7 07

Dr. Shilong grew up in a rural village where a literate is a rare sight. He was born into a farming family and his parents spent most of their time in the fields.

In the fields is where Shilong grew up, but unlike his folks, he hated the soil very much. He felt the dirt of the soil marked him. When he goes to the market in a small town nearby, people identify him for the dirt in his dress. When he meets new people, the merchant, townsfolks, guards, and everyone sees not him, but the dirt. He has no trouble bearing the scorching heat of the midday sun, but being branded by the disdained eyes always made him feel the sting.

The beauty that looked down on him, the vendor that looked down, the mid-sized eatery that didn't want him inside, despite him having money enough for a meal from his years of penny-pinching. The dirt denied him entry.

At such a bleak moment when he was thought was he really that even his blood was dirty, he saw the same people who mocked him and looked down on him with a different look in their eyes. A look filled with respect over another person. A person dressed in a pristine white coat.

In the restaurant, a man who was seated stood up to offer that person his seat, the beauty looked at the man with naked lust, and the vendor was humble and eager to show the man his wares.

Shilong followed him all day, he only knew the man's name or so he thought. Everyone called the man 'doctor', which young Shilong thought was his name.

Later in years, he came to know that a doctor is a profession. A profession of prestige and cleanliness.

Shilong despised the farm that grew in. He hated the soil that provided meals for him.

Though Shilong was not the sharpest tool in the shed, he made up for it with hard work. When hard work was not enough, he did whatever it takes to get what he wanted.

He tricked his parents into selling the farm to finance his education. Later, left the home stealing all the sale money without telling anyone. He cheated on his exams in any way possible. When he got into college, he made illegal drugs in the college lab for the gangs to cover his expenses.

When Shilong graduated, he is more of a crook than a doctor. A heartless fiend licensed to carry a surgical knife.

The poor lack much but the greedy lack more, a human husk of greed is what Shilong has become.

Greed plunged him more and more into the depths of depravity like a struggling animal in the quagmire. A sadistic and sure descent into a state of lifelessness.

We call ourselves humans, but have we ever given a thought on considering what is human?

One is deemed human not by how we look; human is not in our blood; human is not how we behave; human is not by the DNA.

Human is the compassion and wisdom that one can see in the depth of another's eyes. The eyes tell you, who you are...

When you are ready to do anything, your eyes change, your soul morphs into something else.

The eyes of inhuman are what Dr. Shilong stare at every day in the mirror and those same eyes are looking at the girl who is seated across him.

Ever since the numbing effect of the anesthetics kicked in Dr. Shilong has looked at nothing but Lydia. The more he looked, the more he felt familiar but also different.

"...you are not human ...but different."

"I don't have time for wordplay."

"Any idea on why I didn't kill you?"

"You couldn't. Cuifen couldn't tell, but I can, it is your first time drawing blood. You held onto the Axe handle until your knuckles turned white. You are no killer, just a cornered beast."

"...you may be right. A beast is what I might be, but this is no struggle before death."

"...This is a hunt..."

"Hahahaha..."

"A hunt you say? Who are you hunting Ms. hunter? Oh damn, I forgot you're the rabbit that has to run to save its bushy tail."

"Then who are the hunters? Oh yes, its Brother Jaw-long and his men. This is going to be a fun but uneventful chase."

"Why uneventful? Cause the bunny runs around with its small two legs hopping, but it will either be chased by bloodthirsty dogs or shot down by heartless gunmen."

"Death is the preordained conclusion, but it still struggles to only make its pitiful death a little more entertaining."

"I agree that you're a smart and daring little bunny, but that is all that you are. A pitiful creature that is self-aware of its demise."

"Hahahaha... if not for my numbed body, I would applaud for your showmanship."

Lydia coldly watched the mocking rant of Dr. Shilong, the stoic face of Lydia never changed, as she let the maniac doctor speak on with spite. However, the eyes of Dr. Cuifen and Mr. Liu has nothing but pity for Dr. Shilong.

The raving doctor soon picked up on the weird vibe from the two besides him.

"What's with the look Cuifen? You don't agree? She is a pitiful bith who is about to die and oh don't think I've forgotten about you. When brother Jaw-long comes you will regret not helping me."

A sword unsheathed, is a sword ready to kill. The sound of a sword being pulled out is so subtle, yet what follows are the loud wails of dying men.

With a subtle unaggressive voice, Lydia spoke, "Did I not tell you Dr. Cuifen, a vile creature knows no repentance. All that it knows is to bite, and its easiest prey is the hand that feeds it. I'm young, I don't know much but I know when I see a depraved sinner," said Lydia in all seriousness to Cuifen

"Oh, there is a bit of conversation involving me, yet I'm not part of the conversation? Hahaha, ignore me all you want, when reality comes knocking is when you f*ckers will regret it. YOU WILL ALL DIE!!" shrieked on Shilong.

[Cheh] "Noisy."

Lydia looked at the deranged Shilong and calmly told him about a small modification that he did to him.

"That blanket comfortable for you?"

"..."

"Not much for words now?"

With the same subtle voice, he continued on, "I asked Dr. Cuifen, how good of a doctor you are..."

"Her precise words were that despite low academic attestation, Dr. Shilong is an excellent doctor, especially in emergency care"

"I wonder why an inspiring doctor is without dignity, is without grace, is without humanity. Then it hit me, you're no healer, you're a survivor. Hence why you are good at emergency care, the scars on your body while your recent wounds were dresses, validated my theory. But most really, I just wanted to lessen my guilt to do what I did to you. Still, it wasn't easy to watch"

"...what did you do? ...the blanket?"

"Cuifen, remove my blanket. REMOVE IT!!" despite his inability to move due to his numbed body, Dr. Shilong struggled hard.

Looking at the pitiful struggle of the doctor who she used to look up to, Cuifen pulled off the hospital blanket. With one end of the blanket still in her hand, Cuifen rushed to a corner of the room and started sobbing, muttering in a feeble voice, but it was well heard as the whole hospital room was drowned in silence.

"...Sorry ...I'm sorry ...I had no choice ...she forced me…"

"...you forced me..."

Dr. Shilong is not a tall man, by any standard, at 5'2 he did not command a threatening presence. However, the current him is a midget to the former him.

Dr. Shilong looked at his feet with incredulous eyes, staring hard hoping to break the illusion that he thought he was seeing. The passing seconds decimated his hopes into oblivion as the reality starts to seep into him.

A hoarse voice muttered, "...My legs."

"MY LEGS"

"YOU FIEND! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY LEGS!

"WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"WHERE ARE MY LEGS!!"

The despairing voice of Dr. Shilong echoed in the corridor. Lonely by itself and none other.