asylum°nct dream

asylumㅡ twenty

  "Your uncle is paralyzed but, overall, he's still fine," the doctor tells the three sisters.

  Mei Zhen stares at their uncle's door ward. "How did he get paralyzed? Is that even possible?"

  "Does your uncle have any enemies or rivals, maybe?"

  The three exchange eye contact, telepathically asking one another. "We're not sure but, he is a police officer."

  At her answer, the doctor nods. "Ah, I see. Have you all had breakfast? The hospital cafeteria is already open downstairs."

  "Then, we'll have our meal there first. Thank you and please take care of our uncle," Mei Lien says before they give a bow to the white robed man.

  Three of them walk to the elevator and arrive downstairs in silence.

  "It's weird and scary no matter how much I think of it," Xing admits as she stares at the bowl of seaweed soup.

  She's been the quietest since from home and now's the first time she actually spoke a sentence with more than three words. 

  "I want to say something positive but, I think the same way. Getting paralyzed so suddenly? Seems too weird," Mei Lien says.  

  Mei Zhen plays the straw stabbed into her caramel latte. "It must be one of his rival at work or something. Who else could do this? Whoever he is, he's crazy!"  

  "A psycho, really," Lien adds in perplexity.

  Xing scrapes her bowl of warm soup. "They might even be closer to us than we think."

  Just the thought makes them shiver.

  The oldest's phone suddenly, chimes and she checks to see an unwanted message from her teacher.

  "Shoot, I forgot I had a test today! I missed it last time because I spent the whole time in the toilet to skip it. But, she told me I had to take it still," Zhen groans. "If I miss today, she's literally going to put a zero on my grade and I don't have a health permission slip as an excuse."

  Lien looks at the white clock hanging on the white wall. "There's still a period before break. If we go to school now, we'll get there by recess and then, you can have your test. That period's after break, right?"

  "Yeah."

  The three put away their trays and head for school despite not wanting to.

- - - -

  Seojun hums casually while buying a drink from the vending machine behind the school, near the field since the usual one at front is in repair.

  Only his hums and the weak rustle of leaves can be heard while he presses on the buttons.

  The sound of footsteps makeshim turn his head and he smiles brightly. With his arm high to greet, he asks, "Hey, Chenle! You buying a drink too?"

  But, the boy says nothing and instead, grips his collar before slamming him onto the machine.

  The look of an enraged beast is pasted on Chenle's face as his grip chokes the unsuspecting person.