“ HA !” Chen ’ s voice echoed down the alleyway , “ I have found you at last .” He strode down the alleyway , the sound of his boots striking the floor resonated around the channel , click-clack-click-clack , and the fear within me grew at an astonishing rate as the sounds grew . Louder . And louder . Until they stopped . My eyes trailed upwards slowly , until they landed upon a face , the face I had hoped to never see again , but the gods were working against me .
Chen ’ s face slinked into a condescending sneer ; a baring of teeth , top lip pulled back into a thin line , devoid of all warmth and humor . This was more than enough to intimidate me , and a fresh wave of fear washed over me , blanketing me , petrifying me . Chen saw this , and he let out a maniacal laugh , a cackle that sent chills down my spine and the hairs on my arms and legs rised in response . “ What do you want ?” I mumbled fearfully , my eyes fixated on the ground , avoiding his gaze at all costs . “ What do I want ? Well … there ’ s a lot that I want , but for today , there ’ s one thing I need to complete .” Chen hinted . He grabbed the bottom of my face , and wrenched my head up , and I heard the cracking of my neck bones as they grinded together , inducing sharp shooting pain through the full length of my neck . “ Look at me .” He tapped the sides of my cheek with the backside of his palm , but I refused to look at him . “ Look at me .” He repeated again , this time with a little more force but I kept my face turned , fixing my gaze on the corner of the wall , refusing to yield to his requests . If I was going to die , I might as well die with my dignity intact . “ Look at me !” Chen bellowed into my face , and I jumped in fright , cowering away from him .
“ You fool ! There is no use to hide away from me . You will die tonight , whether you like it or not ! But the question is , how ?” He paced around me , and took out his knives , my eyes fixated on them , as the blades flashed and clanged together while he slashed them together , preparing for what was to come . I gulped . My heart suddenly seemed like it was going into cardiac arrest , beating almost 5 times its regular speed . My pupils started to dilate , and I began to struggle for breath . Every breath felt like death to me ; piercing pains shot up and down the entirety of my body and I shook in fear of what was yet to come .
“ What should I do , why don ’ t you tell me ? I ’ m feeling generous today , I will give you a choice . Death by gunshot , or death by knife . Pick one . Now .” Chen ’ s steely stare bore into my eyes , and I stared back . A million different thoughts ran through my head at that moment . The cowardly nature of Yang Bin , the life I could ’ ve lived if I didn ’ t make that choice , the life I had destroyed to get what I wanted ….. It finally registered to me that I was going to die . I was bound to . It was final , and I had no way out .
“ Hey Chen ! I ’ m going to die , no matter what I say , dui ma ?”
“ Yes . It won ’ t make a difference , no matter what you say .”
“ Then listen to what I have to say . People will found out what Yang Bin had done , and they will expose him as what he truly is to the rest of the world . Shàn è dào tóu zhōng yǒu bào ’. Good and evil will always be rewarded , it is only a question of time . That is what my mother told me . I am suffering because of this now , I have committed a sin , and I will pay for it with my life . And it will be your turn next . That I am sure of .” I laughed emotionlessly . For the first time in what seemed like forever , I was certain of what I was doing . I think my mother will be proud of me , in this moment .
“ Well , you are incorrect . For it is your time to die .” And with that , Chen reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun , pointed it at me , and pulled the trigger .
I saw the moments of my life flickering beneath the lids of my closing eyes , reminders of what I had done with it . My mother and I playing in the garden , a broad smile plastered upon our faces , our laughter resonating through the air . The time when we found out my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer . The moment when Yang Bin offered me the job . And the moment when I agreed to do it .
Chen ’ s mocking face was the last thing I saw , as black filled the edges of my vision and I saw no more . Wǒ duì bù qǐ ni , māmā . Zhēn de hen duì bù qǐ .