Flower of Carnage (18+) || BeckFreen [Completed]

Chapter 22

"He's... dead."

I rushed out of the office to find Heng. This couldn't be true. He was too skilled to die so easily. He had military training; he shouldn't have met such an unfortunate end.

A group of students crowded the hallway outside the Professor's Office. Among them, I spotted Billy, his face and hands smeared with blood. My heart sank. How long had it been since I last saw him? It couldn't be him.

"Excuse me," I said as I tried to push through the murmuring students who seemed to ignore me. "OUT OF THE WAY!" I yelled.

The crowd fell silent, parting to let me through. And there, I saw Heng on the ground, covered in blood. On the other side, Billy stood trembling, with bloodstains on his clothes. He kept shaking his head, as if trying to convey that he wasn't responsible for this.

"Heng?" I called his name and listened for any signs of life. "Please, don't let this be true. I promise, if you're gone... I'll find whoever did this and make them pay."

But Heng didn't respond, his heart had stopped beating, leaving a lump in my throat. I wanted to scream, to shake him and will him back to life, but that would make me appear weak. I couldn't afford to be weak now.

I wouldn't allow myself to cry until I had found justice, until Heng could find peace.

"Who did this?" I demanded, but no one answered. "I SAID, WHO DID THIS?" I yelled, and the students backed away, leaving Billy standing alone.

His demeanor changed from trembling to something like pride. "Are you proud of yourself?" I asked as I advanced toward him. "You take pride in killing innocent people?"

"He took my job. He deserved it," Billy responded.

Heng had volunteered to come to this institution to check on me, to ensure my well-being. He had a family to care for, had fed my mother and me when we had nothing. And Billy claimed that he deserved to die because he took his job?

I grabbed the back of Billy's neck and whispered in his ear, "You're really pushing my limits, you know that?"

"As if I care," he retorted.

"You will. Tomorrow, you'll end up like Heng, lying lifeless with your blood staining the floor. Do you understand?" I whispered and pushed him away.

School staff arrived to collect Heng's body. I requested that they treat him with respect and return him to his family. It was the last thing I could do for him.

The students allowed me to pass through the hallway, but I felt someone running toward me, and I acted on pure adrenaline, stopping a punch. I wasn't naturally this strong, but the pain burning inside me made me feel as if all my organs were on the brink of exploding.

"You bitch!" Billy yelled, attempting another hit, but I managed to dodge it. I kicked him in the groin, and he whimpered in pain.

"I don't rely on strength, Billy. I rely on technique. Use your brain; it might save you from your fate tomorrow," I said, punching him in the face. It brought me some relief, but it wasn't nearly enough. I wanted to see him dead.

***

"Can you help me?" I asked Nam when I explained my desire to kill Billy. "I know you don't kill people, but I need your help."

"Why?" Engfa inquired, standing behind me. "Do you have a problem with that professor?"

"He killed my friend, my only friend," I replied.

"Oh, so that's why he left the school, huh?" Charlotte chimed in, making us turn to her. "What? I heard he left after that incident. The head fired him and told him to get out of the institution."

"That's it?" I asked, feeling my anger rising. "He was just fired after killing someone?"

"Haven't we told you that this institution has a rather lax attitude towards killing? Billy was punished because he killed a 'man,' but that's where it ends, Freen. There's nothing more we can do."

My fists clenched. Maybe I should just make him feel the pain right now instead of waiting for tomorrow. Perhaps I should just—

I was about to leave when Nam stopped me, shaking her head. "You're intelligent, Freen, but don't let your anger control you. If you go after that man and kill him after he received his punishment, you'll face the consequences. Don't defy the head's orders."

"I'm just going back to my room," I said, pushing her hands away.

I needed to think this through carefully. Heng deserved justice, and I had to find a way to ensure he got it.