2012 @ KAOS | CLAWs

We greet thee, startled newcomers and grizzled veterans alike!

As many of you have likely been suspecting, the time for KAOS is drawing near! It's a new semester and some may find it amiss that no blood has yet been shed. For those of you who don't know, no, I'm not talking of ritual slaughter (exactly) but Killing As an Organised Sport (KAOS.)

It's a game in which everyone goes their merry way on campus, occasionally glancing over their shoulder just to make sure that the seedy looking fellow in the trench coat that's been following you for most of the morning is still about twenty feet behind you. Oh look, he's pulled something out of his pocket and is now making a mad dash at your immediate person. This is the point where you realise that you are probably his target, and that now would be a good time to make yourself scarce, taking a moment to curse your lack of foresight leading you to walking in the open in the first place.

KAOS is, in a nutshell, a game where simple students such as ourselves don the cloak (and potentially the handy gadget) of the likes of Ezio Auditore de Firenze and engage in all out assassination. Following certain gentlemanly (or ladylike, in the case of some daring dames) rules of conduct of course.

Participants are given a name and a picture. The name haunts the dreams of your shadowy patrons. You know not what they did, who they are, or why you are after them. But one thing is certain: yours must be the hand that ends them.

Your patrons were wary, though, and hinted that you should not sit with your back to any doors.

So... who shall be victorious in this, our little game of cat and mouse?

Activity

Monday the 5th of March

Authorities are startled by a sudden outbreak of violence on the University of Cape Town campus where just this day four bodies have already been discovered. Police are scouring the campus (especially the science faculty buildings, since the killings seem to have been concentrated there) in hopes of ascertaining the identity of the killer.

Maciej Stankiewicz was found early this morning in a pool of his own blood in an abandoned corridor leading up to a dead end inside the RW James Physics building. Mr. Stankiewicz appeared to have been stabbed to death, and careful investigation of the surrounding corridor revealed that he had likely been attempting to outrun his attacker before being cornered. Witnesses reported that Mr. Stankiewicz was carrying what was described as “a shiny thing” earlier in the day. This was later discovered to be piano wire, which was found still on the body. Police experts believe that Mr. Stankiewicz had sent one text message from his mobile after being stabbed, but the device had somehow been rendered inoperable shortly after what might have been a message asking for help or sharing his killer’s identity. So far none have come forward claiming to have any information regarding this final message.

Around noon there was a commotion near the Humanities Graduate building as one Ashraf Moolla was suddenly and violently stabbed through the neck with a crude knife. Some panic ensued from bystanders who described hearing sounds akin to “maniacal laughter” from either the killer or the killed. Preliminary investigations revealed that Mr. Moolla was involved in some sort of hacker’s circle going by the code name “CSC1015F.” Police speculate that the killer could be rival from the same faction. Unfortunately, in the panic following the violent act the perpetrator made his escape and could not be recognised.

Another body was later found outside the Mathematics building, having been brutally stabbed with a fork. The tissue damage was so dramatic that authorities could not immediately identify the body, and had to resort to examining dental records. It was later found to be the body of one Sean Wentzel, who was found wearing garb curiously alike to the the unknown perpetrator that had stabbed Mr. Moolla earlier that day. The police started questioning witnesses about possible connections between the two, but several individuals vouched for Mr. Wentzel, and an alibi was established, severing possible connections between the two.

Finally one last body, that of James Wilsenach, was found on campus. From his wounds he had apparently been stabbed by a weapon similar to the one used on Mr. Wentzel, however it was established that he had survived the initial assault. Witnesses claimed having seen a limping man bearing a resemblance to Mr. Wilsenach climb to the roof of the Mathematics building. Several individuals claimed having heard a voice screaming what was claimed to be the words “the king is dead!” from the roof. Mr. Wilsenach was later found, expired, on ground level, behind the Mathematics building.

“The killings bear real similarity as far as method is concerned, “ claimed Inspector Du Preez from the nearby police station.” “These sorts of things happen, and we will find the perpetrator. We are sure that it was all done by a single person, and we already have a suspect. No further comments.”

This one wonders, is it possible that the killings are connected in a link other than the one who committed them? Perhaps UCT has not seen the last of this horrid tide. But time will tell.

Tuesday the 6th of March

In what appears to be a continuation of the previous day’s chaos, two more deaths have been reported on the grounds of the University of Cape Town.

Early this morning one Daniel Mieczylsaw Adamiak was brutally stabbed inside a lecture theatre while apparently waiting for a lecture to begin. Witnesses have stated that a mysterious man walked into the theatre and that at that point Mr. Adamiak became suddenly apprehensive, drawing from within the folds of his clothing a crude weapon bearing some similarities to a common fork, but described by witnesses as being “surprisingly cruel looking.” The mysterious man introduced himself to the tense Mr. Adamiak, before promptly stabbing him in the neck and flashing a wicked grin. Although witnesses were present, due to the shock of witnessing the act, none could recall the identity of the perpetrator, one witness even having been rendered catatonic.

Police are also investigating the case of Miss Amy Zhang, who was shot to death outside the Arts Building on the Upper Campus at 11:00 this morning. An unidentified male wearing a baseball cap approached Miss Zhang, asked her name, and then delivered two shots from a silenced pistol into her head, making his escape during the resulting chaos. Several female students were covered in blood and are currently undergoing counselling. The killer remains at large.

Senior inspector Zdislav, having taken over the case from former inspector Du Preez after his sudden and inexplicable retirement, stated that there have been several roadblocks in attempting to follow his predecessor’s conclusions. “We are certainly in a strange position, here. Previous investigations into the nature of the deaths seen these past two days seem to have all met with very sudden dead ends, convenient and unlikely alibi’s and the like. If I was a cynic I might even believe that someone was trying to cover up important evidence. For example we aren’t sure that this is the work of a single person any more, though all the proof seems to indicate otherwise. But for the life of me I cannot find anything that links these victims together....unless...”

At this point the senior inspector snapped his fingers and rushed off muttering under his breath. He was not available later for comments.

Wednesday the 7th of March

In what can only be described as no big surprise the number of murders that have been committed on UCT campus has once again increased.

Authorities are investigating the death of Berndt Hannweg, who was found in RW James with a punctured lung and a knife sticking out of his back. Witnesses say that Mr Hannweg was so deeply involved in a group discussion he did not notice his attacker sneak up behind him. A gun found on his person has been sent for ballistics tests, but is believed to be linked to an earlier shooting.

In a gruesome fashion, Jason Esselaar was murdered around outside the arts block at noon, apparently waiting for a very important message. Witnesses say that a madman with long hair “came careening out of nowhere” and proceeded to decorate the arts block with the contents of Jason Esselaar's skull. The scene, beautifully decorated in shades of crimson and the odd bit of grey matter leaves us wondering whether this was a mad art student looking to change the otherwise boring facade of the arts block or if this may be linked to the other deaths on campus.

Senior Inspector Zdislav appeared crestfallen when interviewed, claiming that “the two most recent victims were [the police’s] chief suspects.” He also stated that: “Due to the nature of these last two killings and the difficulty of investigating on campus secretly so as to not cause panic, the investigations might take on a more dramatic tone. We simply cannot afford to let these killers strike again.” At this he shook his fist angrily and bit into a pastry with what I can only call ‘deductive fury.’

Thursday the 8th of March

In what appears to be a sudden stop the killings on campus have drawn to a conclusion, or at the very least a lull in activity. No new cases have surfaced, and authorities have become frantic, fearing that the killers have gone into hiding, leaving them with no new evidence and several dead ends. “According to individuals we interrogated... *cough* ... I mean witnesses we interviewed, this pattern of random killings is not as random an occurrence as was originally thought,” claimed senior inspector Zdislav. “Having been unable to extract any more information from those witnesses, we are left to conclude that there is some sort of organisation behind all this chaos... hell, possibly even killing as an organised sport... For now though, we can only wait and see what comes of this. But I feel I am very close to figuring this whole thing out.”

Have we seen the last of blood shed on university grounds? Could this be the calm before the storm? The training montage before the final battle? The credits that roll before that last scene of the movie? The last minute cram session before a test in Jameson hall? The second last bad joke told in an awkward conversation? (I’ll stop now)

Friday the 9th of March

Epilogue

Another quiet day on UCT grounds. It would appear that we have, in fact, seen the last of this wicked streak of deaths.

Following the unforeseen and sudden retirement of former senior inspector Zdislav, authorities have opted to halt all investigation into the murders that have taken place on university grounds during the past week. “It appears that Zdislav was not as close to the truth as he thought,” claimed one co-worker, “he said he nearly had it, but he scrapped his latest theories right before he left us. We really have no way of continuing this investigation. The last thing he told us was that there was some sort of society behind all of it. But quite frankly: no one wants to get involved, even though we’re quite sure that at least one killer remains at large...”