wanted. If you want to talk to them, you have to come with us. We can’t simply take sensitive information out and about like that. You do understand that, right? I nod as he stands tall. Good, he smiles. Bala covers my head with a bag…

Did he find anything? I hear Telum ask. No. But he did have a theory. I can hear him turn towards Ken. What theory? Ken starts laughing nervously. Well, he was saying that maybe whoever kill Scorpian came through the windows. He starts laughing. Well, that sure is interesting. And? Did you test it out? I quickly interject. No. He starts screaming. What do you mean no? Then what the fuck are we doing leaving that place? What have you two idiots done all that time there? Bala, turn this car around, we’re going back for the moron to finish his work. Ken, I hope whatever faith you have in this guy, it’s gonna pay off. He’s a horrible detective. I interject once more. I’m not a detective, nor was it my idea to leave. I hear him sigh. Ken, what are you doing bringing some random guy into this? I know it’s your partner and that you want to find the truth. I know I’ve told you that if you had any idea, I’ll support you. But this is ridiculous. Ken sighs too. I know, but… I trust him. He has been obsessively pursuing this for ten years. There’s no way he doesn’t see something we’ve missed…

Once back at the apartment they waited silently for me to look into everything else. Can I ask you two something? Bala and Telum turn towards me. Don’t you find something off here? Something missing? They look around for a second. Bala shakes his head. Telum looks at me. There is something off. Yet, I can’t put my finger on what it is. I sigh as I go into the bedroom. It’s like no one even stepped into this room. What is happening here? Was he a clean freak? Ken looks at me. I don’t think he cared either way. I rub my eyes as I take a deep breath. Okay then, I’m going to check the bathroom and then we can do the windows… As I enter the bathroom a fowl stench hits my nose. What the fuck? Ken comes in quickly. What? I get out. Can’t you smell it? It’s disgusting. Ken closes the door to the bathroom behind him. Oh, I’ve heard him complain about the sewage in his building always getting stuck in the old pipes and smelling bad. Disgusted I look at him. And why didn’t they change it? He laughs. Because the building was so badly constructed, that if they wanted to breach the walls to replace it, the whole building would collapse. I sigh… Let’s do the windows…

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Colored - The Pilot Program 2021

Is it even love, if it’s predestined? I ask as my eye starts to itch. I forgot the medication again, just as I say that, I hear my mom screaming from downstairs to come get my meds. In a minute! Why does my eye color have to change now? I don’t feel ready for adult life, if anything I’m scared of it. Here’s your medication. What color do you think your eyes will turn into? Do you have any particular color? What if it turns into something like mine? Do you like it? It’s just as purple as when I met your father. God, you’re becoming a man. And what a man you’ll be. Mother’s been giddy for this ever since my eyes started to itch. Mom, please. I don’t know. I don’t feel ready. She laughs. Oh, don’t worry sweetheart. No one is ready. Food’s on the table, eat then go to school. Understood, Iro? She asks with a smile as she starts to run out the house. How do they have so much energy? Hope whoever I fall in love with is going to be a good person. The image of a bully of a woman pops into my mind as I start imagining how she’s going to kick my ass for everything I do wrong. Please turn into a good color.

Yo, Iro. I turn around to see Jim. What are you up to? Got your color yet? He always asks so smugly every day. No. He starts to chuckle. Of course not. You are not man enough. I sigh as hear these words for the nth time. Don’t get yourself bogged down by me. Once your color sets in, you’ll have many options to choose from. Isn’t that nice of them to at least still give you a choice with whom you’ll fall in love with? I want a girl that has long dark hair, mint green eyes, since mine are fuchsia and some nice legs. So many colors, so many choices and yet they say that the gods made us this way to make finding love easier. But how is this easier? So many things to keep track of and think about. He slaps me on the back. Don’t worry man. When you’ll see her, you’ll know. I turn towards him worried. How would you know that? He smiles. Because, I know. I made eye contact with someone with mint green eyes, it was pure bliss. I don’t know what it does to our brain, or how it works, but it’s fascinating. My heart starts racing and my palms get sweaty. It’s scary. And what if they’re a horrible human being? I ask as the bell rings. You’re too much of a worrywart, he says as he starts running, leaving me behind.

Each color vibes with its own set of two to four colors. While not 100% sure, scientists say that the color of your eyes doesn’t just determine your future partner in love, but also helps determine friendships, rivalries and some speculate even your social standing. Now, this does not mean you have the right to bully others or be mean to someone your color doesn’t resonate with. Once you have your determined eye color, you’re considered an adult. And adults don’t behave like that. But what if your eye color doesn’t change? And by the way, I know that the most of you are still going through the change, so, don’t worry if your eye color doesn’t change. It means you are one of the few special ones that is born with its predestined eye color. If you have any other question, I’m willing to answer them. As the professor says that my eyes start burning. I start screaming as I fall out of my chair to the ground holding my eyes. Iro, are you okay? Iro! It feels like my eyes are melting into my head. The teacher pulls my hands off my eyes. Iro. Your eyes. I haven’t seen anything like them… What are you?

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The Horrorscope - Episode 7: Knowing a dead man

Give me some gloves. As he hands me the gloves he asks me what I want to do. That cold thing, did you turn it off? He looks at me confused for a second before it clicks. Oh, it turned off the moment we touched the door. So we wouldn’t just send everything at the ground level flying. I chuckle. Well, you are going to hate my idea. I am going to run my hand through the carpet and I need you to turn it on so it can catch whatever will float. Maybe we’ll find some specs of skin, feather or felt. Ready? He nods with the remote in his hand. 3… 2… 1… As I run my hand across the carpet, dust explodes into the air. He clicks the button and a sudden cold wave covers the whole floor. I slowly take my hand under the biggest specs of skin or dust. Turn it off… Now! They fall onto my gloves and I gently place them into a plastic bag. There’s a bump here… He looks at me. It’s probably where he hit his head. I start to scratch my head again… I see…

Is this how everything was arranged when you found him? He nods. Isn’t it weird? He looks a bit around. No. Why? I keep turning around. Doesn’t something feel off for you? It’s like something is missing. There’s a TV on the wall there, there’s a couch here, a coffee table, a carpet, but… There’s nothing on the table. And if you didn’t remove anything, I doubt he never watched TV or didn’t use it for anything else. You have shelves there by the door, but they’re mostly empty. He lived here for what? A hundred? Two hundred years? And nothing? At least some people buy some flowers or books to look a bit more… Interesting. Here, by the drapes, there’s also nothing. Was he a minimalist? He shrugs. I couldn’t tell you. I never really cared to remember people’s houses. I start to look around the kitchen side of the room. Look here, I say as I open the fridge, just as expected there isn’t much in there. The kitchen is flawlessly clean. It’s like he wasn’t even living here. Did he have a wife or something? He shakes his head. Who has a wife anymore? I sigh. Yeah… Right… Forgot.

What about a girlfriend then? Did he maybe spend time somewhere else? Hobbies? Addictions? Anything? This place is too spotless and weird. He looks around. I don’t know about a girlfriend. He was never the type to care about things like that. I think he got jaded. I interrupt him. What about children? He shakes his head. We stopped having those too, remember? This is frustrating. I am just trying to figure something out, anything. He looks at me with pity. He had no hobbies either. I think the last thing he did was some collecting of some sorts and he sold it after he got annoyed for some reason or another. Addictions, besides the morning vice, I don’t think he had. As you said, he was still young and experimenting with stuff. I shake my head. Is that all? Is there anything else you might have forgotten or missed? He shakes his head. Something is off. There had to been a motive for someone to want him dead… As those words leave my mouth, a knock on the door…

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The Horrorscope - Episode 6: A Flat Circle

Years of boiling in irradiated water, many species tried to escape to the surface from the oceans, seas, lakes, rivers and ponds. They got boiled instantly. Then there had to be those freaks of nature that actually managed to survive and evolve outside water. Years and billions of mutations later, they started surviving due to a layer forming around the planet to help them grow only for them to explode into million of species of all kind. Yet there had to be that one mistake to ruin it all. An asteroid so big, hit the planet, gave us that moon and had wiped out almost all life. That giant rock that fell from the skies is still is the tallest mountain ever that lays in our ocean. It took a bit more than a few more millions of years for life to try again and crawl out of the water. And a few more million years later, the mistake happened, a charred hairless monkey had to find shelter in the asteroid. That charred hairless monkey is still alive today, that bastard…

Okay, talked to the chief, said he’ll send a crew after him to bring him here. Have you found anything? I still look at the key hole on the door. I lost myself in thoughts. I still don’t understand it. Do you know what he did that day? Was he ill or something? He takes a moment. I don’t think so. We met up at 10, got some cocaine. The good stuff, not whatever they sell at these chain stores that has all sorts of impurities mixed in. Went right back to work. He didn’t seem to have any kind of problems. Whether it was running, shooting his gun or spitting his venom. I quickly interrupt him. Then did he look troubled or was he troubled in anyway? Did he seem confused or not with it? He takes another second to think about it. No, not really. When we were working he was always with the head there. Especially after our morning shots. I’m am telling you this as a friend, maybe you should try some. You’re immortal, it can do you no harm.

I scratch my felt again as I look around the room. It doesn’t make sense. You’d think someone dying or in any threat would behave abnormally. He gently taps me on the head with the report. You keep forgetting that you are immortal. And, we’re in the line of duty. We’re always in some sort of danger. It’s nature for someone to have some grand idiotic or harmful idea. Didn’t you say something among the lines that we barely know how we function, how would we know how to behave? Or something like that? I start scratching furiously. I guess. I don’t remember. He looks again with concern at me. Anything alright? Annoyed I turn towards him. No, not really. I don’t understand it and I have this lingering thought that whatever happened 10 years ago and what happened to your partner are tied somehow. He looks at me weird again. How so? I smile. I don’t know. That’s the mystery. But ,it sure does feel like I’m back 10 years ago….

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The Horrorscope - Episode 5: Down with the Sickness

My chest starts to hurt, my arms feel numb. I’m dying. Hey, Kei. Are you doing okay? As the mug in my hand shakes, I put it down. What? He looks at me with concern, I must act normal. Yes. It’s fine. Haven’t slept well. You know… He puts his arm around me and hugs me. We will get to the bottom of this, don’t worry. As the word bottom leaves his mouth, I feel like I am falling down rapidly. Are you sure you are okay? You look awful. I laugh nervously. No, I… I can’t tell him that I feel like I’m dying. We can’t… Maybe you have a cold? Go home, take a day off. The rest of his words… I can’t understand. Earth to Kei. Hello. I look through him. He starts shaking me. Kei. Is someone in there? I put my mug back down. I am going home. Sorry. He slaps me on the back. Good, at least you got that. As I get into the elevator and push the button, I remember I forgot all my things. The elevator starts to descend I start screaming as I crawl down.

Hey! Kei! What are you doing? Kei! A crab arm appears in front of my eyes. Go away! Go away! He gets a few steps back away from me. Are you okay? As I come back from having a waking nightmare, I look at him. I am sorry. Can you just draw the curtains, please? As he does it he asks me again, what that was. I don’t know. I just remembered my first panic attack. He turns towards me. I am sorry to hear that. I heard that it’s an awful feeling. I start laughing. Well, it’s the closest I’ve come to feel like dying yet. So… His face lights up like he finally caught up. Oh, I understand. I nod. It’s something… Riveting. It truly makes you feel alive. He looks at me weird now. It just sounds to me like you are sick. I scratch my head now nervously laughing. You may be right. I envy him. I don’t know how you do it. He looks at me weird for saying that. What do you mean? As I stand up once more, I look at him with a smile. Well, you are so simple… But in a good, kind hearted way. I wish I was a bit more like you. He doesn’t seem to have taken to my compliment. Let’s just get to work. You are horrible at compliment people.

Here are all the pictures of the crime scene. As you can see too, there were no scuffle marks on the door or its keyhole or anything like that. The carpet is completely clean. So, we couldn’t find any footprints. There was no hair, no spit, no blood spill. And on his body, nothing. No marks of struggle, nothing under his finger nails, no outpour of venom, no fabric, and o fingerprints besides his anywhere in the apartment. I start scratching myself. I don’t get it. As I look closely at the key hole of the door. Then how did he die? He taps me on the shoulder. Here is his report. As I grab it and open it, he looks at me with concern. My eyes start to glide over the words as I read the report. What the… As I look at him he stands there and shrugs. How? Did the guy that did this autopsy explain this to you? He shakes his head. Can you please call to have him brought here? I need to ask him a few questions. This doesn’t make sense. He pulls out his phone. Oh, and tell him to bring whatever video of the procedure he has. He looks at me puzzled. This is a special case, you don’t think they filmed the whole thing? This hasn’t happened since, well… Ten years ago. He nods as he puts his phone to the year. Good, and now let’s see what we can find around here…

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The Horrorschope - Episode 4: Icarus' Curse

Kei! Wake up, Keiteki! Come on, now. Open your eyes. Why did it have to be like this? I’m okay. He gets up angrily. How are you okay? You just collapsed. I look at the floor as I try to pick myself up. Well, maybe if you had told me we were gonna get to such a high place when you saw my legs shake… I wouldn’t have passed out from seeing through those giant windows. He chuckles. I’m sorry. I forgot you were that much of a wuss. As I try to stand up, my legs begin to shake again. We don’t all have the luck to have wings and fly around, you know? He looks at me weird. What? Who has wings? Who can fly? As I lean against the wall I look at him puzzled. Virgos. Is this not common knowledge? Some virgos can be born with wings like those of a bird. Once they consume their marriage, their wings painlessly melt away. Well, unless they consume their relationship before marriage. Then it’s all painful, as marriage is a holy pact and ritual for them. He starts scratching his head. Okay… Can you now please focus on the task at hand?

Do you guys have footage from the corridor? There must have been a camera at least in the elevator, if not the hallway as well, right? He turns towards me. Nothing. And we checked to see if it was somehow digitally manipulated too. But, still nothing. As I stand on my own now, turn my back to the windows. Did you guys check the windows? He looks worried at the windows. No. Fuck. I quickly turn towards him. Wait, I tell him as I fall to my knees again. Listen. You need to be careful. There are two scenarios here. One. These windows can’t be opened, but, can be pulled out via suction cups. And if that’s the case there are either marks on it or there must be some fibers from the covers of the cups. He turns with a weird expression towards me. How do you know that? I chuckle. Well, when you are imprisoned in an apartment for ten years, you have a lot of free time to learn useless shit. He shakes his head. Right. So, how do we check for that? Neither of us can fly. I start laughing. You won’t like it. But… You’ll have to clean the windows. He stands there in shock. I have to what?

Well, I certainly can’t. Unless you want me to keep fainting. And if I am wrong with scenario one, when it comes to the windows, then scenario two is even more horrifying for me. His expression is one of even bigger worry now. What do you mean? I lean against the wall again. Well, the second scenario is that the windows can be opened. Either by gently pushing against them as they pop in a bit in the room and you can push them to the side. Or automatically by pushing some light switch in this room. He starts scratching his head. I guess you are right. But aren’t you jumping the gun a bit here? You haven’t looked at the crime scene at all. Hell, you barely walked around this bachelor pad. And you still haven’t read the report of his autopsy. Or looked at the photos to compare them to the physical place. I’m starting to think you are an awful detective. I start laughing nervously. Well, I’m not a detective! I’m just someone that had too much free time and got obsessed with something. So, forgive me for not knowing proper etiquette. This is only the second time I’ve been on an actual crime scene… He sighs. I’m sorry. Let’s take it step by step then. Okay?

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