The Soothsayer - Malignancy

And their voices drowned in the complete ruins of the rain.

Rois' Diner - Melbourne, Australia. Year 2005.

There were downpour all over the country. Outside the twenty-four hours diner parked a dozen police cars with blazing sirens and two ambulances. The rain hit them mercilessly. A dozen black umbrellas cowered in shivers in face of the storm.

Lieutenant Ron gnawed the tobacco in his mouth like an old goat.

Sergeant Percy brought Sarah Qwek to the lieutenant.

'Lieutenant. She is here. She's the one.'

Lieutenant Ron took a quick look at Qwek and returned his glaze back to the diner. 'Media's crawling over all the place, Percy.' He said.

'I'll get to it. Sir.' Replied the ever efficient sergeant.

'No. no.' Said Lieutenant Ron as he looked at Qwek again. 'Let them see how the chinky rodents are ruining this country. Let them know.'

Sergeant Percy defended Qwek and shot hastily, 'Sir! It is not appropriate!'

Lieutenant Ron spoke without looking at them, 'Yeah. Yeah. Pecker. Go get the girl in.'

As Qwek went along with Sergeant Percy, she stared at Lieutenant Ron and said, 'Fuck you.'

Lieutenant Ron laughed as if he heard the funniest joke in the world.

Sergeant Percy briefed Qwek as they approached the diner in caution, 'Listen carefully. Get her to calm down and drop the gun. Or hold her off as long as you can, until we figure out a way to get you.'

Qwek said in the freezing cold, 'Are you guys going to shoot her?'

Sergeant Percy said, 'Mdm, no promises here. Your friend shot four people dead in there.'

Qwek exclaimed, 'Four! You didn't mentioned about dead people just now!'

Sergeant Percy coaxed, 'You are the only one she wants to see. You need to help her out. Is she not your friend?'

Qwek said, 'Yes. She is.'

And from here, Sarah Qwek went on along. She pushed open the plastic door, held her hands up and entered the dark diner. She saw a couple of bodies moving in the low of the shadowy corner.

'Jane?' Said Qwek recalling that her friend had a gun, was hysterical and shot four people dead. Her voice was almost a whimper. She calmed herself and called out again, 'Jane. It's Sarah. I'm here. Where are you?'

'Sarah!' Masaki ran over from the booth seat at the end and hugged her friend tightly. 'Oh Sarah baby! I'm in so much shit now!'

'Fuck. Jane. What the fuck happened?' Asked Qwek as she sat them down in a booth seat. She could see the police sirens blazing from the glossy window.

'I don't know. I don't know. It was Justin. He made me do it.' Said Masaki in quivering lips, not at all looking at Qwek.

'Where's Justin?'

'There. With his best friends.' Masaki pointed to a corner of three corpses. Justin and his two friends had been shot dead in the head and chest. It was a bloody mess.

'Fuck, oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.' Exclaimed Qwek holding her hair, 'Where's your gun?'

'Sarah. Please don't be mad! You need to help me! I have no one to turn to now.' Pleaded Masaki.

'The gun. Jane. Where's the gun?' Repeated Qwek again.

'It's in my pants.'

'Give it to me.' Said Qwek sternly.

'No. Baby. No.'

'You asked for help. Now give me the gun.'

'No.' Said Masaki firmly. She was crying.

'Then I'm going to leave you here. I can't help you.' Explained Qwek.

'Don't.' Begged Masaki as she handed over the gun to Qwek. The piece of tool felt so heavy in her hands.

'Okay. Okay. Next you are going to release them.' Qwek was referring to the dozen of hostages at the bar. They were the common people wanting to have dinner at the diner in shirts and ties. Masaki had them tied and gagged.

'Sit with me. I need this. Talk to me about something else. What are they going to do to me when they caught me?' Asked Masaki in sobs.

'Oh dear.' Said Qwek as she hugged Masaki. 'I don't know.'

'Sit with me. Talk to me about something else. Spend some time with me before they get me.' Said Masaki, holding onto Qwek's sleeve.

'Percy said four. There were four.' Remembered Qwek. 'Jane. There were four deaths.'

'I don't know what you are saying.'

Qwek looked at the hostages. One of the hostage looked to the direction of the kitchen.

'No. Don't go there. Baby.' Fought Masaki.

Qwek went into the kitchen. She saw a lady tied and gagged to the edge of the table. She was unconscious and breathing. There were a trail of blood on the floor leading to the freezer. Qwek opened the door of the freezer and found a dead girl on the icy floor. She looked about five. She was shot in the head. Qwek shut the freezer tightly and mouthed in fear, 'Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god....'

'What have you done? Jane. What happened?' Asked Qwek feeling the blood and the life of hers drained and emptied as she returned to the booth seat.

'It was an accident. I was angry and panicked. I kept firing. And it hit the girl. It was not supposed to. I couldn't face her so I dragged her to a place where I couldn't. Her mother was threatening me. I had to tie her away to a place where I can't face her too.' Said Masaki.

'Oh shit. Oh shit. Jane. What have gotten into you? A killing spree?' Said Qwek.

'Don't judge me. Not when you don't know what they did to me. Don't be that bitch.' Said Masaki.

'Fair enough. I'm sorry. I'm really am.' Qwek said. 'What exactly happened?'

'Can we talk about something else? Just sit down and talk about something else.' Smiled Masaki with tears on her beautiful face. 'Tell me about the book that Blanc wrote. Have you finished it? What happened?'

Qwek sat down and held Masaki's hand. 'Bou Blanc. Ahem. Well. It's like what we said, everything falls apart. It was God's will all along, or so the speculation suggested. It's like Noah Ark again, just that this time, only heaven and hell came under scrutiny. Heaven and hell fold. It appeared that they are mutual and could not exist without one another. They exist to justify each other. I haven't finished the book. The finals are near and I didn't have time to read.'

'You didn't have time for anything else too.' Chided Masaki, releasing her hand from the grip.

'I... Is that so?' Said Qwek. 'Are you blaming me for all these? It's a pretty big responsibility.'

'You're being that bitch.' Scoffed Masaki, 'You knew what I meant. Don't put my head in the water like this. Not in such times.'

'It's pretty fucked up, Jane. You are pretty fucked.' Said Qwek, 'You among most things I can imagine. But a murderer? Jane. I loved you. You have to tell me you don't just go around killing people. I know you. You are that Jane in which I told you every single detail in my life. You are that Jane that carried me to the hospital when I'm burning in forty degree temperature. You are that Jane that are proud and confident of everything you are in life. You are my bestie. You are my person. Jane. Please. Let me know what happened?'

Msaski beamed shyly and tears began to flow. 'Cry for me when I'm done and over with. Sarah Qwek. Will you cry for me? I know you have this inability to cry. Cry for me. Can you do that for me? For our friendship?'

Qwek looked at the shivering Masaki earnestly.

'We broken up. Justin and me.' Started Masaki in tears, 'He was drinking too much and he beats me from time to time. I had to get away. Then they came while you were away in school. Justin and his frat pals. Fucking pigs! They raped me and tortured me.They made me do things. Horrible stuff. They said that I'm into porn and that it was in my blood that I could be subjected to their perversion. It's in my blood? Fucking pigs. Do you what they made me do? Sarah? Do you know what they made me do after they peed and beat the crap out of me?'

'They bleedin' made me fucked a dog. Sarah.'

'Oh my god. Oh fuck.' Replied Qwek in shock.

'They had a gun. They were drunk. They wanted to bring me to a brothel outside the town. Justin wanted me to pay back in interests. He said. He was drunk, the fucking pigs were all drunk. They needed coffee and dinner. We came to this diner. His friend was called Rocket or something. Kept pinching my breasts and he had the gun while Justin was ordering. He was putting the head of the gun into my vagina. They wouldn't let me wear anything inside. Rocket put the gun in me and was giggling like a pig. I managed to snatch the gun from him. And I start shooting. I was... out of my head. Literally. I could see me shooting from the corner. Until I hit the little girl. Oh my god! What have I done? She was dead in a blink. So was Justin and Rocket and the other pig. All dead. Everyone was screaming and looking at me. As if it was in my blood. To fuck up. And so I tied them up and wait for you. I need you so much.'

Qwek held Masaki tightly, 'Oh dear. I didn't know. I'm sorry that I been away! I'm sorry what they did to you! I'm sorry for everything!'

The entrance of the diner's door blew opened and the policemen rushed in with torches and firearms.

Sarah Qwek turned away with the gun in her hand and yelled, 'It's okay! I have the gun! She's...'

A gunshot fired and it exploded through Sarah Qwek's chest and she was thrown to the wall of the booth seat with blood all over the table.

'Fuck! Percy! What the fuck!' Screamed Lieutenant Ron. He made a grab for Jane Masaki.

'She... She had a gun. I thought... I thought... Oh my. Oh my. Oh my...' Said Sergeant Percy as he dropped to his knees with his jaws hanging and bugling eyes.

'What the fuck are you bozos staring at? Help the girl for Christ's sake! Get the medics in! Numbnuts!' Commanded Lieutenant Ron.

'Sarah! Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!' Fought Masaki hysterically as they forced her away in captivity.

And their voices drowned in the complete ruins of the rain.



To Be Continued...