6 06

Sustenance, a need for every living being. The selfless Mother Earth bestowed us her entire self for sustenance.

The ungrateful we, bite into her till she bled and turned barren. Slowly being killed by her children, she still provided.

However, the pride of man was never satisfied at getting what he needed. We the egomaniacs needed more, we took pride by showcasing the ability to get things that we does not need.

A further escalation of pride happens when he or she showcases one's ability to afford wasting resources.

Driven by pride, the intellectual race is slowly being driven into madness.

The masses selfish, the society bred by greed, the unreasonable expectation of more than they give; even worse, to expect without giving.

Pride ruins oneself and the lives of those around.

You don't see a sense of pride in the jungle. There is need; hunger; fear; drive to survive; hunt; kill, and the drive to procreate. However, there is no pride, if there were pride it will be culled by Mother Nature.

When driven by pride, you only have you to support yourself. Driven by need, the world conspires to give.

Lydia has this smoldering need to protect, even at the cost of her everything. In the grand scheme of things, she is but a small beast famished and clutching at the last straws of its survival. It is that burning drive to live makes her more dangerous than a well-fed King of the jungle.

Predators usually hunt beasts that are smaller or weaker than themselves. Lydia does not have claws, not the stature of an alpha, she is not a predator nor a beast king. However, the circumstances forced her to be a hunter.

Being forced to hunt by the vicious monsters, Lydia found her first prey.

Her calm stride towards Dr. Shilong made the doctor feel chills in his spine.

"...you are?"

"The daughter of the patient that you just now swore to keep alive."

"Ha-ha, so you are that woman's brat. Brother Jaw-Long did not say anything about you but I think gifting you alongside your mother will be appreciated."

"I will keep your mom alive as long as you stay beside the ICU ward. If I see you missing I will pull the cord myself and blame it on her weak will to live," the sneering words of Dr. Shilong dripped with malice and his cruel eyes would not make anyone doubt his words.

'I hate the look in the eyes of this kid. Brother Jaw-Long has specifically instructed me to keep the woman alive, but let's see if the brat will stick around with the threat over her mom's life,' Dr. Shilong looked at the young Lydia with a faint sneer.

"Dr. Shilong, I am disgusted to call you a doctor. We, doctors, strive to save lives not take them. You are not even half the man I thought you were," said Dr. Cuifen with disgust naked in her eyes.

"Young Miss, what is your name? I will look after your mom, I will protect her, I swear this upon my life and with my pride as a doctor," continued Dr. Cuifen.

Lydia looked grateful towards Dr. Cuifen, but before she could reply, an annoying voice cut him.

"Cuifen, I applaud your sense of righteousness. I applaud it because it is amusing and funny. You're quite the entertainer!"

"Brother Jaw-Long is the right-hand man of the Wangs, the Wangs run this town. Whatever the Wangs wish, it happens in Hangzhang. The Wangs wish for this lady's death, the reason she is still alive is only because of Brother Jaw-Long instructions."

"In this town, everyone listens to the Wangs. The police have been instructed to ignore the incident, and the director of our hospital is instructed to let the men of Futou gang do whatever they please."

"I wanted to pursue you, Cuifen, but looking at your stubborn self, you will get yourself killed young in this town. Maybe as last favor I could ask for Brother Jaw-Long to not let you die a virgin, that will be a waste," the lecherously Doctor stopped hiding his debased inner self as he thought that everything is under his control. He felt surer of himself because of the support of Brother Jaw-Long.

Amidst his self-absorbed power trip, the complacent face of Dr. Shilong's suddenly contorted in extreme agony and an inhuman wail tore through the corridors of the St. Therese Hospital.

The emergency fire Axe that people usually forgot being in the side of the wall was wedged deep into the shoulder bone of Dr. Shilong, his face went pale as he twisted his neck hard to look at the fiendish person holding onto it.

Dr. Shilong was aghast to look at the calm eyes of Lydia looking back at him. Before the doctor could say anything, Lydia ripped out the Axe and chopped down on Shilong's other shoulder.

The second soul-wrenching shriek of Dr. Shilong woke up the stunned Dr. Cuifen and Mr. Liu from their daze as they were petrified at the grisly sight of Lydia tainted by the blood of Dr. Shilong.

The King of the jungle may play with its food, but a cornered beast will draw first blood.

You may think you know someone when you have interacted with them for years. You gradually pick up on their behavior, their habits, and their preferences. Given enough time, you can even predict their unique reactions to most situations.

With adequate amount of time, you think you fully know someone. From the very first moment you spent, you start to judge their character.

By your findings you either trust or be wary of the person you know. You judge them to be courageous or be a coward. You deem them worthy of respect or belittle them in an inoffensive way or even sometimes with an offense.

Time not just shows the other person, but also you. With time you get comfortable showing your true colors as you find a person non-threatening or you pretend to show heightened respect if that person is threatening.

However, all your threat assessment can go down the drain when a living entity does not give a damn about the next moment.

A buffalo can rip a lion when it gives no damn, the prey becomes the predator, reaping lives when least expected.

This is how Mr. Liu felt as he saw the blood-stained Lydia, the scream of Dr. Shilong didn't register to him. The scene was noiseless as he looked at the calm eyes that had calculatingly incapacitated Dr. Shilong.

Mr. Liu had seen many criminals, amongst criminals, there is a rare breed, the warrior. The men of this breed respect justice, but only their own. They are not crazed killers, their actions are always surgical, it is with a reason they take up the blade. They don't follow orders, they follow the conviction, for which they are willing to die for.

"...Lydia..."

"Mr. Liu, I mean no disrespect, you are less than an ordinary man if you cannot exercise your authority. The law is dead in this hospital, I only wish to save those who still hold a breath and are innocent, like my mum."

"It is not in me to humiliate you with force or coercion. If you wish to report me, so be it. Law gave up on protecting my family and me, if it wants to oppress me, I have no time to care about it."

".. YOU HAVE NO TIME TO CARE?!" freaked out Dr. Cuifen petrified at the young girl who is treating blood as if its water.

"That is exactly right..."

"Dr . Cuifen, rite? Time is a priceless resource, we take it for granted till we know our time is nearing its end."

"If you are as smart as I think you are, you should have it figured it out that my end time has been set by the people who run this town."

"This squealing pig on the floor is the inside man for their dirty work, I'd have him slaughtered like the beast he is, if not for the use he has for me."

"Now...Patch him up."

"You think I will take orders from a crazed freak?" opposed Cuifen

"You committed a crime. A serious offense, your life as a free man is over!"

"You'd be lucky if you can get out of prison in ten years from now," furiously replied Dr. Cuifen as she stared daggers at Lydia.

Lydia looked at the feisty doctor, took a deep breath and looked away, as Dr. Cuifen was smirking at her victory in the stare-down.

Lydia told her in a calm voice that, "You are right, I'm a criminal as of now, I broke the law and if I get out this alive, prison life is a happy ending for my story," saying this she suddenly turned towards her and swiftly chopped the fire axe right above her head.

The cheap wall tile shattered and the metal edge of the Axe was wedged deep into the concrete that is just inches above Dr. Cuifen's forehead.

If time is a slow process of finding oneself, then fear of death is a risky shortcut. We know who we are when we stare at death in the eye, the front we put up comes crashing down when you know you could possibly die.

Those who hold onto the brave front despite the gut-wrenching fear become men of valor. Those who cannot stubbornly persist become timid souls that are forever at the mercy of those stronger.

Dr. Cuifen wanted to be brave, but brave are not those who wish to be courageous, but those are ready to die for it.

Her knees buckled under the unforgiving sight of death at the metal edge of the Axe. Her bowels went limp tainting the hospital carpet with a wet patch.

Her knees still shivering as she looked up at the monster that could have murdered her.

"Doctor, don't play dare with a dying person. When death is at the doorstep there is very little that I will care for."

Lydia squatted down with mocking glare at the good doctor, "so doctor, instead of wasting our time and letting Dr. Shilong bleed to death, why don't you patch him up? Too many body fluids are making a nauseating mess... even for a hospital."

The sight of Lydia brought chills to not only Dr. Cuifen.

Mr. Liu looked at Lydia for the first time of what the girl was made of from within.

'Even when death is marching closer, the cornered beast kills before it is dead.'

'There is a mortuary at this hospital ...but ...will it be be enough?' were the drifting thoughts of Mr. Liu…