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It was an ordinary day, the same cycle that every kid and adult of South Park alike had to deal with.
Small, miniature snowflakes dropped from the sky of the quiet mountain town, slowly making themselves comfortable on where they land. Gradually, more and more kids from South Park Elementary began to flood the bus.
The chatter of the children filled the air as they scattered to various seats, while some kept to themselves instead. Jimmy could’ve sworn he felt as if his eyelids were drooping, before the bus finally slowed down to a stop infront of it’s destination.
Jimmy swiftly took a hold of his crutches to aid himself as he hopped off his seat and got off the bus, stumbling occasionally due to the amount of students running past. He shortly came face to face with South Park Elementary, a building he was all too familiar with.
But as soon as he hobbled inside the school, his view became warped—twisted. A sharp pain jolted through his head, all too suddenly. He couldn’t even take another step forward before everything went black.
Jimmy didn’t even know how much time had passed before he opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, until he focused and realized he was in one of the classrooms. He lifted his head from the desk, dazed.
He took in his surroundings, putting two and two together. Something was wrong with this classroom, but Jimmy couldn’t quite put his crutch on it.
Then he did. Steel plates were bolted over the windows, restricting any view of the outside. This definitely unnerved Jimmy, but he hardly believed this was legitimate. Something that also caught his eye was a note nearly laid out on the desk he woke up in, using one hand to pick up while using the other to balance himself with his crutch.
" ` The next semester’s about to start. From today onwards, this school will be your entire world. ` "
Jimmy stared at the note for a moment, processing the message. He shrugged—albeit awkwardly—before placing it back where he picked it up, dismissing it as some lame joke.
" Looks like I have some s-st-stiff competition on who can make the sickest j-jokes. "
Jimmy said, turning towards the exit of the classroom. He went over to turn the doorknob, and what greeted him was…
…a hallway far from the one he was familiar with. It was turned into something with an almost sinister atmosphere, making Jimmy pause in his movements.
He peered outside the door and looked left and right, staring as far as he could into the hallways. Checkered floors, walls that were now purple and tiled… If this was a prank, it was sure as hell high effort.
With hesitance, Jimmy stepped out the classroom. Almost instantly, the air felt stifling. Even then, Jimmy worked up the courage to keep going along the hallways of the seemingly ‘renovated’ school building. Maybe there were other people here?
After minutes that felt like hours of exploring, Jimmy finally heard quiet chattering from the other side of one of the doors. In a rush, the comedian pushed aside the doors and walked inside.
It quieted down, the other students of South Park Elementary looking at Jimmy. Craig turned to the comedian with a blank expression, slightly raising his hand in greeting.
" 'Sup. "
Wendy followed after with her own voice.
" So this makes 16 of us, right? "
Before anyone could answer, the loud sound of static abruptly pierced the air, the volume dimming as fast as it appeared. On the monitor, an oddly familiar voice spoke through the speakers.
" Gather around, children. I have an announcement to make! "
Promptly, every student’s eyes flicked towards the monitor, which’s screen came to life—revealing the figure of someone they knew all too well.
" Now that everyone’s present, I would like to see you all to the gymnasium! It’s urgent, and mandatory! "
Refusing to elaborate any further, the screen of the monitor returned back to its blank state. Everyone in the area looked at each other with unease, each one sharing a thought: What the hell was going on?
Soon, the students of South Park Elementary made their way out and searched for the gym. Eventually, it was only Jimmy and one other who remained.
" C-C-Come on, Timtim, "
Jimmy addressed Timmy, who looked towards the side somewhat anxiously before hastily pushing the joystick on his wheelchair forward, following close behind his best friend.
What then met them was… a mostly empty gymnasium except for a table in the far back with a microphone stand on it. Once everyone had their eyes on it, Mr. Garrikuma rose from the floor.
" Why, hello there! "
Mr. Garrikuma greeted with a cheerful tone of voice. In surprise, Stan exclaimed:
" Jesus fucking christ, dude! "
" What the hell happened to him? "
Cartman questioned, a weary expression on his face. The once familiar fourth-grade teacher now looked grim and extraordinary—was this even Mr. Garrison?
" You must be wondering what you’ve gotten yourselves into, am I right? "
Mr. Garrikuma asked. When met with no response other than perplexed stares, he continued by himself.
" What I *will* tell you is that you’ll live here, in South Park Elementary, for the rest of your lives! "
" What? No way, dude! "
Kyle refused. Same as the others, he denied to himself that any of this was real. Unfortunately, that was too much of a hope they could possibly have.
Mr. Garrikuma abruptly lifted a finger before any of the other students could protest, opening his mouth again.
" However, you can leave—if you graduate. "
" Graduate, how? "
Stan asked, skepticism etched in his expression. Something was telling him that none of this would turn out well.
" I’m pleased you asked! To ‘graduate’, you need to kill one of the students, and get away with it! "
A gasp left all the students crowded in the gymnasium—except for a specific fat boy in said crowd. In fact, he didn’t seem too bothered by the idea.
" WHAT!? THAT’S TOO MUCH PRESSURE! "
Tweek, the particularly twitchy and loud one, yelled from the far back. He couldn’t seem to keep himself still, no matter how hard he tried.
" Once a body gets discovered, a ‘class trial’ will be shortly initiated afterwards. During a class trial, you need to use points of evidence and speculate on who the blackened is. If the conclusion is correct, they get punished alone and your lives at South Park Elementary will continue! "
" But if your conclusion is *wrong*… All of you get punished instead, and the blackened gets to graduate! Simple enough? "
Mr. Garrikuma explained, the faces on each student becoming more and more familiar with terror as he kept speaking. Especially Clyde—he was fighting back tears at this point.
" Punished? "
Kyle repeated in question.
" In other words, executed! "
Mr. Garrikuma answered, the gymnasium going completely silent over the realization that their lives are going to be on the line very soon.
…
" WAAAAH!!! I WANNA GO HOOOOMEEE! "
Clyde crode out shortly after the beat of shocked silence. Honestly, everyone’s minds were swimming with so many different mentions it was hard to put them into one definition. Dread? Probably.
" Oh, and before I forget, each of you have a handbook with yourselves. Do *not* lose it, I repeat, do *not* lose it! It is crucial to your school life! "
Mr. Garrikuma notified the crowd of the kids before sinking back into the ground, leaving them all to collect their thoughts—for now.