Wild Creatures

Chapter 96

11.00am Sunday

Wei Ying clutched at the bars separating him from Mrs Lan.

"Let me go in there!" He said, when she looked at him, addressing his grandmother.

Mrs Lan raised a weak hand up to grasp and clutch at her neck, pulling out a thin string, from which a key dangled.

"Bus station. Locker." And then she stilled, her eyes still open.

Her hand collapsed, uselessly.

For a second, no one moves, too shocked at being present when she passed away.

Wei Ying is aware of being gently moved, and then somebody opens the door. He walks in slowly and kneels by her side.

Baoshan Sanren passes a hand over Mrs Lan's face, closing her eyes.

Wei Ying reaches for her hand. Mrs Lan is cold, as is expected for a vampire, but he squeezes it anyway, wanting to comfort her even now.

"Take the key," his grandmother says, gently. "She was obviously holding on until she saw you."

Wei Ying nods, unable to say anything for now.

He thinks back to when he had first seen her, when he and A-Yuan had gone to their apartment for the first ever time, to drop JingYi off.

The angry words he wanted to yell at her for not coming to school and picking up her kid, dying on his lips when he'd seen the bruises on her face and arms. How his fists had clenched in frustration at not being able to help, unable to offer her peace and sanctuary because she had refused it.

Could he have changed anything for her?

"No." Baoshan Sanren says, ever so quietly. "We can try to help but ultimately, everyone walks on their own path."

Wei Ying hadn't realised he had voiced his thoughts aloud.

"Destiny is written, is that what you're saying?" He doesn't mean to sound bitter, but this death, as so many, all of it could have been avoided.

"Partly, Haizi. You are not responsible for anyone else's choices. People are old enough to know better, and if they don't, it's not your fault. Let's put her to rest, and leave this place. Bad Juju." She helps him to stand and leads him out of the cell, nodding to A-Qing, who sets fire to the corpse.

The heat from the flames makes Wei Ying bury his face in Lan Zhan's chest, eyes burning with tears.

He can mourn this poor woman whose life had disappointed her, throwing one challenge after another her way. And yet, out of all that mess, there was one shining star.

JingYi.

Lan Zhan's arms have already come around him, holding him close. He doesn't say anything either, his silence more comforting than any words could be.

They wait until nothing is left of Mrs Lan, except a pile of ashes.

"What about him?" A-Qing points to the other dead body, Mr Lan.

"He can rot." Wei Ying growls, not even sparing him a second glance.

But as they exit the room, Lan Zhan is still looking around.

"What? What is it?" Wei Ying asks, joining him.

"I can still hear the heartbeat of another human." Lan Zhan says, walking towards this final door.

It is unlocked, and there's another cell here.

There's a lady sitting on the ground, who immediately jumps up and then sways, clearly not in the best of health.