Lights Out (17 page)

Lily’s Grandmother paused for a moment, remembering the scene as
vividly as if it had been the same day.

She gave a sad smile to Lily and continued.

“The next day, everyone called a meeting. There was panic within our
society and no one had considered a replacement. People from China flooded
across the border to pay their respects at the funeral, over a 1000 people
came. It was then that the society approached me. They knew me well by then.
They knew that I had the ear of all the right people in Hong Kong, and knew
that I understood the mechanics of what we were trying to do. I too had gained
their respect over time. I looked at your Mother that day at the funeral. She
looked a little like you do today, a little lost and a little angry. That’s
when I decided to protect my family in the only way I knew how, and I
accepted.”

Lily was stunned. All these years she had no idea what her family
did. She had vague recollections of people coming in and out of the house, and
remembered reading about the street riots in the papers, but this was like
suddenly finding out that your parent was a secret agent or you were adopted. It
hit her like a train.

“I had no idea” was all Lily could manage.

Her Grandmother continued. “Your parents did a good job with you, and
we all wanted was for you to have the best start in life, to have a normal
life. We had discussed bringing you in so many times as you grew older, but
always dismissed it. Perhaps now it is time.” Her Grandmother paused again, and
looked troubled, her brow pulled into a deep frown.

“Your parents death was not an accident Lillian. The rival society
still hungers for our business and it appears they have now chosen to take
matters a step further. They have crossed a line. Despite everything that has
happened, we can never allow them to take control of our society, too much has
been lost already.”

Lily’s mouth had gone dry and she could feel the hot anger rising up
in her. She wanted nothing better than to be shown the people or person that
had arranged for her parents death and for them to be pointed out to her. Her
mind began to drift as she began imagining what she would say to them before
she killed them.

Her Grandmother interrupted her thoughts as though she had read her
mind.

“Lily, you cannot be vengeful or impulsive, you will need a clear
mind from now on, not one clouded by hate.”

“NO”, Lily shouted, her voice suddenly bursting with emotion. I want
to know who did this. I need to know who did this to our family.” Lily said
breathlessly as she fought the angry tears. She sat silently for a moment
before continuing.

“It is time for me now.” Lily said, her voice almost a whisper. “I want
you to teach me everything.” Lily said looking at her Grandmother. In that
moment everything seemed clear to Lily, her future was set and she wouldn’t
falter.

Lily’s Grandmother rested a hand on her shoulder and eased Lily’s
hunched up shoulders down until she could visibly her visibly relax.

“Lillian, you must remember this; the one who pursues revenge, should
dig two graves.

There will be an opportunity for you at the right time. This
situation is not something that we can react to impulsively. This is what they
want. We will cope with the next few weeks first and with dignity, we owe your
parents and my daughter that much”. She said her voice cracking slightly at the
mention of her daughter.

“I will teach you, and you will learn. First attain the skill, then
the creativity comes later.”

Lily had so many unanswered questions, but knew that it would have to
wait. This was her Grandmothers way of telling her that she would have to go
back and study.

She stayed up late that night, jet lagged and tired in her bed
unwilling to sleep. She vowed to herself that when she finally found the
identity of who killed her parents, she would personally avenge their death and
in doing so, she knew that she would not feel any remorse.

Bringing herself out of her reverie, Lily looked at the clock on the
dashboard of her car and decided that it was time to go up. She hadn’t seen Rob
since he’d be taken by Ghost Face, and suspected that he would be in a bad way.
She had been furious with Ghost when she had first seen the Polaroid. Rob was
supposed to have been taken until the robbery was over, hidden away quietly,
and then simply released unharmed. Ghost Face had other plans. He saw everyone
as disposable and was starting to leave quite a trail of bodies in his wake.
She’d spoken to her Grandmother and raised her concerns over his recent
behavior, but he’d worked for the family for so many years now, everything that
he did seemed to be brushed under the carpet and accepted in silence. Their
silence to him was affirmation that his actions and decisions were acceptable,
with the belief that whatever he did was in the best interests of the society.
Lily disagreed fervently, and this was starting to worry her.

Ryan was a different matter. Lily had hoped that he would have been
picked up by the Police and be safely out of the picture. He should have been
tied up in interviews and investigations, taking the heat off the rest of them.
Instead he had managed to go on the run. Something that none of them had
anticipated. Lily knew full well, that given an opportunity Ghost Face would
ensure that Ryan disappeared for good. She would not be able to protect him for
long, she knew that, but for now, she needed to ensure that Rob was OK, and
that Ryan saw that his friend was alive. The rest she’d work out later.

Lily stepped in to the lift and pressed the button for the top floor.
She climbed the last set of stairs leading to a white door and knocked. A
camera moved just above her head to the left, identifying who was outside the
door.

A buzzer sounded and the door unlatched itself and stood slightly
ajar.

Lily pulled on the heavy white door and as she stepped inside was
greeted by one of the Society members, a man that she recognized, but didn’t
know.

“I’m here to see Robert Black.” She said to the young Chinese man. He
recognized Lily immediately and led her down a narrow corridor to a metal door.
The young man nodded towards a thin viewing slit and stepped away.

Lily silently slid across the metal shutter and peered inside the
room. Rob was no longer bound. He sat on the same chair that she recognized
from the Polaroid picture. He was sitting next to a basic metal bed with a thin
mattress and blanket. He had his trousers back on, but wore the same blood
splattered shirt, but now the blood was brown and dry. He had tried to clean
his face, but still had matted blood in his hair. He looked exhausted and
damaged. Lily scanned the rest of the room. In the corner was a basic white
toilet and sink attached to the wall. Everything was in open view so that Rob
was visible at all times, like a prison cell,
but much worse,
Lily thought. She looked down just inside the door
and noticed that there was an untouched tray of food.

She looked sideways at the young Chinese man. He shrugged. “He won’t
eat”. He said.

Hearing the sound of a voice Rob looked up toward the door. He could
see that someone was looking at him through the narrow slit, but couldn’t see
who was behind the door. He stood up.

“Hey”, he yelled suddenly angry, making Lily step back slightly.

“Hey, c’mon, how long are you going to keep me here?” he asked, his
voice sounding tired and desperate.

“Talk to me.” He demanded.

Lily quickly closed the slat and walked back up the corridor with the
Chinese man.

“When did he last eat?” she asked him.

“He hasn’t touched the last two meals. He wants to talk to someone,
but I’m not allowed to talk to him. I just slide in the food three times a day.

“Any other visitors?” she asked.

“No, just Ghost Face, he comes once a day, and then one of the other
guys replaces me for the nightshift. That’s it.” He shrugged.

Lily’s mind was in conflict. Was she foolish bringing Ryan here to
see Rob? What would he do when he see’s his friend in this condition? Will he
be convinced that Rob is OK and then simply go to the police? She thought about
that. Of course he would go to the police, and then they’ll come directly to
the warehouse. Before Lily could change her mind she felt her phone vibrate in
her pocket. She slid the phone out and looked at the caller id. It was Ryan. He
was here.

She answered the phone. “Just wait outside the door”.

Ryan stood outside the white door. He felt a mix of impatience and
nerves and didn’t know what to expect or how he would react.

The door buzzed open and Ryan stepped inside, surprised and how
bright and airy the entrance was. He looked around to gauge his bearings. To
him it looked like it had been newly renovated. In sections, thick clear
plastic sheeting still hung from the walls covering unfinished areas. The
floors were concrete but looked freshly
screeted
. The
walls, clean and white were lit up with bright industrial metal lights dotted
around the high ceiling. There was a narrow corridor running off to the right,
and small windows looking out towards the Chai Wan
harbour
.
Just as he was about to walk down corridor, Lily emerged flanked by the young
Chinese man that had greeted her upon arrival.

“Ryan”. Lily said. Not sure how she should receive him.

“Lily.” Ryan responded curtly.

“You can see Rob, but you can’t talk to him. You need to be clear on
that point. This is just to show you that he’s alive and well, and that’s all.”
Lily said and motioned for Ryan to follow her.

They walked in silence down the narrow corridor until they reached
the metal door. Lily turned to Ryan and pressed a finger to her lips to
indicate that he needed to be quiet. Ryan nodded once.

Behind them the young Chinese man stood motionless.

Lily slid across the metal shutter and motioned for Ryan to look
through the slit. He had to bend slightly to get his eyes at the correct
height. He peered in and waited whilst his eyes adjusted. He took in the sparse
room and then focused on the broken man sitting before him. The noise of the
shutter had made Rob look up with interest. He wasn’t used to being looked at
so frequently and now he was alert.
Perhaps
something would happen today
, he thought hopefully.

“Who’s there?” Rob demanded.

“Who are you?” He spoke again, this time standing up. He walked
slowly towards the door, squinting his eyes to try and see the eyes behind the slit.
Wanting to know who was looking at him so intensely.

Lily looked at Ryan and silently mouthed
‘No’
to him, shaking her head.

Ryan looked back through the slit in the door and seeing his friend
walk toward him couldn’t remain silent any longer. Before Lily had a chance to
respond or pull him away, Ryan was speaking through the gap.

“Rob, it’s Ryan. It’s OK mate, I’m going to get you out of here, just
hang on.” Ryan could feel Lily pulling on his shirt, but he wouldn’t move from
the door.

Rob ran quickly to the door now and pressed his hands against it,
trying to look through the small slit.

“Ryan, get me out of here, Ryan, don’t you leave me here, you have to
get me out.” Rob shouted, his voice was ragged with tiredness, he sounded
desperate. With the little energy he had, he banged his fist against the door.

Lily was pulling at Ryan as hard as she could. The young Chinese man
was already running ahead of them down the corridor.

“You idiot” Lily yelled at Ryan as she tried to drag him away from
the door.

“He’ll call Ghost Face. You have to get out of here, he’ll kill you
and Rob if he finds you here.”

Ryan looked at Lily, and seeing the concern on her face, took his
chance. He held her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him.

“Lily, you can do the right thing. Let Rob go. He’s done his job and
you’ve done yours. You owe him this much.” He said.

Lily shook her head. Her mind was racing. She should have trusted her
gut instincts. She should never have brought Ryan here. It was a mistake.

“I was a fool to agree to let you see him. You should have just taken
my word for it that he was OK.” Lily said. “Now you are both in danger, you
have to leave now.”

Lily shook herself out of Ryan’s hold and dragged him with her down
the corridor away from Rob’s cell.

“Lily, Ghost Face is a dangerous man. Do you honestly think that he
will ever let Rob live? He doesn’t need Rob anymore. The job is done now. Why
keep him? Why complicate things further?” Ryan spoke urgently, willing for Lily
to see that he was right.

Suddenly Lily fell silent. She turned to Ryan and shushed him.

Ryan could hear the young Chinese man speaking Cantonese. Lily
listened intently to what he was saying her hand was across Ryan’s mouth, both
of them still now.

Ryan watched Lily’s face drain of all
colour
.

She looked at him with horror in her eyes.

“What is it” Ryan whispered. “What did he say?”