Light Against Shadows

Chapter 36

As he saw the back of Wei's car disappear, Yunlan ran. Out of the parking lot and on the road but as he had guessed it was already too late to see where Wei had gone.

He exhaled in frustration, turning his head right and left in a futile attempt to see which direction he had taken. Defeated, he went back to Wei's parking lot wondering what he could do.

He walked back to his car without even seeing it, then he turned and entered the building. He reached Wei's apartment. Obviously the door was closed, so he used his skills to break in. He inwardly chuckled, remembering his doctor friend saying that he pictured him on the other side of the law. It almost brought a smile to his face, but not quite.

He got in to a very empty apartment and paced around looking for any clues that might point him in the right direction. Frustrated by any second passing, he cursed and spoke to the air. His voice became more uncertain after each word, due to the deafening silence and the uneasiness it was causing him.

"Anyone here? I need to find Wei, he might be in danger. I need help!"

New silence followed his words.

"Great! I'm talking to myself now."

Did he really try to speak to Wei's ghosts? Maybe he was losing his mind. Wei would probably be angry when he came back and saw that he broke into his house like that, but there was real worry inside him that he couldn't shake off.

After the living-room he checked the bedroom. Finding it empty broke something inside him, something small and unexpected that he hadn't even realised was there. Hope, it was. Hope that Wei might simply be sleeping, that maybe what he saw was not really his car, or that maybe it was but with someone else at the wheel.

He walked into the bathroom next, silently discussing the foolishness of hoping that someone stole Wei's car. He saw a blood vial already full and stared at it.

"You don't give up, huh?" he murmured to himself picking it up. He didn't know how he felt about that, or maybe his heart knew and his mind was just slow in catching up to it.

He walked into the kitchen finding it just as empty, Wei was definitely not here, but he already knew that. Yunlan sighed and looked around but saw no indication of where he might have gone. He opened the fridge with no real reason other than he had already looked everywhere else and was now lost in his own thoughts. He saw another vial stored there. He sighed again, Wei was doing so much for him and he wasn't even able to find him. And he was the police officer...

He took a deep breath thinking rationally of what he was doing. Was Wei really in danger? As far as he knew, he might have gone grocery shopping. There was some food in the fridge but that didn't mean anything. What right did he have to break into his apartment like that?

Shaking his head, he brought a hand to his chest. There was no way he could just wait, he had a feeling that he had to find him, that something might happen to him. He was a rational man but he was also a cop, and he couldn't discard his worries. He had learned that it was better to follow one's instinct than to have regrets later.

What could he do now, he had already tried speaking to Wei's ghost friends but he had no way to know if they were just fantasy or if maybe they weren't here. Maybe they had followed Wei. Yunlan had listened carefully to everything Wei had ever told him about them. Did Wei think he would be in danger and had asked them all to go with him?

Either therapy or a good drink, Yunlan wasn't sure what he needed the most. He never truly believed in them, but he had accepted that there was something he couldn't explain about Wei.

Did it really matter now? Those ghosts were not here anyway, so what use could they be even if they were real?

Suddenly a thought came into his mind. He wanted to reject it, but he was too worried. Wei had been so serious, and it had worked before. They need my energy, Wei had told him. He had Wei's blood right here, would it work? Could he call them? He thought back at yhe first time he was in this apartment and reached a decision. He took both vials in his hands then stood in the centre of the kitchen. He drew a deep breath and then spoke.