GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 42: Farewell

Singha, using his tongue to press against his cheek to lessen his irritation. Why do those who try to live a normal life leave so soon? Living like they stole someone’s life, they die so hard and cold.

The flames began to consume the haystack and the decaying wooden walls, these fine fuels making the fire spread faster. Bom, himself covered in severe wounds, was slowly being burnt away through the veil of tears, before looking up at Singha with vengeful eyes.

“Because of you, everything that happened is because of you.”

“You’re good at blaming others, just like when you’re acting to deceive others.”

“This time, I’ll make sure you’re definitely dead.”

“This time, I’ll shove my foot in your mouth, you brat.”

Bom looked at his father’s body, then charged directly at Singha without any skill. Meanwhile, the young inspector dodged and kicked Bom in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. Singha’s subordinate, frowned because the excessive movement had caused the severe wound on his stomach to start tearing open.

Bom was breathing rapidly before forcing himself to stand up and charge at Singha again. He swung his leg, but the other managed to block it with his arm in time. The young inspector countered with a punch to Bom’s face, making him bleed from the mouth, but Bom had already lost his senses. He showed no signs of pain, even a little. With the ritual ruined, his father dead, and himself about to be arrested, Bom had nothing left to lose at this point.

The thick smoke made visibility and breathing increasingly difficult. The fire spreading everywhere began to emit intense heat. Singha bit his lip slightly as pain surged through his body. His sharp eyes glanced at the wound on his stomach, noticing the blood was flowing out again due to the intense muscle movement.

Outside the mill, there were several police cars and ambulances lined up. Thup and Merk handed over the injured to the medical team before collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.

“Damn, thought we wouldn’t make it.” Merk complained in his usual manner.

“Phii Singha hasn’t come out yet.”

“He’ll come out soon; he’s probably checking on the survivors.”

“And what do we do next?”

“Like always, prosecute the survivors, dig up every related case, and follow all legal procedures. Those bastards are going to be in for a headache.”

“Let me check your symptoms.” two medics approached them. Just as Thup was about to extend his hand, he caught sight of smoke billowing from the mill’s roof with the corner of his eye.

“Hold on…” Thup rejected the treatment to get a better look. “There shouldn’t be smoke… Khun Merk!! The place is on fire!!”

“What’s that!” Merk jumped up from the ground before looking at the same spot as the kid next to him. “Call the fire truck!!!! Call the fire truck now!!”

He turned to order the officers who were preparing to enter the scene where sparks were beginning to show, signaling that the situation inside was even worse. The structure of this old mill was mostly wood, and with piles of straw inside, it only fueled the fire to spread faster.

“Phii Singha hasn’t come out… Phii Singha hasn’t come out at all.”

“Calm down first-, Hey!!. Where are you going, come back here!!!”

Thup didn’t listen to the calls from behind. In his mind, there was only the thought that Singha was still inside, Singha hadn’t come out.

Meanwhile, a policeman and a criminal were grappling on the ground, each taking turns to land punches without holding back. As Singha was throwing a punch at Bom, causing his cheekbone to crack, the other grabbed a burning piece of wood and swung it against Singha’s side, knocking him down too.

“You think you’re tough, huh? If the ghost can’t do anything to you, then I’ll do it myself!!” Bom straddled Singha, a sadistic smile appearing on his blood and wound-covered face when he saw Singha’s pained expression as he pressed on his waist, “Right here.”

“Ugh!!!” Bom repeatedly hit the same wound on Singha, pain shooting from his feet to his brain. Singha bit his lip until it bled before using what strength he had left to punch Bom squarely in the nose, breaking it.

“Ouch!! That freaking hurts!!” Bom held his nose and then picked up a nearby piece of wood, pointing it at Singha who had just forced himself to stand up, “Let’s see what kind of ghost you’ll become when you die.”

“The kind that… you wouldn’t want to meet.” Singha spat blood onto the ground.

Both stood eyeing each other warily. This time, Singha was the first to move towards Bom. The piece of wood raised above Bom’s head, ready to strike, was punched in half by Singha’s bare hand. Then, with a swift kick to Bom’s chest, Singha knocked him back. The young inspector walked over, straddling Bom, looking down with a cold, intimidating gaze that made Bom shiver. With his foot, Singha repeatedly stomped on Bom’s chest, causing him such pain he almost coughed up blood. It didn’t feel like the strength of someone with severe injuries, but like the force of Lord Vaisravaṇa ready to take his life right then.

The scorching flames drew closer until Singha had to stop what he was doing, certain that Bom had already passed out. Singha then stepped back before collapsing to his knees on the ground, his breath slowing down, the air replaced by toxic smoke, the pain throughout his body turning numb until he could barely feel anything. As Singha was about to fall forward, his vision started to blur, making everything unclear, when a pair of hands came to support him.

“Phii Singha! Phii Singha, hang in there!”

The familiar voice made Singha try to open his eyes once more; the image before him was so blurry he had to raise his hand to touch it to believe it was real, “You… little rascal.”

“It’s me, Thup.” Thup tried to bring his older brother back to consciousness, the blood flowing, covering his abdomen, forcing the young man to take off his shirt and press it there. Thup looked around for an escape route. When he had run in, the fire hadn’t reached the front, but now that path was engulfed in raging flames, the glass shattered. “Phii Singha, don’t fall asleep, let’s get out of here.”

“You, ugh, go… now.”

“Hold on, Phii, just hold on.” Thup gently laid Singha down on the floor. He walked around before tearing his own t-shirt, dipping it into a bucket of water meant for offerings to spirits, and then used it to cover both his and the older man’s noses.

“Get… out…”

“Can you stand, Phii?” Singha looked towards the fire that was now spreading everywhere, then at the person supporting him.

“Go… away…”

“Stop it, Phii!!” Thup turned to yell at the person in his arms with a quivering voice, “I’m going to get you out of here, no matter how much you tell me to leave, I won’t go. Not until you’re out, not until you’re safe. Only then can you tell me to leave.”

Singha chose to swallow the blood in his throat before letting out a soft laugh. Since when did this young dog dare to raise his voice at him?

“Stubborn.” Thup looked left and right for an exit, before he saw a burnt, brittle piece of wood through which he could see outside.

“I’ll try, okay?” Thup gently laid the older man down again, then rushed towards a sturdy object he could use to break the wooden slats for an escape route, all the while occasionally glancing back at Singha. Judging by the amount of blood and the smoke inhalation, if he didn’t hurry, Singha’s life would be in grave danger.

Thup decided to run over to Lieutenant Khem’s body, respectfully saluting him before removing Lieutenant Khem’s jacket to cover himself. He approached the spot he first noticed, the young man looked ahead with determined eyes, then charged without regard for his life to smash through the brittle wooden wall. His first attempt only managed to crack the wood slightly. Thup stepped back to prepare for another charge. Despite the burns on his arm, he didn’t stop, took a deep breath to focus, and charged at the wooden wall again.

“Success!!!” The wall broke open, creating a hole wide enough for someone to get through. Thup hurriedly went back inside the mill to drag the older man out, as the fiery ceiling began to collapse dangerously. Thup supported Singha, leading him towards the exit, but before they could step out, a hand grabbed his ankle.

“I… won’t… let… you… go.” Thup looked down at the person clutching his ankle. All the chaos, the lives of others, and his own life being ruined, stemmed from the greed and superstition of two people. Thup kicked Bom on the chin before leading Singha outside without looking back.

The flames fiercely consumed the mill, lighting up the night sky. Hundreds of crows circled above, a sign, according to belief, that a practitioner of dark magic had released his curse.

The young man quickly fetched Merk and the medical team to check on Singha’s condition immediately. He stood by watching as doctors and nurses examined Singha, while the police and firefighters did their utmost to manage the situation. No matter who approached to ask about the condition, to examine, or to make a statement, Thup paid no mind because…

“No pulse!!” The only person he cared about now was unconscious before him.

The medical team performed CPR and first aid until they could move Singha onto the ambulance, just like Thup who insisted on riding in the same vehicle as the older man. Merk, who was the most stable at the moment, was reluctantly given the duty to oversee the situation, but if not him, there would hardly be anyone else in good enough condition.

On the way to the hospital, Thup held the hand of the unconscious person the entire way. He could only stare at the heart rate monitor, and although he didn’t know much, he knew that a normal person shouldn’t have such a low heart rate.

“Phii Singha, stay with me, don’t go anywhere yet. I’ve got no one else. Really.” Thup whispered, his voice pleading, tears dropping, clear against his soot and wound-covered cheeks, “You have to wake up and chase me away, huh, wake up and tell me to leave you… otherwise, I can’t go anywhere, really.”

The emergency vehicle stopped in front of the hospital. Singha was rushed into the ICU along with Darin and King. Thup stood dazed in front of the room, staring at the door with a vacant look.

“Hey, Thup.” a voice called from behind, making Thup turn slowly.

“Phii Say”

“You should get your wounds treated first.”

“But…”

“Do you want Singha to see you like this when he comes out?” Say was sitting in a wheelchair. He had heard from the police reporting the situation that lives were saved from this murder case but wasn’t told who. Seeing Thup in front of the ICU, he guessed one of them must be his close friend, Singha.

Say sighed as he watched the young man follow the nurse to get his wounds treated. Given Thup’s condition with both burns and external wounds, he didn’t want to imagine how severe his friend’s condition might be. Say waited outside the room for hours, hoping a doctor would come out to say his friend was out of danger or safe.

Thup was sitting while a nurse treated his wounds, her words like whispers he could barely hear. His mind wasn’t there at all; he was scared, too scared to sit in front of that room, afraid of seeing the older man’s spirit floating out, afraid that this goodbye would be like all the others in his life.

“The wounds on your hand and shoulder need stitches.”

“Yes.”

“We might need to do an internal examination.”

“Yes.”

Once all the wounds had been properly treated according to the procedures, Thup was about to be taken for a thorough physical examination. But, while being wheeled out into the hallway, Thup’s eye caught a glimpse of Singha walking past the corridor corner. The young man immediately stood up and ran after him, ignoring the nurse’s shouts from behind. In his life, he had never thought of running towards a ghost or a spirit out of fear, but he chose to run towards his mother at the rice mill for the first time, and this time, he chose to run after what he saw for the second time.

When he reached another intersection of the hallway, Thup found only emptiness. He might have been seeing things, it could have been someone else, it might not have been a person, as he thought. Thup decided to run back to the front of the ICU room again, and upon seeing Say still sitting there, he rushed over immediately, “Phi Singha… Has Phii Singha come out yet?”

“Not yet, that brat named Bom was just wheeled in.”

“And…?”

“King has been moved to the recovery room. Rin is out of critical condition but needs to be observed for symptoms.” Say paused before shifting his gaze from the door to the young man in front of him, “Singha’s heart stopped once.”

Thup’s eyes rimmed with heat, his throat dry, his hands shaking so much he had to clasp them together.

“Singha’s condition is serious, Thup. He inhaled a lot of smoke, severe, lost a lot of blood, and his heart stopped too.” The wounds also…

“No, Phii Singha will be fine, Phii Singha is that skilled, Phii Singha…” Thup shook his head vigorously before wiping away the tears streaming down his cheeks with the back of his hand, “I really want to see Phii Singha, Phii Singha, where are you?”

Thup slumped down and burst into tears without shame, only two people remained waiting there. One was a friend he’d known for over ten years. The other was a boy he happened to meet, happened to live with, happened to bond with, but intentionally fell in love with unconditionally.

Inside the chaotic operating room where they’re fighting to save a life on the table, another bag of blood is hung, tools are passed into the doctor’s hands, performing today’s surgery with expertise. They are doing everything they can. Now it’s only up to how much the unconscious person will fight.

Singha was looking around a familiar house. He walks over to look at a picture hanging on the wall and realizes it’s a photo of his family, everyone smiling happily.

“Phii Singha.” a small voice of a little girl calls his attention, making him turn around.

“Mesa?”

“You’re late again, I’ve been waiting for so long, you have to come play with me.” Mesa says as she takes his hand and leads him outside, through the village, to a riverside that seems like a memory but is devoid of people, making Singha frown. “You have to push the swing for me too.”

“Where are Mom and Dad, Mesa?”

“I don’t know where Dad went, but Mom isn’t here yet.”

The two walk to the small community playground, where Mesa sits on the swing and gives a wide smile to her brother standing in front of her. Singha sighed endearingly because if he came home late from school, his sister would always make him push her on the swing like this.

“You’ve grown up so much.”

“You’re the one who hasn’t grown at all.”

“Are you happy, big brother? Do you eat a lot of food?”

“I don’t know, maybe.” Singha answered according to his feelings before he catches on. He looks at his own hands holding the swing’s chains and then down at his grown feet. “Mesa…”

“Do you miss me?”

Singha paused, then squats down in front of his little sister, gently stroking her round cheek before answering the question she wants to know.

“I miss you, I miss you so much.” He has grown because he’s living his life, while Mesa remains the same size because she hasn’t lived since that day. “I’m sorry, Mesa, I’m really sorry, I’m a brother who’s no good.”

“Oh, oh, don’t cry, dear brother, I’ll share my dolls with you to play with.”

“I’m sorry, sob, I’m really sorry.” Singha said, holding the small hand against his cheek before crying like he hadn’t since the day his sibling left.

“It’s not your fault, dear brother, I never blamed you.”

“If I had listened, sob. If I had listened to you…”

“You’ve always listened to me. You checked under the bed for me every night, you swung the swing for me because I said I didn’t want to be alone.” Mesa smiled at the older man until her dimples showed, a small smile on her cheek, “You’ve always listened, Phii Singha.”

Mesa gently rubbed the older man’s cheek.

“I have to go now.” She said comfortingly before getting down from the swing.

“Where are you going? Can I come with you?” The little girl thought for a moment before shaking her head vigorously.

“Mom said one day we’ll all meet again.”

“But…”

“You have to eat a lot, okay? Then you can come see me waaay later.” Mesa hugged the older man’s neck one last time, kissing both cheeks as she always did, “I love you,Phii Singha, and mom and dad so much.”

Singha looked at his sister’s wide smile before everything became so bright he had to close his eyes.

The ICU room door opened, and the doctor who had been treating him walked out with a more relaxed expression. Say and Thup, who were waiting with hope, stood up together, their hearts pounding. Thup bit his lip until it bled, but he felt no pain; what hurt was his heart at that moment.

“The patient is out of danger now.”

 

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME