Hong gestured towards the childcare and asked if the kids are ok.
Jackson : They’re fine….don’t worry about them…
Another 2 vehicles arrived from the other direction, cutting off the escape route of the vans, effectively boxing them in.
We overwhelmed the attackers with sheer numbers and in a matter of minutes, it was all over.
Candy : Boss wants all of you back at the castle….
Jackson : All these men… the prisoners….i’m sure they have a lot of information…..what do we do with them…. ?
Candy : Boss asked Cindy and me to clean up…. I’ll handle it… she wants to speak with the rest of you…
I looked at the number of attackers we caught. Almost a dozen of them from the 2nd wave. They were zip tied and bundled into the vans they arrived in.
A few of our guys were trying to stop another one of their friends from killing the terrorists as he kept kicking and hammering them. Before his friends could drag him away, he held onto the hair of one of the terrorist and slammed the sliding door of the van against his head.
His friends asked him to calm down and I overhead from the commotion that he lost his parents and son on the day of the attack.
All died in an explosion while dropping off his son in the childcare.
I got into the vehicle that Aaron came in.
Aaron : Jackson….Ja… Jackson… ar…are you ok…
I nodded and told him I’m ok.
Aaron : I…. i…..I’m…. I’m sorry….
I shook my head and told him it’s ok, just drive.
Looking up at the lion’s den, I could see it was pitch dark up there. The lights were all switched off. The uneasy feeling never left me as I looked at the darkened windows.
It’s like you know someone is staring at you but you can’t see them.
I wonder what are they going to do with the bodies and the blood.
We gathered in the pantry and waited for Yiling to arrive.
3am
I had fallen asleep on the table when I was nudged awake by Seven.
Yiling arrived in a pair of hip hugging jeans and a crumpled looking blouse. Her hair is in a mess and she looked like she didn’t sleep or showered for a couple of days.
Here eyes were red from apparent crying.
We were all there except the girls, and the moment Yiling entered, she walked angrily towards me, grabbed the glass of water in front of me and splashed it all over my face.
I wiped the water from my face and I said nothing.
Yiling : WHICH PART OF STAYING PUT AT CHANGI DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND !!!!
Hong : err…Lao ban…..~~ ( boss ~~)
Yiling : HONG !!!…YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW !!! you should have stopped him…..
Hong : orh….
Hong knew he would not win in a shouting match against Yiling and he backed down immediately.
Yiling massaged her head and rest her free hand on her waist as she sucked in a deep breath of air before exhaling slowly, trying to calm herself down.
Directing her pissed off look at us, she asked if we have any idea what is going on outside.
YIling : do you know how many people are looking for you Jackson…. Hong ? …do you… ?
I shook my head.
Yiling : The kids are all saying 2 uncles saved them…. 2 uncles saved them…. Everyone wants to know who the fuck these 2 uncles are….!!! Including the police because these 2 uncles fucking discharged their weapon inside the fucking childcare !!!!
Yiling jabbed her finger angrily at me and Hong.
Yiling : They will fucking hang you !!!! you understand…. ??!!! they will fucking hang you…. If they find you…
Jackson : we saved the kids….
Yiling : you saved the kids … ? you think ?? and what… you expect what… ? the parents lining up to thank you…. Give you a garland….?? Give you an award… ?? Jackson for Christ sake !! .. people are out for blood now….what about the parents whose kids died…. What about them…. ?
Jackson : we tried… we… we can’t save all of them…
Yiling : That’s what I fucking said before this started…. We can’t save all of them….
Jackson : but you cannot fault us for trying….
Yiling : I am not angry at you for trying…. I am angry at you for not listening….you need to lay low…. You should be at the house in Changi…. You should disappear for a couple of months…..
The pantry is so quiet that if a pin dropped, I’m sure we could all hear it.
Jackson : I’m sorry….. I should have listened….
I looked at Yiling and told her I forced Hong and Candy to come along.
Jackson : It’s my fault…
Hong : oei….i went along of my free will… simi your fault…
Yiling shot me an irritated look
Yiling : I’ll deal with you later…. !
Yiling took a while to compose herself before speaking to everyone gathered in the pantry.
Yiling : Something like this…. Has never happened before in our country’s history….. this level of chaos is…. Unheard of….
Yiling used her phone and played a recording that is going viral on the internet.
A recording from the people responsible for this attack.
I’ve heard it before when it was forwarded to my phone in one of the various chatgroups I was in.
LFO : People of Singapore…..you have long been oppressed under the rule of your government…. You are buckling under the weight of trying to survive in this city of yours. We, the LFO brothers are here to liberate you. We shall free you from the shackles of your meaningless lives.
We have infiltrated your country right under everyone’s nose. We are everywhere. We bear no allegiance to religion and we do not care about politics. My brothers and I just want the people of this country to live free.
Free of the rule of law, free of bills, of taxes.
Singapore is just a start. Our ideals shall be carried by the wind and spread throughout the world.
There is no stopping us. We are in your midst. We are entrenched in your life. We want you to join us. Join us and be free.
There is no point in resisting. My brothers and I shall topple this country in a matter of weeks. We wear no uniforms, we will not be identified by the colour of our skin or the language we speak. We blend in like the rest, striking when you least expect.
We have already crippled this country with the 1st wave of attacks.
There will be more attacks, they will be bolder, bigger and there is nothing you can do to stop us.
Join us brothers….. join us and be free.
Yiling : LFO, Liberation from Oppression…. We’re trying to get a better picture of the organisation….
She played another recording which is a video.
Masked men standing in front of a plain backdrop addressing the viewers with the same ideology.
That the society we live in is broken.
The rich are getting richer, the poor getting poorer.
LFO : A reset button…. That’s what this is…. A reset button my brothers and sisters….for those that are not with us…..Your gates at your houses and condominiums will not be high enough…. The walls of your house will not be strong enough…..
Join us…. Or suffer the same consequences as the rest who refused to listen….
We will free all the criminals from the prisons, everyone will be given a new lease of life. Housing will be made free for all, if you are unemployed, we will take care of you and your family.
We will scrape all the shit policies made by the stupid government once we come into power.
All you need to do …… is just come out of your homes….. protest …. Demand these from your government…..and if they don’t listen… you make them ….
We are already among you, the civil service, your military, your community…. We are your neighbours…. Your colleagues… your friends… we are so deeply entrenched within you that our success is imminent.
Join us and together, we will rebuild a society where everyone is equal….
Liberate all, and be free of Oppression…….
Yiling stopped the video and gave it some time to sink in.
Yiling : These are mad men…. They’re crazy…. They’re all fucking crazy…
No one said a word and all of us waited for Yiling to go on.
Yiling : What has happened so far….. is affecting our business….they have burnt down a warehouse…..and some of our usual water routes haven been taken over….
Yiling revealed that even among us, there are traitors. Men whose loyalty are questionable.
Yiling : I don’t know how many, but I’m estimating at least 10% of La Bella Vita’s men have been bought….some of our guys disappeared…. They didn’t show up for work…. Some just left their post…..some are uncontactable…
Yiling outlined an action plan for all of us.
Aside from protecting the business, we are going on the offensive.
Yiling : These terrorist…. They are affiliated with the Malus….. we must find them….. and we will hunt them….13 of our men died in the warehouse fire…. They were locked in, the doors were chained and they were set ablaze alive….
What was done to us…. We will repay in full…. Several times over….
Yiling took a seat and after keeping quiet for a while, continued talking.
Yiling : together with Declan, Kamal and Aaron, we will take care of operations for La Bella Vita……
Hong, Seven and I will go on the offensive.
Yiling : you will lay low for 3 months…. Wait for the dust to settle….
Yiling tapped her manicured index finger on the table rhythmically and warned all of us.
Yiling : If any of you…. In this room leaves the castle ground…. Without my permission… you’re out…. You’re done….
She made eye contact with each and every one of us before getting up and leaving the pantry.
After the door to the pantry shut, Hong exhaled.
Hong : ok… she’s pissed… I’ve never seen her so angry…
Declan : ok I think the instructions are pretty clear from here on….. stay within the castle ground…. Watch the TV… eat the free food and don’t stir shit….Gum bo ?? ( roger ? ) Hong ??
Hong : Ohkay… ohkay…. Gum… ( roger )
Declan : Seven… ? Jackson… ?
I nodded and so did Seven.
Declan looked to Kamal and Aaron who both gave their agreement.
Declan : Let’s see how things develop over the next few days….
I went back to the farmhouse, took off my top intending to take a shower.
Walking by the fridge I stopped myself and I opened a beer instead, sitting down at the table.
I was almost done with my drink when there was a knock on the door.
I let Yiling in and she remained standing with her arms folded.
Yiling : Is it so hard for you to listen…. ? to follow instructions… ?
Jackson : I’m sorry…. I tend to make hasty decisions when I’m…. emotional…
Yiling : Then don’t….
Jackson : you mean don’t get emotional or don’t make decisions….
Yiling : Tsk…
She shot me a look which pretty much says it’s time to stop talking.
I offered her a drink but she declined.
Yiling : I have a lot to do…… don’t make me treat you like a kid….
Jackson : I’m not a kid…. I’ll stay in the castle…
Yiling looked at me and shook her head slightly.
Yiling : Sometimes I wished you were a kid…. So I can give you a piece of my mind…. Knock some sense into you….
I shrugged my shoulders, not sure what to say to her in return.
Just as Yiling was about to leave, I told her what I saw in the lion’s den.
Jackson : I saw….. I saw what happened…..
Yiling stopped by the door but she did not turn around.
Yiling : No… your eyes were playing tricks on you…. You saw nothing….
……………………………………………………………………
31st March 2017
I took a few days to rest my body before I started work on the garden again.
Gardening is a good way to take my mind off things.
Not only are there now guards around the castle ground, there are guards everywhere.
In pairs.
The prowled the ground in 8 hour shifts and the cookhouse has never been that busy before.
It began serving food well into the night and I don’t just mean supper till 11pm.
You could walk in there at 2am in the morning and still get piping hot food like Laksa and Mee siam.
It’s like a 24 hour hawker centre.
I have my gardening to do but what about the rest ?
Kamal went to the medical centre, Aaron spent most of the time in the castle with Yiling in the study. Declan and him are helping Yiling with a lot of the administrative matters.
Only the girls are allowed to leave the castle ground.
Seven and Hong, well, they were so bored that they started to cook after a week or two.
I walked into the cookhouse one evening to see Hong frying carrot cake. He kept jabbing the flat wok with the spatula, filling the cookhouse with that metallic clanking sound.
Hong : lai lai lai !!!… black or white…. Or mix… ??
Seven looked ridiculous with an apron as he tried to make a popiah ( springroll ) for me.
Jackson : What is this Seven…. ?
Hong looked over and exclaimed loudly.
Hong : Popiah…. Extra large la…. upsize….
I looked at the giant popiah roll on my plate and replied;
Jackson : This is popiah… ? this is a 6 inch subway sandwich….
Seven chucked as he gestured, he had used 4 pieces of popiah skin before doing a vigorous action of stuffing it full of ingredients.
I moved my tray along the line to Hong’s carrot cake section.
Hong : Yin and Yang…. The delicate balance of carrot cake…..
I looked at the carrot cake arranged in a round dish in the black and white Yin Yang design.
Jackson : What the fuck….
Hong : your Qi…. Is off balance Jackson….your chakra…. Is messy…. Ohmmmmm……
I exhaled and shook my head as he shoved me along.
Hong : don’t block don’t block….. others waiting for their turn….
I would hit the gym or go for a run every night before catching up on the news.
For 2 weeks, the mainstream channels covered the attack closely.
They pieced together timelines, theories and the authorities made a lot of arrest.
The arrests include several mid-level civil servants in various departments.
While Teng , the defence minister was the one hosting press conference for the 1st few days, he stopped appearing after that.
Welly Chin started to helm all the press conference.
Aside from rumours of explosions and a mini civil war breaking out in Pengarang, Malaysia, there were not much news.
Foreign media claimed a Singapore Apache helicopter accidentally entered Malaysian airspace but there were no official media release about the incident.
Both countries have more pressing issues to deal with.
LFO not only hit Singapore. They hit Malaysia too.
Schools, childcares and even a market.
A lot of school going kids died in the explosion as the LFO managed to procure military grade explosives for that attack.
With the country busy with the attacks and subsequent rescues operations, LFO raided a military camp by pretending to be army officials, making off with truckloads of weapons, ammunitions and even armoured vehicles.
All of them disappeared into the dense jungle and no one has reported sighting of them again.
Not contended with just waking a sleeping lion, LFO had to step on the tail of the Malayan Tiger.
May 2017
It did not take long for details of the LFO organisation to be released to the public.
The man in charge of LFO is Edward Fernando Chan. The name is thrown around so many times that almost every school kid associates it with pure evil.
LFO controls multiple terrorist cells in the region and are particularly active in Singapore and Malaysia. Analysts estimates that they have between 5-900 members with more joining them. The head of the organisation is made up of former military and senior civil servants with knowledge of how both government operates.
They are well connected, well funded and very discipline.
A special joint task force has been formed with Malaysia to tackle this threat.
“ The people responsible, will be prosecuted to fullest extent of the law “
This is the promise delivered by Welly Chin to Singapore.
I followed the news closely and I read newspaper from cover to cover.
That’s how much time I had and I slowly began to realise something interesting.
A series of absurd accidents.
People are dying.
A car crash in an industrial area, steel pipe perforated the driver’s chin and into his neck.
Another incident, a falling tree, branches perforated the victims neck.
One more died while sunbathing on the beach. Hit by a falling coconut and suffered a stroke at the same time while he choked and drown in his own blood. Several of his teeth were found in his stomach.
These were all small columns, appearing on different days. I checked the obituaries, several were former top civil servants.
One killed by the wife who accused him of adultery, she drove a steak knife into his chin before slicing his neck open. Then she committed suicide.
One drowned in his own poo.
Yeah, poo, without a L behind.
Poo, not pool.
How do you drown in your own shit ?
Well, article says he was trying to clear a choke in the inspection chamber within his own estate grounds when he fell, hit his head and drowned.
Perhaps on a normal day, news like this would be sensational, but it was not. They were all tucked away on small columns with hardly a picture. The front pages were all about the aftermath of the attack and it’s impact on the country.
Marathon runner slips and fall while taking a short cut, impales his chin upon a fence, suffered in agony for an hour before choking and drowning in his own blood.
I actually laughed as I read that article.
This must be one hell of a freak accident.
One particular death made the news though.
The owner of a leading defence contractor that supplies to our armed forces choked and died while eating fishball noodles.
I looked at his smiling picture on TV. Fit as a fiddle, and choked on a fishball.
It happened while he was having supper at a famous joint, that place was usually crowded. The newscaster expressed surprise that no one had offered help.
The reporter went on to interview a smiling springroll seller.
I almost dropped my coffee as I looked at that man on screen. I cycled through my memory and I remembered seeing that man. He’s that fucking giant that works with Welly Chin and James.
I laughed as I watched him give an interview that he has given up a career in banking to sell spring roll, and now there is a death at the coffee shop, he’s worried that business might be affected.
As the reporter wrapped up the interview, I wondered who the fuck would believe someone of his size, his bulk and his built with bulging muscles would be selling spring roll.
July 2017
There was an unfortunate accident in a private swimming pool.
Our defence minister, Teng, has drowned. In his own pool at home.
I slammed my fist on the table in the farmhouse as I stood up and shouted.
Jackson : aRGHH!!!!!
It was a shout of joy as I watch the reporters at the scene.
They attributed the accident to a stressful tenure as the defence minister during such a challenging time in Singapore.
It was front page news.
All signs point to an accident, too much to drink, he slipped and fell in the wee hours of the morning. His helpers only discovered him floating in the pool when they were cleaning the porch.
By then it was too late.
This is not that simple. Things are seldom that simple than what it seems on the surface.
Our prime minster gave another press conference, his expression is calm, he’s unfazed and if he were a poker player, he will be a fucking good one.
Welly Chin : It’s unfortunate that such an incident has to befall the country during such difficult times…. But I assure all citizens that everything is under control….. the men and the women in our armed forces will continue to perform their duties to the country and to her people….….. the defence portfolio will be handled by me personally for the time being…..
I sucked in a deep breath of air and exhale, feeling more rejuvenated than ever.
Teng didn’t die in an accident.
Welly Chin killed him, or rather, Welly Chin, had him killed.
He’s cleaning house. Not only is he doubling down on housekeeping, he’s sending a message at the same time to LFO.
It doesn’t matter if you are a small fry or a big wig. He will get you, one way or the other.
September 2017
Freedom at last.
The lot of us has been stuck in the castle ground for 6 months.
With Welly Chin taking charge of the defence portfolio, it took him only a couple of months to redirect resources from the authorities that were looking into the ‘uncles’ at the childcare centre.
It’s all being swept under the carpet.
Yiling has been gathering information about the Malus the past 6 months. Sightings, rumours, information, locations and buildings which they own.
Information did not just come from La Bella Vita’s men and network.
I was at standing by the castle perimeter one evening with Declan smoking a cigar when I saw a black SUV pull into the estate.
I recognise him the moment he left the vehicle.
James. One of Welly Chin’s right hand man.
Yiling came out of the castle to meet him. They spoke for a few minutes, before I saw him handing a small envelope over to Yiling.
Then he got back in his car and left.
…………………………………………………………..
November 2017
From July to November, we hunted the Malus.
And where the Malus go, the crazed foreigners went.
We would round them up and Yiling would as for them to be sent to Little india. The building she brought me to before.
Drive the van to the basement carpark , leave the key in the vehicle and walk away.
No questions asked. The empty van would be delivered back via a tow truck the next day to the castle.
Yiling never offered to share where the men were brought to, and I knew better than to ask.
We followed every lead and we tracked down every clue.
We were not the only ones out for blood.
The Rajahs were out on the hunt too.
I bumped into Henry one day when we came to a old shophouse. We were one step behind the Rajahs.
Henry and his men stared at us as Seven and I looked at the 3 Malus they had on their knees.
I backed away slowly and told Seven we’ll hit another spot.
Jackson : Let’s go Seven…. This place is done…
Everyday new information and leads would come in. Hunting the Malus and the CFs became my full time job in a way.
No matter how many we hunted, there always seem to be more.
It’s ok. I don’t care how many of them there are, or how many more are being sneaked into the country.
We will never stop.
20th December 2017
Wednesday
12pm
Yiling called for an urgent meeting.
Hong , Seven and i met Yiling in the pantry and she told us she has credible source where Russell and his men are.
Jackson : Where… ?
Yiling : they are hold up in Jurong…. Near the birdpark… there’s an abandoned restaurant on Jurong hilltop….
Jackson : what are we waiting for… ? let’s go get them….
Yiling : I don’t want them to escape …. We need to get Russell…. and all his godsons ….my source tells me there’s not a lot of men there…. Russell only keeps a small core team with him…. So about a dozen max….
Jackson : just send everyone we can manage to spare…
Yiling : No… I don’t know who to trust…. Our main aim is Russell… we get him… the rest would just crumble…. No paymaster…. No Malus….
Yiling wants to do this on her own.
Yiling : We’ll go get him personally….. us, Kamal, Declan and Aaron….
Jackson : Yiling… I don’t think…you should…
Yiling : Russell has a direct line of communication to LFO…. This is big….
Kamal , Declan and Aaron joined us in the pantry shortly after than and Yiling outlined the plan.
Russell will have lookouts all over the place and if he see us approaching, he will bolt. He has the high ground and since the bird park is at the foot of the hill, we will use that as our staging area.
We will head to the bird park separately and wait.
Yiling will be bringing 40 men in a coach but she will not be telling them were they are going.
Yiling : It will be under the guise of a company treat to the birdpark… they will not know about the mission to grab Russell until the last moment.
The coach, will be driven by Declan.
Declan raised his fingers as Yiling outlined Declan’s numerous classes of licences with different vehicles.
Yiling : When it begins, he will block off the road with the bus on pretext of a breakdown.
The 40 men at the foot of the hill will serve as a backup net.
Yiling : The rest of us will head up in 2 cars…. We are only interested in Russell…. he must be captured alive… at all cost… Questions… ?
Everyone shook their head and Yiling asked us to grab some rest.
Yiling : we move out at 6am tomorrow morning…. Declan…. Get the 40 men and the bus ready….
8pm
The group of us finished dinner in the pantry and Yiling was staring at the TV with a glass of whisky in hand.
I went over to see what she was drinking and I poured myself a glass of the 12 year old Hibiki before joining Yiling by the sofa.
Jackson : you ok… ?
Yiling : yes…
I noticed she’s smiling a little and it’s not hard to tell her mood had improved recently.
I attributed it to the success we had the past few months with the Malus and the CFs. At this rate, we will get them all.
Jackson : shouldn’t we bring more men…. Just in case….Russell is a snake….the last time…..he made fool out of us….he might give us the slip again….
Yiling sipped her whisky and I watched her fiddled with her old nokia phone.
She smiled and shook her head slowly.
Yiling : Not this time…… Not this time….
………………………….
21th December 2017
Thursday
4am
My eyes opened when I heard the door open.
I saw Declan and Hong walking out of the pantry. I could hear Yiling voice as well.
I got up and stretched myself a little before walking over to the exit.
I could smell cigarette smoke and as I opened the door, Yiling told Declan that the bus is ready by the cookhouse. He will go get the men he chose personally for this and get them ready.
The men will load up after breakfast at 6.30am.
The bus will leave the castle at 6.40am
Declan nodded and say he will handle it.
The skies look red and angry and I could feel a strong breeze trying to force itself into the pantry.
Leaves rustled and I could see lightning in the horizon.
A storm is coming but not so soon.
It’s one of those days when you know it’s going to rain cats and dogs just when you least expect it to.
Yiling looked like she didn’t get much sleep the whole night. She’s still in her pyjamas I think, a pair of cotton grey shorts and a white tank top.
Yiling : Jackson … wake the rest… grab some food and get ready…
The rest of us are to gather at the garage in the castle by 6.15am
Seven heard the commotion by the door and I watched him turn to his side and falling flat to the floor in push up position. He started his morning workout to wake his body.
He effortlessly did 50 before switching over on his back for a round of crunches.
I shook Kamal who woke up after a groan before waking Aaron.
We washed up us and made our way to the cookhouse together.
I could smell croissants and fresh bread as I got nearer.
The sound of plates leaving the buffet line and the smell of fresh coffee filled the air. It’s getting crowded at the cookhouse with everyone coming to grab a bite but there’s still plenty of seats.
Guys don’t linger longer than necessary for their meals.
Eat and go. It’s in our blood.
Some guys just grabbed a coffee and head out for a smoke.
Aaron buttered up some freshly baked bread rolls, taking effort to arrange his plate nicely with scrambled eggs and sausages while I looked at the mess on my bowl.
I chugged bake beans and eggs together and used it as a dip as I drowned the bread in it before taking a bite.
Hong probably did not get the memo about the amount of butter there already is in the croissant, he split it apart, and stuff in 2 chunks of butter before taking a big bite.
Seven had 4 hard boil eggs in front of him and he slowly peeled each other.
Kamal dissected his bread and ham with surgical precision. His blonde hair and his hokkien greeting to the men looked out of place against the refined manner in which he eats.
All of us are so different. We come from different backgrounds, we have different up bringing, it makes me wonder how did we all end up together here in La Bella Vita.
Is this what they call fate ?
We finished up our food and made our way back to the castle.
I dropped by the farmhouse and pulled 1 of my axe out from under the bed.
I wrapped it with a spare long sleeve t-shirt and I tied the sleeves together to make a carrying handle before putting it around my body.
Hong : You look like those people about to go on a long journey in old Chinese movies Jackson….
Jackson : Haha… I hope it’s a short day today….
Kamal chipped in.
Kamal : It will be…. Our winning streak is not over yet….
Hong : very long never do steamboat already Jackson…. Tonight ai mai ( shall e do it tonight ? )
Jackson : ok … ! After we get Russell….
When we arrived at the castle we saw Yiling waiting for us by the black SUVs.
Dressed totally in black, both Yiling’s long sleeve and top hugged her body so tightly that it left nothing to imagination.
Not even the racer back sports bra she was wearing underneath.
She would have fit right in with a gym going crowd or perhaps a hot office lady on her way to Pilates class after work if not for the pair of high heels she wore.
If anyone can walk and run in heels, it would be her.
Yiling : All ready… ?
We nodded and Candy appeared from behind one of the vehicle.
She handed out walkie talkies and we did a quick comms check.
Declan : read you loud and clear…….
We’re taking 3 cars and Declan will follow shortly after in the bus.
The prevailing wind never stopped blowing the entire morning.
The red skies cleared slightly only to reveal a dull morning sky overcast of storm clouds.
You could practically smell the rain in the air as birds chirped noisily in the trees around us.
Dead and dried leaves kept falling around us and I thought I felt the temperature dropped a notch.
This is the kind of weather to cuddle up at home with a hot cup of tea with your love ones, and not out hunting for a terrorist.
I brushed off the weather, refusing to lend legitimacy to superstitions that this is a bad sign.
6.30am
The 3 car convoy pulled slowly out of the castle and onto the main road as we made our way over to Jurong.
6.40am
Declan’s voice sounded out over the walkie talkie.
Declan : bus moving out now….
The traffic is not heavy at that time but there are still plenty of vehicles on route to Jurong on the expressway.
The lightning seemed to flash more frequently as we made our way further west of the island.
Right before we exit the expressway, the low rumble of thunder finally reached my ears.
7am
We pulled into the open air carpark by Jurong birdpark and switched off the engine.
About 15 minutes later, we saw the bus Declan drove pulled into the carpark as well.
Yiling rode in the same car as Aaron while I took mine with Kamal.
She fiddled with her phone and signalled to us to hold.
The lights in the carpark were still on but I knew they would be switched off soon.
The thick angry clouds rolled over us, blocking out the sun.
Still, there were no rain.
The wind gathered speed, sweeping up more leaves and I could hear the squawks and cries of the birds in the aviary just beside the carpark.
Another low rumble of distant thunder reached us and I looked at Kamal who shook his head at me.
Kamal : don’t say it Jackson …. Don’t say it… it’s bad luck….
I turned and I looked at Hong staring up at the skies.
I just can’t shake the foreboding feeling in my stomach.
7.10am
The lights in the carpark and all the street lamps go out within seconds of each other. Nobody cut the power to anything, it’s just the way things are in the country.
Around 7am, the lights will go off before coming on again at 7pm.
It’s just that nobody expected it to be that dark that morning. Although not pitch dark and you could still pretty much see everything around you, the gloom that day is not one you will forget anytime soon.
Yiling : ok… go… now…
Yiling gestured for us to move and she told Declan to block off the road with the bus. The men are to spread out at the base of the hill in case Russell and his men tried to make a run for it.
Kamal and I were in the first car up, followed by Yiling & Aaron, then Hong and Seven.
Our headlights may be off but to the lookouts posted at the top, they would surely still see us coming.
The incline climb barely levelled off to the open air carpark when a car rammed head on into us.
Kamal : FUCK!
I held onto the handle as the grind of tyres against tar road screeched angrily. Kamal floor the accelerator and swerved the steering wheel, pushing back the smaller sedan and clearing the way for the rest to come up.
Kamal forced the sedan against another parked car and upon realising they had already lost the horsepower game, the Malus in the car got out of the car and started to run.
Kamal and I got out of the car and I could hear them shouting and warning their friends.
Hong and Aaron blocked the carpark exit with their vehicle, there’s no way Russell will be able to leave in his car.
Yiling walked out and looked towards the abandoned restaurant located on top of the hill.
4 Malus came out with machetes in their hand.
I removed the axe from my makeshift carrier, while Kamal pulled a metal rod out from a cue carrier.
Aaron remained in the car and Yiling shouted to Seven and Hong to deal with the 4 Malus while the rest of us go get Russell.
Seven was unarmed because his body is his weapon of choice.
He streaked across the carpark like a wolf zeroing down his prey, leaving the beefier Hong trying to catch up.
Leveraging off a parked Toyota, Seven practically propelled himself off the ground and ejected a Malu from the ground with a spinning hook kick.
Like a tightly coiled spring releasing it’s pent up energy, Seven sprung forward and got the next guy on his chest with his knee.
That was all he could manage before a shove and kick from the 3rd and 4th Malu sent him off balance and scraping his elbow against the hard ground.
Hong had arrived by then and the 2 of them were more than enough to handle the Malus.
I saw Seven swept a Malu off his feet with a powerful swipe of his legs and Hong finishing the Malu off with a heavy punch to his face.
Yiling : hurry…. Before Russell get away… !
We quickened our pace and a lone Malu ran out with a long wooden pole, it’s as if he stripped a broom of it’s handle.
Malu : ARHGHHH!!!
I rotated the axe in my grip and parried off the wooden pole with the blunt end while Kamal formed a protective line in front of Yiling as he guided her away from me and the Malu.
The Malu tried striking me again but I blocked him easily, before he could use the length of his weapon to his advantage, I went in close and I gripped the axe with both hands before thrusting it upwards under his chin like a devotee holding up a bunch of lit incense.
He staggered backwards as blood poured from his mouth, he must have bit off a chunk of his own tongue. I swung the blunt end of the axe against the back of his right knee, reducing his height by half as he fell on one knee.
Before he could cup his hands over his bleeding mouth, I shoved the handle end of my axe against his temple and he fell over in an awkward angle.
I ran to catch up with Kamal and Yiling as they searched the compound for signs of Russell.
I turned behind me and I could see Hong and Seven catching up as well.
Ok, so far so good.
I heard some shouts behind me and I turned around.
Another 2 Malu and 1 crazed and laughing foreigner came rushing out, cutting Seven and Hong off from me.
I was about to head back to help then Hong shouted for me to go.
Hong : JACKSON!!!.. GO!!!…. Go to boss!…
Seven’s kick was block by the CF who was a lot bigger in bulk. He literally carried Seven off the ground before throwing him against a fire hydrant.
Hong shouted for me to go again as he used the Malu he just punched as a human shield from the rest while Seven picked himself off the ground.
I ran towards Yiling and Kamal and I saw 2 CFs running towards them.
Kamal swung his metal rod in an arc and the 2 CFs jumped back laughing and taunting him. Both of them jumped him at the same time a Malu appeared out of nowhere for Yiling.
Kamal grabbed the hair of a CF, yanking his head back like an angry chef opening the cover of a wok to reveal overcooked food by his staff, his rod was kicked off and he used the guy he grabbed as a barrier between him and the other CF.
I got into range by then I immediately sent the CF into the abyss as I swung my axe into his face.
Kamal cursed loudly in hokkien and throat punch the CF he was holding into the ground.
Yiling handled the Malu on her own, looking impeccably good as she sent her knee against the cheekbone of the dazed Malu.
2 more guys approached us.
I narrowed my eyes and tightened the grip on my axe.
These are not your usual foot soldiers.
They are Russell’s godson.
Elmo and Ernie, or rather, Edwin & Eng.
Russell must be running out of men.
They held a large modified blade which reminded me of old Hong Kong triad shows. A modified cutting blade from an industrial print shop, one that is capable of slicing through hundreds of pieces of cardboards at one go.
Hong and Seven arrived just about then, both of them suffered light injuries but other than that, they are fine.
I thought we had the upper hand in terms of numbers but my heart skipped several beats when I heard screams and cries.
Cries and screams of kids running out of the abandoned restaurant.
Their clothes looked stained and dirty, some of them looked like they haven showered in weeks. I reckon they are all between 4-7 years old.
More than a dozen of them ran out in different directions catching us off guard.
Jackson : NO!!!!!!
I watched in horror as Edwin lifted his blade and he swung it at a little boy running past him.
The blade lodged itself into her boy’s face and his little body went into spasm as his fingers and limbs twitched uncontrollably.
Eng started swinging his blade as well, and he caught a lost little girl on her chest. It may not have severed her in half but the force of the swing looked like it caused massive internal bleeding and injuries.
I literally watch the girls’ eyes turn bloodshot before blood started spurting out of her mouth as she fell forward.
Kamal : you BASTARDS !!!!!!
Several CFs came out of the same room the kids ran out of, laughing and chasing the kids. One of them caught one and he bit onto his ear with his mouth before chewing and ripping it off.
Hong : aRGHHH!!!!!
I ran over to the CF and tried to pull the boy away from him, once there was enough room for me to use my axe, I slid the cutting end in between the CF and the boy.
Jackson : aRGHH!!!
I pulled the boy away from the CF the saw time I drew the axe across his neck.
He let go but the boy was no longer breathing.
It was then I realised the CF had bitten him on the neck for no apparent reason at all.
Hong, Seven and Kamal all charged at Edwin and Eng who were felling kids like lumberjacks falling trees for timber. I saw Yiling carrying a little girl after she kicked a CF down a slope. The little girl was bleeding on her head while another younger boy clung onto Yiling’s pants for help.
Some of the kids just cried and ran aimlessly. It was utter chaos as I swung my axe at a CF who grabbed the hair of a girl suffering from a bruised eye.
Jackson : RAGHHH!!!!!
I sent my axe several times into his face, spilling blood and bits of mangled flesh all over the ground.
Aaron shouted from behind us and he was carrying 2 kids.
Aaron : follow me !!! CHILDREN !!! KIDS!!! HERE!!! HERE!!! Follow me !!!
Aaron put one of the kid over his shoulder and grabbed onto his legs and he pulled one more by her dress as he struggled with a screaming boy in his other hand.
Several older ones followed him as he led them back to the cars.
I shouted at Yiling to get the kids away and I felt a heavy blow to the side of my head.
I was disorientated for a moment and the next thing I knew, Seven was kicking a CF away from me.
A flurry of kicks bought me precious seconds to recover my bearings and I felt sick when I watch a little girl no more than the age of 5 run and fell off the side of a steep drop.
The sickening thud caused me to jump in my skin.
I grabbed 2 screaming kid and started to run towards the carpark.
I barely got a few steps when I saw Aaron sprinting back towards us. I put the kids down immediately, knowing full well that Aaron will handle the rest.
Yiling too dropped off 2 crying girls.
We ran back and gathered the remaining kids, sending them all towards Aaron.
Yiling : KAMAL!!!!
Several kids laid bleeding and injured on the floor.
I don’t know if we should move them or not. Some of them were no longer moving.
I ran over to the guys who were engaged with Edwin and Eng.
Kamal was striking repeatly at Edwin with his metal rod and I could see sparks when the metal greeted each other.
I went perpendicularly at Edwin, my eyes were on his wrist as I raised my axe.
Jackson : arGHHH!!!
Edwin saw me but he could not avoid the strike in time.
I lobbed his wrist partially off his hand and he backed away screaming and waving his wrist that was hanging off fleshing and tendons in the air.
Kamal wanted to finish him off but I told him the kids need him. Some of them can still be saved.
Kamal shouted in frustration as he picked himself up and started running back towards Yiling.
I wanted to end Edwin right there and then but Yiling asked me to keep him alive.
He could also be a valuable source of information.
Edwin tripped over a tree root and fell, screaming and moaning in pain from his nearly severed wrist.
Edwin writhed on the grass turfing, grabbing his dangling wrist as blood pained the green grass a deep shade of red.
The approaching storm gathered speed and the wind swept the crown of the matured trees on the hill. Branches fell and leaves whipped the walls and windows of the abandoned restaurant as if they too were enraged by the atrocities they witness.
Eng was disarmed by Hong and he suffered a bout of relentless kicks and punches back to back by Seven.
Eng staggered and fell backwards onto a lone crying boy.
He pulled a knife and tried to stab the little boy but Seven managed to kick him away in time.
Seven : aRGHHHH!!! aRGHH!!!
I’ve never seen Seven so enraged as he grabbed onto Eng and he kept shouting and punching him.
Yiling came running over and that’s when we saw Russell and Brad.
Russell saw us and I could see him smirk from a distance away.
It’s as if he thinks this is a joke.
Brad escorted Russell back into the abandoned restaurant and I picked up my axe and went after them.
Yiling shouted to Hong and Seven to grab Edwin and Eng as well after they’re done.
My eyes scanned the surroundings for signs of more men but there are none.
If it’s just Russell and Brad, I’m sure Yiling and I can handle them on our own.
I kicked open the door and revealed a long service corridor.
I could see Russell and Brad turning the corner.
Yiling : RUSSELL!!!!! you COWARD !!!….
We took off running towards them.
Yiling was barely 2 steps behind me.
My eyes caught a flash and I was bulldozed against a notice board on my left from what felt like a uncontrolled freight train from the right.
My arms were immediately up as I blocked a series of hits from a laughing CF.
I manage to shove him back into the room he came from. I looked inside the room and I froze.
It’s not an empty room.
Shelves that would have been filled with food supplies were empty but the room smelled like shit as I watched the group of 5 CFs sniffing on some powdery substance slowly got up on their feet.
At the end of the corridor we just entered, 4 Malus entered, shouting for Brad and Russell.
I grabbed Yiling and we moved further down the corridor, deeper into the abandoned restaurant.
I could see another door to my right and I was cautious this time in case someone came rushing out.
Jackson : oh my god…
I saw 2 little girls in dirty clothes eating biscuits off the floor.
Yiling : come here girl…come here…. I’ll take you home…. Follow zeh zeh… ( elder sister )
Both girls picked up what they could from the dirty floor and went over to what I assume was the first women they have seen in weeks.
The CFs laughed, they mumbled something in their native tongue.
We came to a large open area, what would have been the main seating hall of the abandoned restaurant.
Russell : you overestimate yourself Yiling …..
Looking up we saw Russell and Brad standing on level 2 of the hall looking down at us.
Yiling : Karma …. Is coming for you Russell…. Mark my words… Karma will get you….
Russell : hahahaha….. you want me ?? you want to kill me ?? come !! come ahead… !!! hahaha!!! Hhahah !!! come…!
Russell’s taunt was accompanied by some movements behind him.
Another 6 Malus flanked his rear and I could hear more weird laughter coming from level 2. 3 CF ran into view and as the 1st one tripped and fall, the other 2 behind fell as well, laughing at their own stupidity.
4 more malus appeared from around the corridor and a lone half asleep CF shuffled into view.
There’s more than 20 of them in the large dining hall with Yiling and me.
The 2 little girls were done with their biscuit crumbs and they were clinging onto Yiling’s pants while she had her hands around their head.
Russell : You think today is about getting me…. ? ….. I’ll tell you the truth……
Russell gestured to his men on the ground floor, asking them to make sure the rest of Yiling’s men are kept busy.
Russell : Today is not about getting me Yiling…. today is about getting you….
The main door is behind us and I could see it was padlocked.
Brad and the rest of Russell’s men started to come down the steps and I grabbed Yiling’s hand and we started running towards the half asleep CF.
I shoved him aside easily and after a short sprint down a dark corridor, entered a disused commercial kitchen.
With the kids in tow, we could not move fast and even if we did, there was no place for us to go. I tried the exit door and it was locked.
We had gone the length of the restaurant on the outside when we came, and now in it’s interior, Yiling and I backtracked the distance travelled. I could see through the louvred glass windows by the door.
I could see Aaron by the carpark. He was kicking a Malu that was trying to get up while carrying a bag of sweets in his hand.
After kicking the guy down, he rushed back to the SUV where waving hands of kids gestured and asked for the candy he was giving to keep them calm.
Turning my attention back to the kitchen we were in, 6 men filed into the room and they spread out.
Brad was among them.
Brad : Take the girl…. Kill the rest….
I dragged Yiling behind me and I relaxed the grip on my axe. My eyes saw a rusty saucepan I could use that is within reach slightly behind me.
We backed slowly towards the closed door and we hear Aaron called out in pain.
Aaron : arghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Fuck you !!!! argnhhh!!!
A quick glance saw Aaron bleeding across his back as he tussled with a CF.
A Malu ran at him with a dagger in his hand and Aaron barely managed to shift his body away before that dagger slammed against the body of the car.
The men in the kitchen got nearer as they closed the loop around their trapped prey.
Jackson : Yiling…. I’ll distract them…. Get the kids out….
Honestly I have no idea how the fuck am I going to distract the 6 men in front of me. One Malu tried to advance and I swung my axe in a wide arc, sending all of them back one step.
I must break this line somehow.
Just enough for Yiling to bring the kids out at least.
Right about then, a CF flew into the kitchen.
He landed on a countertop before bouncing off and landing on the floor like a sack of rice being thrown.
The commotion drew the attention of the men surrounding us.
CF 2 : arGHHHH!!!
Another cry of pain reached our ears from outside the kitchen.
The sound of loud slamming, bodies being reminded that gravity exists barely moments after being lifted off the floor.
The cries got louder and nearer.
A Malu that was just standing beside Russell a few minutes ago fell into the kitchen head first, he knocked his already bleeding face against the edge of the stainless steel counter before joining the earlier CF on the floor.
4 of the 6 men surrounding us turned and face the entrance of the kitchen, equally puzzled as to what is happening.
There were shouts coming from the carpark outside as well.
I turned to see Aaron getting into the car.
Somehow he manage to get rid of the 2 men that were trying to kill him.
I jumped and the kids screamed as I pulled them away from the window. The Malu that tried to stab Aaron earlier slammed against the old glass louvres, dislodging several of the panels from it’s rusty C-channel.
His head looked like he whiplashed himself onto the remaining glass panels before his entire body felt as if he was sucked into the kitchen by vacuum, only there was no magical force pulling him in.
Only a powerful and rib fracturing kick from the outside.
The kids screamed as the blood spilled from the side of the Malu that landed beside our feet.
I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand as I looked at the person left standing outside the window.
It’s a woman. You could fell from her figure. Slim, toned and well built. She would have looked stunning in a dress but she is not.
She’s unarmed and dressed entirely in black like those I’ve seen before.
Her full-face mask looked different from the rest.
It’s old, rugged and if death has a smell, that was exactly what is going through my nostril. That mask has seen some mileage in life. The scratches, the peeling paint and the damage to the mask projected an image similar to you seeing a heavily scarred face of a human.
A Malu appeared with a machete to her rear, she ducked his strike effortlessly before grabbing to his wrist first with one hand. Rearing back, she angled the Malu’s wrist back and he screamed in pain but the scream is premature.
Pulling his arm low, the woman straddled his arm and turned her body around, twisting and dislocated his arm before side punching the Malu in his face.
Everything happened in such a blur, she’s fast. She’s fucking fast, even faster than what I’ve seen Candy and Xiaoyu pull off.
Another man dressed in black appeared at the entrance of the kitchen.
His mask looked different too.
Also unarmed, he looked relaxed as he strolled into the kitchen like a boss.
Brad : Get him !!!
2 men charged him at the same time I heard Yiling say the same thing I just said earlier to her.
Yiling : Jackson ….. we’ll distract them…… get the kids out….
I turned and watched in disbelief as Yiling reached for her heels and detached the heel part from her footwear. She snapped both outwards at the same time extending a small telescopic baton with a pointed tip on each hand. It’s less than 30cm long by my estimate but I have no doubt the amount of damage it will inflict if used properly.
The woman on the outside started pulling out the remaining louvred glass panels to create an opening wide enough.
Yiling charged past me to help the masked men who just slammed the head of a Malu into a disused oven.
I carried one of the girl up and handed her to the lady outside the window.
Her gloved hands stained the girl’s already dirty top with fresh blood as she took over her from me.
I quickly sent the other one out the window before diving in to help Yiling and the mysterious masked man.
It was too chaotic to see what is happening.
Things were being thrown about.
I felt soup pot hit me on my head as I blocked a left hook by Brad with my right arm.
I swung my axe upwards, putting a metre of space in between Brad and me. I kept my movements small, striking multiple times at Brad with my weapon as he kept avoiding my attack.
I saw an opening and I swung my axe for his head. I would have hit him if not for the frayed wires that were hanging over my head from the ceiling. I yanked and pulled ceiling boards and metal grid frames onto the floor.
I felt the casing of a downlight hit me as well as I backed up.
Brad took the opportunity to strike and he open up a 10cm slash on my forearm, causing me to drop my axe.
A punch came out of nowhere and my head struck a sharp handle of a commercial freezer.
I could feel the warmth of blood sliding down my face.
Another hit came at my face and I literally felt my skull tremble as my mouth filled with blood. I didn’t know what hit me but I knew it loosened a tooth.
I was lying down on my back by then from the hit when I saw the women outside the kitchen swinging herself into the party.
I got out of her way as she engaged Brad the moment she entered.
Yiling and her mysterious guest barely took care of the men in the kitchen when Yiling shouted a warning to the man by the door.
Yiling : Hibiki !! duck !!
The man dropped to the floor, avoiding a metal stake that would have struck him on his temple without the warning, at the same time the lady who was tangled with Brad kicked him back as he swung 2 knives wildly in front of him. Crisscrossing the blades in front of him, he pushed the unarmed women back closer to me.
Hibiki bounced off the floor his elbow connecting with the throat of the man that tried to get him from behind.
Yiling whipped one of the Malu across the face with her weapon before stabbing him at the waist.
She disarmed the Malu of his knife and threw it over to the woman in front of me.
Yiling : Jane !
Jane caught onto knife effortlessly and I saw her twirl 720 degree it in her fingers like a student who is apt at playing with a pen in lecture.
No amount of crisscrossing helped Brad as Jane parried his random strike like a boxer dancing around a weaker opponent.
Brad : ARGHHH!!!
A cry of pain from a slash across the wrist is immediately followed by a louder shriek of pure agony as Jane drone the blade into Brad’s palm against a sack of concrete mix that had no business of any kind being in the kitchen.
She kicked his other knife off his grip, slid under his armpit and struck him so hard in his temple that Brad vomitted and slid to the floor while his bloodied hand remained nailed above his head.
Brad, disorientated and screaming, pulled another knife from his belt and tried to slash Jane.
She twisted his wrist inwards and directed the pointed tip at his eye.
Brad : aRGHHHHH
Jane balled up a fist and hammered it home, lodging into Brad’s eye socket and he stopped moving.
It’s like watching craftsmen at work doing what they do best watching the scene unfolding in front of me.
A Malu can punch Hibiki and you can’t help but felt that the hit is too light compared to the returning blow he suffered.
Wall tiles cracked as Hibiki smashed the head of a CF against it, the spiderweb crack lines spread to the surrounding tiles as he followed up with a harder blow with his knee.
Not missing a beat, Hibiki grabbed another Malu and sent him into an opened combi oven. He slammed the door against the body twice and the Malu stopped moving.
Ripping a Salamander grill off the wall, Hibiki threw it at a CF that was trying to get back on his feet.
That’s it, everyone on the kitchen is done for except us.
We barely had 3 seconds of breathing time when we heard more men arriving.
Rapid running footsteps and shouts approached the kitchen and Jane slid through the door under Hibiki and shortly after that, he followed as well.
I could not see what is happening beyond the kitchen but the cries and shouts of Russell’s man gave a pretty good idea.
Aaron : Jackson !!! come out… BOSS!! Boss…. Come on out !!!
Yiling : Jackson…. You’re hurt…!
Jackson : I’m ok… go…
We helped Yiling through the broken window to see Seven by the SUVs.
He had dragged Edwin and Eng over. Kamal was tending to a little girl by one of the vehicle.
Hong : I got him…. I got him !!!… go ! go ! go!!
I jumped out the window and fell on my side.
I was surprised to see Hong with a badly beaten Russell under his arm.
I was about to ask when did they get him when Hong said some lady and guy in black appeared just when Russell was about to escaped.
Hong : They fucking dropped the men he is with like flies !!….who are they… ??
Jackson : Friends of Yiling I think….
There was no time to waste and Yiling shouted for everyone to load up the vehicle. Hong literally threw Russell into the backseat. The moment the car is loaded, Aaron started the engine with Seven in the passenger seat and started racing down the hill.
Yiling : Kamal !!… take the car with the kids and go !!
Kamal will be driving the vehicle with the injured kids straight to the medical centre at the castle.
Yiling shouted into the walkie talkie to Declan to get ready the bus and load the men.
We will be delivering Edwin, Eng and Russell to the bus. There’s no way they can get away with 40 pairs of eyes on them.
I got into the car and there were 4 kids in the backseat with Yiling while Hong and I sat up front. Hong wiped sweat from his brows and started the engine.
We raced downhill and the skies opened up.
It started to rain.
Jackson : What about your friends Yiling ?!
Yiling : They’ll clean up… they can take care of themselves….
We arrived at the foot of the hill and I could see Aaron and Seven dragging our prisoners up the bus.
Kamal has driven on ahead.
Yiling spoke into the walkie talkie, she gave the address of a residential bungalow a short distance away from the castle.
That’s where we will deliver the prisoners.
Yiling : Hong….!…. get the kids back to the castle…. I’ll have Cindy and Candy standby to take care of them….Jackson !… we’ll take the other car and follow the bus….
Hong : Ok…. I’ll go look for you guys after I’m done… !
Yiling and I ran in the rain over to Aaron’s vehicle and 5 minutes later, we were on the expressway.
No one say a word for the first few minutes until I broke the silence.
Jackson : We got those fuckers ….hahaha… we fucking got those fuckers…. !
Aaron : WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Seven tapped the dashboard several times in agreement and I noticed Yiling finally smiled. There was a visible look of relief on her face as well as we looked at the taillights of the bus in front of us.
Jackson : What now… ?
Yiling : We deliver them to the holding facility…. And others will come and pick them up from us….
Jackson : others as in who… ?
Yiling : There’s no need to know that….
The rain got heavier as we pulled out of the expressway.
Jackson : Hibiki and Jane….. who are they… ?
Yiling : friends…. From what feels like a lifetime ago….
Jackson : I’m heard that name before…. Hibiki…. The men at the Rajah rooftop…they mentioned that name…
Yiling smiled but she said nothing.
Her eyes closed and I could see her relaxed significantly now that we have Russell.
We arrived at the 4 storey residential house shortly. It had a compound large enough to fit the whole bus with plenty of room to spare. Built in the 1950s, it resembled the old black and white colonial bungalows. Plenty of concrete with large openings
I could see Xiaoyu standing by the sheltered porch tall enough to fit the bus.
Declan’s bus took up all the sheltered area and the rest of us had to wait a little.
It’s literally pouring cats and dogs out there.
About a dozen of La Bella Vita’s men unloaded Russell and his godsons and Xiaoyu was gesturing to the insides of the house.
After our prisoners were unloaded, Declan pulled the bus out of the sheltered porch to make way for the rest of the vehicles.
Yiling looked at her watch and commented that we’re ahead of schedule.
Yiling : They will be picked up in less than an hour from now…. we just need to wait a bit till then…..
All of us exited the vehicle and I saw Declan running towards us as well.
The place is clean but just empty. Devoid of any furniture, the echoes of our footsteps rang loud and clear throughout the structure.
Xiaoyu is dressing up the wounds of our prisoners while they were surrounded by 10 of our men. Almost all of their tops had stains of blood from handling the prisoners.
Edwin’s severed wrist is still bleeding and he looked pale, Russell looked unkempt and he kept his eyes down. He suffered cuts and bruises but otherwise unharmed. I would have loved to see his earlier arrogance again.
I looked up the large hall and I could see where they prisoners will be kept.
Vertical bars rising high above the parapet walls indicated that there’s a makeshift cage on level 3.
What would have been a mix of bedrooms and perhaps a family hall is now converted into a makeshift prison.
In the centre of level 3 stood a cage about half the size of a badminton court.
It’s huge, taking up the width of the floorplate leaving only narrow walkway on both sides.
I saw Seven up on level 3 checking out the cage, he gave Yiling a thumbs up as he leaned over the concrete railing, that structure is the only thing stopping you from plunging 3 storey down to the living room below.
After Xiaoyu is done dressing the wounds, our captives were dragged up on their feet.
Yiling sent a few messages on her phone before telling me to go to the bus and get the rest of the men out.
Yiling : we’ll have to wait a bit…
Jackson : ok…
As the rest started to make their way up to the cage, I left the house and scouted for the shortest route to the bus.
I ran in the rain over to the bus. I rapped on the door and waited for it to open.
There was no response. Maybe the rain was too heavy.
I knocked harder and I even rapped my knuckles on the windows but no one responded.
I went over to the driver side and the door is locked too.
The small window is slightly opened and I forced it apart.
Jackson : Hey guys….Boss wants you guys to unload…and….
I was getting drenched and I paused in the middle of my shout.
I felt my heart sink as I wiped my eyes to make sure I was not seeing things.
They were dead.
The men in the bus were all dead.
I felt my legs go weak as I looked at the large mirror above the driver seat. It gave a clear view of the rest of the men slumped in their seats, many with visible slits on their throat.
Jackson : aRGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
I left the bus and I sprinted for the house.
I pushed the door open and I could hear the echoes of shouts and fights breaking out on the 3rd floor. Every single hair on my pore stood on it’s send as I felt the burn in my calves as I ran up the stairs.
Jackson : NO!!!!!
Inside the cage with the prisoners were 8 of our men together with Xiaoyu and Seven.
I screamed in anguished as I bulldozed and charge one of our men who was trying to stab Aaron over the parapet.
I heard a shriek of horror before the slam of body against concrete floor echoed loudly in the house.
Yiling and Aaron were tussling with another while I ran over to the cage.
Xiaoyu and Seven are inside trying to fend off the men who betrayed us.
I wanted to open the door but I can’t.
It was padlocked from the outside.
I rattled the chain and shouted as Xiaoyu was stabbed in her shoulder. She disarmed him the moment he pulled it out but was immediately punched in the face by another.
Seven shoved the betrayers back before kicking one in the face.
Jackson : aRGHHH!!!!!!! NO!!!! NO!!!! aRHGH!!!
Russell : aHHWHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! WHWHHWHAHAHAHAH!!!
Russell, sitting on the far end of the cage was laughing with his eyes bulging wide as I watched our own men that betrayed us brandished knives from their pocket.
The close range attacked left Xiaoyu and Seven with no room to maneuver at all.
There was no time even for Seven and Xiaoyu to scream as the men stabbed them.
They stabbed them over and over again in their body, their stomach, their faces, their hands.
I kicked the gate and rattled the iron bars that formed the makeshift prison.
It would not budge and all I could see in my eyes were the repetitive stabbing motion. Hands coming in, rearing back, coming in, rearing back, each time drawing more blood from the bodies of my friends and spilling them onto the concrete floor.
Yiling screamed when she saw what was happening as Aaron, bleeding from his eye shove the man they were fighting with down the flight of stairs.
I grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher and tried to break the padlock. I hammered it several times and it punctured the body of the extinguisher, causing the compressed gas to whistle as it escaped from the cylinder.
Yiling broke down and she could hardly stand as the bodies of Xiaoyu and Seven laid lifeless in front of her eyes.
Right about then Declan appeared out of nowhere. He had a gun in his hand and he went straight for Yiling.
Aaron : NO!!!..
I had no time to react.
The hammer slammed into the firing pin and I watched helplessly as Yiling who was on her knees slammed back onto the floor.
Jackson : ARGHHH!!!!!
I lifted and I wanted to throw the extinguisher at Declan but his weapon was already pointed at me.
Aaron charged him at the same time, the gun missed it’s shot but it still hit me.
The projectile sliced opened my left cheek, shooting upwards and removing the top half of my left earlobe.
I staggered sideways and leaned on the cage. Immediately I was stabbed by the men inside. Once on my right arm and once on my right thigh.
The pain shot through my body as I instinctively propelled myself away from the cage and landed beside Yiling.
I could not believe what was happening.
This is a nightmare.
This must be a bad dream.
It must be.
Aaron : aRGHH!!! WHY!!! WHY!!!!
The weapon fired again, the bullet went cleanly through Aaron’s and lodged itself in the concrete wall beside my face barely inches away.
Aaron fell and Declan pushed him away and stepped back.
I crawled over to Yiling and it took everything I had to hold her up.
Blood poured from her stomach and her delicate fingers could not stop the bleeding no matter how hard she tried.
I applied pressure on her wound and I was on the verge of breaking down.
Jackson : NO… no… no… !!! NO!!!…. not like this…. NOT like this !!!
I glared at Declan who looked unstable and on the verge of a mental breakdown as well.
Jackson : WHY!!!!! WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I shouted at Declan who looked like he was on the verge of tears as well.
Declan : I’m sorry….. I’m sorry…. I wish it didn’t have to come to this….
Yiling looked at Declan I could see how disappointed she was as she looked at him.
Declan apologised again and said we all serve different masters.
Declan : We don’t serve the same master….. I’m sorry…. Owen will come for the castle….the vault is his…. It has always been his since the day he handed over to you for safekeeping Yiling….. it’s his…….
I could hear the door to the large empty house open.
I could hear Hong’s voice.
The men in the cage are searching Seven and Xiaoyu’s body for the key to open the padlock.
Hong : Boss!!! Jackson !!!…
He ran up the stairs shouting to us that the men in the bus are dead.
Jackson : HONG!!!! RUNN!!
I barely shouted my warning when Declan pointed his gun down towards the stairs and he started shooting.
Hong : FUCK!!!
The loud report of gunfire was amplified several times in the empty house and I could hear Russell’s eerie low laugh as he looked at the state of his captors.
Hong must have manage to find cover because I could hear him shout.
Hong : WHAT THE FUCK!!!! DECLAN!!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!!!
Declan turned towards us and he was trembling as he orientated his attention between Hong at the bottom of the stairs and us on level 3.
Declan : I’m sorry Yiling…. I’m sorry… I can’t let you take the prisoners….
He closed his eyes for barely half a second before pointing his weapon back at us, but before he could shoot again, Aaron, clutching onto the wound on his stomach shot towards Declan.
He grabbed the gun with his left hand and Declan squeeze the trigger, the bullet ripped Aaron’s hands to shreds and several of his fingers fell onto the floor but that did not stop him.
It did not stop him.
Aaron charged and using his body weight, shove Declan and himself over the ledge at the same time.
Aaron : aRGHHH!!! FUCK YOU!!!..
Declan : ARGHHHHHHHH!!
The loud slam caused me to tremble as tears streak down my cheeks.
Hong’s anguish shout echoed throughout the house as I held onto Yiling.
I could see it in her face.
Life is slipping away from her. She looked so pale.
Jackson : Hong… !! HONG!!!….I’m sorry Yiling… I’m sorry….. arghhh!!
Hong ran up the stairs with Declan’s gun and a leather holster with spare magazines.
He saw Yiling in my arms before his eyes settled on the bodies of Xiaoyu and Seven in the cage.
Russell : Hurry !!! get out and kill Hong !!! ahahhahaha….. kill them all!!!
The padlock came undone and the men were removing the chain around the iron bars.
Hong : ERGHHH!!a rarggghhhhhhh!!!!!
He pointed the gun at the men who betrayed us and he emptied the clip.
Empty gun shells flew, clattering onto the floor in front of me and Yiling.
Hong emptied the clip, reloaded with the spare magazine and he kept shooting.
He screamed and the emptied the weapon, scattering bodies around Seven and Xiaoyu.
Edwin was hit by a stray bullet and he collapsed in front of Russell.
By the time Hong was done, he collapsed on his knees and wept.
I looked at Yiling and I didn’t know what to do.
I don’t know what to do.
Yiling smiled and shook her head at me, it’s as if she knew her time is up.
Jackson : I’ll kill him…. I’ll fucking kill Owen if it’s the last thing I do…. I’ll fucking kill him…… I swear to you I’ll kill him !!!
Yiling : i….. I wish I could ……. watch you do it…..
I cradled Yiling in my arms as Hong crawled over to us. He could not even manage to get up on his feet.
Hong : Boss…. Boss… no… no…. No please… no…. !! no!!!
Yiling : take…. Take care of yourselves…. Take care of each other…..
Yiling’s blood stained hands wiped tears from my face as Hong fumbled for his phone with his trembling hands to call for help,
Hong : Boss…. Don’t… don’t…..
Hong cursed loudly for the lack of a phone signal as the storm outside got heavier.
Yiling held Hong’s hand for barely 2 seconds before it gave way and her who body went limp.
Hong : aRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Hong shouted and slammed the floor with his fist so hard that I could feel the floor plate vibrate.
I closed my eyes and I hugged Yiling’s body against mine and I exhaled as tears fell onto her lifeless face.
I didn’t know how much time past but the next thing we know, armed men with full tactical gear burst into the house.
I could see the red dots of the laser pointers as they cleared the house and came up the stairs.
I saw James with his weapon raised and he froze at the sight that greeted him.
He looked at the dead on the floor.
He looked at prisoners in the cage.
And he looked at Yiling in my arms.
His men proceeded to clear the rest of the house before taking over the prisoners.
James knelt down on one knee and he holstered his weapon. Removing his gloves, he reached for Yiling’s face and he wiped dried blood off her cheek.
James : Goodbye Bella…
………………………………………………………
A paramedic came to attend to my wound while several other came to deal with the bodies.
I remembered the guy kept asking me to let go of Yiling but I can’t.
I don’t know if my fingers and muscles were cramped or what’s wrong with me. I can’t let go.
I just can’t.
More people flooded into the house. Some documented the scene, after which the rest started to clean up.
They worked methodically and quietly.
I don’t know who they all are, but one thing for sure, they are organised, discipline and from the looks of it, related to the government.
James juggled 3 phones and he rest his forehead in his thumb and index finger while leaning on the parapet as he made calls after calls.
Yiling is gone and whoever she worked for needed to know.
Billy : Hi….. my name is Billy….
I looked up at him and again, I was struck with a sense of familiarity. I have seen him somewhere. This face, this voice.
I suddenly remembered our meeting in Little india. The commercial building Yiling brought me to. I’ve seen him there before.
Billy : Bro… we’re friends…. With Yiling….. we’ll take care of her now….
I looked at him and somehow he convinced me to release my grip on Yiling’s body while the others couldn’t.
Billy : We’ll take care of her…. I promise……
I watched Yiling being carried carefully into a body bag before being put on a stretcher and I broke down while the paramedic tended to my wounds.
I failed to protect her.
I could not protect my employer, and the woman that I love.
Billy : we’ll clean her up…. And….we’ll send her body back to the castle….you will need to take care of the wake….. can you do that bro… ?
I nodded.
I heard screams and shout on the ground floor.
Cindy, Candy and Kamal had arrived.
Hong wept on the floor like a wreck mess and I saw Candy sank onto her knees.
Cindy, no matter how well built and tough she may be on the outside, she broke too and she hugged onto Candy.
Cindy : no…. no…. please… no…
Kamal : arghh!… arghhhhh!!…
Kamal walked unsteadily towards the stretcher the guys were bringing down groaning like an injured animal.
Kamal : Is this her…. is this…
I hopped down a few step while being supported by 2 paramedic and the water works flowed freely when I saw Kamal scream in anguish before he turned and started to kick a wall before punching it so hard I could see blood on his knuckles after the 1st hit.
He kept punching before he fell, tripping on his own foot. And he too laid on the floor and wept.
I could see more of La Bella Vita’s men arriving at the compound.
Many of them unable to believe what has happened.
The queen is dead.
And then there’s Seven, there’s Xiaoyu, and there’s Aaron. Not to forget the men in the bus who were taken by surprise.
Billy was the one in charge on the ground that day.
He directed the clean up, he sent people away, he brought more people in.
It was a massive project and he handled it with east.
Everyone knew who he is. Even James went to him when he needed something.
Billy sent us back to the castle and say he will be in touch.
I went straight to the medical centre.
Kamal came and gave me a shot to help me calm down before he rushed to the security centre.
He wanted to see what happen with his own eyes on the cameras above the makeshift prison.
My world went dark shortly after that and in between dreams, I actually thought I was dead.
22nd December 2017
Friday
4pm
I drifted in and out of consciousness, by the time I was fully awake, I saw Rachel and Henry walking in through the door accompanied by Hong.
They brought a hamper and Rachel took the seat beside me.
Jackson : How…. How long have I been out… ?
Rachel : A little more than a day….
Henry : we heard what happened…. We’re sorry for your lost….
Rachel : Uncle Ben dropped by earlier too…. But you were asleep….
I could feel the pain from my wounds but it’s not that bad that I can’t move.
Jackson : Hong…. Are the rest ok… ?
Hong nodded.
Hong : Kamal’s drunk…. Cindy and Candy…. They’re….. they’re picking some…. Some….. nice clothes for… for….
Hong tried hard to control his emotion as he leaned against the wall of the ward I was in. He covered his face and his heavy body began to slide down until he was sitting on the floor.
Rachel : Jackson ….. Let us handle the wake….
I turned and looked at Rachel.
Rachel : The Rajahs…. Will make sure it’s fit for a queen…. It’s the least we could do….
I wanted to ask the rest for their opinion, or perhaps someone I can consult this decision with, then I realised that, there is no one left to ask.
No one left to give instructions.
Hong has snot coming out of his nose. Kamal is dead drunk.
The girls are not around either and even if they are, I doubt they would be able to make a decision, not in their current state at least.
I nodded as I looked at Henry and Rachel.
Jackson : ok…. Ok….. Please do your best….
Henry : we will…. get some rest….
Rachel told me that Yiling had dealings with the lawyers at Rajah Holdings.
Rachel : A… couple of months ago…. Yiling came to us…. She left something for you guys….. our lawyers will be in touch…
Jackson : Why…. ? what is it…
Rachel : I guess…. She’s starting to have doubts as to who to trust towards the end….
I exhaled and I could feel the stabbing pain of grief creeping up my heart again.
Rachel : get some rest…. We’ll make sure the wake is done properly…. Not just for Yiling…. but for the rest as well….
23rd December 2017
Saturday
11am
I walked out of the medical centre with the help of a crutch and I could see the large tent being erected in front of the castle ground.
What the Rajahs promised, they delivered.
Hong lit a cigarette beside me and told me they worked through the night.
Hong : They never stopped….. not even to take a break… they never stopped….. the guys erecting the tents….laying the cables…the portable toilets…. They just kept going….
The area which the tent covered is huge.
Almost a football field in length. Flowers and wreaths lined the sides of the tent and I could hear the Rajahs shouting at the electrical guys to start the generators for the aircon.
12pm
The cookhouse is running full steam ahead.
All 3 chefs plus their helpers are present to make sure everyone gets fed, from ad hoc workers to the Rajahs who worked through the night.
Trucks lined up 3 deep in the narrow driveway as they unloaded food and drinks.
2pm
I stood in the makeshift funeral hall, looking at the bodies of my friends.
Xiaoyu and Seven laid side by side in coffins. Aaron’s body has been retrieved by his remaining family, a younger sister.
The coffins are covered up.
A table filled with offerings, flowers and food is set in front of the 2 coffins.
Billy arrived with Yiling’s coffin shortly after 2.30pm.
She has her own corner in the funeral hall. Candy and Cindy oversaw the arrangement, from where to put the chairs and tables to Yiling’s favourite flowers.
The picture they chose for Yiling is one of her smiling radiantly.
I walked over to Yiling. It felt unreal, like a bad dream. Seeing her with her eyes closed and not moving under a glass panel.
She looked beautiful, she always has.
Billy came over to me and introduced himself properly this time round.
Billy : You must be Jackson…. I work with Yiling frequently… on a lot of matters…
I shook his hand and he told me to expect a crowd.
Billy : Yiling has made many enemies …..but she made a lot of friends as well…. I expect most of them to come…….
Jackson : ok… thank you…
Billy : please try to make sure all guest leave by 12 midnight….
Jackson : Why… ?
Billy : Yiling’s family will be coming….…….they need the privacy….
I nodded.
It’s been more than a year since I last saw Yvonne. I wonder how she is doing.
Kamal hasn’t shaved for a couple of days. He was holding onto a cup of coffee as he sat at a table alone.
Hong bit onto a unlit cigarette and stared blankly into space.
I left them alone and I went back to my farmhouse.
I took a shower with much difficulty before changing and grabbing my jacket.
Slipping on my jacket, I looked at my bandaged ear. Right by the mirror there’s a few photos taken by Seven with his polaroid camera of us having steamboat during my first few months at La Bella Vita.