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The man was watching the three students in front of him : Champ and Cherreen were tied up to chairs with solid ropes and Jay was unconscious on the floor, with blood dripping from his forehead. The person responsible for all those killings was finally standing in front of them. Cherreen still didn't know who he was : he was wearing a goofy mask with led lights. But Champ had already recognized him : he didn't know why the guy had been killing everyone in his path but, at least, he knew who it was.
"Why? Why would the director of the CID forensic team start killing students as a hobby?"
Champ's statement made Cherreen gasp and she looked at the man with wide eyes. The guy chuckled and removed his mask, revealing his face.
"The doctor..." said Cherreen. "You came with all the others... when Puifai died... you were the first one on scene."
"Of course I was. Since it was planned from the beginning, I had to be on stand-by."
"Why?" Repeated Champ. "What's your purpose? I don't think any of us wronged you in any way so what's with this shitty game you've been playing?"
"All in due time, Khun MP's son!"
"Why aren't we dead?" Asked Cherreen.
"Why aren't you asking how you got here?"
"I know how I got here : Champ said we could manage to get evidence if we followed the "dare" instructions on his letter. And to make it believable, he really did drug me. But now... him too... and Jay..."
"Yeah... as if I could be fooled by stupid brats. But you know what? Maybe if you had kept this little plan of yours between the two of you, I wouldn't have been able to bust you. She said Champ was the selfish kind and that he'll save his ass first... guess she was wrong."
"She?" Asked Champ.
"We didn't tell anyone except for... no way!" Said Cherreen.
Champ and Cherreen turned their heads almost simultaneously : Jay was still on the floor but he was now awake and smirking. He slowly got up and wiped the fake blood from his head.
"P'Phut... there was no need for such theatrics! Welcoming me with your mask on... the scary voice... the banners with my name on it... don't you think it's a little too much?"
"Evidence for the police, Jay. Remember what I told you."
"Yeah... everything to make me look innocent. Is she ready? Does she need more time?"
"We don't have that much time. She has to do this now... you both do."
"I know."
"Jay..." said Cherreen, crying.
"I knew it!" Said Champ. "I knew it was fishy that you never received a letter."
"Officially, I did," said Jay. "But only this morning... and I put it on the bedside table at the hospital before leaving. My letter is designed to give me an alibi... just like P'Phut's theatrics when I got here earlier."
"Why?" Asked Champ.
"You're still racking your brain, Champ. And here I thought you were smart!"
"She's... she's not dead," whispered Cherreen.
"Huh?" Asked Champ.
"Would you look at that, P'Phut!" Said Jay. "The shallow slut is the one who got it first!"
"Very surprising," assured the doctor.
"What are you talking about?" Asked Champ. "Cher... talk to me... who's not dead?"
"That would be me."
The cold and poised voice echoed in the room. Champ and Cherreen watched in shock as someone walked inside the room... someone they thought was long dead. Doctor Phut and Jay moved forward in sync : the doctor grabbing her hand and Jay holding her by the waist, stroking her cheek. She was pale and crying, but she was also glaring at Champ and Cherreen.
"Fai... how are you feeling?" Asked Jay. "Are you sure you can be up? We can wait a few hours for you to gather your strength, honey."
"I... I'm fine. We're running out of time... your brother... and that other officer... they're closing in... we have to end this."
"I know."
"Fai..." whispered Champ.
"Oh God!" Said Cherreen. "That's why I thought I was going crazy : I was seeing your face everywhere... like I was haunted... but it really was you."
"Scared, Cher?" Asked Puifai.
"How could this..." said Champ.
"I'm the director of the forensic team... working with the paramedics," said Phut. "If I'm the first one on scene and that I declare that the victim is dead, nobody is going to check any further."
"They put me in a black bag without even noticing that I wasn't dead," said Puifai. "And once I was at the morgue, nobody but P'Phut was allowed to do my autopsy. Champ... I know you don't care about anything but yourself and your position as an MP's son, but I'm fairly certain I told you about my family situation."
"He probably wasn't listening to you, Fai," said Jay. "Pretending to care when he really doesn't is what he does best."
"Family?" Asked Cherreen.
"My parents died when I was a kid and I was raised by my older brother who worked his ass off to support me through high school and college."
"Shit!" Said Champ. "Doctor Phut is Fai's brother!"
"You should have known, Champ!" Said Jay. "Puifai told you her brother was a doctor... you just never really listened to her... like the selfish prick you are."
At that moment, Jay's phone vibrated and he looked at it.
"P'Phut... my brother is calling... which means they probably found the letter on my bedside table at the hospital : he's gonna go ballistic soon."
"Then it's time," said Phut. "Fai..."
"Thank you, P'Phut... for taking care of me all this time... and for what you're about to do."
"I'm asking you one last time, P'," said Jay. "Are you sure? Because Fai and I are ready to face the consequences of our actions."
"No... you need to move on... both of you... and you can't do that if you're separated and in jail. Don't worry about me, Jay : I knew what I was getting myself into from the start. Just take care of her please."
"Will do. Thank you, P'Phut."
Phut hugged Puifai dearly and he nodded to Jay, before leaving the room.
"Where is he going?" Asked Cherreen.
"To surrender himself to the police," said Puifai.
"What?" Asked Champ.
"We owe a lot to P'Phut," said Jay. "Not only is he the one who saved Puifai after her suicide attempt but he's the one who helped us put together this revenge in order for us to heal. And now, he's taking all the blame... in order for us to be spared."
"He's carrying our burden... protecting us from the fallout," said Puifai. "The best brother ever!"
"P'Phut is dead set against Puifai and I going to jail so he's gonna confess to everything. And even if P'Jade and P'Kamin guess that we were involved on some level, if they don't have proof, they won't be able to do anything."
"Jay and I might be arrested but without solid evidence, we won't be convicted. That's the most important part of P'Phut's plan."
"That doesn't tell me why," said Champ.
"I would have thought it was obvious," said Jay. "This is revenge, Champ... Fai's revenge against the people who wronged her, making her miserable and suicidal. Tar for raping her and taking pictures... Time for filming us and selling the tape... Tonkla for selling a video of Puifai in the nude to Time... our supposed friends really were sick perverts. "
"This is also Jay's revenge... because you killed our baby."
"Was it fun, Cher?" Asked Jay. "For you and Bell to drug Fai and drive her to the abortion clinic against her will? Was it fun, Champ? For you to bribe everyone in that clinic, making sure they turn a blind eye to this "slight emergency"... as you called it. Those doctors took your dirty money in exchange of ignoring the fact that the patient was drugged and unwilling to abort her baby. It was murder... and you're all guilty."
"You killed our baby... our little miracle."
"You don't know that!" Said Cherreen. "You don't know it really was your baby, Jay!"
"Yes, I do."
"Huh?" Said Champ.
"Do you think you're the first one I told, Cher?" Asked Puifai. "Well... since you have a high opinion of yourself, I guess you did. Sorry to disappoint you, Cher : I didn't tell you first... I told Jay first."
"Obviously, it was quite a shock," said Jay. "Puifai was worried about the possibility of this baby coming from Tar's rape so she asked for my help. We went to the clinic right away to have an ultrasound."
"Medical science is amazing nowadays : you can have a very acurate conception date right off the bat."
"8 weeks... two weeks before Tar raped her... two weeks after Champ last touched her... the exact date of the orientation party when we had sex. So... yeah... pretty sure it was my baby, Cher!"
"I'm sorry for telling Cher and Bell, Jay : I really didn't think they would ever do something like that."
"How could you have? They were supposed to be your friends... not backstabbing bitches. Now... enough talk... we need to end this. Are you strong enough for the last part of the plan? Because I can perfectly take your burden, Fai."
"No... remember what P'Phut said : we need this to move forward. We need to heal... both you and me... and if I let you take my burden, I might never heal."
"I know."
"Oh God!" Screamed Cherreen.
"Cherreen just got it, Fai," said Jay, stroking her cheek.
"She's smart... always has been. Such a shame : instead of using that intelligence to hurt others because of her stupid jealousy, she could have shone bright."
"Cher?" Asked Champ.
"You don't get it, Champ?" Asked Cher. "That doctor left... he's gone to surrender himself... taking the blame for all the killings... including ours. We're not dead yet but they're not going to let us live. And since that doctor is gone... that means they're planning to do that themselves."
"Fuck!"
"Last part of our healing process, Champ!" Assured Jay. "We were lucky enough that P'Phut spared us from dirtying our hands until now... but this is as far as we can let him do."
"P'Phut is a forensic doctor... but he studied psychology for a while and he said that our pain can only be gone if the ones who caused us pain are gone too."
"And he said that, in order for us to heal, we need to act ourselves at least once. This pain... this excruciating pain... it needs to get out and there's only one way for that to happen. Did you realize where you are right now, Champ, Cher?"
Champ and Cherreen blinked and started looking around them questionally.
"This is an abandoned warehouse designed as a rage room," said Puifai.
"Rage room..." whispered Champ.
"You know what those are, right, Champ?" Asked Jay. "You spent quite some time in rage rooms these last years : everytime your father would scold you or hit you, you'd go to those places and trash everything in order to vent. Well... that's what Fai and I are going to do now. We are two angry people needing to vent... we have baseball bats over there... and, by the greatest of coincidence, we have two things to trash right here."
Jay pointed mockingly at Cherreen and Champ. That's when they realized what was gonna happen... and that's when their eyes went wide with fear.
"Now... Puifai and I need to change. We can't keep our own clothes for that : not only is blood a bitch to remove but we can't give the police any evidence of ever being actively involved in this plan. P'Phut is gonna wait until we're done before surrendering... because if he does it now... before you two are dead... people could discover that the times don't match. I would ask you to patiently wait for us but... well... you can't move anyway so... nevermind. Let's go, Fai!"
Puifai and Jay left and Cherreen bursted into tears. Champ went into a frenzy... screaming... trying to free himself from the ropes but he had to resign himself : there was no way out. When Jay and Fai came back, they were wearing yellow plastic suits, protective glasses and gloves. The suits had hoods which covered their heads in such a way that no hair was sticking out. Puifai was slightly shaking when she grabbed her baseball bat : Jay came to hug her in order to soothe her. He kissed her cheek and joined their foreheads.
"Breathe, honey... you're doing great. No need to be scared : this is necessary and they deserve it. This is for our pain, Fai... for us to finally be free from this ache eating us from the inside."
"This is for our baby. I'm sorry, Jay : you were here all this time and it took my life falling apart to notice it."
"Yeah... way to crush my heart, honey. But as P'Phut said, we shouldn't dwell on the past... we need to move forward. Ready?"
"Yeah. Do you have it?"
"Of course I do. This is our farewell party... and we're right on time."
"Our celebration for our baby's death anniversary. One year already."
"Fai... Jay... please..."
"Cher is begging, Fai."
"As expected. How could we stand her whines all this time?"
"No idea. Do you think she whines like that in bed too?"
"Probably. I'd tell you to ask Champ for confirmation but he looks scared shitless so details about his sex life with Cherreen is probably the last thing on his mind right now."
Jay went to a corner and put his phone on a table. He opened his music file and he pressed the "play" button. It was techno music... the same kind of music their group of friends were always listening to when they were partying. Jay turned his bluetooth on in order to be connected to the speakers in the room : suddenly, the music echoed in the whole building. Jay kissed Puifai and looked at their future victims.
"Which one do you want, Fai?"
"You can't trash Cherreen, Jay! Hitting girls is not something you want to do : you've been raised by a gentleman who taught you good manners. I have more grudge against her anyway... she's mine."
"Remember what P'Phut told us : we need to let everything out... which means screaming our heads off for every hit! Let that rage out, okay, honey?"
"Yes."
"Now... Khun MP's shitty son... you're mine."
"Jay... "
"Shut up!"
Champ received the first blow in the stomach and he screamed. While Jay let his rage out by trashing Champ, Puifai approached a very scared looking Cherreen. Fai sat on Cherreen's lap, playing with her hair and mumbling dreamily.
"Fai... please... I'm your best friend..."
"Yeah... a best friend jealous of me who seduced my boyfriend by opening her legs... and who didn't hesitate to drug me to make sure the baby I was carrying could never be born... you know... in case it was Champ's baby... which could make you lose him in a heartbeat. You knew, didn't you? That even if Champ refused to acknowledge this baby, if it was proven that it was his, I could go to his father... his very conservative father who would have forced Champ to recognize the baby and marry me to avoid scandal. And you didn't want that, right, Cher?"
"Fai... I'm sorry... please..."
"You're not sorry, Cher... you never were. That day... when you thought I was dead... you screamed and cried... but it was just an act. Inside your head, you must have been overjoyed : finally you could have him all to yourself. And that, my dear Cher, makes you the worst kind of backstabbing bitch."
Cherreen and Puifai both screamed at the same time... but not for the same reason : Fai's scream came from the anger coming out when she smashed the baseball bat on Cherreen's knee... Cherreen's scream came from the knee pain she was experiencing. For about ten minutes, there was nothing but the sound of techno music coming from the room... while Jay and Puifai were letting their rage out on the people responsible for their pain. Champ died when the baseball bat smashed his head... Cherreen died when she started vomiting blood and choked on it. Jay and Puifai stood there, covered in blood, catching their breath and letting tears fall on their cheeks. The pain was still there for the moment... but now that it was all over, their wound would heal eventually. Jay turned the music off and he sent a message to Phut... just a few words : "it's done". They took a shower... together... cleaning up any trace of blood on their skin. The overflowing emotions took over their bodies and they made love. When they exited the shower, they put on their clothes and they burned the bloody suits in a baril. They sat down on a couch... not far from the main room where Champ and Cherreen's bodies were. And then, they waited. Puifai fell asleep in Jay's arms and he stroked her hair the whole time. And then, two hours later, it happened : the police, led by Kamin and Jade, barged inside the warehouse. Jade took one look at the bodies of Cherreen and Champ, before rushing to his brother. Kamin was giving intructions to the forensic team in order to cover the whole area. Jade stood in front of Jay and Puifai : his face was stern but his eyes were teary.
"Don't wake her yet, P'Jade : she needs to rest a bit more. Please wait until P'Kamin and the others are done combing through the crime scene."
"Do you realize what you've done, Jay?"
"Technically... unless you can prove it... I didn't do anything."
"Yeah... looks like Doctor Phut wasn't kidding after all."
"Did you hit him, P'Jade?"
"I sure did."
"P'Phut didn't deserve that : he saved her, P'Jade. "
"There were other ways."
"No, there weren't. The pain needed to stop, P'... her pain... mine... everything... yeah... finally... it's over."
"You love her."
"Always... from the start. And she was in awe of that piece of trash... and it took such a dreadful thing for her to look at me. I'm never letting her go... I'll cherish and protect her with my life. I'm tired, P'Jade... I'm gonna sleep a bit. Wake us up gently when it's time to take us into custody, P'."
Jay fell asleep, still holding Puifai in his arms. And then, Jade bursted into tears and he fell on his knees. 30 seconds later, Kamin was holding him, trying to soothe him, whispering words of love in his ear.
"You won't lose him, Jade. Doctor Phut warned us : we're not going to find any incriminating evidence against them. He's taking the blame alone to save them. Maybe it's wrong of me to say that about a murderer but I admire him."
"You know they did that themselves, right? Those two..."
"I know... but like I said, there won't be any proof. They're smart... they outsmarted us... and there's nothing we can do. We have one culprit who admitted to the whole thing and who signed his confession without hesitating for one minute : those two will be spared."
"But... the knowledge... in my mind... always... will I ever be able to ignore it and act natural?"
"You will... with time. That girl is lucky... that at least one of her friends stuck with her. They suffered together... they'll heal together. And you'll help them through this."
"You'll be here with me, right?"
"Always."
The end.