blue lights go on and off, illuminating all the block. i sit down on the terrace. my head is completely fogged. The only thing i can feel is my palms. it stings so painfully. doesn't stop bleeding. a policeman puts the tape around my house yard. ambulance carries out from home two bodies on stretchers covered in white cloth to the cars. i had never imagined this. never, such a thought came to my mind. but here i am. "here is that girl" a woman from the ambulance car approaches as the policeman points at me. she squats down and the first thing she notices are my palms. "oh my, the cuts are deep!"
<< "mom...dad..." they have cuts across their throat, blood coming out of their mouth and nose. it's still warm. i put my finger under their noses. no... no no no ! this has to be a dream. a really bad nightmare. a metal clink behind me catches my attention. i turn around to see buff man, all in black, swinging back knife at me. what the fuck-?! he launches himself at me and i fall back on my parents, knife blade pressed in my palms as i try to stop it from being stabbed. scream escapes from my mouth as the pain from my hands finally hits me and blood drips down on my clothes. the guy pushes the knife even harder as i struggle to get a grasp of it >>
i bite my lip as the nurse cleans the cuts on both of my hands. this hurts worse than when i got cut. "we will have to stitch this up..." two ambulance cars start their engine and drive away. i won't see them anymore... i am left completely alone. the nurse waves her hand in front of me. "hello? let's go to the car. we can't do this outside" she offers me her hand, but i get up by myself just fine. as if i can give her my injured hands. we go to the car, i get in and get seated on the stretcher. "take it. it will hurt" she gives me a folded towel and points at my mouth. i do as she says as she prepares the needle and the thread. "in the hospital they will finish it better, now i'll just do it so it isn't exposed" she inserts the needle in my skin without any warning. my teeth clenching into towel. tears start to stream down my cheeks. the reality slowly washes over me, uncontrollably weeping as the nurse stitches up the cuts. "who could do such a foul thing..."
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i get out of the nursing cabinet and fall back on the chair on the other side of the hallway. both hands are covered in bandages and a check. evidence for life of this day and what i have to pay for it. why would someone ever kill my parents...for what? and me? my parents were never in any affairs or had bad contact with people. they live a peaceful and happy life. at least that's what i know. what could i possibly not know?
"ryu y/n?" a guy, taller than me, in bomber jacket stands in front of me. i don't remember ever seeing such a guy? "yes?" "ah great! i am from police mr.kwak" he pulls out his police id from the jacket pocket and shows me it. he has shorter hair in the picture. "i am here to talk about the incident and your parents' death" "here?" he laughs at my response. he finds time to laugh while i just lost all my family. "no no let's head to cabinet. my colleague and doctor are already waiting for us" he goes first and i follow him from behind. though it is late, the hospital is full of people who need help. maybe if i got home sooner, if i didn't stay longer to practice, my parents would be here getting treated. we make our way to a different hallway and now it is completely silent and empty. he opens the doors and lets me go in first. a doctor sits by the table while his colleague stands by the window hands crossed.
"please sit down" i go and sit down at the table and the policeman sits down next to the doctor at the other side of the table, putting out a recorder. "please tell your full name and age" "ryu y/n, 21 years old" he takes some map of files and looks through them. seeing my parents' pictures there, i guess they have already collected all the information. "when was the last time you saw your parents alive?" "before heading to training at my dad's martial arts studio in the afternoon" "by the time of your arrival, were they already dead?"
<< i open the doors, the house is oddly dark even though my parents' cars are at the garage. have they gone out for a walk? after exhausting practice, my stomach is practically begging for food. i go to the kitchen and put my hand on the lights switch...it's wet?? i press it and... is that blood? my parents wouldn't go around with dirty hands and especially blood. kitchen is empty and clean... "mom, dad?" no response, what the hell? i pick up a water bottle from the counter and turn around. the bottle falls down, crushing down on the floor and flooding it. this has to be a joke... >>
"yes" "did you also got attacked?" i look at my palms which are in bandages. i scoff. did he forget his glasses at work or is this some joke? i get that they have to go through this procedure, but don't they see? i put my hands up and show them. "yes" "did you happen to see their face or remember any features? that could help us find them faster"
<< i pull my knees up, kicking the guy away and he crashes into the cabinets. all those porcelain dishes shatter. knife stays in my hands as i grip it harder and pull it out of his hands. i jump up and launch myself at him, inserting the knife in his tight. he screams and falls back on the broken cabinet and shattered dishes. who on earth is this fucker?! suddenly someone wraps an arm around my neck and pulls back. shit- another one!? i notice a lightning tattoo on his wrist. air struggles to go through my throat, failing to get free. i look around. the vintage wall clock. i put all my strength together and push back, slamming him in the clock. his hands loosen, i take it and throw him over me. he lands on the glass table and falls through it. they for sure won't leave until i am next to my parents. for the sake of my parents, i can't die. not now. the antique katana. framed on the wall. gifted to my dad by his old master. only one in the world. not meant for use. i run across the room and rip the katana off the wall. the street lights shine on it, dazzling the sword. "fuck..." the man grunts. both guys, faces covered with masks and cap try to flee. sorry dad i hope you can forgive me.
i run after them and swing the katana. not deep enough, only rips their clothes and cuts the arm. i launch my katana again grazing their legs deeply. they roll down on the ground. trying to stab the katana in his body, he kicks me in the stomach. i lose balance and fall down. "RUN!!" the guy who got stabbed screams as he runs away while limping. i take my katana up from the ground and quickly swing it, goes through the guys legs, but not enough to make him stop running. they flee in a couple of seconds and disappear from my vision. "SHIT!!" katana falls by my feet. i failed to protect my parents. even using the katana when my dad taught me so well. i look at my hands all in blood. the hands that failed to use the katana. it was supposed to stay at the wall not to be covered in blood. i promised... i promised my dad i'd never use katana outside the practice room. on people. but they... tremble goes up my body and tears start to fall down. >>
"two guys dressed all black. their faces were covered. one of them had a tattoo of lightning on their wrist" he takes the paper out of the map and pen. "draw it please" i pick up the pen and scribble a few strikes, creating a messy sketch of lightning. "last question. did your parents had some enemies or a bad past?" "i don't know. they haven't told me anything even if something was going on. we were living a peaceful life" the policeman nods and turns off the recorder. "that's all for now. we will contact you if we discover something or need you. also..." he takes his business card and slides it across the table to me. "if you are in any problem and need our help, call. and advise you to stay somewhere else for a while"
his colleague is already standing next to the doors. he really had so much to do all this time. looks like he can't wait to go home. the doctor stands up too along with the policeman and looks at me. "before parting ways... are you ready, do you want to see your parents?" i could feel cold washing over my body as he mentioned my parents. "yes..." "alright, let's go" the doctor opens the doors, without any emotions, but yet comforting looks at me while i make my way out of the room. all i can remember is me following the doctor down the stairs, low and lower, till it's all dark, and in front of me there are doors without any glass. "are you ready?" i take a deep breath and nod in response. he opens the doors.
i thought there would be tables with bodies covered in cloth, but it's just shelves. the other worker in the hospital opens two shelves and pulls out two bodies on the railing. both covered in the same white cloth. the doctor takes it off, revealing the only cut that took my parent's lives. in the morning they had smiles on their face. father taught me martial arts and mom practiced baking new goods for her bakery. whole smelled like lemon, berries, and baked dough. now it is just a blank, blueish face. empty eyes. someone who doesn't know how to attack would be surprised how a single cut can take people's lives. it was done by someone skilled. like my dad. but to kill all family? why and for what? my eyes close. currently in the state i am now, i can't do anything. but mom and dad... i won't dare to die until i catch those jokes who did this to you. and me. i want you to rest in peace. don't worry about me, you have taught me well, next time i'll be more cautious and prepared. i know dad you taught me to not use martial arts and all those melee weapons i have mastered on people... but they are not innocent. i will prove it to you. that i am your best student. and a daughter.