Injured in the dark

Hu Li and officer Zhou spends their days checking on the prison guard. While his men who follow the two tunnels in underground basement. One is leading to a deserted shop previously was a restaurant. Now the restaurant is not operating. While the other is leading to outside a forest area. Within that area, more explosives are found but they are not completel thus not able to do much damage. No matter what, his boss order the explosive to be destroyed. 

While watching over the only clue to the next step, the prison guard now is not able to talk nor see. He refuse to hear by moving his head. His ears have signs of internal bleeding but according to the physicians he will still able to hear. The days that Hu Li doesn't see him, she place her little friends in the same room as him. Officer Zhou give orders to leave the food behind even if he doesn't eat it. His men doesn't understand why but they listen and follow his orders. Hu Li sits still in the dark night watching the dark room in silence. It's a game of chess and now she is waiting for the player to move the next step. 

Sitting in the dark is not a fun for Hu Li. She takes out her paper windmill and blow it. While her little friends who are hiding around the prisoner is talking to each other. The prison guard can hear the squeaking near him. He reach out and touch one of them. He pat it gently even he can't see. He feel like crying but he doesn't have the tear ducts any more and his only can scream and maybe say some unrecognisable words. He feel around his mouth it feels strange. His nose tells him that there is another person in this room. It maybe a girl. She have a strange sweet smell that those girls he have seen in the brothels. He put down the creature in his hands. He feel it running off. He get on his hands and knees, he start to crawl towards the smell. Hu Li who is playing with the paper windmill find him moving towards her. She put her windmill away.

"Master, he might have smell you."

He move near and reach out. Hu Li blow smoke on his face. He falls and lay on the ground. Officer Zhou who is walking around see that the prison guard is sleeping on the ground. He sigh and he walk in the room without the candle in the room, he did not see Hu Li. Before he pick up the guard, he look at the corner of the room that the prison guard is laying on, he had a shock and sit back with a scream. A pair of eyes glow in the dark and stare at him. Officer Zhou lips twitch and his body tremble. 

"Officer Zhou, i already told you. You need training. Body is too weak."

His body stop trembling. It is Yu Bing's voice. He sigh loudly. 

"You! stop hiding in the dark. Scare me! Lucky my heart is strong! If not i will be death by now! As the old Chinese proverbs, never scare a living person. There won't be a cure!"

He hurry to get up and dust himself. He push the prison guard to check if he is alive. He then lift and drag up the man to the wooden bed. He lay the man properly and turn around. He can't see well in the dark but he can see there is a presence in this room.

"Come out."

They walk outside and Yu Bing continue to blow the paper windmill. Officer Zhou is frustrated and he grab the paper windmill. 

"How old are you still playing with this? Only small children like to play with this thing." 

Hu Li stick out his tongue at him when office Zhou look away. They sit outside the deserted house and talk. 

"Honestly Yu Bing, you are strange..."

"Strange?"

"Yes... sometimes you make me think that you are not human."

"Why is it because i run fast?"

"Not only that... running fast is one thing but you seems unreal sometimes."

"Unreal?"

"Not of this world. Belong somewhere."

"I don't belong to anyone or anywhere."

She look down and Officer Zhou see that he have upset a young kid. He pat Yu Bing on the shoulder. 

"Whether you are unreal or not. I like you the way you are. A honest boy... except that you keep lying to my mother. I can understand that. She is unwell most of the time. After your arrival, she got a bit better at least she talks. At least she knows that her son still lives with her and she doesn't cry too much now. My father should be happier."

They sit and listen to the silence of the night except for some crickets who are singing in the grass. After awhile Officer Zhou is falling asleep. Hu Li as usual is wide awake and looking at the sky. All the sudden, her sense tells her that there are two strangers walking in the area of this. She look at officer Zhou who have fall sleep, she stand up quietly. Creep towards the dark room there she hear someone talking. She use her leg to kick down the door and sent a flying kick hard on the stranger. He fly backwards to the wall to cause it to break open. That stranger pick himself up and start running.

"Master!"

"Stay here and watch for the prison guard!"

Hu Li immediately follow behind. Even though the road is fill with small rocks, Hu Li is still able to follow tightly till she suddenly hear a scream that echos in the dark night. She stop and turn around. She pause for a long time. She did not know if to follow the one who is running or the one who had scream. She decided to go back and she run back to see a dark figure running away. Inside, lay officer Zhou who is bleeding from his abdomen and the prison guard who is too bleeding from behind. With all the power in the world she had, she cannot alter the life of a human. Thus she only can stop the bleeding by pressing it. With only one pari of hands, she decided to help to keep Officer Zhou alive. She find some fabric and press it on the wound. 

"FEI! FEI!"

"I know i am going to the nearest post to ask for help."

His voice echo in the dark night. She keep pressing on to officer Zhou while she watch the prison guard who is bleeding and turning pale white. She is perspiring from the heat and anxiety. Her little friends did not know what to do. They stand on their hind legs and watch. Soon help comes with the guards from the imperial army. They immediately apply medicine to stop the bleed on both men.Hu Li grab her friends and put them in her shirt pockets. While the imperial army hurry to transport them back into the city. The medical hall who already close for the day is waken up and ask to take in the injured. The assistance hurry to clear the wooden plank beds for the two injured man. Hu Li watch the physician work to safe the lives of the two men. Before the sun rises, he inform the royal imperial guard that he did his best. They will live but he is not sure when they will be awake. He added that their lives is in the hands of the gods now.