"Now, let's get down to it," Tan says. Matthew, wearing a crown of doubt, stammers, "Y-You're not really him…are you?".
"Him?" Tan asks, tilting his head in confusion, before shrugging it off.
"D-Did you… somehow survive?" Matthew asks, his throat tight with guilt.
"Survive? That's what I should be asking ya."
Tan slaps the file against his palm—slowly, but deliberate.
Matthew, looking like a single breeze could knock him over, thinks, "This has to be in my head…" as he lowers his head in disbelief.
"Hey!" Tan snaps his fingers in front of Matthew. "Look at me!"
He opens the file slowly, then smirks. "So we've finally got you."
"After all these months." As he sounds relieved.
"Y'know, ya a pretty popular guy, Mr Matthew" He steps closer, voice dripping with mockery.
Matthew is speechless. His throat tightens "So this is it…. my sins have finally caught up to me."
"Maybe this is even all for the best—maybe this is my closure" he says in his head.
Then it hits him–
A dam bursts inside his mind.
Mary, her skull shattered by a bullet.
Peter, his blood painting the air.
Mary's scream—sharp, primal, desperate, and most of all, unforgettable.
He clenches his fists.
"No! Am I a coward?" Matthew's nails dig into his palms.
"The people who did this—they need to pay!"
"Everything I've done is for that purpose—Everything to this point!" As his eyes seemingly fire up in intensity.
He then raises his head up high in stride and says "This was all for them!" as he blurts it out loud.
"All for who?" As Tan asks, looking visibly confused.
"Tsk" as Matthew shrugs that question off.
"Who really are you? You're definitely not Tan" as Matthew looks at him intensely.
Tan smirks, his breath curling hot against Matthew's face.
"Of course I can't be Tan"
He leans in so close that Matthew can feel his breath—hot, thick, suffocating.
Tan's voice drops to a whisper.
" 'Cause Tan's my brother."
The moment he uttered those words, silence crashes all over the room.
Even the flickering bulb hesitates.
Matthew, sweating and trembling, quickly lowers his gaze, hoping to avoid Tan's eyes.
Tan then looks at Matthew's left hand, he concentrates on where his left ring finger is supposed to be.
He also looks all around his body to see him covered in bandages and cuts.
"I can't believe someone like this could kill this much, let alone my brother." Tan says, moving away while shaking his head in disbelief.
"But the odds of you fainting close to the crime scene" as he looks at Matthew over his shoulder.
"And I did start to take an interest in ya, after all the waves you're making" as he chuckles as he slightly turns back to look at Matthew.
"Could've joined us" as Tan says under his breath.
"But no use in crying over spilled milk" as he then grabs the handle of the door.
"Ya killed an innocent man—-My brother!"
His voice drops, shaking with a quiet fury.
"He was everything to this community—Everything to me!"
"It was all for them"
"It was all for them" Matthew repeats.
"Everything I've done–The sacrifices–was for them"
"So it was all for them—right?" He sounds unsure even in his own head.
"I'm sorry Tan, I didn't want you in this type of life, I tried to keep you safe" as he opens the door walking outside the room.
"But now you're gone" he murmurs, stepping into the darkness beyond the door.
"And I'm sorry, but I have to honor you in this way" as he then turns back one final time to look at Matthew.
Two heavy-built men in sweat-soaked tank tops step in right after Tan.
"But I have to tie you to this life once more" as the door slowly creaks shut, the sound of fists meeting flesh echo through the small gap.
There he is.
Matthew collapses to the ground, the weight of the table slamming beside him.
Wham! Bam! Wham!
The sounds pound through the air, relentless.
Their eyes lock through the narrowing door–one last time.
Hatred burns there–scorching, raw, absolute.
The door then closes shut, ending the stares.
"You think you can just get away with killing San's brother?" One of the men says.
"Yeah the nerve of some people" the other man says, while still beating Matthew.
Pain explodes through Matthew's side, as a sharp crack fills the air as one of the men's kicks collides with his ribs.
Matthew, involuntarily sticks out his tongue, his eyes, vein aflame, feel like falling off.
He violently wheezes as he coughs, almost to the point of vomiting.
"S-Shit! My wounds!" as he continues to cough.
Blood reaches from his mouth.
The bandages on his body begin to stain with red.
He begins to cough—harsh, ragged, and just as relentless as the beatings.
His vision darkened with each blow.
His hearing, becoming more deafened.
Then, as if from a fevered mind, Matthew sees an image of Tan lying beside him, smiling.
Matthew's eyes widen at what he's seeing.
"T–Tan?..." He mutters.
"Did I really have to kill him? Was it really necessary?"
"I could've just taken the money and ran!" Tears then begin to fill up in his eyes.
"Then I wouldn't be here, taking this damn beating!" As he coughs out blood.
The two men still continue to beat Matthew regardless of all the blood and wounds, they even seem to be chuckling at the sight of it.
Outside the room Tan or the more befitting name San walks, moving like a zombie.
He then leans up against a wall, sighing of relief.
He reaches into his pocket for his cigarette box and puts one in his mouth, he then lights it up.
"Tan…I can't believe ya let that bastard kill you" as he takes in the smoke.
"Well ya were never one to fight" he chuckles sadly as if still heavy with grief.
"Ya always had that your caring heart, pretty sure you were even nice to the Idiot" tears roll down his cheeks and he then laughs.
"Oh Tan…" as he then puffs out the smoke.
Vvvvv! Vvvvv! As San's phone vibrates in his pocket.
He picks it up and answers.
"Yes sir?"
"San, my boy….how did it go?" A sweet and caring elderly voice says on the other line.
San then cleans up his tears and clears his throat.
"It went smoothly sir, the killer is being punished as we speak sir" he answers.
"Oh that's good, that's good" the elderly voice says
San then takes in some more smoke, which fogs up his glasses.
"But I need you to stop at once" the elderly voice quickly turns stern and commanding.
This makes San to pause smoking as he bites the cigarette, crumbling it.
"Sir, maybe I didn't hear ya right?" As he coughs.
"You heard me correctly, and don't make me repeat myself again" The elderly voice says.
"You are to stop the killer's punishment at once!" The elderly voice commands.
"....But he killed Tan, he should get what he de—"
"Yes he did, but he seems to be a really valuable asset!"
"V-valuable asset? How?" San sounding visibly confused.
"Based on the record you showed us, he's killed a good number of the Huo Long Guo triad," The elderly voice says.
"But I sent ya pics of him, he looks barely able to even kill a fly, he probably was able to kill them 'cause maybe they left their guards down around him or he was luc—" San desperately speaks.
"Yes that is a possibility, but there's also something else" The voice interrupts.
"Someone left an anonymous tip that he has vital information crucial to us."
"That's an anonymous tip, it doesn't have any substance o-or-or anything!" San shouts.
"Watch your tone with me young man" The tone of the voice shifts to a deeper one.
San immediately feels as if the air around him has gained weight, a large pressure placed upon him.
"Just because your brother died doesn't give you the right or privilege to talk to me that way." The voice says.
"The anonymous tipster did leave proof and evidence, and the person did drop it off not too long ago."
San gulps, struggling to speak.
"But doesn't the timing seem too convenient, of all the times, it's now?" He questions.
"We did actually take him in publicly, other people saw him and also saw Tan's —" he then pauses.
"Are you still objecting me? Do what I asked."
"It seems I've been too lenient on you—on all of you!" The elderly voice shouts.
"N-no sir, I'll do it" San says as he clenches his fist and grits his teeth, almost to the point of crushing them.
"Good! Now don't waste time, bring him here" the elderly voice says.
The other end ends the call.
Beep beep beep.
San just stands there in disbelief, he clenches his fist so hard that he starts bleeding.
The dropping blood coincides with the beeping of the disconnected phone.
He then throws his phone away in frustration, it breaks when it smashes into pieces as it hits a wall.
"AHH!" As the cigarette that was once in his mouth falls and he stomps on it.
"That damn old man!" He says.
He then looks back at the door of the interrogation room.
"I don't care, he should die!"
"I'll just lie to old man, that's all" as San smirks.
"Tch!" As he spits on the ground.
Meanwhile on the other side of the door.
"Hehehe don't die on me now" one of the men says while looking at Matthew.
Matthew laying on the ground.
Almost lifeless, he's bleeding all over.
"We should just kill him" The other man says.
"You mean right here?" The other one replies.
"Yeah! I mean c'mon–we're the fucking Lian Wu" with flourish as the other man's hand swoops and soars.
"Yeah…actually" as the other man agrees.
"Ohh yeah!" As he carries the chair that Matthew was sitting on.
He then goes in, aiming to smash Matthew's head with it.
"No! Stop it!" The voice shakes the room.
The two men look surprised at who shouted.
"Stop!"
"But why?" The man with the chair asks while looking intimidating.
"Because the boss said so." San said while looking dead serious.
The light once again flickers as an almost lifeless Matthew lays on the ground.
—The end of chapter 4—