Strategy 15 - Wünschen

Like a sharp needle threading through the thin linen cloth, the sharp pointed blade pierced through the stomach easily.

It was a pretty clean strike without any obvious sign of blood flowing out even though it was a fatal attack. The blade left protruding out of the stomach, as if it had already become part of it.

Hesitation is not required in a battle. In fact it is a hindrance.

Everyone is ready to do what it’s right. Like how the soldiers in wars shot without hesitation. This is because they knew that the other side is ready but just that everyone is just waiting for someone who made the first move.

One who did not hesitate is someone who takes a great deal of dare to bring his comrade down to the dawn of victory.

The consequence of hesitating is deadly.

Exactly 5 seconds 20 milliseconds and 5 nanoseconds.
The duration of time taken to determine who will be the one with the blade embedded into him.

The struggle between Darwin and me after I charged into him happened within a short moment. After he realized that I was charging toward him with a deadly blade pointing right at him, he froze. His face was pale, as if he had suffocated in the tension of the situation.

If only he was more alert and less lecherous, he might not land up in this situation. He realized that he was in a totally different situation than before, his henchmen were nowhere to be seen. There are only three of us, Audrey, Darwin and I.

Audrey got released from his filthy clutch and she landed with a thud onto the ground. She was lying down there motionlessly and there is no single emotion in her eyes.

Her eyes are filled with darkness.

As he moved his hands out, Darwin was trying to ask me to calm down and told me that it shouldn’t end up like that. He approached me closer but it also means that he is walking into the perfect range where my strike would be the most accurate and precise.

He stopped and told me that we could talk it out. But I wouldn’t believe him anymore, he was the bastard who was about to rape Audrey. In fact he was responsible for all these pains which Audrey experienced over the years.

But he was trying to give me the best choice. The choice where no one is going to be injured and Audrey would be saved but yet he will be escaping away. But the part of him escaping away is what I didn’t wish for.

This bastard should be vanished from the world!

Knowing him, he definitely will not let us go off easily. He will definitely come back for revenge. This time will be a total different case where there is no way to escape and Audrey would end up as before.

Exactly 5 seconds 20 milliseconds and 5 nanoseconds had passed ever since he was standing in front of me.

If only I was more merciless and more coldhearted.
If only I had charged toward him.
If only I was more heartless.

Right now it’s too late, he had charged toward me and I was overwhelmed by him. The blade which he feared the most had landed up on his hand.

With a desperate grin of his face, he had stabbed me without any hesitation.

My body was in a bad condition, filled with injuries hours ago. The blade which embedded itself deep inside my stomach is like a leech, draining my energy away whenever I moved. My head were getting heavier as the blood supply got disrupted.

Despite my condition, Darwin kicked my face. I wouldn’t hear anything now except the thud sound when his legs landed against my skull.

I gathered all my energy, looking at Audrey. She was still emotionless, but yet I could see her mouth opening and her hands were reaching toward for me. Her eyes were gleaming and tears flow through her cheeks.

The next moment, she collapsed from shock.

My head no longer feels heavy. Instead it was getting lighter and lighter as if my soul was going to leave the body. My eyelids are getting heavier and my sight is getting darker.

Darwin had stopped kicking me. Instead he had moved toward Audrey who had collapsed. She was now totally defenseless.

This is the worst situation which I never ever wished to be. My plans had failed badly. Whatever I planned earlier had failed, there is not going to have a prince who is trying to save his princess from the clutch of the wicked witch. For which the prince had already been overwhelmed by her minions, way before he could even come close to his princess.

I looked onto the sky. I could no longer tell which are the stars or the moon. Everything seems so alike. I could not care much any more. I kept looking up into the sky. I couldn’t know how much longer I can endure but I still gathered all my strength and wished

“If gods truly exist in the sky… please save her…”

­

Strategy 14 - Zusage

There I am, lying motionlessly onto the soft mud. My mind was overwhelmed with the acrid smell as my face was lying right on top of the heaps of the freshly cut grass.

My mouth tasted metallic whenever I took in a breath. Without looking, I could already tell that my face was badly beaten up.

Yet these pains I felt are nothing compared to what Audrey had experienced before. Deep inside her was the piling amount of pains she got from being betrayed by her loved one.

Her wound which I always try to heal for all these years are about to tear open once again.

That jerk, Darwin was touching her face all over with his filthy hands as he forced himself onto this frail maiden. No doubt, her wounds will be tore opened as she was about to experience something which scarred her before.

Her lifeless eyes which had lost it gleams were staring blanking in the dark. It was the same expression she had when I left the room after the incident a few years before.

The very expression which made me decided that I will definitely have to return her back to the cheerful self mentioned by Darwin before. It was an extremely difficult task for me as I decided to be responsible for my action toward her.

For the past few months, I couldn’t know how many times my face got slapped real hard without any hesitation from her. Yet, she cried every time she slapped me

Worst still, both of us were studying in the same school. Those times when we met, I could no longer see the spark in her eyes anymore. She was depressed as if she lost her reasons to live.

There were times when she even tried to commit suicide. But I was lucky to be around her and stopped her. But she always ended up clinging onto me and cried.

“Go away! Why wouldn’t you let me die?”

These words are like arrows, piercing through my heart. I had eventually lost count of how many times she said that when I stopped her.

If I can reverse the time, I rather hope that I never ever asked Darwin about his new girlfriend, Audrey.

Yes. Everything will not turn out like this if I choose not to be jealous of Darwin’s new girlfriend.

“Hey, why not you give me that Audrey whom you boasted so much?”

How I wished that I could never asked him this. It was meant to be joke, a joke which Darwin took it seriously. In exchange of that, he offered me to be one of his henchmen.

What’s more shocking was when I found out that Audrey was the very same girl who studied the same school as me.

She was burning when I carried her after she collapsed. No doubt, she wasn’t feeling very well on that day. In fact it’s obvious that she forced herself all the while.

With the grin of Darwin as if signaling me to have fun, I carried her to one of the luxury guest room. Placing her gently onto the bed, I could feel that the warm body leaving me. Her face was so red that it seems like she was very energetic. In fact she was a girl, overflowed with energy. Yet she was lying down motionlessly.

It’s seems like a perfect chance for me, but I did not continue any further. My principle was only to do it to the one whom I truly loved and she must love me as well. No doubt, she didn’t satisfy my principle.

More importantly, I need to fix her fever first. With the pills taken from the drawers, I held her up and fed her. My head was dizzy after those drinks with Darwin. With that I collapsed onto the bed as well.

The next morning, her cries were the first thing I heard.

It was too late when I tried to explain to her afterward.

But still, I had to be responsible for what I wished for. There was once when I stopped Audrey from committing suicide but i knew that I could not stop her if she chooses to do it elsewhere.

With that, I said something to her

“If you really hate me so much, then live to destroy my life!”

These words are like arrows, for which I couldn’t take them back after firing. Like an arrow which carried the duel invitation. I had invited myself to the hellish days where Audrey would try her best screwing up my days.

This is the when she starts transferring all the pain she had onto me.
This is when she starts to try her best to live again.
This is when my days get miserable…

But all these are about going to revert back to the day where she woke up if Darwin got himself onto her. Darwin was someone who meant his words and I am certainly that he will do her.

Despite my body hurts all over, I still continued to move. I do not want to be a coward who watched his lover got violated by this disgusting beast.

But it is obvious that I would not stand a chance fighting against him in my current state. I was doubtful, but Audrey cries managed to make me determined to fight against him.

I looked onto the moon filled sky. The sky was so bright with the gentle moonlight shone gently, but yet the ground was so dark.

Gleaming trails were flowing down from Audrey’s face.
Darwin’s disgusting actions were shown clearly.

Suddenly, I found something glittering amongst the dark ground beside me. It was like a star in the vast black sky.

It was a sharp pocketknife, glowing in the dark as if telling me to pick it up.

Without any hesitation I picked it up. I knew that I only had one chance. Any failure would mean the end of me and Audrey would be scarred forever.

However the consequence of me succeeding would mean that I had injured or even killed someone. Either way will not end up as good for me.

I got no time to waste. It’s only a matter of time before Darwin noticed me.

With the promises which I made to Audrey which I promised to brought back her laughter, I charged toward Darwin with my blood thirst blade glowing under the gentle moonlight.

Strategy 13 - Dreck

The beautiful purplish flowerbed is filled with exotic white flowers leaning themselves toward the warmth sunlight, is what greeted me when I looked outside the small round windows when I woke up.

The world outside the windows seems to be so warm and cozy, as if it is waiting to embrace me with its warmth.

However, it was opposite inside.

It was icy and cold.

I couldn’t remember how long had I held onto my dress and cried. The once pure white dress was now stained with both the drink and my tears. It got tarnished.

So am I

Today is suppose to be a holy day for everyone where children will woke up with presents lying beside, while the parents will wake up from the cheers from their excited child.

Of course, I was not excluded as well.

I woke up, finding my “present” lying beside me.

It was a guy, a guy whom I do not know and do not wish to know.

I couldn’t explain what had happened until I saw the top of the table where I saw a bottle of tablets beside the glass cup.

I couldn’t know what I should do. I lying on a bed unknowingly and there is another man sleeping beside me all the while. My dress was loose and stained with the yellow residue of the drink earlier or was it something else which I never wished to find out.

I really couldn’t know what is going on.

I just cried.

I cried so hard that it woke him up. I couldn’t know what to do with him awoke.

Will he going to do anything he wants to me again?
Will he going to continue?

I had no answer to that. I just pushed him far away from me, hoping that I will never see this disgusting being ever again.

He shouted and telling me to stop. But I couldn’t listen to him as none of his words could even reach my ears. The cries inside me was too loud

The next thing he did was walking toward the table, filling up the glass cup with water. After filling up, he walked toward me with his hand holding onto the bottle of tablet.

I was staring at all his action and now he was approaching me with that unknown drug.

Is he going to drug me again?

I was confused and scared.

Every of his footsteps were making my heart stopped as he approached. Right in front of my face, was the cup of water with the tablet dissolved slowly into it as it gives off the dizzying sound.

I pushed his hand away, leaving the glass to fall onto the hard ground. The glass shattered as it lands. His expression was shocked but still his confusion wouldn’t even matched mine or even come close to what I am feeling right now.

“GET OUT!” I screamed.

With the creaking noise of the rusty hinge of the doors, he had left the room.

I looked outside the windows. It was like a perfect morning with clear sky, the warmth outside which seems waiting for me to embrace on.

However, no amount of heat will be able to thaw my deep frozen heart anymore.

I asked myself why did all these happened to me

Some people said that you might feel excited when you had your first time. Some said you might feel a little pain and others said that you will definitely love it.

But for me, I wouldn’t even able to feel anything.

I looked back on myself, looking at the stained dress which is wetted from my tears.

“I ‘m tarnished”
“I ‘m dirtied”
“I ‘m used”
“I ‘m no longer pure”
“I ‘m damaged”

In one short night, my body was no longer fit for marriage anymore.

Strategy 12 - schwach

The path along the way was like a snowfield where the temperature seems to fall below zero degrees Celsius. It was awfully cold.

The winds get stronger and stronger each time. My legs which weren’t covered was freezing, making a hard time for me to walk. My head was getting heavier and heavier each step I walked, I was panting hard.

The journey seems like walking across the freezing Himalayas

Finally I reached my destination where Darwin was down there waiting for me. His presence purged all my lethargies away.

I couldn’t tell how happy I was especially since he waited for me all along. To add on, he even praised that my dress looked really good on me. I was ecstatic

Holding on Darwin’s hand, we headed down to the town. Along the way, we didn’t speak much except that I was all along holding onto his warm broad hand which seems like a pair of warm woolen glove for my hand.

However, the sky was grey and I couldn’t see well as my mind wasn’t really clear. The heat got into my head every step I made, making me dizzy. I couldn’t see where we are heading.

Suddenly I tripped onto a crack in between the red ceramic tiles. Just when I was about to fall, a hand pull me back in time.

“Are you okay?” Darwin asked in concern

I merely nodded my head while trying to keep myself up. But I know what my body couldn’t last as much as I wanted.

“Come on… Don’t collapse now…” I said to my inner self, hoping that I will be able to last for the whole day.

I couldn’t tell how far we walked. The lively surrounding had changed into a dark cement backyard which seems like a back alley.

“We have reached” Darwin said and I looked up.

The shop was badly decorated with strange English names and the decoration made it look like a pub.

The reception desk was a menu filled with all sort of names in different language. They are the names of the wines and liquor.

Darwin showed me the way into it familiarly as though he worked here. The red hard leather look expensive but it was dirty as it was not properly cleaned.

I was reluctant to sit down as I was afraid that it might stain my precious white dress. Eventually I got myself seated since I do not wish to disappoint Darwin.

With his fluent hand sign, the waiter came and he takes our order.

“As usual, Give me, two Special S” Darwin ordered it fluently as if he was a frequent customer here.

The next moment, he arrived with 2 glasses of gleaming golden liquid which seems like beer.

“I couldn’t take alcohol yet…” I told Darwin as I was trying to enquiry that this is non alcoholic.

“It’s okay… It’s just some fruit juice cocktail” Darwin assured me.

With the assurance Darwin gave, I drank a little from the glass. It really did taste so funny and I could feel that my throat was burning a little. But I couldn’t know what that is.

“Next one coming up, finished it…” Darwin continued

I couldn’t tell what I am drinking but all I know is that I finished it as requested by him. It tasted funny, having a sight sweet yet bitter taste and yet leaving a cooling sensation on your throat as if you had eaten “Mentos” earlier.

However my head was getting heavier and heavier. The burning sensation I felt on my head got even stronger after drinking that.

Right in front of me was the waiter taking the second order and placing it in front of me. With my dizziness, I couldn’t hear what he said but he was talking and laughing together with Darwin.

My eyes kept shutting and opening. My body was weak. I shouldn’t have come in the first place if I brought trouble for Darwin.

I couldn’t feel anything.

The next moment, I knocked onto the drinks placed in front of me, staining my dress and the waiter was caught surprised.

I wished I could get myself away from the spillage but I couldn’t. My body is too weak to move and my head is splitting.

“Kobe, the rest is up to you…”

This was the last thing I heard from Darwin talking to the waiter.

With that I collapsed.

Strategy 11 - Erkältung

The sound of the alarm resonated loudly through the room like a wailing baby seeking for attention. It was so disturbing that I couldn’t stand it anymore

With a hand coming out of the cave of blanket which I burrowed myself in, I tried to locate the “source” of the noise. Like a blind mole trying to find its way out, my hand had knocked onto several decorations, lying along the drawers in the process of the search party.

My fingers brushed against the metallic casing which seems so cold that it gave my fingers a static shock. My hand hid away reflexively.

Followed up was the chilly wind which sends a sharp chill down to my nerve as it hit my hand.

Once again I moved my hand away, back into the warm and cozy blanket which seems like heated room in the cold winter.

The very next moment, I leaped out from my blanket after recalling of something which is very important.

“Today is Christmas Eve and also it’s my date with Darwin!” I remembered suddenly and my mind was clear.

As I leapt out, I was chilled down to my spine as I totally forget that it’s was chilly outside.

Something is wrong.

It was not chilly outside but it’s more like I was feeling a lot warmer. Touching my face with both of my hands, I could feel that it was hot. My neck was red as well. I had got down with a fever.

I can’t deny that it was related to yesterday. I had run under the rain for hours and with my clothes soaked and stuck onto my skin. The worst is that I woke up in the same clothes as yesterday.

“I cannot afford to get sick in today!”

With that determination, I moved my body down to the bathroom and took a quick shower with the heater adjusted to the maximum.

The way back to my room was hellish. No matter how slight the wind is, I froze whenever it brushed through me. However my determination did not extinguish that easily.

Like all girls have, I also have a big black wardrobe which contains my whole collection of dresses and attire. Even though, there are so many choices for me to make, but I still couldn’t decide which is my favorite combination.

“Should I wear this white dress?”
“This looks good and fringy, I think Darwin would like that”
“Maybe too exposed?”

I couldn’t decide which to wear seriously.

Nonetheless, I had finally made my choice of wearing the white dress with fringes around since I want to give him a White Christmas. Of course, this is my favorite dress which I did not wear them out before as it will be stained easily since it’s white.

Time was pressing me as I was about to be late.