Tears

Warning this chapter contains violence. 

~Alexie Ivanov~

I hummed serenely as I strolled toward the docks, the crisp cold air gently caressing my face. Parking my car adjacent to an abandoned factory, I whistled a tune, my steps leading me inside, where an irritatingly chirpy voice awaited me. "Heyyy Al-chan~~," the grating sound resonated throughout the vacant space.

With a sigh, I chose to ignore the source of the voice emanating from a tablet held by one of Handler's henchmen. Constrained by the council's imposed restrictions, all of his activities were under scrutiny until the judgment at the month's end. However, this did not imply that these novices could rein him in. He remained a maverick of free will, acting on his own terms and for whomever he pleased. My attention shifted to two men suspended upside down from the bars above, a smirk slowly etching its way onto my lips.

"Update," I commanded the henchman standing near them in my fluent Russian accent. The man stepped forward, handing me another tablet as I scrolled through their information, my brows quirking in annoyance.

"The man following you is Marcus Rodriguez, and the driver of the car that you hit is Kwame Osei," Handler filled me in from the background. "Both men recently hired rogues, affiliating with no particular group. I investigated their connections, and it appears to be a series of third parties with no definitive link, but—" he hesitated as I glared at the cowering men. Their fates were already predetermined once they got caught, but I wouldn't make it easy for them.

I clicked my tongue at his hesitance and spat, "Just spit it out, Handler."

"I think they are related to Li Mei Zhang," he continued.

I narrowed my eyes at the name, a bitter taste of blood rising in my mouth as I recalled the Hong Kong mafia princess. "Ugh…" I expressed in distaste. The relentless pursuit of money and power by that irritating woman bothered me beyond comprehension.

"You sure?" I asked as I proceeded to strip off my shirt, tossing it toward another henchman who skillfully caught it.

"Hmmm… gathering information is more of your expertise," he cooed in response.

I hmmed as I turned my attention back to the men hanging like the tarot card, The Hanged Man. "Do you know," I addressed the dangling men, "what the Tarot card, The Hanged Man, signifies?

"Hmm?" I looked at them, awaiting their responses, only to be met with confused looks all around. I turned toward the henchman, receiving the same response.

"Oh, I know, Al!" a chirpy voice intercepted.

I ignored the voice on the screen and cast another glance at the dangling men.

"Chooosee meee Allll Channnnn~"

Ignored.

"One implication can be Sacrifice and Surrender, meaning surrender to a situation or sacrifice for a greater purpose," I explained, taking in a sharp breath, my rage intensifying as my eyes pierced into the men. "Sacrifice for the tears that you cost my Nari!" I vociferated in anger, my voice echoing off the empty space's walls.

The men cowered in fear, the hysteria evident in my eyes. I looked at them once, urging one of the henchmen to bring forth the article I requested. He handed me a tailor's scissors as I nonchalantly stated, "I'll give either of you one chance." I asserted, "The number of tears that fell from Nari's eyes, I want equal payment."

I chirped in happiness as I could hear Handler's hysterical laugh echoing in the background. "So choose, it's a first-come, first-serve basis."

Instantly, at the thought of saving themselves, both men began to holler in unison, "Me!""Me!"

However, life is not that fair. Supply and demand, my friends. So, I did what every monopolizer of resources would do—I pointed at my choice. I selected the driver of the car, Kwame Osei. "You, congratulations. You get the golden opportunity," I smirked as I commanded the man to be carefully dropped. Once he was fully on the ground, he made a miserable attempt to ask me what I needed from him to go free.

"Well, here you go," I handed him the scissors. "He was the reason that mostly contributed to Nari getting scared, so I want his eyes. For the precious fifteen tears that fell from her beautiful eyes, I want his eyes. Cut precisely with fifteen cuts," I stated nonchalantly to the baffled man.

"No," Kwame Osei begged, eyeing the exit like a hawk. But I wasn't foolish; as he tried to make a beeline for the gates, a shot fired near his leg indicated that there was just one way to get out.

I smirked, observing the shivering man as they brought his companion down onto a sturdy table for his "surgery." Realizing what was about to happen to him, he began wailing to deaf ears. Other than him, no one in the room cared for his repetitive excuses, such as "I have a family, kids… blah, blah, blah," especially not me.

"Please," he begged his companion, "it was your idea," he blamed, but to no avail, as Kwame Osei started inching towards him with steel determination.

As he placed the tip near Marcus Rodriguez's face, I added, "Oh, also, if his eyes get damaged, I'll kill you in the worst way possible." This was enough to bring out the fear in the man as he eyed me in horror, his expression clear to read: 'What kind of monster would make someone do this?' 'Me,' I thought.

Signaling to a henchman, he brought a chair for better viewing as I swung my legs onto the table near the man's head. Two henchmen held the thrashing man's head as Kwame proceeded to perform the "surgery." His hands shook as he took the first cut, earning him a howl from his patient. By the third cut, Kwame had his eyes closed in horror as blood showered everywhere, some even sullying my shoes. What a great doctor, I thought, as I watched the man wail at his own actions. After the sixth cut, he tried to beg again, the wails of his patient annoying me. "Please, please… we are sorry… we will return the money… please…"

In annoyance, I gritted my teeth, massaging my brows with this drama. I sighed as it was taking more time than anticipated. I didn't want Nari to wake up alone, so I snatched the scissors from him, stabbing the wailing patient fifteen times exactly in his eye socket. By now, of course, his orbs were completely wrecked, but who needed them anyway? Blood sprayed all over my face and torso, but I was not done yet. As I counted, I looked at Kwame, his horrified eyes reflecting the gruesome horror occurring before him. The flesh of his friend slashed many times, at one point the patient had even died, but no one could blame me for medical malpractice.

Satisfied, I threw the scissors for a henchman to catch, nonchalantly bending in front of the cowering man. He had soiled his pants, but that was not my concern. "You failed at your task," I stated.

"Ple-" but before he could plead his case, I called a henchman to do it. A bulky man came forth with a canister that he proceeded to pour onto the cowering man below me, drenching him as I got out of the way. He screamed as the understanding reached his nose; the pure smell of gasoline reverberated in the space.

"I'll be kind, you know," I started, "just tell me the alphabets in descending order."

Hope rose in his eyes as he looked around him, but then I had to dash it, right? So I continued, playing with a lighter casually, "Japanese Alphabets," I added.

The ray of light lost, and the man began pleading once more, to no avail. Finally, I threw the open flame on him, watching for a few minutes the culmination of my revenge. The scent of gasoline mixed with the burning of human flesh was nauseating, so I walked out into the cold air, stripping off all my spoiled clothes and throwing them into a makeshift fire pit outside, attended to by the boys under Handler. As I changed into new clothing, one of the henchmen handed the tablet to me with Handler on a video call.

"Hahaha… you crazy man..." he laughed hysterically.

"I would expect a pristine clean-up; the money is already in your account," I stated, turning off the device before Handler could add to my headache. As I removed the final piece of accessory, my Rolex watch, one of the boys came up, rubbing his arms in glee. "Sir," he caught my attention, and as I looked back in boredom, he continued, "If you are throwing that away, can I have it?"

Staring at the watch, a tiny memory swirled in my head, reminiscent of a similar situation when I first met Nari's father. With a small smile, I threw the boy the watch, watching him run off to show it off to his friends as he thanked me. I donned my new outfit, sniffing the stink, and murmured, "I need a bath." With that, I rode back home.

Upon reaching home, my first priority was to check on Nari, who was still fast asleep. Glancing at the watch, I noticed it was nearing dinner time, and sleeping at such an odd hour would not be good for her health. That's when an idea struck me as I made my way to take a shower.

After I was done, I nestled my head next to hers, half sitting, half lying on her bed. She stirred in confusion, yawning at my presence. Her hair cascaded all around, forming a comfortable nest for my head. I felt sleepy too in her comforting presence.

"Hmm," she murmured, "Why are you so cold?"

Taking my face between her palms, she rubbed it lightly. "Just took a shower," I lied, partially.

"Hmm..." she stirred. Taking her hand in mine, I planted a warm kiss on her knuckles and said, "Get up and get ready in warmer clothes; I have a surprise for you." With that, I reluctantly detached myself from her warmth and made my way to prepare for the surprise.