Short, Light, Free
chapter-72

Chapter 72: Choice III

“What do you mean?” Xiaohong asked.

“It’s fine that you didn’t help me earlier, but how can you let the last one go? Come on, help me drag these bodies in and we’ll burn them before going away. I’ll be a magician’s assistant. How about that?” Xiaohuang suggested with a grin.

“I’m no longer performing magic,” he stated dully.

“Why? Doesn’t it pay well?”

Xiaohong stared at Xiaohuang’s smile, remembering their carefree youth.

“I got tired of it,” he lied.

“We’ll think of something else,” he assured him before dragging another corpse into the kiosk.

“Hold on,” Xiaohong stopped him.

“What?” Xiaohuang asked, putting the corpse down.

“When I came earlier, I mentioned that I was heading to the school. If I hadn’t said that or convinced you that I was just an innocent passerby, would I have become one of them?” he asked, pointing at the corpses on the floor.

Brief silence.

“I can’t answer that,” he replied bluntly.

“If that thought didn’t cross your mind, you would’ve given me a definite answer,” he said firmly, his expression turning dark.

“I can’t answer you because I don’t want to lie. If I did think you were just an ordinary person driving a luxurious car, then yes, you would’ve been on the ground by now. But you are Xiaohong. I let you off the moment you mentioned the school.”

Xiaohong was dumbstruck.

Xiaohuang continued pulling the corpses inside. “You have two choices now. Leave immediately or help me tidy up this mess and we’ll leave together. It’s up to you.”

He focused on his task and left Xiaohong to deliberate.

It was only when he was dragging the third corpse did Xiaohong join him.

“Thought it over and well?” he asked.

“Don’t think too much about this. I’m just helping an old friend. I don’t want to commit a crime, or worse, kill anyone,” he answered, making herself clear.

“It’s not as easy as you think, you know? Killing somebody, I mean. I remember when I first did it. Struck by poverty and the northern region incident, I entered a lousy high school and bumped into a bunch of gangsters collecting protection fees. It was at that time when I first made use of my ability unconsciously, instantly killing their chief,” he revealed.

“What happened after?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you in the car.”

Just then, a car drove over slowly.

“Someone’s here,” Xiaohuang shouted.

Xiaohong turned around immediately.

It was a police car but its sirens were off.

“I’ll drain his oil before getting that bag of money. Are the gangsters calling the police these days? What even?”

He glared at the approaching car.

The car stopped and a policeman in full uniform got off.

He walked toward the kiosk unhurriedly.

“Just one person? I’ll get rid of him and we’ll continue,” Xiaohuang decided.

“The fewer complications the better,” Xiaohong warned, pulling him back.

“He’s already here and he might even have a gun. Are we going to kill him or get killed?” he demanded with a frown.

Before Xiaohong could respond, the police started shouting.

“You guys know the tooth fairy, don’t you?”

“He mentioned the tooth fairy.” Xiaohong held Xiaohuang back once more.

“Yes, but if he does something strange, I’ll put him down immediately. I mean it.”

The police came closer and took his vest and other equipment off and tossed them onto the ground.

“I’m not here to apprehend you,” he informed them with both hands raised.

The three exchanged glances.

“What are you here for then?”

“20 minutes ago, a gangster barged into the station, reporting that there is a vampire who sucked 12 of his friends dry. My colleagues suspected that he was high on drugs but I knew it was something more,” he explained.

“How do you know about the tooth fairy?” Xiaohuang asked.

“The tooth fairy gave two of my friends and I a superpower.”

“You’re Xiaolan?” Xiaohong asked in shock.

After a few seconds, the policeman spoke, “You’re Xiaohong and Xiaohuang? I knew it! Vampire? It has to be the tooth fairy! I can’t believe it’s really you two!”

Xiaohuang asked, guarded, “Where’s that gangster now? Why did you come alone? Where are the rest of the policemen?”

Xiaolan broke into a smile. “We locked him up and he’s probably undergoing some drug tests in the hospital. The other policemen are busy discussing the possibility of having nabbed a drug lord since such a secluded area was ideal for drug trafficking. I found an excuse to slip out to check this place out.”

Xiaohong was just about to say something when Xiaohuang stopped her. He said instead, “Didn’t you join the army? Why are you here?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Make it short then,” Xiaohuang directed.

“I did write a letter telling you that. I became a machine operator in the first year and started driving fighter planes in the second.”

“Machine operators do that? You’re the most capable among us,” Xiaohong added.

“I’ve been banned from flying,” Xiaolan continued.

“Why?” Xiaohong asked.

“When I was flying, enemies called me a death god because the moment they enter my radar, I can crash their planes without even shooting. I think you both know how I do it.”

“Draining their oil again. Why are both of you like that? Then again, he’s doing it to protect the nation, but what about you?” Xiaohong reprimanded Xiaohuang.

“Why did you come back then? If you were doing so well…” It was Xiaohuang’s turn to be confused.

Xiaolan placed a hand on his forehead. “Within half a year, 27 enemy planes got destroyed. A day before I was to collect an honorary medal, I mistook an allied plane as the enemy. While the incident was deemed to be a mistake on the pilot’s part, only I know the truth.”

“Admitted and resigned? But you were doing so well! I’m sure your superior did not agree to it?” Xiaohuang asked.

Xiaolan took off the glove he was wearing on his left hand. Two fingers were missing.

Two most important fingers – fore and middle fingers.

“Did you do that?” Xiaohong questioned.

“I made up my mind and I followed through. All dried up and rotted so I had to get it amputated. I then retired from the military and came over to work as a cop,” Xiaolan finished.

“How long has it been?” Xiaohuang asked.

“Three years,” he answered, putting his glove back on.

Xiaohuang then continued dragging the corpses, ignoring his friends.

“Are you really just here to talk about former times?” Xiaohong asked doubtfully.

Xiaolan pointed at a corpse. “I’m a cop. The gangster said there was a vampire. Xiaohuang was the only one around, isn’t it? Did you participate?”

Xiaohong shook his head.

Xiaolan retrieved a set of handcuffs from his pocket.

“Are you crazy?” Xiaohong asked, pushing Xiaolan’s hands down. “He can kill you with one look and you’re intending to cuff him?”

Xiaolang laughed. “We’re not the only ones with this superpower. I’ve already previously captured two people like us.”

“You mean the tooth fairy gave many others this power?” Xiaohong asked, astonished.

“Wait for me here. Give me 10 minutes,” Xiaolan told him with a smile.

Hiding his handcuffs, Xiaolan followed behind Xiaohuang.

“Wanna help?” Xiaohuang asked. “We’ll drag them in and light a match. I’ll leave with Xiaohong and you can continue working as a cop.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’m sorry, though, I’m a policeman.”

“Policeman? You kill your own people and dare call yourself a policeman?”

Xiaolan took out his handcuffs. “Evildoers must be punished.”

“Give me a chance,” Xiaohuang pleaded.

“How can I?” Xiaolan asked.

“In the past, I had no choice, but I just want to be a good person now. Let me off this once and I won’t kill anymore. I’ll work honestly as Xiaohong’s assistant.”

“Sorry, but I’m a policeman,” Xiaolan repeated.

“You want me dead, don’t you?” Xiaohuang frowned.

Just as Xiaohuang was about to raise his head, he was thrown onto the ground.

His head was turned to the side and he couldn’t look at Xiaolan.

Xiaolan extended his hands and punctured Xiaohuang’s eyes.

A miserable shriek traveled out of the kiosk but Xiaohong remained rooted to the ground.

“This way, you can’t hurt anyone again,” Xiaolan said as he cuffed Xiaohuang.

Xiaohuang squirmed, banging his head on the ground.

“I know you’re in pain. After the plane incident, I had planned to dig out my own eyes. I wasn’t able to control it so my eyes sucked my fingers dry instead.”

“I… I have so… something else to say,” Xiaohuang managed to get out.

“Speak.” Xiaolan moved closer to Xiaohuang and loosened his grip a little.

Xiaohuang retrieved a small knife from his back pocket and stabbed Xiaolan in the chest.

Xiaohong waited from a distance away. He could clearly identify Xiaohuang’s scream from earlier but it had been quiet for some time since then.

Just then, Xiaohuang crawled out of the kiosk. “Where are you, Xiaohong? Light this place up and take me away. I don’t need the money anymore.”

Xiaohong’s jaw dropped at the sight of Xiaohuang’s bloody eyes.

He understood what Xiaolan had done. Damaging the eyes was indeed an effective solution, but it seemed that Xiaolan had failed.

Xiaohuang continued shouting, “I can give all my money to you, Xiaohong, as long as you take me away from here.”

Xiaohong walked over to the side of the kiosk and shone his phone light onto the ground, catching a glimpse of Xiaolan’s body.

He hadn’t expected Xiaohuang to kill Xiaolan.

He squatted down, placing a hand on him.

“Is that you, Xiaohong?” Xiaohuang asked frantically.

“You killed him?”

“He was going to arrest me. I was just protecting myself. I’m blind now. You gotta save me,” he pleaded.

“He wanted to arrest you because you’ve killed many people, but why did you kill him?”

Silence filled the place as Xiaohuang had no answer.

Xiaohong stared Xiaohuang and within a split second, he stopped moving.

He then dragged his dried up body toward the pile of corpses.

When that was done, he looked down at his own chest, standing motionless.

Seconds ticked by and he finally collapsed onto the ground, trembling. “I can’t… I’m scared.”

A dead silence surrounded her. He got up slowly and yelled in anger, “Tooth fairy!”

To be continued.