Betrayal of Wisteria ✓

10

The cold air rose the hair on Officer Gong and Qiu Fu's skin as they approached Yi Zhao's place. It was dark out, the only light coming from the window of the factory.

The after smell of the rain coated their smell and the soft mud caused a slushing sound as they walked through it. Officer Gong took in the appearance of the place and smiled at its improvement. He hadn't seen that factory in six years when he was sent there to bust a bunch of addicts who hid out there.

It looked so much different. The grass was freshly cut, there were flowers growing along the walls and stairwell to hide the rusted metal and worn-away brick. All of the old glass and trash had been cleared away and some were tossed into a recycle bin.

The windows were repaired, the few that weren't covered, and a cute pink bike sat at the bottom of the stairs chained to them. Officer Gong smiled as he imagined Zhen Jie riding the bike and laughing jovially with Yi Zhao watching.

She deserved to be happy.

She deserved to be more than happy.

The two men made it upstairs and slid the window open, tossing their legs over the ledge and dropping inside. Qiu Fu ran out just as quickly as he entered and vomited over the stairwell. Officer Gong stood there in silence, stunned and unable to move.

The scene was one of the most grotesque ones he'd seen in his life — and it was enough to make him quit.

Skull fragments and brain matter splattered across the walls, painting it into a gruesome, bloody picture. Dead animals of all sorts laid around the room. Some of them were clean, others were sliced open and had their insides ripped out and thrown around.

Who he could only assume to be Yi Zhao sat in the middle of the bloodbath, throat slit and head blown off. He was tied to a chair with his legs open and his fingers were still clutching the chair.

A used condom on the floor indicated he'd been taken advantage of before he was killed — or maybe even after.

The setup of the scene was obviously meant for Zhen Jie. If the dead animals that were laid on the ground spelling her name wasn't enough of a giveaway, the message written in blood was.

This is all your fault. All you had to do was mind your business. I was going to spare him but the way he cried your name made me so mad.

Following Qiu Fu's footsteps, Officer Gong rushed out and vomited. It was an endless stream of digested food leaving his mouth. After emptying his stomach, Officer Gong called the police and left once they arrived.

He couldn't be there anymore but he didn't want to face Zhen Jie.

He cried the entire way home. Zhen Jie was going to break. She was going to blame herself and probably lash out. She'd experienced death before — but not someone she loved so much.

That kind of loss is one of the worst kinds.

Officer Gong slowly left his car and made his way into his room. Zhen Jie sat on the bed with a smile on her face. When Officer Gong entered, she leaned over to look past him, waiting for Yi Zhao to show up and run to her with open arms.

"He's gone," Officer Gong's head held low as he cried. "They killed him."

Zhen Jie laughed, stood from the bed, and ran out of the room. She looked all around the house for Yi Zhao, telling him to come out and play with her.

She told him to come out and hug her. She told him to come out and kiss her. To come out and give her the bread she knew he'd gotten her and read a book to her.