Casper's Tale (2)
Casper's Tale (2)
But now it stood ominously, hiding a darkness which was consuming the man who stood outside it. His black eyes were emotionless and cold like his heart. He felt no pain nor sadness; those feelings were long gone. The monster in him no longer knew how to shed a tear. Those feelings only made a man weak and feeble.
Instead, he was filled with infinite remorse. No pain, no happiness but a guilt which was eating his soul. He dreaded going inside but he could not help it. Someone in there needed him but did he have the courage to face that person?
Taking a deep breath, his shaky feet slowly made their way towards the gate. With every step, the dread and guilt in his heart was only increasing. His hands pushed open the door. Beyond it lay, his worst nightmare.
The smell of gunpowder lingered in the air. The walls and floor were stained with crimson blood. Bloodstains looked as if they were being dragged elsewhere as a trail formed. The man slowly followed the trail, unable to think or feel anything. He walked like a zombie, a man who had lost everything in life by butchering his happiness with his own hands.
Why did I throw away my family? He silently wondered. His lips would not move because no sound ever came out of it. He was born in silence and lived in it, revering the loneliness which came with it. His hands were stained with the blood of thousands of people, his mute power more dangerous than anything. Men feared him wherever he went, bowing down to him in fright as he ruled them with an iron fist. He was the fearful Lin Cheng. The most dangerous mafia lord of all time.
And now, within minutes, he was reduced to being a mere mortal who just lost everything.
He heard a low grunt from the room before him. Opening it, he saw the bodies of a man and a woman, lying side by side. The man was his own son who now lay motionless while the woman was his daughter-in-law whom he had despised for her lowly birth. His son went against his orders to marry her and built a life for themselves far away from his murderous father. They wanted to stay away from Cheng's life, not involve themselves in his crimes.
What they did not know was that the monster in Cheng's heart was slowly getting attached to their son and his grandson, Haejong. Ever since the little boy was born, Cheng had secretly watched over him everyday. He caught glimpses of his grandson while the little child went to school and every year on his birthday, Cheng would disguise himself as a mascot to put his gift with the pile. The parents never found out and Haejong was unaware of his guardian angel who was too guilty to come face to face with him
Cheng was staring at the bodies, feeling like a lost man. The woman was slowly grunting in pain. She was still alive but in a lot of agony. Cheng saw that she was shot in multiple places including her neck. Blood was gushing out of her wounds and she was fatally injured.
He was about to bend over to help her but the woman groaned, "Save...Hae...jong…"
She was pointing at the closet where the child was hiding.
"Mis...ter...Lin…" she grunted. "Take care...of...him…"
The woman was in so much pain that even a cold man like Cheng was unable to watch it. His guilt was culminating into a painful grief as the regrets devoured his mind. A single drop of tear fell from his eye, something which had never happened before.
To his surprise, the woman raised her shaky hands and made a sign language gesture.
"Kill me...please…" she begged. "Pain...ful…"
She was asking for him to give her a merciful death. Mercy? Did he even possess that? Was he capable of any mercy or kindness?
But seeing her state made the monster in him howl in grief. His family...his only family lay dead in front of him while his mind was torturing him with all sorts of images of the moments he could have had.
He could have been in the church where his son got married and blessed the couple. He should have been the one to carry Haejong in his arms when he was born. Why was he not there when Haejong took his first steps? They could have gone to all the fairs as grandfather and grandson. He could have taken Haejong to school everyday. The missed holidays and moments he could have spent with his family.
And now, it was too late.
"Please…" the woman begged. Cheng made a gesture with his hands.
"I'm sorry," he silently told her. He took out his gun and aimed it at her forehead. The woman smiled and closed her eyes.
BANG!
He had heard thousands of gunshots in his life but this was the first time he felt a bullet pierce his soul. It may not have hit him but the bullet he shot was louder than any other he had ever shot. This sound and the pain would stay with him forever, haunting him as he tolerated the tourture in silence.
There was a creaking of the closet door and a pair of small eyes were peeking at him. Those eyes were filled with fear and dread, just like how everyone else looked at him. He was all too well familiar with that gaze. That was what he wanted, right? To have everyone fear him.
Murderer. Those eyes screamed at him. Murderer. Murderer.
For the first time in his life, Lin Cheng was the one who was scared. He did not want to be seen that way, not by the person who was the dearest to him. Yet, he could not avoid it. He had to become the murderer in his eyes to make the boy hate him because if the child loved him, Cheng would not be able to live with the guilt. He deserved that hatred and curse. The little boy's love was something he could never deserve.
He deserved to be hated by that boy. This was his punishment and he would live with it for the rest of his life. In this life, he could not achieve the love of his family. All he knew was one thing.
The monster in him would kill to protect this boy. Whether in life or in death, no one would be able to harm him.
No one.