Chapter 139: 139
“This is rough. Russel just started to form a bond with James. This is all too sudden.” I thought to myself.
“Here. I’m gonna replace the bullets later.” I handed him his pistol back.
“Thanks… I’ll pick up the casings I’ve used so you could use them again.” he replied as he holstered it.
“Already did.” I replied.
He gives a faint and bitter smile and I patted his back.
“How are you?” I asked.
“I think I just need a bit of time. That… that was different. I was just teaching James yesterday on how to ride the bicycle and how to play chess and now we’re just burning him. He turned to one of those things, right?” he replied.
“Yeah.” I replied.
“Thank you.” he said.
“For what?” I asked.
“I thought you were gonna keep his head. That’s why I just looked down while covering my eyes. You could’ve secretly cut his head off and stored it but you didn’t. That means something to me.” Russel said.
I just kept silent.
“I Almost did. Those sentries are very hard to come by. If I didn’t know them, I would have kept it.” I thought to myself.
Kaley and Oscar wore surprised expressions though they remained quiet as well.
“Take a bit of rest for now and I’ll ask Marisha to talk to you later.” I said.
“Kaley’s mom? What for?” he asks.
“Mom knows a lot about what’s going around in our heads. She could help you to what you’re feeling right now by talking.” Kaley chimed in.
“Does it really help?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I replied but Oscar has a look that said ‘You hypocrite!’
I just shook my head and we all headed back.
The looks on their faces are still somewhat down but it’s a step in the right direction compared to earlier. Everyone has different ways in handling their emotions and I saw Marisha talking to everyone one by one or in a small group now.
“She’s already started, that’s good.” I said to myself.
“What’s the plan now kid?” Oscar asked.
“I’ll grab the back hoe and the dump truck at the construction site a few ways away from the DDR Camp with my group and I’ll make Johnny take charge of the guys at the 3rd road like yesterday. Tell him to make them get everything from the houses that would be dismantled and double check the place again in case some of them wandered off or stuck in a ditch. I’d like you to double-check with Ken the people we would be taking.” I said.
“We’ll be doing Project Fishing in a bit too?” he asked.
“Let’s do that in the afternoon since I’ll be also helping you guys after we grab the vehicles” I said.
“I could also go pay a visit to my other friend’s houses.” I thought to myself.
I brought my group out and headed for the construction company’s place.
“Bro.” Jared spoke.
“Yeah?” I replied.
“Can’t believe we’ll be going out to clean garbage now. Heh.” He said.
“Well, it’s tedious but still a necessary job.” I replied.
“Think we’ll find something like last time?” he said.
“Last time? Oh shit, that was rough. We might, but we’ll never know if it’s from her or them now. It’s been too long.” I said.
“What are you guys talking about?” Kaley scrunched her eyebrows.
“Oh, this was from back then in the 90’s. Did you know that the 3rd road was used to be called the Devil’s Island?” I said.
The group now looked at me.
“Why? Is the woman you’re talking about a witch doctor or something?” Kaley said.
“Worse. Well… something like that.” I said as I looked at the distance.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Sky!” Kaley exclaimed.
“What?” I looked at her innocently.
“Isn’t this the time you tell us this story? You always tell the whole story if we talk about things!” she exclaimed.
“Oh, ahaha… well this story is really dark. Wanna hear it?” I said.
“Why are you now concerned about the story if it would be dark or not? Just tell us!” she replied.
“Well, don’t blame me later.” I said as I adjust my sitting position.
“This thing happened when I was in elementary. Jared here just heard the story from us when my uncle and I were talking about it. The 3rd road before does not look like that at all before. It’s actually a place where people would squat in and just build their houses there without permission.” I started.
“But why is it called a Devil’s Island?” Tatiana chimed.
“Well, in the following years, it became a hiding spot for small-time criminals. Whether you’re a burglar, thief, drug dealer and etc., you could make that place a safe haven.” I said.
“But you said it was a place for informal settlers, how can it be a safe haven?” Kaley asked.
“Oh yeah, a couple there moved in. The guy became the kingpin there and his woman was a doctor with no formal practice. A few guys with wounds or any other medical needs is handled by the lady there. She would just patch them up with anything but the patch was crude as f.u.c.k. I remember one that she patched up was sent to the hospital and had to amputate his leg since it grew worse. The leg of the guy grew very discolored and they had to cut it off.” I said.
“Right! Dad said he knew the guy from work. The guy used to work at where my dad used to work as well but dad said the guy got fired for stealing a few expensive equipment.” Jared chimed.
“But what does it connect to the garbage?” Tatiana asked.
“I’m building up on it. That’s how a good story works you know?” I said.
If you could hear an eyeroll, you’d hear it when Kaley’s eye rolled.
“It’s coming, just listen.” I said while smiling.
“She slowly got better cause of the number of people that came to her for assistance. But it got really worse again when the ladies started to come to her.” I said.
“For what?” Kaley asked.
“Abortion.” I replied.
“But why don’t they just go to a clinic?” Tatiana asked.
“Here? You’ll find no such thing, specially back then. It’s illegal here. You could find a doctor to do it but it costs a lot of money. The people living there back then is broke as hell. They would literally stab you for a cup of rice.” I said.
“How much does the lady charge then?” Kaley asked.
“Nothing. She finds cutting up people into pieces and sewing them back together fun. Getting operated by her is like playing Russian Roulette but using a semi-auto instead of a revolver. You’d only live if the gun jams or the bullet is a blank. Anyway, she has a couple of successful ones but on the unsuccessful ones… that’s where it gets dicey.” I said.
“What happened then?” Tatiana asked.
“She’d just close the incision on some of them but some would die later. But the ones who didn’t survive the operation, not so much. She’d cut them up and just throw them to the creek to get washed over. The fetuses that she removed? She’d throw them there as well.” I said without flinching.
Kaley almost retched and Tatiana has a mix of emotions in her face.
“Don’t tell me they’re still alive?” Kaley asked.
“Of course not. When the mayor caught wind of what has been happening. He organized a raid and made sure the couple died there. Let me circle back now, Jared and I had a friend in the 3rd road before and we used to play at their house which was atop the wooden poles. This was a few years after the couple got killed. They have this huge wooden pole there where a net is attached at the end. Almost all of them there have one at their houses in case they drop something below since the garbage below acts as a safety, they could easily pick it up. When we were there, we were playing with it. It got stuck to something and we can’t pull it out.” I said.
“What did it get stuck to?” Kaley asked.
“A bag with a dead baby inside.” I said.
“W-w-wait, I thought she already died?” Kaley asked.
“She did, but her customers didn’t. Even if the place got occupied by a few decent people, some of the old occupants there are still in there though most became docile. With no one to take the baby out, they would just birth them normally and throw them down the creek below. If people from other places took an interest in the baby, they would sell it but if not… they would be disposed of. Devils, right?” I concluded.
“That is also where that asshole came from.” I said to myself.
Time passed by quickly from the talk earlier and it’s a few more minutes until we reach the place.
The place is in front of a high-end preschool. It’s next to a spa on the right side and a small gym on the left side. The spa is named ‘Body and Soul’, the construction company ‘Bodhi Builders’, and the gym Seoul’s Body Builders. We reached the place eventually and I can’t help but smirk when I saw their company names.
“Why are you smiling?” Kaley asked. But when she saw the company name, she couldn’t help but smile and shake her head in amus.e.m.e.nt.