Lawrence Cheng, Chris Kim, Beatrice Li, Felicia Zhang, Megumi Kawamura, Alice Ou, Jeffrey Chang, Prachi Jha, Meenakshi Anilkumar, Stephanie Tseng, Shayok Neogi, Shyam Karthick Ravikumar, Owen Li.
Shakespeare couldn't have formulated a better drama himself. On this beautiful Earth Day, we saw a number of quality kills from all over the spectrum of savagery, but this sole one story stands above the rest. It is a tale of love and sacrifice. Of humility and sorrow. Of brutality and comradery. Of the twisted hands of fate pushing targets and killers and accomplices and allies alike farther and farther into the darkness that is Spoons.
The time is right after sixth period. Shayok, being the caring boyfriend he is, goes over to Wilson's class to pick up Gauri and prepare for the treacherous journey to the parking lot. He finds her, and soon they are on their way. All seems to be well in the world of Spoons. But alas, it is only the calm before the storm. The beginning of the end.
Out of the corner of his eye, Shayok saw a fast-moving figure. Initially, he thought nothing of it. It might've just been a freshman rushing to his or her 7th period class, or even another senior trying to escape a hard Spooning. He took a second glance and suddenly identified the figure.
It was Gauri's killer. Running straight towards them.
His alarm bells started ringing, the hatches locked down. Adrenaline pumped through Shayok's veins as he sprang into action. Within half a second, he yelled “GAURI GET DOWN”, grabbed Gauri, and shoved her down to the ground so that she fell onto all fours. We're sure she had a brief “what the heck are you doing” moment, but all was forgiven when her killer arrived on the scene not a second later, holding a sticker to her like a gun. Her killer, unwilling to give up so easily, decided to wait out Gauri and stand in her way. Shayok used his skill on the basketball court, creating a screen for Gauri to allow her to escape, but the killer was relentless and all progress was halted. A standstill was reached.
By this time, around half the school had gathered at the clearing in front of the library, as if it were a prom asking of some sort. A few minutes later, Christina Tani rolled into the arena on a dolly cart pushed by her loyal bouncer / delivery man / slave. Like a boss. She scooted to the front of the cart and yelled for Gauri to crawl on, but her killer walked to stand right between her and her lifeline. By some miracle, she made it onboard and was whisked away to the band room. We'll let you see the footage for yourself (not censoring the killer because pretty much everyone saw, TBH...):
The band squad rolled all the way to the band room, Gauri's fingers bleeding from being dragged across campus and her shoes torn up. Her instinct for survival blocked the pain and gave her the courage to persevere. They made it to the band room and Gauri quickly welcomed the safety of the building.
It was at this point Shayok realized that Gauri wouldn't be able to make it to the parking lot alive. He had to do something. He pulled Gauri close and whispered his plan. This...
Shayok: Hey baby. This is going to be tough. But you need to trust me.
Gauri: What? What is it?
Shayok: As we speak, your killer is summoning her troops, covering all the exits to this building. If we don't act fast, we won't make it out alive.
(Play tragic music.)
Gauri: *With tears welling up* No... No...
Shayok: I am going to create a distraction. YOU get to the staff parking lot. Just run, and don't look back. Please don't look back.
Gauri: I can't LEAVE you Shayok!!
Shayok: NO. You must. If you died I would never forgive myself.
(Cue bass drums, in slow beat.)
Shayok: I can't lose you Gauri.
Gauri: Ju-ju-just... Promise me you'll be okay.
Shayok: * Putting his hand to her cheek * Shhh. No tears. Just keep the kids safe.
Gauri: Wait what?
Shayok: Uh... Nothing BRB.
Gauri: Wait. Why don't we just stay safe and wait in here until 3?
Shayok: OUR DESTINY AWAITS. I MUST GO—
(Exit Shayok, quiet sobs heard in the background as a war hawk screeches.)
... Is how we imagined it went.
He died soon after.
Apparently, his killer was waiting right behind his car, having been informed by Gauri's killer that Shayok would likely try making a beeline to his car for a rescue mission. What a read by the killers. When he arrived to pick up Gauri, it was a bittersweet moment for the dynamic duo. The sacrifice of one leading to the survival of the other. Just look at this poor man's face:
Wait, let's get a closer look. We really want to see the emotions in this one. He looks like he's staring off into the distance, lost in thought and perhaps pain, trying to find the courage within to keep moving ahead. Looking into the sunset.
Rest in peace to our selfless hero Shayok. Let us never forget this day; the day a young man found the courage to make the ultimate sacrifice for his loved one.
We'll end with a bit of an analogy. Shayok is to Gauri as Sam is to Frodo. Or as Robin is to Batman. Or as Jar Jar Binks is to Anakin Skywalker. Except for the fact that they're dating (Shayok and Gauri, that is). So maybe as Jack is to Rose, from the Titanic. In any case, thank you both, and to your allies and your killers and their accomplices, for a heart-wrenching tale. It was exciting to watch, and we're sure, even more intense to have experienced it first hand.
Tomorrow, we'll fill you in on some of the other kills that happened today in form of short stories. But this one really deserved its own post. All's well that ends well. Until next time!