Rogue One: An Untamed Story

Chap 6: Fate Is A Cruel Thing

Liu Yang's Pov:

Liu Yang had cried herself dry after what felt like hours. The smell of blood never dissipated, and the Chens still laid on the floor motionless. Her head spun from the smell, but she didn't move, choosing to stay and letting death come claim her too.

'I have to bury them. I have to help their souls move on.' She reasoned with herself to make herself get up from the floor. But her limbs were as stiff as wooden boards, and she had no energy left to even raise her head.

Her ear twitched at the sound of sniffling. Slowly, she raised her head. No, it wasn't sniffling. It was sobbing. There was someone else in the house. Alive, still.

"Ah-Chen!" Liu Yang croaked out, realising that she didn't see Chen Jun's body anywhere. A small burst of hope lit up in her chest, but she made sure not to hope too much.

Liu Yang forced herself to her feet, picking up her fallen weapons and putting them back in their holders. She said a silent prayer to the dead couple on the floor, before leaving the kitchen to go find their hopefully alive son.

She followed the sound to the couple's bedroom. It would be offensive to enter without permission, but now wasn't the time to care about one's manners. She barged in, and just like the main room, in was also in a mess. Drawers were rummaged, things were broken and belongings were stolen. Liu Yang's fists clenched at her sides.

"Ah-Chen! Ah-Chen!" She called out for the boy, her voice growing more and more desperate by the second.

There was no verbal response, except a thumping sound coming from the cupboard. Liu Yang looked towards the cupboard, and only did she notice the wooden plank keeping the doors shut from the outside.

She reached out to remove the plank, but then retracted her hand when she suspected that it might not be Ah-Chen in there.

What if it were someone else? Given by the mess they made, there must have at least been five people that had attacked the Chen couple and robbed the house. What if the Chens had managed to trap at least one goon?

If so, then at least Liu Yang had someone she could use to interogate (read: torture for information and to exact revenge).

Liu Yang made up her mind and unsheathed Huiqing. She removed the plank and threw open the cupboard doors. She put away her dagger when she met the sobbing boy cowering in fear. 

Liu Yang knelt down to Chen Jun's level and gently coaxed the boy out. Once he recognised who it was, Ah-Chen leapt into Liu Yang's arms and buried his face into the crook of her neck.

Liu Yang blinked away her unshed tears and tightened her hold on the boy. Her heart ached at the thought of the boy losing his parents at such a young age.

What made matters worse that Ah-Chen was a smart boy, he understood the concept of death like how he understood the game of hide-and-seek. His parents death would weigh heavy on his young heart, and Liu Yang refused to break the news to him.

But it wasn't safe. It was no longer safe to stay in the hut. The goons who robbed the house had murdered two of its occupants. If they came back, they were sure to come for Ah-Chen to finish the job.

So, Liu Yang broke the news to Ah-Chen. Threading it lightly yet not sugar-coating it. When she finished, she run her hand through Ah-Chen's hair to comfort him. Another hand rubbed circles on his back.

The boy remained silent through it all, the only sound from him were his sniffles and muffled sobs.

Fate was a cruel thing.
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