Your Eternal Rest
I Will Pray For You
My instinct is that of a bloodhound trained for a specific kind of hunting. I find myself turning to her for guidance, in search of a cure.
During my break, I dial her number from the office phone line. I call her, expecting to be sent directly to voicemail, but she startles me by answering.
I tell her where I am calling from and who I am. She does not seem surprised at receiving my call as if she foresaw it coming. I ask her about her recent absence and when it would be a good time for her to come in. She tells me she no longer needs me... just not in those exact words. Sometimes I wish I could force that kind of need, that kind of dependency. Sometimes I long to take my patients under my wings and nurture them. But she tells me she no longer needs me. I am to be cast aside. And I come to a realization that it is not she who needs me but rather, it is I who need her. Recognizing it is an unfortunate break through.
As a kind of closure, I ask if I may pay her a visit at her work place. She is hesitant to approve but she does so at the end and I am very pleased.
She says she does not need me... but she will. I know for certain she will.
With oversized shades obscuring the upper half of her face, Xinling sat outside a small cafe, indulging in the sight of water catching the sunlight. The bubbling fountain cascaded like a complex piece of orchestral music. She smiled absently in appreciation for the exquisite sound. One small sip of her black coffee... And then, the infernal clatter of steel on stone spoiled the moment. He dragged a chair to her small table and sat down, uninvited. Xinling grabbed her bag and stood up without a second thought. He caught her hand and slammed it to the table, pulling her whole body towards him.
"Sit." He commanded.
Her eyes blazed behind her large shades. The nerves... to drag her back to the past. Here and now.
"I want to—"
"Tell me again that you don't love me? But this time, over a cup of coffee?" She had buried him... but such a shallow grave it was.
"You haven't forgotten."
She gazed at the sparkling water. "It was a sunny day like this." She placed her bag on the table and sat back down. "I wasn't mistaken then. It was you. You came for my doctor."
"I don't understand what you're trying to say, Xinling."
"You know she's a serial killer. You came for her."
"She's a serial killer?"
"You mean to tell me you didn't know? Then why did you—"
"I didn't sense anything strange about her."
"She's good... at hiding, more so than you are. Like Hyojin, she likes to play god but she takes it much further. I suspect she makes her patients so dependent on her that they will do anything she suggests... like kill others then themselves."
"Did you see it?"
"I don't need to see it. Her recent call to me confirms it. Do you doubt me? I've been with you long enough to know one when I see one."
"What did she say to you?"
"She wants to visit my workplace tomorrow and I've agreed to it."
"Tomorrow... everything is to happen tomorrow. What a coincidence."
And tomorrow came like any other day after today.
Sherry, Xinling's manager, searched for her. It was almost time for a recording session. Everyone was ready to go and waiting. This troublesome girl... always doing whatever she wanted. Was she on the roof again? Staring blankly at the sky?
Sherry stopped one of the sound assistants. "Have you seen Xinling?"
"No... but maybe Jin has. Hey, Jin! Have you seen Xinling?"
"She's probably up on the rooftop singing to the wind."
"Hey, don't make a joke out of it. It's not funny."
Sherry left them and headed to the elevator. The elevator only went so far as the tenth floor. She'd have to climb the stairs the rest of the way. This troublesome girl... why couldn't she just hang out in the lounge or out front like the rest?
Sherry pushed open the door leading out to the roof and found a stranger. He had a work pass around his neck but she didn't recognize him. "Who are you? Where's Xinling?"
Junki shoved the syringe back in his pocket and pulled out the knife. This loud person... she wasn't Xinling. She wasn't the woman he met on the bridge. She wasn't his ticket out. But she needed to be taken care of... in the quickest fashion. Junki caught Sherry before she could turn and run. He stabbed her with the knife, avoiding the ribcage, killing her fast. He knew exactly where to put the blade... it was almost surgical because that was what he did best. Before this whole mess, he was an aspiring med student. Junki dragged her body to the side and waited behind the door. He waited for Xinling... his victim, his savior.
"Where's Sherry? Did anyone see where she went?"
"She went up to the roof to look for you like... fifteen minutes ago. Since you're here and not up there. She should've been back by now."
Xinling had her own suspicions. Jaejoong said it, didn't he? Today was the day. Everything was going to happen today. And she was the star of the show. It just wouldn't be right without her.
"Can you guys hang out for a little while? I'm going to go grab Sherry real quick."
"Yeah, sure. We've been hanging."
"Great."
Xinling rode the same elevator to the tenth floor and flew eagerly up the stairs. She swung the door open. Junki jumped out with the syringe ready. He stood between her and the closing door. She had no way of escaping... not that she planned to.
But before the door fully closed, it burst open again, causing Junki to lose his grip on the syringe. It fell down only to be caught by the intruder. The intruder skillfully spun the syringe one hundred and eighty degrees and stabbed it into Junki's chest, injecting the yellow fluid into his heart. Junki crumpled to the floor. With the sole of his army boots, the man knocked Junki out of the way.
"Wang Junru's brother..."
"So you still remember her name?" Godfrey snapped off his work pass and straightened the strap with both hands. "I'm going to enjoy watching you die... a very slow death. That's the least I could do."
Xinling kicked off her heels and made herself comfortable. She stood frozen to the spot, challenging him. With the cold air as her last wall of defense, Xinling stood there... like a stupid bird, waiting to be garroted.
Junsu finished assembling his sniper rifle and took aim from the top of an adjacent building. One of his targets had been put down by an unidentified male but he gave Junki another bullet in the head just to make sure.
His other target was the woman but with the man strangling her, he couldn't get a clean shot.
I want no witnesses this time, Junsu. I mean it.
So it didn't matter who he shot first as long as they're all dead. Junsu pulled the trigger... just before the series of explosions... one of them being right beneath him.
Jaejoong had planted homemade explosives the day before at five of the best sniping location according to view, range, and accessibility. He would've turned the key and set off the explosions a lot sooner if he hadn't fallen asleep behind the power box.
Jaejoong stood up now, stretching his arms and legs. "I dozed off." He yawned.
Xinling spotted the gun next to Godfrey's dead body and bent down to retrieve it. The gun must've escaped the inside of his leather jacket when he fell. It was obvious someone had tampered with the metal detectors. Who? It didn't matter.
"Don't move, Xinling."
Jaejoong probably had his 9mm pointed at her head. Did he already know what she was planning to do? He had alerted everyone with his fireworks. What did he expect?
Despite his warning, she rose to her feet. She wasn't going to back down.
"I wasn't planning on point my gun at your head. Will you not see it the way I see it?"
"Never."
"Then I'll have to make an exception and kill you."
"Making exceptions... you've really evolved."
"I have you to thank, don't I..."
"No, Jaejoong. It's all you. It always has been. Free-will, right? Makes you wonder... is it a good or an evil?" Xinling raised the gun with both hands and cocked the hammer with an injured thumb. "You should've never come back. Now... I have to protect you... the only way I know how."
The roof door flew open. The doctor threw herself at the man, thinking she could stop the more capable killer, Xinling, like the hands of god.
Two different sounds. Two different gunshots.
Xinling dropped the heavy gun to the ground. Jaejoong's aim was true. She collapsed soon after with a knowing smile on her lips.
While crouching next to the fallen doctor, Jaejoong looked upon Xinling's most peaceful body. He had no remorse. He never did. "Congratulations, doctor. You just saved the greater of two evils."
"But she's... she's..." Blood oozed from the bullet wound in her back.
"She's just a damaged girl and a coward. You and I, on the other hand... we are the real monsters." Jaejoong paused to think. "Before you go, doctor. Can you answer this one small question? When someone says they'll pray for you... do they really pray for you?"
Resume. The rest is silence.
Ambition squeezed into six chapters... just like the troll version. I hope it makes you happy, Grey.
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