Wild Creatures

Chapter 1

"Hearts are wild creatures, that's why our ribs are cages..."

Anonymous

1.00 am Thursday morning

Wei Ying was huddled into his windbreaker, thinking it was named well but unfortunately for him, did not do what it promised.

Today was turning out to be a day of tests. One after another, the Universe was having a laugh at his expense.

Usually, Wei Ying did not mind so much. He was a happy-go-lucky type of man, used to the odd thing going wrong in his life...and he could accept good-naturedly that life happened to every individual, and he did not really stoop to actually blaming anyone.

But today?

No.

Today the world was out to get him.

When his alarm failed to go off that morning, he should have taken it as a sign. Turned over and closed his eyes, declaring that today was a bust, there was no point heading into work because it was probably going to be a shitty day.

He would've been right.

But, being a mostly optimistic person, Wei Ying thought to himself, how bad could it be?

Idiot.

He berated himself harshly, kicking a loose stone off his path.

He counted on his fingers, just how many things had gone wrong today.

1. He was late in to work.

2. His job as a bartender was great if he could put on a show too, because the tips meant extra money. If he didn't drop anything made out of glass. Which was practically everything behind his bar. Today, Wei Ying managed to break a bottle and two glasses.

3. His manager hates his guts. Su She is an imbecile but with a nasty streak, and today, he lied about how much Wei Ying had broken in terms of bottles and glasses. He docked Wei Ying’s pay and pocketed the difference, but as Wei Ying had no proof, there wasn't really much he could do about it.

4. He missed the bus home.

5. That meant A-Yuan was fast asleep by now, the best boy that he was, and he wouldn't even complain about it.

But Wei Ying hated that the most.

Wen Qing was with him right now, as Wei Ying hurried home, already anticipating another fight, but today Fate was playing roulette with his life.

There was another loose stone in his path, and this time, Wei Ying pretended he was a world class football champion. He ran up to the stone and gave it his best shot, imagining a stadium of spectators rising to their feet in a healthy celebration of what could only be the winning goal...

Wei Ying watched as it hit the wall in the mouth of an alley and ricocheted somewhere deep inside.

There was a groan.

Wei Ying paused.

Had there been a groan?

Could it have been the wind?

Unfortunately for him, the sound came again, and Wei Ying was pretty sure it was someone in distress. His phone was dying, on its last legs but Wei Ying still pulled it out and switched on the torch.

He gasped straight away...because there was blood.

That's the first thing he noticed.

Then he noticed how much of it there was...

The light from his torch flickered off ugly mismatched graffiti on dirty walls, but it was just bright enough to show a leg.

Wei Ying groaned too, because this was the last thing he needed after a long tiring day, and the Universe was definitely going to find some way of making this backfire in his face. But he could not, in good conscience, leave whoever it was as they were...not if it meant that they might die.