Blood Lust

Gao Fan

"Sigh. I'm bored." Gao was sitting on the top branch of a tree on a cool, windy morning. He closed his eyes for a moment and an image of a burning building appeared.

"Gao, run my child! Go!" said her mom, her half body was crushed by a fallen concrete of the building. Gao was still a kid.

"Mama!" He cried. Their apartment building was on fire, a blaze made the kid step back.

"Hey! There's a kid in here!" the firefighter grabbed young Gao, he struggled and wanted to go back to the body that's already been devoured by the fire.

"No! No! My... My mama!"

"Hang in there kid. We're gonna get you out of here."

Gao heard a woman screaming before everything else disappear.

Before he open his eyes. He heard a lady talking with a guy.

"Poor kid, this surely will traumatize him."

"Patience and kindness will replace what he lost, sir."

"There's nothing that can replace what he had lost, what I can do is only to add something that will make him forget the bad ones."

He opened his eyes.

"Gao? How are you feeling, child?"

Gao tried to say something. But there's no sound coming out. He tried again, but there's no voice coming out.

"That maybe is an effect of trauma. To be honest, there's no telling when he's going to speak or will he able to speak again, but it is always possible with a lot of love, care and patience." Said the doctor briefly.

2 years after Gao left the hospital.

"Gao, come and let's eat." said his uncle, one of the most caring man he ever met. The man is his mother's cousin. "Wash your hands first."

They put their hand together and his uncle said "Thank You for the food.!" They were living in a small village and had a very simple house that has no room. There's only a bed and they shared it. His uncle's wife is already dead because of a disease and they haven't been blessed with a child so he lives alone.

"We are going to the town to sell some fish. So be good, okay?" His uncle smiled gently.

Gao can only smile at the old man and so, he took the wrinkled hand that made him believe in life again. After they sold their fish, his uncle bought him a small ball and he was very happy, he smiled at his uncle as a way of saying thank you and they walked home.

"In this life, always choose happiness, Gao. Whatever the world throws on you, you have to keep fighting until the end, you can always rest if you're tired, but never give up." said the old man wisely.

Gao looked at his uncle blinked, he couldn't understand what he's trying to say.

"You'll understand when you're older." They were home and they rested.

"GIVE ME MY MONEY OLD MAN." The growl of the fat man with two guys woke the kid.

"Please, this is all I have. I can give you more next time." Pleaded the old man.

"There's no more next time. Oh, I see you have a kid in there, you could give him to us in exchange."

"Please, please not the kid. He's just a kid."

"Boys, take him."

"NO!"

*BANG

Gao was getting scared. Who are these men and what do they want? Why is his uncle laying there, blood coming out of his head? All he wanted was a peaceful and simple start. How did it come to this? Years and years, Gao has been their dog, they were hitting him when the men are drunk. It came a time that he decided to ran away, but one of the men caught up with him in an empty alley and beat him up until he spits blood. Suddenly, a gorgeous lady came out of nowhere, she hit the man with only her hand at the back of his head and he collapsed. He forced his eyes to stay open and want to thank the lady for saving him but unfortunately, it's not cooperating, and then he lost consciousness.

Gao woke up with tears on his eyes.

Later that night...

"Mind if I join you?"

"Go ahead." The black-haired girl answered not even looking as she drowns her last beer.

"Six shots of your best tequila please."

The bartender gave the six shots and the blonde guy gave the other three to Harumi. They are in a night club, blinding neon lights, drunk people who don't even bother knowing each other's names making out in the corner, sweaty people grinding each other on the dance floor and a stoned Dj. Currently, Harumi and Gao are in the bar counter.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?"

Gao smiled. "Cheers!"

They clink their glass and drank it straight up to the last shot.

"Wooh!" exclaimed the blonde like he just drunk a very cold soda on a hot afternoon. Harumi clenched her eyes and put a lemon with salt in her mouth.

"Why are you alone? Where's Yuzu?"

"Sometimes a girl needs her alone time to keep her sanity. Why are you here?"

"Same reasons." Gao ordered more shots.

"But you're always alone, why'd you still need that?"

'This bitch.' Gao cursed in his head.

"Does Yuzu know?"

"Know what?"

"That you like her."

Harumi choked and spits the water she was drinking.

"Oh look. Karma!" the blonde teased.

"Why you...!!" Harumi pinched Gao's cheeks. "

They clinked their glasses and took the shots, each of them slightly feeling the effect of the alcohol.

"Where the hell did that come from?"

"I see the way you look at her. Whenever you see her, your eyes soften like marshmallows. If you hear her say something, you pay attention to her details especially her lips."

"So what if I like her? It doesn't mean that I have to confess. There are things that I value more than my love to her."

"Are you afraid of rejection?"

"No. All I'm saying is I'm contented of where we are now."

"But... Don't you want more?"

Harumi put her hand under her chin. She got caught off guard with the blonde's question.

"Hi gorgeous, wanna ditch the blonde and drink with me instead?" a tall guy with a black brushed up hair appeared and obviously drunk.

"Sigh. You know what? I may."

"HEY!" said an annoyed Gao.

Harumi whispered something on the guy's ear and he walked away laughing.

"What the hell was that?? What did you say??"

"Come on, let's have another round!"

"CHEERS!!"

"Let's get out of here."