Episode 245: The Fallen Woman (1)

Penelope slowly opened her eyes, feeling the remnants of fatigue clinging to her body despite having slept.

“Ugh, did I overdo it last night?” she muttered, stifling a yawn. The previous evening had been a whirlwind of food and drink with the students of Class 13 at a restaurant reserved by Damian Haxen.

The revelry had taken its toll, leaving her weary even after a nap. It was then that Penelope realized something unsettling.

”…Where am I?”

She wasn’t in her dormitory. The floor was covered in pristine white tiles, and the walls were bare, devoid of any decoration. Strange tools were scattered around, some shrouded in white cloth.

As she surveyed her surroundings, Penelope spotted Oliver Fortina asleep on the floor.

“Oliver! Oliver!” she called, shaking him awake.

“Huh? Penelope? What are you doing in my room?” Oliver mumbled, still groggy.

“Snap out of it! This isn’t the dorm!” Penelope insisted.

“What are you talking about…?” Oliver looked around, confusion etched on his face. “Wait, this isn’t my room. Where are we?”

“I have no idea. We need to figure that out,” Penelope replied, her expression serious. Oliver, however, seemed less concerned.

“Got it. This must be another one of Damian Haxen’s schemes. He must’ve kidnapped us overnight,” Oliver speculated, getting to his feet and examining the white room.

“Where could he have taken us? Is there a place like this in the academy?” he wondered aloud.

“Oliver, don’t be reckless,” Penelope cautioned.

“Why is this covered with a cloth? What’s underneath?” Oliver asked, pulling the cloth away. His scream pierced the air.

“Ahhh! Oh my god!”

Beneath the cloth lay a dissected human body, organs exposed, brain visible, limbs splayed open.

“What… what is this…?” Oliver stammered, horrified by the sight of a body that appeared to be around their age.

The two stood frozen, speechless, as the gravity of their situation sank in.

“Pe-Penelope… we need to get out of here… we can’t stay…” Oliver stuttered.

“Calm down. We need to find something to defend ourselves first…” Penelope began, but was interrupted by the sound of a lock clicking open. The door swung wide, and they turned to see who had entered.

A woman stepped inside, her face registering surprise. “Oh my, you’re already awake. I was worried I used too much anesthetic, but you both seem quite resilient.”

Penelope and Oliver recognized her immediately.

”…Ms. Miriam?”

It was Miriam, one of the academy’s health teachers. Despite their rocky relationships with most teachers, they knew of Miriam, the most popular teacher at the academy.

“Did you… did you kidnap us?” Penelope asked, bewildered.

“I didn’t do it myself, but I did give the order,” Miriam replied nonchalantly.

“Why…? Was it Damian Haxen’s doing?” Penelope pressed.

Miriam laughed, a melodic sound that filled the room. “Oh, no. But it is related.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I brought you here to lure Damian Haxen,” Miriam explained.

Penelope and Oliver were baffled.

“I’ve had my eye on Damian Haxen for a long time. But he’s not the type to be caught easily, so I had to think of a way. Then you two came along.”

Miriam continued, “Among the students of Class 13, Damian Haxen has taken a particular interest in you. I thought you’d make perfect bait.”

“Why do you want Damian Haxen?” Penelope asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? He’s handsome,” Miriam said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“And strong. How could I not want him?”

Penelope found herself at a loss for words. The conversation felt surreal.

“So, you… you have feelings for Damian Haxen?” Penelope ventured.

“Feelings? Not quite,” Miriam’s lips curled into a sly smile, her eyes narrowing like crescent moons.

In that moment, Miriam’s demeanor shifted, her innocent facade giving way to something more seductive and dangerous.

“I want to own him. His body, his mind, his abilities.”

A shiver ran down Penelope’s spine, a visceral dislike for Miriam creeping over her.

“What do you plan to do with us?” Penelope asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

“Honestly, as long as I can have Damian Haxen, I don’t need you,” Miriam said, her tone dismissive.

Penelope felt a flicker of relief. Perhaps they could escape unharmed.

“But I’ve gone to great lengths to bring Damian here. I doubt I’ll be able to return to the academy,” Miriam lamented.

“Finding quality test subjects like academy students is no easy task. It would be a waste to just let you go,” she added with a sweet smile.

“So, you’ll have to help with my experiments.”

A chill ran through Penelope. She turned to Oliver, shouting, “Oliver! Find a weapon!”

But Oliver didn’t respond. Penelope looked at him, alarmed.

He was staring at Miriam, entranced, drool trickling from his mouth.

“Oliver!” Penelope shook him, but he remained unresponsive.

“Don’t be too hard on him. It’s a natural reaction for a man,” Miriam said.

“What… what have you done?” Penelope demanded.

“Nothing dangerous. Just a little fragrance,” Miriam replied, brushing her long hair aside, releasing a floral scent.

The moment Penelope inhaled it, her heart raced. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Miriam. She didn’t want to. She wanted to run to her, to give her everything.

“Ah… ahh…”

Resistance? The thought didn’t even cross her mind. All she wanted was Miriam’s attention.

“Penelope and Oliver, right?” Miriam called, and their hearts pounded even faster.

“There’s an empty table over there. Would you mind lying down on it?”

Despite knowing they shouldn’t, Penelope and Oliver moved towards the table as if in a trance.

“Good. Now, there’s a scalpel next to you. Use it to cut the tendons in your arms and legs. Many subjects thrash around during experiments. Help each other if you need to, okay?”

They picked up the scalpels, bringing them to their wrists. The sharp sting barely registered as they focused solely on obeying Miriam.

Then, a loud crash shattered the moment. The ceiling caved in, startling Penelope and Oliver.

“Wha-what am I doing?” Penelope gasped.

“Ahhh! What’s happening?” Oliver cried.

The noise broke Miriam’s hold on them. They dropped the scalpels, looking up at the collapsed ceiling in shock.

Through the gaping hole, someone leapt down, landing amidst the debris.

Seeing the man’s face, tears welled up in Penelope and Oliver’s eyes.

“Mr. Damian…!”

Relief flooded through them as they ran towards him, but they stopped short when they saw his expression.

Damian Haxen wasn’t looking at them. His gaze was fixed solely on Miriam.

“Found you,” he said, a predatory smile spreading across his face.

It was the smile of a hunter who had cornered his prey, wild and unhinged.

In that moment, Penelope and Oliver understood. Damian Haxen hadn’t come to rescue them. He was here to kill Miriam.

“Penelope, Oliver,” Damian said quietly, unable to hide the thrill in his voice.

“Escape through the hole I made. Warn everyone at the academy to get out.”

They wanted to say something, but their mouths wouldn’t cooperate. In the end, they said nothing, fleeing through the opening as Damian instructed.

“Damian Haxen. You’ve finally come!” Miriam shouted as the two students disappeared.

“Didn’t the others come with you? Looks like they all met their end at your hands,” Miriam said, her expression tinged with regret.

“It’s unfortunate, but it couldn’t be helped. Still, I’m glad you made it. Sometimes, sacrifices are necessary to get what you want…”

“Slah.”

Damian Haxen cut her off sharply.

“You have no idea how happy I am right now.”

He drew his longsword, and in that instant, a murderous aura filled the room, flooding the basement like a dam bursting.

“I’m going to tear you to pieces and crush every last bit of you.”