Dare You To Death: Solve the Mystery, See the Death.

Investigation Part 2

 

The atmosphere on the university campus was filled with smiles and laughter. It was a time between childhood and adulthood, a time to learn and experience new things on your own. Inside the classroom, first-year engineering students were starting to pack their books and make plans to find something delicious to eat after class. But when a group of people wearing navy blue shirts walked in and stood in front of the room in place of the teacher, all their thoughts and activities came to a halt.

 

"Today is a special day. The seniors will personally escort the freshmen to the welcoming ceremony. Now, get up and follow that senior." A male senior pointed at a classmate. The seniors' serious demeanour prompted the youngsters, who had been on campus for only a few weeks, to frantically follow suit.

 

Upon arriving at the Faculty of Engineering auditorium, everyone was seated in an orderly manner. After ensuring that everyone in the Mechanical Engineering department was present, all the second-year seniors closed the door and stood around the first-year students in the middle.

 

"Little brother! Do you know what we called you here for today?!" The loud shouting quieted the atmosphere. Not even a breath could be heard. "Ask, and I'll answer, hey!"

 

"I don't know!"

 

"I don't know what you're asking. Do you want a new generation or not? Ouch!" When they heard the seniors shouting, the juniors immediately looked up.

 

“Why are you shouting, you son of a bitch? You have a microphone, so your throat doesn’t hurt?”

 

"Oh, brother, it has to look fierce. That way, the younger one will be afraid and respectful."

 

"You're here to study, not to be a source of emotional support, Mind," said the young man with smoky hair and a sharp face that complemented his navy blue shirt before standing with his arms crossed and leaning against the stage behind him. "You can look up now, little one."

 

"Wow, he's getting a good look at this. That damn Jay is eating all the way around," said a man who was about the same height as Jay. The owner of the fiery red hair, who swept up and exposed his forehead, a well-shaped face with sharp, single-lidded eyes, walked over and stood in Jay's place.

 

"Time, why are you pushing Jay away? There's only as much room to stand as there is for Tar to run around," a young woman with long, straight, pink-highlighted black hair that reached down to the middle of her back rang out. 

 

She had honey-coloured skin and was as tall as a model, catching the eyes of almost every junior of every gender sitting there looking at her. She pointed at a burly, gun-toting male friend walking behind her. His long, neck-length black hair was hastily tied up and pinned with a pencil. It looked unusual, but everyone in her generation was used to it.

 

"I'm not a rabbit, Bell."

 

"I'm talking about buffalo."

 

"They're biting each other like dogs," a young woman with blonde hair and a beautiful, sharp face said before raising the coffee cup in her hand to drink. However, because Bell hit her shoulder, the coffee splattered and stained the corner of her mouth. "Bell!"

 

"It can't be helped, beautiful Rin. You're the one who said things that didn't please me," Cherene narrowed her eyes at her friend with a reproachful expression.

 

"It's all messed up," a tall, lanky man with a skinhead handed me a tissue before walking away with a cold expression.

 

"This bastard is another handsome actor. He's so handsome, my friend Kla. I want to raise my foot and slap him instead of my hand. I haven't gotten to show off my coolness yet," Time said before throwing the paper in his hand at Tonkla, but the other party accepted it anyway.

 

"Enough, everyone. You're all sitting here looking confused. We're all fourth-year seniors. Today, we asked you, second-year seniors, to bring the juniors here because we have an important matter that's like a tradition for our faculty and department. Champ, give us some." 

 

The speaker was a young woman with beautifully curled, shiny black hair that matched her sweet face and bright smile. Anyone who saw her would easily fall in love with this smile. Her petite figure suggested she needed protection. Especially when standing next to a tall man, around 187 cm tall, with a sharp face and a notch on his eyebrow, she looked even smaller.

 

Champ handed the girl a necklace with a shiny silver gear-shaped metal decoration and stood beside her, not far away.

 

"Today, the eight seniors, representing the seniors, are here to present gear to all of our juniors. This gear symbolises our faculty and represents who we are. It's not really that important, just a piece of metal. But what's truly important, at the heart of it all, are the traditions that have been passed down. It's something that's passed down from senior to junior. I want you to know that in this faculty, you have friends, seniors, and juniors who will help you. I hope that one day, when you're here, you'll share this with the next generation with the same feeling."

 

Pui Fai spoke with a smile before turning to look around. The lights on the ceiling were turned off to make the candlelight from all the second-year seniors standing around clearer. The sound of the faculty song grew louder as the bright candle flames flickered. The seniors passed the candles to the juniors before having Pui Fai go and receive the gears from the eight fourth-year seniors.

 

Today is the last day of the freshman orientation. The first-year students express joy, excitement, delight, and indifference with the activities they have been doing for months. Fortunately, the freshman orientation here is creative, not about shouting at freshmen, dangerous activities, or outdated logic as in the past. This makes the first-year students who are sitting, receiving their gear, and tying their wrists feel good about the traditions they are participating in.

 

Without any pretence, it took almost an hour, and finally everything was fine; the lights were back on, and the seniors and juniors were able to get to know each other and talk.

 

"P' Mind, what are the names of the seniors who came today?"

 

"Hey, I want to get to know you guys!" Mind shouted to the fourth-year students standing around, talking about the party that evening. "They're probably deaf. Let me introduce you."

 

Mind cleared his throat lightly as a formality before introducing the eight seniors one by one.

 

“See that guy with the water bottle on his arm? Redhead, handsome face, but looks like a gangster at the end of the street. His name is Time. The guy standing next to him with the grey hair who's so damn handsome is Jay. Next to him, the guy with the skinhead, looking like a gangster but actually having a thoughtful heart, is Tonkla. The pretty one who opened the gear presentation ceremony is Pui Fai. The blonde-haired girl next to him is a close friend named Cherene. That sexy girl with pink highlights, whose mouth looks like she had ten dogs in it, is named Bell. The one walking to Fai with the water bottle, who looks fierce, is her boyfriend, Champ. Lastly, the guy with glasses and long hair down to his nape is Tar. He's the best. He's the complete mechanical Avengers team. They're all the best.”

 

“Wow, are all of them friends?”

 

“Yes, it has been like this since the first year.” The audience looked at the group again with delighted and admiring eyes.

 

"Actually, I have to go home," Jay said, looking at his watch.

 

"I don't approve. You'll have to stay and drink with us. Brother Jade won't punish you, you son of a bitch. You're a fool," Time said before taking the car keys with him.

 

"Where did it break? It broke at the pavilion. I'd better split my head open. Mosquitoes are biting me," Bell said before tying her hair into a high ponytail.

 

"At the storage room, I asked the guard for the key," Champ said, holding up the key chain in his hand.

 

"Oh, that's good. I'll turn on the air conditioner too."

 

"I've already put the liquor and snacks away. I'll go after the event is over," Champ said before asking to go to the bathroom.

 

The creative freshman orientation ended around 8 p.m. The second-year students sent their freshmen home one by one, while I had to clean up and restore the area to its original cleanliness, lest it cause damage to the faculty. By almost 9:30 p.m., everything was finished.

 

"Brother Jay, I've already closed the auditorium."

 

“Okay, then let’s go home. There are already so many buildings. You can leave the key with me. I’ll return it to the guard.”

 

"Then I'll leave it to you. Should we go back now?"

 

"We'll be back in a bit," Jay smiled at the second-year group as they dispersed to their respective dorms. When he turned around, he saw Time standing there, giving him wide-eyed looks. 

 

"What's wrong with you?"

 

"I'm done dropping off my little brother. Let's go, friend Jay. Let's go drink some liquor."

 

“Where did the others go?”

 

"They've all gone to their rooms, you son of a bitch. I had to stand here and wait for you because I was afraid you'd run home."

 

"I can't stay up late. Brother Jade  will come after me."

 

"Yes, yes. Why is Father Jade following me home? By now, he must be working like a maniac. I heard there's a new police lieutenant at the station."

 

"New Inspector? Who is he?"

 

“Does my face look like a police officer’s?”

 

"Your face doesn't look like your father's, but your father's face does." Jay walked with the keys next to Time, who knew a lot about things because his father was also a police officer at the station.

 

"I don't know. I haven't asked yet." The two of them walked to the storage room on the ground floor of the school building. This place was used to store various electronic equipment used in studying. Most of it was metal, so an air conditioner was installed. It was well known that if anyone needed to do urgent work that needed to be submitted to the teacher in the middle of the night, or had a small party, they would go and bribe the building's security guard to get the key to open it and return it in the morning.

 

As he opened the door to go inside, the cold air conditioning, set too low, hit Jay in the face, making him frown. The other six friends in the group were sitting in a circle on the floor. In the centre, dozens of snack types and various alcohol brands were lined up for selection, courtesy of the young Tonkla, the owner's son of a large grocery store.

 

"Sit down, Jay," Bell said, pulling Jay to sit down beside her and handing him a glass of strong, golden liquid.

 

"Shit, is it already our fourth year? My clinging to my father is over," Time, who had just sat down, complained as he took another swig of liquor.

 

“I don’t have much class this year, but the work is extremely difficult. The grades are based purely on performance,” said Pui Fai before putting a snack in her mouth.

 

"Thinking about it makes me stressed. What are we going to do after this is over?" Cherene said before pouring liquor into a glass for Pui Fai, who was sitting next to her.

 

"Shall we finish first?" Bell interrupted before throwing a triangular snack at Tar, sitting opposite.

 

"I'm asking you seriously, does anyone have any plans for the future besides you two, the couple?" Time pointed at Pui Fai, who was sitting opposite him, and Champ, who was sitting diagonally across from him. "One is the daughter of a car showroom owner, and the other is incredibly rich. Should we just get married after graduation?"

 

"How can I get married? I just graduated," Pui Fai smiled shyly before turning to her lover sitting next to her. "Wait until I'm ready."

 

Right?"

 

"Yes," Champ smiled before putting his arm around Pui Fai's shoulders and bringing her closer amidst the stares and teasing of his friends.

 

"What about Jay's friend? When are you going to propose to him?" Time turned to Jay, who was sitting next to him and leaned down to cuddle with him cutely. 

 

However, Bell grabbed his head and pulled him back.

 

“Excuse me, but Jay is mine. Brother Jade  is mine, too.”

 

"Did you buy it all, Bell?"

 

"Yes, why?"

 

"Champ, are you going to take over your father's business?" Jay asked as he handed the glass to Tonkla, who was sitting next to him, to mix him a drink.

 

"Probably so."

 

"You, Tar."

 

"I'll wait until I've finished my internship. If I like it, I'll continue. But if I don't, I'll try looking for a company in Bangkok." Tar raised his glass of liquor and took a sip.

 

"Kla, you're making such strong liquor; aren't you planning on not letting Jay go home?" Cherene said when she saw that Tonkla, who was sitting opposite her, was looking at her, his hand already pouring more than half a glass of straight liquor into it.

 

"Stop it! The future is too stressful. I have a game to play," Time said, trying to get everyone's attention back.

 

“What is your game?”

 

“Game…” The pause made everyone in the drinking circle turn to look at him. 

 

“Spin the bottle!”

 

"Oh, I thought you'd have a good idea," Bell sighed resignedly.

 

"So what are you playing? Tell me what you want to hear."

 

“How about we play 'Truth or Dare '?” Cherene said quietly, but everyone turned to look and agreed, except for Time.

 

“How do you play?”

 

“You can ask anyone a question, and the person being asked must choose whether to answer truthfully or accept the challenge.”

 

“What do you dare me to do?”

 

"Then I'd like to ask you about Time. The other day, during the group work meeting, was he really sick, or did he go out to eat with the dentist? Would he have answered or accepted the challenge?" Cherene asked with a smile. However, the people in the group, Tonkla and Bell, were looking at him with pressure.

 

"Yes...it's me..."

 

“Answer me properly.” The more Bell was asked, the more hesitant she became to answer. Finally, she gulped down the strong liquor.

 

"Challenge!!! I choose to challenge!"

 

"I dare you... Go and write your name for us to see. Your real name!" Time opened his mouth wide, ready to argue. But when he saw that his friends sitting with him were giving him pressured looks, he reluctantly stood up and turned his back on the group. His round bottom under his dark-coloured pants started to move back and forth, causing the others to laugh loudly.

 

“Hey, you bastards! I made a single mistake, and you stepped on me! Okay! I’ll start too. Jay, let me ask you, is it true that you and P’Jade don’t get along?”

 

"Then why did you suddenly ask me?"

 

"Answer me, or do you want me to challenge you? I dare you to go pole dancing in front of the door," Time said seriously, hoping to get some revenge.

 

“I answered; I don’t disagree with him. It’s just that when he acts like my father, it’s annoying.”

 

"Hey, if you answer like that, then I can't do anything..." Laughter immediately erupted because Jay had already cut off his red-haired friend's hopes.

 

"Jay, ask me again."

 

"I'll ask Champ where he went last week. When he called me, there was an announcement like a hospital," Champ paused as he raised his glass of liquor to take a sip before looking at Jay.

 

"I'm going to the doctor."

 

“What kind of doctor?”

 

“The questions are gone.”

 

"We're out of soda. I'll go get a new pack." Cherene got up from the drinking circle and went to grab the soda that was on the table behind her.

 

The game continued until midnight, with the questions growing increasingly intense. Some people chose to answer truthfully, while others chose to accept the more outlandish challenges that kept them laughing for most of the night. Everyone was intoxicated, and their speech was becoming incoherent. Jay, who had initially planned to go home around midnight, had to cancel his plans due to dizziness. If he drove home now, it would not only be against the law but also dangerous.

 

For a good moment, everyone collapsed onto the floor, taking pictures, supporting each other, finding a place to sleep where they could crawl. Almost unconscious, Jay chose to call his brother to tell him that he would not be going home tonight.

 

(How are you?)

 

"Brother... I'm not going back... home."

 

(Speak clearly. Where is this place?)

 

“The group… won’t go back.” The scene then cuts to the scene. Jay fell to the ground unconscious, just like the others. They had no idea what would happen next would be something they would never forget.