| Fan Fiction |
by [killerhunter]
He followed closely behind her, as she led the way to the basement cellar of her bungalow, where it stored the research equipment and other books relating to neuropsychiatry.
“Do you find anything useful here?” Myolie asked as she stopped and turned around.
Raymond was standing a few feet away from her, and seemingly engrossed in examining a machine, checking out its buttons and various functions. Myolie could not help but smiled faintly at the sight. It had been quite some time since she last saw him focusing his attention on studying something – it was his enthusiasm and love for research work which attracted her deeply towards him back then. The familiarity seemed to bring a nostalgic feeling all over her, as she herself stood there to gaze upon Raymond. It seemed like a long moment before Raymond appeared as if he was satisfied with his observation on the machine, and looked up to find himself locked within Myolie’s gaze.
“Is there anything on my face?” Raymond’s hands moved up to touch on it.
Myolie broke her gaze from him as she shook her head, feeling herself blushing in the cheeks already. She quickly got back to serious matters first.
“So is everything here okay?” Myolie asked.
Raymond scanned around before replying, “I need some chemicals, and probably a CT scanner to perform some tests on my brain.”
“Oh…” Myolie said. “But I don’t have these. Are they very important?”
Raymond nodded, “It’s an extra precaution actually. But if…”
“If you don’t mind, my workplace has everything we need – the facilities and chemicals and all. Perhaps we should make a trip down there. It’s safer.” Myolie suggested.
Raymond’s eyes lit up and he smiled appreciatively, “Yes, that’ll be perfect, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Of course not.” Myolie added on immediately.
And then, it was an awkward pause between both of them. Both were trying to find some words to continue on the conversation, but nothing came to their mind. Perhaps it was because there were too much which they had wanted to ask each other that they had no idea where to begin on. At that moment, Myolie walked towards Raymond and started to dust off the dirt which she noticed on Raymond’s polo-tee. Having such a close contact suddenly again after that embrace back in the research laboratory, it made Raymond’s heart fluttered rapidly with each passing second, and it was as if Myolie could hear his heartbeat pounding hard against his chest, she looked up into his eyes, making Raymond extremely tempted to savor the long-lost taste of her lips.
“You know…I’ve some clean clothes upstairs for you to change into actually.” Myolie’s soft whisper temporarily distracted him from the desire of kissing her.
As they made their way upstairs, Raymond caught sight of many photo frames being displayed along the hallway – many of them still recognizable to him. They were photographs of Myolie and him in the past, and some taken together with Ron. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his track as his sight landed on an unfamiliar photo frame. From his memories, he had never seen this before at all, and upon taking a closer look, the date on the photo confirmed that this photo was taken during his period of disappearance. It was an intimate picture of Ron hugging tightly onto Myolie. Both of them seemed really blissful in there. This merely made him recall that he was actually supposed to be dead – at least that was what the majority, including Myolie, had felt, therefore moving on with her life and getting to know another man were the most natural. At least the other man was his best friend, and he knew that his beloved was in good hands.
“Raymond?” Myolie had noticed that Raymond was not following behind her, and turned to see that he was staring at the particular photo frame. “I…eh…Ron and I…”
“Both of you look really compatible together.” Raymond commented in an awkward tone. “How’s Ron lately?”
Myolie wanted to reach out to Raymond and confessed that her love for him had never died before, and that he still mattered a whole lot to her. However, partly because of her guiltiness towards Ron, and also partly because she could not erase the scene of Raymond and Leila back at Bosco’s home, Myolie did not speak a word further about her true feelings.
“He’s doing well.” Myolie replied, looking away. “Anyway how did you get to know the other girl too? I mean…Leila…”
Raymond caught the sudden change in Myolie’s tone and seemed to catch the hint, “I got to know Leila back in Russia during my most difficult period. She helped me. She trusted in me. She was like…my only family back then. Without her support, I won’t be standing here right now.”
Myolie felt ashamed for doubting Raymond’s relationship with Leila. He was probably right – she could never imagine what kind of sufferings and torments he had been going through for the past four years, although she still did not have a clear picture of what was exactly going on for Raymond’s case.
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[Guest Room]
Raymond opened up the wardrobe and flipped through the clothes hanging in there. To his surprise, the clothes used to belong to him – all of them washed and ironed neatly. It stunned him that Myolie still kept them until now. Picking one of his favorite navy-blue collar-tee, Raymond took off the dirty polo-tee and was about to change into the new one, when he heard the room door clicked open.
“Oh sorry.” Myolie immediately turned to walk away first.
However, Raymond quickly rushed up and pulled her back into the room. No matter what, he did not wish for Myolie to walk away from his life again. He needed her more than he had imagined it to be, although a tiny part of him knew that it was difficult for them to get back again.
“Come over here. I want to talk to you.” Raymond said, as he led her to the bed and they sat at the side of it.
For a long moment, they just sat there in silence, fixing their eyes on each other. Raymond began to lean closer towards Myolie, before gently cupping her head with his hands, and one of his thumbs brushed across her bottom lip. Before she knew it, he was already bending his head down to capture her lips deeply with his. Surprised yet longing for Raymond’s touch again, Myolie could only sit there stiffly and allow him to lead her on, before his warm lips finally parted from hers and both stopped to catch a breather. Myolie started to chuckle softly when she saw Raymond’s lips being smudged by her lipstick, and reached out to wipe the marks off gently with her fingers. At that moment, Raymond wished that time could just come to a standstill – in that second, there would just be the two of them, and there would be no worries or fears.
He could only wish……
“Ray, tell me if this is a merely a dream.” Myolie still could not believe that he was right in front of her again – alive and well in one piece.
Raymond took hold of her hand and pecked on the back of it lightly, “Then it’s a good dream. And I hope we will never wake up from it ever again.”
If this was not a dream, then Myolie knew that both of them still had Ron to think about. A strong pang of guiltiness hit her as she slowly withdrew her hand away from Raymond’s reach. She could not bear to hurt Ron, and she knew that neither would Raymond wish to hurt his best friend.
“Ron and I are actually…” Myolie wanted to explicitly explain this to Raymond.
But he placed a finger over her lips, and hushed her to be quiet.
“Just for tonight, Myo.” Raymond whispered. “Let the dream continue on.”
Myolie’s hand moved to touch the engagement ring hung across Raymond’s chest, while her other hand reached within her blouse to reveal the other matching ring similarly hung around her neck. Both of them smiled at how sometimes telepathy worked between couples, but from this, they also realized the places they occupied in each other’s hearts. Even if one day they could not be together, there would be forever be that special place reserved for the other party. As Raymond moved in to continue the passionate kiss which they left off earlier on, Myolie was more responsive this time as she slipped her arms around his back, covering up the gap between both bodies. Slowly, he laid her down onto the bed, while their tongues carried on dancing with each other in heated passion.
“Raymond Lam…” An arrogant voice sounded right in his mind at that moment. “Enjoying yourself…?”
Raymond suddenly broke away from Myolie’s lips upon hearing the creepy voice returning in his head. A dreaded feeling erupted within him, but he tried to conceal it from Myolie, whom was looking bewildered and worried at the same time.
“Ray, are you alright?” She felt his hands turning cold all of a sudden.
Raymond waited for several minutes, but that voice did not appear. Thinking that he had been over-paranoid, he smiled reassuringly at Myolie, as he planted his lips back on her. She shut her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of being held and touched tenderly by Raymond. Just then, Myolie gradually opened her eyes and a loud and shocked gasp escaped from her lips as she instinctively delivered a hard kick on the stomach of the ‘creature’ lying above her right now, before pushing him away. A low groan was heard, before Raymond looked up at Myolie’s stunned and frightful expression, as the hands hastily moved up to feel the mutated features of his face. Panicking and trembling, Raymond shifted down from the bed and rushed straight into the bathroom before locking the door. Panting heavily in fear, Raymond began to lift up his head as he saw his reflection beaming devilishly at him.
“What’s that for?” Raymond hissed under his breath, clutching tightly onto both sides of the sink.
“I hate being ignored, Raymond, especially when you’re the only one whom can hear me over here.” The reflection whistled back chirpily, seemingly to agitate and provoke Raymond further. “Don’t think that I’ve no idea what you’re up to recently. You can’t get rid of me as and when you like. By the way, those smooches were really hot. I can just imagine myself…or rather both of us, being inside that sweet-looking lady…”
This sent Raymond’s anger to a new height, as he yelled, “Shut up!” He would never tolerate anyone throwing any insults on Myolie.
“I will, if you just let me take over you. I’m sort of tired having to resort to force to make you surrender.” His reflection said. “I’m your creation, Raymond Lam. Don’t you ever want a taste of me? A taste of the powers which you created?”
“My biggest regret in life is to carry out that trial experiment back then. I’ve single-handedly created two frightening monsters.” Raymond snarled. “I won’t go down without a good fight. I’ll make sure neither you nor the ‘other person’ gets to live.”
“Sounds pompous! But I like it.” His reflection grinned. “I can assure you – the first thing after I’ve taken over your senses, I’ll bed your girl…if she wasn’t frightened off by your hideous look yet…”
This certainly sent Raymond into a rampage as he hurled both fists towards the mirror in intense rage, smashing it into many broken pieces, which fell onto the floor.
Right outside the bathroom, Myolie had already regretted her actions deeply earlier on for kicking Raymond away after she had recovered from her shock. She heard the mirror being smashed as a loud howl followed shortly. Fearing for Raymond’s safety, Myolie quickly went to find the keys, before unlocking the door to the bathroom. When she entered, Myolie saw Raymond sitting slumped against the bathtub, and both of his hands were covered in blood, while the floor was spread with many broken pieces of the mirror. Instinctively grabbing a towel from the side, Myolie carefully walked over to Raymond’s side in order to help him dressed up the wounds.
“Stay away from me.” Raymond hissed in a low, chilling voice. “I’m no longer the old Raymond you loved.” As soon as these words left his lips, a tear stubbornly trickled down his cheek.
“Does it have anything to do with the experiment back at New Orleans?” She asked in deep concern.
“I guess that’s the price to pay for being too over-confident and careless.” Raymond replied in a choking voice. “A really expensive lesson for not listening to others…not heeding good advice from others…”
“Ray…” Myolie bent down and met his tearful eyes.
Raymond blinked his eyes hard as he tried to stifle back the cries, “I…You’ve to stay as far as you can from me. I…There’s a monster leeching within me. I’m sorry that I frightened you…”
However, before Raymond could react, Myolie was already cradling him in her arms tightly. “I should be sorry instead. I didn’t mean to push you away just now. I’m sorry for that, Raymond.” She took in a deep breath, as she added on in a soft whisper, “No matter what you’ll become in future, I’ll still love you for what you are.”
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It had been more than four hours since he last saw his girlfriend and best friend walked into the house. Even though it was in the wee hours of the night already, he still did not wish to leave the place. He did not dare to. He was afraid that once he left, it spelled the end of everything between him and her. In the end, he still did not have the courage to call the police as well. He could exactly a huge part of him tugging uncomfortably within his heart. The misery and disappointment he felt this time was much worse than the previous time when he found out that both of them had been secretly dating behind his back for quite some time, and then he had to put up a strong front to wish them happiness. That experience took him at least half a year to recover. Reaching into a compartment near the passenger’s seat, Ron retrieved the box containing the ring and slowly opened it. Staring at it for a full minute, he jolted out from his thoughts when he heard his cell phone ringing to a familiar tone. Hastily wiping away the tears, he answered the call.
“Ronnie?” It was Myolie on the other line as he had expected. “Am I disturbing you?”
“No…of course not…” Ron tried to sound as casual as he could, but with his coarse voice, it was a little difficult to conceal his sorrow. “You…You’re still awake at this hour?”
“Yeah, I just checked my cell phone, and realized that you had been trying to reach me. Is there anything important?” Myolie asked.
“Not really, it’s just that…I was worried when I couldn’t find you at the research institution.” Ron said. “Myo, I’ve a few cases to browse through tonight. Sorry that I can’t chat further.”
“It’s okay.” Myolie replied, before adding on with a tinge of concern, “But don’t work until too late. You need to rest well too.”
“I’ll remember your words.” Ron said.
“Goodnight then.” Myolie was prepared to hang up already. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
But Ron did not allow her to put down as he called out her name again, “Myo…?” He had no idea why, but he had this feeling that once they ended this conversation tonight, it would also mean the conclusion for their relationship.
“Is there anything else?” Myolie asked.
Ron clutched tightly onto the ring box as he took in a deep breath before saying out those heartfelt words, “I love you.”
There was a short pause on the other side, before Myolie’s voice was heard again, “I know that. Quickly get your work done, and sleep well tonight.”
“Okay…” Ron mumbled feebly.
And then, it was the dreadful click.
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Myolie put the phone back onto the receiver. She could sense that there was something wrong with Ron’s tone, but she did not dare to voice it out. She had made this phone call after tucking Raymond into bed and watched him fall soundly asleep first. At that moment, it was as if a sudden realization hit upon her, as she quickly made her way towards the windows and peeped out from behind the curtains. As what she had guessed, she saw Ron’s car being parked not far away from her bungalow. Shortly after, the engine started, as the car drove out of the neighborhood and into the darkness of the night. It was then she understood their phone conversation earlier on, and knew that he had defied his own duty and principles as a law enforcer to take Raymond in – all because of her. But she had returned such devotion and kindness with her selfishness.
“Please forgive me, Ronnie.” Myolie muttered remorsefully as she shut her eyes and felt the tears streaming down her face.
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[The Following Morning, Ruben’s Street]
“Hey wake up!” She felt a soft object coming into contact with her head multiple times.
Grouching in displeasure, she forced her eyes to open to a blinding white light, before her sight gradually focused onto the most dreadful face that woke her up from the beauty sleep she was having. Indeed, this bed had been a million times more comfortable than the one back in her homeland – so much that she could not even recall the dreams she had the previous night.
Looking over at the clock, Leila hissed in annoyance, “Four-Eye, it isn’t even seven yet.”
Bosco smirked as he switched off the torchlight which he had shone straight into Leila’s eyes, “We need to be back at the research institution by eight, little pig.”
“Stop using ‘little’ to describe me, Four-Eye.” Leila shot back.
“Little…little…little…” Bosco started humming chirpily.
Leila grabbed the pillow and threw it right at Bosco’s back. Soon enough, both of them started wrestling each other to the floor, and neither was willing to surrender despite being all exhausted and sweaty. Just then, Bosco’s mother dropped by Leila’s room to inform her that breakfast was ready, only to see both of them engaging in a pillow fight.
“Oh well, kids, stop it.” Bosco’s mother rolled her eyes at their childishness.
On their way down to the dining room, despite Bosco’s mother occasional interferences, both of them just refused to stop their bickering session over breakfast.
“Bosco, remember to take good care of Leila!” His mother reminded him as they left the house.
Bosco turned towards Leila with a devilish grin, “Don’t worry, Mum. I’ll look after my good, little friend over here.”
Leila scowled and crossed her arms, looking away from Bosco. If it had not been for Raymond and Bosco’s mother, she would have kicked the annoying four-eyed man straight at the groin area. The thought of this just made her feel a little happier despite all the teasing from Bosco throughout the journey.
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[Apartment in Downtown Area]
He had barely shut his eyes for three hours after having to take in many cans of beer to make himself go to sleep. And now, his cell phone was seriously disrupting his sleep. Reluctantly, he reached out and grabbed onto the phone, before flipping the cover open.
“Hello?” He said in a drowsy tone.
“My apologies that I’m interrupting your rest early this morning, Ron. But the autopsy report is ready and I hope that you can make it down here too.” It was Damien on the other side of the line.
Immediately, Ron’s eyes shot wide open, “No problem, Sir. I’ll be at the headquarters within half an hour.”
With that, Ron quickly hung up and washed himself, before dressing up smartly in a new set of clothes. Looking into the mirror, he reminded himself that it was a start to a brand, new day, and all unhappy events were in the past already. At least for now, he would put his full focus back onto his work, and not think about anything else.
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[Research Institution Building]
He trailed closely behind her, as he used the cap to conceal his face well from other passers-by.
“Good morning, Dr. Wu.” A security guard on duty smiled at Myolie. “This is…?”
“He’s my new patient for an experimental test. The director has gotten his name down already.” Myolie explained calmly.
“Oh I see.” The security guard had believed in her words. “Have a nice day then, Dr. Wu.”
Myolie nodded, before allowing Raymond to pass through the security barrier first. Soon, both of them were waiting for the elevator to arrive. As if Myolie could sense Raymond’s uncertainty, she reached out and gave his hand a little tight squeeze. He lifted his head up slightly enough for their eyes to meet. He was very confident that after today, he could walk on this land a free man again. The elevator came, and both of them stepped in, before Myolie hit the ‘close’ button.
“Hey, wait a second please!” Someone from outside shouted.
The door bounced open, and Raymond immediately moved to the back to allow two other people into the elevator.
“Hi Myolie, you’re early today.” The man greeted with a charismatic smile.
“Same to you, Sammul.” Myolie smiled in return. “I see that you’ve a new assistant with you again. What happened to the old one? And also, whatever happened to your badge pass?”
“Oh well, I lost the pass somewhere but I’ve since made a report on it. As for the old assistant, I fired him. You know, I’ve high demands on people working around me.” Sammul replied. “If Bosco’s ever under me, he would have gotten the sack a long time ago. You’re such a soft-hearted person, Myolie, to be still keeping Bosco by your side. Perhaps both of you share the same standards of work protocol.”
Myolie sensed the sarcasm in Sammul’s tone but she merely smiled politely back. She was aware that Sammul held no liking towards Bosco at all. At that moment, the elevator came to a stop, and the door opened.
“I’ve reached.” Sammul said. “We shall talk again another time.”
With that, Sammul and his new assistant stepped out from the elevator. However, all along in the lift, Sammul had a strange sensation developing within him but he struggled to suppress it. Having an ominous feeling, he turned around and looked back at the elevator, just in time to catch Raymond’s face before the doors closed shut.