Chapter 8: The Ungrateful Breeze
"Join the Lian Wu," the emperor said, still smiling as he repeated his offer.
"What the hell's gotten into him?" Matthew wondered in confusion.
"W-Why should I…" he asked, sounding confused and scared.
"Why do you want me to join?!" He raises his voice.
The emperor, clearing his throat.
"Look Matthew…" the Emperor said, stepping back.
His eyes gleaming with a strange excitement.
He then walks slowly around Matthew, like a bird of prey circling its meal.
"It looks like our interests align."
"What interests?" Matthew asks, trying to keep his eyes locked on the emperor.
"Oh still confused?" The emperor chuckles.
"I'm talking about the red artist!" His face tightening, his tone in its usual mood.
"The red artist?!" Matthew thinks.
"What could he know?!"
Matthew's mind dragging him back to the conversation with Freddy.
"Yes—The underbelly of Asia. I'll say start at the Huo Long Guo or the Lian Wu." Freddy's words echoed.
Matthew mutters.
Eyes downward.
Muscles slowly relaxing.
"I've already tried the Huo Long Guo…"
"I–I killed some of them…" Saying this, Matthew quickly then felt dread building up in his heart.
"So no going there…." He sighs.
Suddenly, dread coiled in Matthew's chest.
Not from pain.
Neither was it fear.
But from guilt.
It was choking him.
In his heavied condition, he then sees a shadow forming on his laps.
Slowly, that shadow begins to take form.
It's Tan's head.
Slowly turning around, smiling.
But yet crying at the same time.
"No…" Seeing this, Matthew quickly jolts back.
Moving his thighs, the little part of his body that was free in a frenzy.
The emperor, surprised at what he's seeing.
Matthew bends his head down in defeat…looking at his laps.
Tan's face begins to fade bit by bit.
"So what do you say?" The emperor asks, moving towards Matthew's back.
Matthew, still trying to catch his breath, his eyes all over the place.
Sweat and tears dripping from his face.
He tries to pace himself.
Images of dead people suddenly pop up in his head.
His eyes seeing them as if they were there.
"I've killed a lot of people..."
"But why—just why!" He cries.
Those thoughts, whirling around his brain like a storm with a hurricane.
"Helloo." The emperor, sounding friendly.
Tap.
Tap.
He hits Matthew's head slightly.
Bringing Matthew back to reality.
He opens his eyes.
His breathing, slowly returning to normal.
"Huh?" He questions, his tear ducts slowly closing up.
"Join us." The emperor, with his widened smile, stares down Matthew.
The stare is so intense that it can burn a hole right through the back of his head.
"No.." Matthew answers softly.
"If I join, I'll just end up killing again…" sounding deflated.
"Even if it's for revenge….the things I've done.."
His voice cracked.
Small.
Afraid.
"I've gone too far….just too far.." Matthew says as if he has a scar in his throat.
Holding a burden no man should experience.
The emperor, hearing this, forms a bitter look of disgust.
"Pathetic." He curses under his breath.
"If you're still confused.." He groans.
"Then perhaps I can give you an incentive."
Matthew's body twitches in anticipation.
He walks over to a small tray table.
He grabs a jug, and pours it into a cup.
"Just a moment…." The emperor sounding concentrated.
Adding a tea bag, sugar, he stirs it nicely.
Slowly.
"Ahh just perfect." He smiles to himself.
He puts it under a saucer, holding it carefully.
The steam emanates from the cup like a misty poison.
Matthew, looking over at him gleefully walking towards his direction.
"Oh, offering me stuff won't my mind." Matthew, his head down, moping.
His stomach grumbles.
He's hungry.
Matthew surprised and kind of embarrassed of what just happened.
"It isn't for you." The emperor scoffs.
"Wait—you thought." The emperor laughs.
"No…this is for me." He sits down in his former spot, directly opposite Matthew.
"I'm feeling quite parched." He then takes a sip of tea, holding the cup warmly.
The emperor batters his tongue in his mouth.
"Damn, added a bit too much sugar." He drops the cup on the table.
"You actually thought you had a choice in this?" The emperor chuckled again.
But the smile didn't reach his eyes.
He leaned in forward, more closer to Matthew.
The tea cup, still steaming and rising above.
"I only asked you…. to be nice."
"And which you're wearing out…very quickly." Sounding irritated, the emperor continues to tap his feet on the ground
Clenching his two hands together tightly.
"Look I'll give it to you straight kid."
"You killed Tan, a valued person of the little community here….to us."
He carries the cup from the table.
"You also killed members of the Huo Long Guo, which pretty sure the rest should be looking for you." The emperor stiring the tea.
"And—by the looks of it, you can't even fight or even as much run." He laughs, pointing the tea spoon at Matthew's body.
Matthew looking all over his body—at all the bandages.
"You also have details concerning about—certain flash drives." He puts the spoon back.
He drinks the tea.
"What?!" He asks himself once more.
"Flash drives? What flash drives…" Matthew thinks.
"What?!" He asks himself once more, disbelieving in his own mind.
"And now, you're looking for the red artist…Oh no Matthew my boy…" He drops his tea.
Shaking his head in disappointment.
"Without joining the Lian Wu, you're dead one way or the other." He smiles, as if he's already won.
Matthew hearing this, looks at the emperor.
He isn't surprised….
He had already accepted that he'll die.
He already knew.
"Hmm…not even sooner or later…" The emperor drops the tea, one final time.
"You won't even leave this building—no this very room alive!" He raises his voice, squinting his eyes at Matthew like a predator.
"I would've killed you personally a long time ago." He moves his hands in the air, signifying his class.
"But our leader wished against it, needing that Intel from you." He points at Matthew nonchalantly.
"So now, you're just being ungrateful." His tone, causing the air to be cold.
The dark spots, the shadows seemingly growing bigger.
Matthew, grits his teeth.
Clenching his fists behind him.
He's boiling with hatred.
"Why…Why!" He screams in his head.
"Just why's my life always in other people's hands…" He grunts.
"Why is every thing about me! Why I'm I always at mercy?!" He breathes heavily.
Looking intensely at the emperor.
His pupils could kill…no–they are going to kill.
"Now there's that hatred deep within." The emperor smiles, licking his lips.
"So what'll it'll be Matthew?" He laughs.
Matthew is speechless.
The whole room, just as silent as a graveyard.
An ominous vibe—the tension thickening the air within.
Birds fly across the windows, carefree.
Knowing not what's happening.
They fly all the way within the sun's gaze, barely visible.
They fly far and wide.
Eventually reaching an open field.
The wind blowing lightly.
But strong enough for the blades of grass to still dance.
Then there all alone.
San stands.
Over a gravestone—three infact.
Smoking, blowing it into the air.
"Tan." He squats at the grave in the middle.
"I'm so sorry." He tears up.
He puts his hands all up his hair, drawing them back.
The incense burning.
It's gone below its half point.
San then remembers Tan smiling when they were kids.
"I still remember your smile." he sniffs.
Then the young Tan in San's head grows to resemble his older and current age.
"You always still smiled, even though we got older." Tears fall dripping on the soil below him.
"I know I've gone against your morals and code."
"But look where that you, hehe." He chuckles, but cries.
"Even after everything you've done, that's me just being ungrateful."
He keeps quiet.
The wind blowing.
It's all silent.
Peaceful even.
"He did this, still alive." He chews the cigarette out of frustration.
"Ever since, I've been feeling this stabbing feeling in my head, my heart." He thinks to himself.
"I swear, I will kill him."
"Not just to avenge ya, brother."
"But to get rid of this cursed weight in my chest." He declares, sunlight reflecting just a little off his glasses.
The bits from the cigarette falling out, dropping on the freshly-turned earth.
He stands up, putting his hands in his pocket.
He walks away from the grave, the wind blowing his long black coat.
"Sir.." Jona off in the distance walking towards San from a car.
San seeing this, bending his head slightly to hide his tears behind his glasses.
He gets close to him.
"What is it.. don't ya know I'm busy?!"
"I--I know sir…but.." Jano stammering, with a bandage wrapped all over his face.
"What? Spit it out!" San raises his voice.
"It's the Huo Long Guo sir, they're in the wanhua district…" His voice squealing.
San's anger fades momentarily.
"Snake alley?" San asks.
"Y-Yes sir." Jano answers.
"Tch–!" San grunts.
"Let's go sir, the others are already there." Jano says as he opens the car door for him.
San just stood there, not due to him hesitating.
"The Huo Long Guo…. Finally a distraction!" In his head, San sounding overfilled with joy.
He walks towards the car.
"A distraction away from that feeling— that pain…" He enters the car and Jano closes the door behind him.
"Let's go…quickly." San orders with a stern tone.
Jano nodding his head in agreement walks towards the driver's door.
He then enters the driver's seat, driving off.
The birds, still flying freely up above it all— privileged creatures.
—The end of chapter 8—