Shadow In Your Mind [ARC 1- 5]

Chapter 42 - Boss, should we kick down the door?

XG 42 - Boss, should we kick down the door?
 
With the news of infectious human rabies going on, every household in Penang Island could not rest well. They could only pray the government does their job well in protecting them from the disease and hide in their home as they count how much food they still have.
 
Not every restaurant owner dared to continue operating their business under such a situation, as well as thinking of hoarding the food for themselves. Lok Hui Man also did not insist them to continue their business, thinking it was also good that the citizens stay inside their house as much as possible.
 
In this situation, the rich would have no trouble living without working. The middle class income household still has their savings to count on. But it was the poor people that earned wages if they worked suffered the most. 
 
The sun barely surfaced when an unknown group of people stormed into a lesser well to do housing area. The floor was still wet from the early morning rain, but it did not deter the newcomers.
 
Their arrival was noticed by some occupant that was already awake and preparing to head to work. Seeing them, they did not dare step out of their house, choosing to carefully peek out of their window to see what the group was trying to do. 
 
A tall, dashing, and expensive-looking man led the large group of thug-looking people with him. He was an unfamiliar face on their island, with a face one would never forget, but no one dared to question his identity. 

Who would dare when they saw how many people he had brought with him!
 
Their group gave off an impression of being unreasonable people that will beat up those that they find to be an eyesore. 
 
The unidentified man stopped in front of the area’s famous lunatic house. A rowdy man stepped forward from his boss' back and tried to find a doorbell, but the owner was too poor to install one. Hence, the man resorted to knocking.
 
He started with knocking politely, but after doing it for more than three times with no one responding, his knocking became fiercer. Quickly becoming impatient with still no one coming out, he started hammering his fist on the door. 
 
“Boss, should we kick down the door?” Hong Yan asked after their repeated knocks resulted in no reply. If he continues, he might accidentally cave in the door, but before doing so, he had to ask permission from the boss.
 
“Hong, don’t destroy other people’s property,” Lan Yan chastised her younger brother when he gave the poor door another heavy hit. 
 
Hong Yan immediately put away his aggressive expression and tried to plead for his elder sister to understand his point. “But we know they are inside. That’s why we purposely come to visit when we could have slept longer! They are being rude to keep us outside!”
 
"They must have been afraid when they looked out the window and saw so many people in front of their house." Lan Yan glances at the small window beside the door. 
 
The one that had been peeping at them quickly retreated from the window when Lan Yan made eye contact with him.
 
"Someone's behind the window just now!" One of the men reported.
 
"I can see that."
 
"Yes, as expected of Sister Lan!" The group of men said simultaneously, and even Hong Yan joined in. His eyes sparkled with pride for his elder sister. 
 
"Lan Yan." Their boss was finally impatient with the delay.
 
Lan Yan stepped forward, closer to the rundown wooden door. It was easy to break it down with just Hong Yan alone, but their boss said they need the person inside to cooperate with them. 
 
Threatening your potential ally was not recommended. 
 
Lan Yan spoke in a lighter tone to avoid scaring the people inside. "We are here because of the flyers. You are the one that distributes it all over the town, right? There is something we want to ask."
 
It was mere coincidence that they got a hand on a flyer, claiming the world would be in danger. It caught the boss’s attention and their gang went around to inquire about it.
 
What they found out from the residence was that this flyer had been circulating around for nearly two weeks. At first, no one believed it. They were angry that the flyers created more rubbish for them to pick up and also ignited unnecessary fear in people as a sick prank. 
 
It was until a few days later, the government announced the human rabies infection and the flyer was brought forward again. With united hearts, the residents in Penang Island immediately make preparations, including sealing their entrance from outsiders. They did not stop people from leaving, but they were not allowed to come back once they stepped out. 
 
"Tsk, we won't beat you up!" Hong Yan yelled when no one came forward to open the door.
 
Lan Yan gave her brother a look that immediately shut him up. "You also want to know how to survive this, right? We know the way."
 
Lan Yan spoke no further and waited. Only when she heard soft footsteps did she smile and stepped back behind the boss.
 
There was a loud dragging movement and then sounds of sliding locks before the door opened, revealing only a small crack. But it was enough for a small hand holding onto a gun to slip out and point at them.
 
"Only one of you can enter. Don't want to, then go away." The voice belonged to a young boy.
 
"Hah. Do you even know how to use the gun, kiddo?" Hong Yan taunted. 
 
"Who's coming in?" The young boy ignored Hong Yan and demanded impatiently. 
 
Hong Yan was obviously not pleased and said in a threatening manner. "Hah? You rude punk!" He swings the baseball bat in his hand as if he will smash the door.
 
"Me."
 
Seeing that Charles Wong agreed with the kid's condition, Hong Yan also ceased making trouble. "Boss… We will wait for you!"
 
Hong Yan had more confidence in Charles Wong's strength than his baggy pants full of cigarettes and lighters. The weight would have his baggy pants that were without a belt to drop anytime soon. Despite knowing the danger of accidentally flashing people, he dislikes wearing a belt that restricts him. 
 
As soon as Charles Wong stepped in, the boy quickly closed the door, locked it and pushed a small broken TV to barricade the door. The locks were not professionally done, and could only hold up against one or two more forceful kicks. 
 
The boy was thin with dark yellow skin and rough oily hair. He was clearly malnourished. He fiercely glared at Charles Wong as he continued aiming the gun at him but the man was not bothered by him and even took his time to examine the house.
 
The house was small and dark, with only one yellow dim light turned on to save electricity bill. The shabby house had a large pile of cardboard boxes taking over most of the space in the house, along with other recyclable stuff that could be traded with small changes.
 
On a threadbare sofa was a woman that was even thinner than the boy with her head full of dry, white hair. Her eyes were unfocused, washed out from her harsh experience in life. Only when she glanced at Charles did some emotion surfaced. “I’ve seen you before…”
 
"The flyers are done by you?" Charles Wong interrupted. "What ability do you have?"
 
The grip on the gun shook, and the hostile-looking boy grew skittish. "What do you want from my mom?"
 
Charles Wong ignored the boy and continued staring down at the woman. His gaze was cold and gave off an intrusive feeling, causing the woman to break into a shiver. 
 
"I… could see things. From the past and future."
 
"Mom!"
 
The woman shook her head. "I've seen him. He's one of the heroes."
 
The boy was suspicious of this man, but his mother's visions were never false. Yet, it was still questionable whether her mother had correctly interpreted her vision or not. 
 
"Did you awaken your ability from the car accident?" Charles Wong asked. 
 
The woman shook fiercely as if experiencing a spasm. “Mom!” Her son rushed to her side, gun still pointing at Charles Wong until she patted her son's back to calm him down.
 
"That's… okay. Just unpleasant memories." With trembling eyes, she met Charles Wong's eyes and nodded rigidly. 
 
That was the best she could answer without triggering the memories that could drown her in the sea of misery.
 
"How good is your control over your ability?"
 
With a weary sigh, she shook her head. "I have absolutely no control over it. It happens so randomly, even when I'm eating or walking."
 
"You lied."
 
At Charles Wong's cold words, the woman's gaze snapped to him in confusion and disbelief. 
 
"Eating and walking do not stop you from thinking. You are constantly thinking about who killed your parents."
 
The woman’s lips trembled. "How-"
 
"Your parents had also awakened their ability. That's why you could easily awaken your ability with just one accident."
 
"N-No way…" The woman trembled fiercely, shaking her head in denial. "They are different…"
 
Charles Wong grabbed onto her thin wrist. He applied pressure, stopping her from slipping into one of her visions. 
 
"Ten years. You have been living in your visions, ignoring the present. If you continue on, you won't even know when your son has died from those monsters you've seen."
 
The woman shivered at how cold his tone was and that snapped his son's bravery back.
 
"What do you want from my mom?!"
 
Curled his lips, Charles Wong said, "Good question. What do you think I want from you?"
 
The woman cried out when the pressure on her wrist tightened. But it helped in grounding her mind to reality. 
 
Were the words of this man right? She was obsessed with finding her parents' killer that she kept on slipping into different visions? To the extent where she could not differentiate whether she was in the present or not?
 
Her obsession rendered her useless as a mother and a human being. She turned her head and finally saw how her thirteen-year-old son looked from what seemed to be a very long time ago. 
 
What she saw had her burst into chokingly painful tears that keep on tugging onto her heart. She had not noticed her son looked this bad, suitable to promote an abused child awareness advertisement.
 
Was finding the murderer more important than her son's welfare? She knew very well that she should cherish the living, but she could not stop missing the dead, unable to pull herself out of her misery.

It was only today, that this man she had seen from her vision a few times, suddenly appeared and poured cold water on her, waking her up.
 
If this man had not appeared today, she would have continued to disappoint her dead husband for not taking care of their son.
 
The woman grasped her son’s chilly hands with her free hand and held it tight as if he was her lifeline. "I will help you… and you will protect my son."
 
Charles Wong flung her wrist away that let out a creaking sound and stepped back as he wiped his hand with a handkerchief. "Then learn to control your thoughts. Your son's livelihood will depend on your performance."