Chapter 113
Dave wasn't from Derry town; he came from a small town in the south called Madison. Since childhood, he had always been different, with intellectual disabilities and unclear speech. Even when he was seven years old and as tall as an adult, he was often bullied by kids his age.
Dave never thought of resisting, because he was kind.
He was always accompanied by his grandmother, who brought warmth into his life and made him the best pies.
But when Dave turned eight, his grandmother was too old to care for him, so she entrusted him to his uncle who ran a pig farm in Derry town. From that moment, Dave settled in Derry town.
The pig farm became his entire world, and he stayed there for over twenty years.
During that time, his grandmother passed away, and his uncle also passed away, leaving Dave without anyone to talk to. But the pigs were always there for him.
Dave didn't know how to cook or how to handle money, so he often ate and slept with the pigs, earning their approval.
The older pigs, to keep the pig farm running, agreed that when they turned eight, they would leave with the meat factory workers, just to trade for the necessary supplies like feed, water, and electricity to keep the farm going.
Dave was like a witness, a bridge between the pig farm and humans, watching one group of old friends die and new piglets being born.
Dave never considered himself human; he always believed he was a part of the pig farm, just another pig being raised.
"But why, why did they have to hurt Beave? She was only two years old, in the prime of her life!"
"Humans only protect each other and never care about how we feel!"
"We are not their slaves. We should eat humans!"
"Let us out; we need to show humans our power."
Dave looked up, and all the pigs in the pen were quietly gathered around him, their dark eyes staring straight at him.
"No, no, we can't, humans have guns."
"Dave," an old pig walked up to him.
"Beave was killed by two students. The reason they chose to kill her was simple—they found it funny and disgusting that she was wearing human clothes."
Dave stared blankly. In the eyes of others, was he also just a pig in human clothes?
"Before they killed Beave, they mocked her, burned her with a lighter, and even filmed it for fun."
Dave quickly flipped over Beave's body and saw the burn marks he had failed to notice earlier.
"How could they do this? They even tortured Beave!"
Dave's eyes were bloodshot as he clenched his fists and pounded the ground so hard that the stone slabs shattered.
"They deserve to die! They deserve to die!"
The old pig moved closer again, with a chilling, human-like gaze.
"You know why they killed Beave? Just to collect pig's blood for a prank on their classmates."
"Just for a prank? This is unforgivable! I'll kill them. I'll track them down by the scent of Beave's blood and kill them!"
Dave had gone mad. He lifted Beave onto his shoulders and stood up.
Just then, the sound of police sirens echoed from the front gate. Several police cars had pulled up to the entrance of the farm.
"Dave, come out now. You've just assaulted someone. Please cooperate and come to the station with us!" It was Police Chief Brook calling out to him.
"Dave, hurry, leave through the back door. We'll hold them off."
"You must avenge Beave!"
Dave stood up, breathing heavily, with a fierce glint in his eyes as he looked toward the front gate. Through the gaps in the fence, he could see the flashing police lights, indicating there were quite a few officers.
"Dave! Don't do anything foolish! Get out now! Revenge is what matters most!"
Several pigs tugged at his clothes, trying to pull him toward the other side.
The old pig, with a serious expression, looked at him.
"Dave, take me with you. I can tell you who killed Beave—I remember what they looked like!"
Dave took a deep breath and finally nodded. He hoisted Beave onto his shoulders again, grabbed an axe, and immediately started running toward the back door.
In his ears, he could still hear the black police chief shouting.
"Come out now. Don't think about resisting. You have to pay for hitting someone!"
Pay for hitting someone? And they sent so many police cars! But my Beave was brutally murdered, and they want to brush it off with a few words? And now they even want to take Beave's body to make pork chops?
Dave's rage was overflowing. He rammed through the brick wall like a wild boar in a frenzy, carrying his lover and weapon, charging toward the school, with the old pig following closely behind.
"Not coming out, huh?" Brook, the police chief, showed an impatient expression. "Looks like this kid's ready to resist to the end."
Beverly stood nearby, frowning. She thought the department was making too big a deal out of this. It was just an arrest; there was no need to send so many officers. No wonder the people of Derry town didn't trust the police.
And they weren't even using the resources properly? All the cars were parked in front of the pig farm, but no one had been sent to surround the area from other directions. Weren't they afraid the suspect would escape?
Beverly, still frowning, made a suggestion. "Chief, shouldn't we spread out?"
"Spread out for what? You don't know Dave like I do. He's not smart enough to leave the pigs behind."
Beverly persisted. "What if he escapes in another direction, or what if he's found a clue and is tracking down the killers?"
This made Chief Brook frown. But considering it was Beverly's first day on the job, he figured she was just showing some righteous zeal, so he waved her off.
"Jackson, take Beverly to search the area nearby. We'll handle the heavy lifting. No need for her to get overwhelmed by the stench of the pigsty."
"Heh, yeah, Beverly shouldn't be working out here."
Beverly was slim, unlike the other officers who were built like tanks. It reminded people of the rabbit cop from Zootopia.
Some clueless officers underestimated her and treated her like a pretty face.
One officer, with a sleazy grin, even joked, "If Beverly worked in psychological counseling, it'd be perfect. She could help us relieve some stress… uh, I mean mental stress."
"What did you say?"
Jackson, being her top supporter, immediately bristled with anger.
But his rank wasn't high, so the offending officer didn't care. Especially since even Chief Brook chuckled, the officer felt even more relaxed.
"Don't get mad, Jackson. I just misspoke."
Jackson, still furious, wanted to pursue the matter, but Beverly pulled him behind her.
Beverly, nearly expressionless, walked up to the officer.
"I don't mind you misspeaking, but now apologize."
Though she wasn't taller than the man, her stern gaze and cold expression made him nervous.
"I… fine, I apologize for what I said."
"Let's go, Jackson. We've got a job to do."
Beverly then turned and left, and Jackson, still simmering, followed her.
Once they were gone, the group atmosphere returned.
"You were way too soft just now. Let her scare you like that?"
"Looks like the new girl's going to be tough to deal with."
Even Chief Brook shook his head, sighing, mentally excluding Beverly from "his team."
"Alright, guys, let's get into the pig farm and nab Dave. Show the rookie how it's done, and earn her respect."