Dark Purple Rose [YiZhan FF]

Chapter 23

Their heads full of spinning and whirling thoughts, all about the events of today, the two of them drove back to Zhan's apartment building, where Yibo parked his car in the spacious parking lot and they made their way to the front entrance and then upstairs to Zhan's apartment. Arriving at his apartment door, Zhan was just about to open the door when his neighbor came out of his apartment and looked at them both in shock. "What happened?" He asked them.

Yibo leaned back against the wall, while Zhan slid into a crouch against the wall. "Nothing." Zhan replied, staring at his hands, on which the dried blood of Isla Isari was sticking. And he now saw the white shirt he had put on for work that morning. It was no longer white. There was a large round reddish-brown spot around the button placket and many small splashes of the same color. Dried blood. Disgusted, Zhan vowed to throw this shirt in the bin. He would never want to wear it again. Because it would only ever remind him of that day and how he held Isla Isari's hand as she lay dying, her conscience easing towards him.

Zhan had been wrong about her. Yes, she was a dangerous woman. And yes, she was a murderer. But she had never intended to do anything to Zhan. Rather, she saved his life as a baby, secretly accompanied him throughout his life, gave his parents money and even a country house. She guarded and protected him. And although Zhan felt deep gratitude for this, he still hated her. Because she was a ruthless murderer who tortured her victims and simply disposed of their chopped-up bodies.

And Zhan had overheard what the agents said about the basement whose door they had broken down. There were only two rooms there. One room was tiled from floor to ceiling. There was a drain in the floor through which any kind of liquid could drain. And in it was a chair like the ones gynecologists have. And a table with lots of small and large tools on it. Knives in different sizes. As well as pliers, from very small to large. And there was an electronic bone saw, rib spreaders and other instruments of torture. In the other room there was a shelf on which there were many bottles of strong and sharp cleaning agents. And in the middle of the room, on the floor, was a large square hole big enough to dispose of entire corpses in.

It was only when Zhan's shoulders were shaken vigorously that he was able to shake off his thoughts and stared at Wen Rouhan. "What happened?" The latter asked again.

But instead of answering, Zhan asked: "What do you actually know? How come your name keeps coming up in the stories I've heard over the last few days?"

"What are you talking about?"

"About Isla Isari. Of Isko. I think she gave him her last name when she took him in. Yes, I think his name is Isko Isari. And I'm talking about the fire in the birth house. And..." Zhan had forgotten what else was there. He was tired, exhausted and didn't even have the strength to think anymore. He needed a shower and sleep.

"I have to go to work now. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Do you hear me?"

Zhan nodded. "Tomorrow." He replied.

Yibo pulled Zhan back to his feet. "Come on, get up. Let's go inside."

Zhan's legs were so weak that they wanted to give way when he stood up. Wen Rouhan grabbed hold, pulled Zhan up to his feet with strong hands and looked at Yibo questioningly. "What happened?"

"Isla Isari is dead." Replied Yibo.

Wen Rouhan stared at him in horror. "She is dead? Who did that? Was it you? Did you kill her?"

"No, we didn't. We don't know who did it. Maybe a guy called Pete Kapajewski. We were just there and saw her die." Yibo said, also feeling that he didn't have much strength left and that his legs would soon give way too. That day had been an absolute horror for Yibo too. Nothing at the academy had prepared him for something like this. So many dead, so much blood, and then the sight of Mrs. Isari dying. Her wounds, but above all, knowing what she had already been through in her life and had freed herself, only to be raped again and then, two hours before her death, shot and left bleeding to death. This woman was a serious criminal and deserved a harsh punishment. But no one deserved to die like that.