chapter 3 { unexpected }

Chapter 3 {The First Encounter}

 Li Qi opened the lock on the apartment door ingeniously; he seems like a person accustomed to doing this with ease. Cautiously, he entered the apartment, his ears attuned to the sound of running water, signalling that someone might be in the shower. He entered through the door corridor to the hall and found himself in front of the bathroom; its door was open, and inside was a woman, her back to him. She was standing in the bathtub and rubbing shampoo into her hair with her hands. The resulting foam covered her head. He froze. He stood, watching her hands as she rubbed her scalp. Then he watched the falling foam go down her back before disappearing into the tub. He continued to observe the water flowing over her head as the foam covering her head was washed away, revealing her long black hair falling onto her back.

When all the foam had disappeared from her hair, this alerted him, so he quietly took one step away from the door and leaned his back against the side wall in order to hide in the darkness of the room. The only source of light in the house was the bathroom light with its door open. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the wall, remaining motionless until he heard the sound of the running water stopping. He focused and straightened his stance, then took a deep breath and placed his hand on his thigh to feel his knife, which was hidden in his trouser pocket, from which he could reach out and pull the knife from inside the pocket in a split second. He heard the sound of her footsteps as she walked around inside the bathroom. He got ready, and when she passed in front of him, he pulled her quickly against the wall by her right arm, wrapping his left arm around her neck, and then he pushed her body with his, holding her firmly against the wall. She didn't scream or resist, but just looked at his face calmly. He was surprised by her reaction. He looked into her eyes and found her examining his face as if she were trying to identify him.

His face was concealed by a mask that covered his nose and mouth, leaving only his eyes visible. He reached down and pulled the knife out of his pocket and lifted it up, keeping his eyes fixed on hers while her eyes followed the movements of his hand. She looked back at him and said,

"Can you use your hands instead of the knife? The knife causes chaos and a lot of blood, and whoever finds me will be terrified of the sight. I think you could choke me or break my neck in a quick movement, right?"

Li Qi narrowed his eyes and asked,

"Don't you feel afraid?"

She asked with her eyes before the words left her mouth.

"Afraid of what? Death? Why should I be afraid of death? Everybody will inevitably die one day."

Li Qi kept thinking silently while he was in the same position, and then he carefully put the knife back in his pocket, so she commented,

"Thank you," acknowledging what he had done.

He marvelled at her composed and fearless demeanour, and his amazement showed in his facial expressions and body language.

He pulled his arm from behind her head and put his hand around her neck. She drew a deep breath but remained still as he circled her neck with both hands and applied slight pressure; she offered no resistance. He increased his pressure, but still she did not resist. He noticed that she was holding her breath as well. He knew that she would soon lose consciousness, so his hands let go of her neck, and he hit the wall with his fist next to her head. He then pulled the mask from his face down under his chin and asked angrily,

"Do you really want to die so badly?"

She took a deep breath and then calmly answered him,

"Believe me, I did not see anything pleasant in this life; perhaps in the next life I will find something that brings me happiness. If there is no other life, at least I will be relieved from all this suffering."

He looked at her and narrowed his eyes, examining the features of her face against the light coming from the bathroom as if he couldn't believe her words. It was his turn to take a deep breath and exhale. He shook his head left and right, as if to reject the situation altogether.

He grabbed her arm and yanked her away from the wall, then pivoted her to hold her back against his chest, then put her into a headlock with his right arm. While he was holding her arms with his left arm, her arms stayed adjacent to her torso. Again, she did not resist but surrendered completely; she even rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. He tried to tighten his arm around her neck to suffocate her, but he could not do it. There was something stopping him. Unconsciously, he smelled the scent of her wet hair and inhaled until he felt that his strength was fading. He left her arms and then released her neck, but she had already lost consciousness; perhaps she thought she was dead already. He grabbed her body quickly and carefully before sliding her to the ground. He then picked her up and carried her to the bed, laying her down gently and carefully as if he were putting down a sleeping child, afraid they might wake up. He took a step back and sat on a nearby chair, staring at her for a few moments. Then he stood up, removed his hoodie, and placed it on the chair before returning to the bed. When he put his knee down on the bed, she woke up and saw him walking on his knees towards her. For the first time, she showed a reaction. She pulled her body up to sit a little, then raised her hands to push him away.

Li Qi commented,

"Do you defend yourself now? Do you want to live?"

She quickly replied,

"Even if I welcome death, it does not mean that I will not protect myself and prevent you from raping me. You can kill me, but you can't rape me."

In a panic, Li Qi withdrew from her, sat on his heels, and stated,

"What! raping you? Why do you think I would do that? I am a strong man; I am not weak in character to do such despicable things. I would not impose myself on anyone in that way, no matter what. This is a disgraceful thing, and I am not that vile. Despite what you seem to think of me, I still have my honour."

She examined him carefully as he continued.

"Yes, I took off the hoodie because it was damp from your wet hair, and I was getting closer to see whether or not you were breathing. I didn't even press your neck hard enough for you to lose consciousness like this. Do you just want an excuse to die?"

 he huffed.

"Good news! that you are neither vile nor a rapist." She replied.

"But I am still a murderer, and I am here for that," he replied firmly.

"No problem, but can you be quick with that? Choose a painless and quick way to do it. I believe you're doing it because someone is paying you to do it, or if someone orders you to do it."

He approached her, grabbed her throat with one hand, and placed his face in front of hers, saying it in a deep voice.

"No one ordered me, and no one can."

but she didn't get scared and replied automatically.

"OK, so you can be merciful to me on the way to my death, right?"

He left her neck and changed his position to lie next to her, putting his arm behind her neck as if he were going to suffocate her, but he didn't do anything. He just pulled her head to his chest and kept sniffing the scent of her hair. but after a few moments, he felt water drop onto his wrist under her chin. He raised his head to look at her face and found her silently crying. he whispered,

"Why are you crying?"

"In spite of everything, this is the warmest hug I've ever had in my life. Isn't it pitiful to feel the warmth in the arms of someone who is intent on my death? The warmth and tenderness that I never felt from all the people who are supposed to be closest to me and whose duty it is to protect and take care of me," she replied.

Instinctively, he embraced her more tightly and whispered,

"It's OK; don't cry; you are safe; don't be afraid; and don't be sad."

The sound of her crying, which she had been concealing, appeared, and she shivered. So he turned her with his arm to face him, imprinting a kiss on her forehead, then hugged her tighter and kept patting her back while she cried hard until she got tired and fell asleep. while he remained awake until the first hours of the morning. He left her gently so as not to wake her up, put on his hoodie, looked at her for a while, then pulled the blanket from the edge of the bed and covered her before putting on his shoes and leaving.