The house in Bukit Timah

[ilikeoldchangke]

Yiling got up off the chair and walked over, angled her head in an adorable manner and waved at the camera with a smile before switching it off.

The video ended after that and the room remained quiet until Ruihao broke the silence.

Ruihao : Yiling gave specific instructions to check with each member if there are any objections to her choice of candidate…. Please raise them now if you are not agreeable to Jackson taking over the reins….

Kamal looked at me before nodding his head slowly and so did Hong.

Candy and Cindy nodded their head as well.

Jackson : What about me… do I get a say in this…. ?

Ruihao looked at his watch and told me I have time to consider the decision.

Ruihao : You have a few hours to consider….

Jackson : and then what… ?

Ruihao : Someone will come for your decision…

Jackson : Who…

Ruihao : I don’t know…Yiling did not share that with me….

Jackson : what will happen if someone objected… ?

Ruihao lifted another sealed envelope.

Ruihao : But no one objected… so this will remain sealed…. I want to remind all that Jackson’s acceptance does not mean he automatically gets the job. ….. Yiling mentioned that she only makes the recommendation…. Someone else will come and decide if Jackson is situable….

Ruihao added that if there are no other matters, he will take his leave.


The 5 of us remained in the study after Ruihao left.

Jackson : I don’t know what to do guys….

I looked at each of them and I told them honestly what I felt.

Jackson : I’m not doing this…. Unless I know I have all of you with me to do it together…..i can’t do this alone….The only thing on my mind now is to find Owen and kill him…. I don’t know anything about running a company…. Much less an organisation like this..

Kamal : Yiling must have her reasons for choosing you Jackson….don’t let her down… I’m in if you are…. And I’m not leaving until that fucker is dead….

Hong spoke in between sobs that Yiling put a lot of effort into La Bella Vita.
Hong : It’s her legacy…… I don’t want to see it gone…

Candy : sniff…. I’m in all the way if you are….

Cindy : do it Jackson …take it…. You want Owen…. You will need all the resources La Bella vita has…..

I suddenly realised that the people in that study are the ones left closest to me in the world.
I have no one else.

They are not only my friends, they are my family too.

It suddenly dawned on me what Yiling meant by this being a burden.


I looked at each of their faces and I felt fear like never before.
Fear of knowing that they might die on my watch.

Jackson : I’ll do it…..on the condition …. That all of you….. will not hesitate to tell me if I’m doing something wrong….

Everyone nodded and Hong threw a crumpled piece of napkin at me.

Hong : sobzz.. sobz… don’t fucking remove the staff benefits of the girls coming once a month….or I’ll quit…

Candy kicked Hong in his side and we all laughed.
Candy : tsk…..
Kamal : Alright… let’s go out…. We need to greet Yiling’s guest….

I stuffed the thumb drive in my pocket.
I’ll look at it after everything is over.


7pm

I’m not sure how but by early evening, news has begun to spread.
News that I will be taking over.

I greeted countless guest and business owners who all had prior dealings with Yiling.
With so much going on in my mind, I tried my best to remember who’s who.

At 9pm, I met the one guy which made me smile before I laughed.

This man call Paul.

Paul : hi Jackson …. I hear you are taking over from Yiling….

Jackson : Hi Paul…. Yes I am….


Paul smiled and told me he is my liaison from Singapore pools, the only legalised betting organisation for sports, lottery and horse racing bets in the country.

I smiled and I broke into a laugh as I recalled the stunt Yiling pulled on me when I first joined La Bella Vita.

Jackson : are you….. who I think you are….

Paul smiled but said nothing.

Paul : Yiling would have left detailed instructions to you…. Look forward to work with you Jackson….i’m sorry for your lost…. Yiling is one of the nicest person I’ve ever worked with….

Jackson : Thank you…

Guest continued coming. Even at 10pm, more streamed in, and the men have trouble trying to manage the limited parking spaces.

Most didn’t stay long, some stayed a while.
At 11pm, one of our guys came running into the hall, saying that 4 traffic police bikes just pulled into Binjai Hill road.

Jackson : why… ?

Hong : I’ll go find out….


Kamal ended a call on his phone and told me that Binjai Road has been sealed.
A 4 SUV convoy is approaching us.
I walked to the entrance of the makeshift funeral hall and waited.

When I saw James and his men spreading out on the castle ground while approaching us, I could pretty much guess who is coming.

Sporting a cap and a black jacket, I saw Welly Chin walking over.

Kamal : my god… the Prime minister is here…..

Welly chin walked briskly over and slowed down when he reached the entrance.

He removed his cap and I could see the fatigue on his face. A far cry from the vigour matured gentlemen I saw a year ago at the auction.


Jackson : Good evening Sir…

I shook the PM’s hand and he took a look at the setup.

Welly : I never expect….to meet again under such circumstances….

Jackson : Neither did i….


Welly laid a flower for Yiling and it made me wonder how much is Yiling doing and who she does it for.

Perhaps she works for Welly, perhaps Welly is here to hear my decision.

James and his men too, all of them paid their last respect to Yiling and they too, laid a flower for her.

Billy went over and said something to James and he looked at me.

Shortly after that, Welly came over.

He didn’t say much, he didn’t congratulate me or anything.

Welly : I can’t stay long…. But I trust Yiling made the right choice….

Jackson : Thank you…


Welly : It’s a terrible time for the country…. So much has happen….

Jackson : It’s a terrible time to be the Prime Minister Sir…

Welly : hahahha…. Politics….. don’t hate the players…. Hate game…

Jackson : I hate it very much yes…

Welly laughed and he looked at my injuries before looking at me in my eye.

Welly : Would you say…. You consider yourself a patriot Jackson …. ?

Jackson : I hate politics…. I have no love for political parties….but I love my country….




Welly : that’s good enough for me Jackson … ..that’s good enough for me….

He tapped me on my arm before nodding at James, signalling that it’s time to go.
I overheard James telling Billy that the road will be close till 4am.

Billy : thank you….

After Welly Chin’s entourage is gone, the funeral hall was empty by then.

Only the Billy and the 5 of us remained.

Billy : Yiling’s family is on the way…..

Jackson : ok… we’ll wait…. Shall I ask the cookhouse to prepare something for them…. ? what time are they landing… ?

Billy smiled and shook his head.


Billy : It’s ok…. No need….

Jackson : what about you… I haven seen you eat anything the whole day…. I’ll ask them to prepare something for you…

Billy declined my offer.
Billy : I appreciate it Jackson… I’m fine….

24th December 2017
Sunday
12.30am

I poured myself a cup of coffee as I looked the empty hall.
It’s so quiet that I could hear the hum of the air-conditioner.

Kamal came into the hall and commented that something is going on.

Kamal : The perimeter lights are gone…

Jackson : what do you mean… ? it’s shut off… ?

Kamal nodded.

Billy : it’s ok… the street lights too…

Jackson : what….? Why… ?

Billy’s phone vibrated and I saw him check his message.

Billy : Yiling’s family is coming….

I saw the double leaf door of the funeral hall opened and the girls gasped in shock as the person walking in.

[ilikeoldchangke]

I felt a shiver in my spine as I looked at that man. The almost 2m tall giant walked into the hall slowly.

First I was surprised, then I felt the anger, and my blood started to boil.

It’s the man at the Lion’s den. The butcher.
The man I saw that literally tore the terrorists to shreds.

A bloodied cleaver hung by the side of his waist as he walked slowly into the hall while looked at Yiling photo at the far end. He was wearing his mask but I could see the white of his eyes in the brightly lit hall.

While the rest took a step back at the abomination entering the hall, I was the only one that did the opposite.

I dropped my crutch and grabbed the closest thing I could find.
A plastic chair.

Jackson : arGHHH!!!

I grabbed it and I threw it at him, striking him on his head and shoulder.

Billy : Jackson !!

The butcher did not block at all.

Jackson : WHERE WERE YOU !!!!! WHERE WERE YOU WHEN SHE NEEDED YOU….. !!! ARGHHHH

I grabbed another chair and I wanted to throw it at him but Billy stopped me.

Jackson : LET GO !!!!... LET GO OF ME….

The rest of the guys tried to hold onto me as I tried to charge at the butcher.
I shove them aside and threw a 2nd chair at him, hitting him on his back.

Jackson : WHERE WERE ALL OF YOU !!!! WHERE !!!!!

Billy held onto me, asking me to calm down.

I shove him aside and I walked over to the butcher who stood in front of Yiling’s photo.

It was then I realised his body had splatters of dried blood and bits of what looked like human hair and flesh.

I froze when I realised he was bleeding.
Blood dripped from his hand and onto the floor. He pulled a white rose from his pocket and he waited.

He stood there and waited.
He waited for us to compose ourselves.

I swallowed a gulp of saliva and stood by the rest of the guys.

I know I can’t blame them, nobody wanted this to happen but I can’t help but ask myself why are they not there that day ?


If they were there, this wouldn’t have happened.

If they were all there, Yiling would not have died.

They could have protected her.

When Billy said Yiling’s family was coming, he did not mean Yvonne.

He meant someone else altogether.

Billy shook me out of my stupor and I sucked in a deep breath of air and tried to get back my dignity.
I bit down on my teeth and stood upright as the guest paid his respect to Yiling.

Butcher : goodbye Bella….

His voice is low, it sounded almost like the growl of an animal as he laid the flower in front of Yiling. The rest of us bowed and the Butcher turned away.

He walked away, slowly and silently towards the exit and I saw the next one enter.

The guy with the Kwandao. He looked like someone who had travelled back in time, even his moves and the way he conduct himself.


Setting his weapon by the door, he walked forward like a general paying his last respect to a old friend with one hand in front of him and one hand on his back.

Billy : do you know why….. they call Yiling … Bella…. ?

I turned and looked at Billy.

Billy : She was once one of them….and she have to let it all go….

Jackson : Yiling…. was one of them… ?

Billy nodded.


Billy : All of them had callsigns…..Yiling gave up hers…. She gave up the anonymity …..everything… so she can be the face of La Bella Vita….

The guy with the kwandao bowed and laid his flower. He too had splatters of dried blood on his body.

Xia : Goodbye……… Bella…… you can finally rest now….

As he turned and left, more came.


Men, women, of all shape and sizes. They all came.
No one dressed up just for this occasion. No one dressed up and put on a mask just because they are coming to a wake.

The smell. The bloodied footprints, the stains of blood leading from the door to the table where they said their goodbyes, it tells me one thing.

They have been busy.

There’s so many of them.

A tall lanky man carried a scythe as if he was the god of death himself.
There’s one who carried a spike mace, another with nanchucks, one of them had 7 knives in various positions on his body. Forearm, his sides, his waist, his back, and there’s even one lady with only 1 arm.

There’s the 2 guys I saw at the Rajah rooftop. They carried their samurai swords.


Nikka and Tametsu.

It reminded me of a scene in predator 2, at the end when one of the aliens died and more of them appeared. Everyone took their time, laid their flower and said their goodbye.

Hong : …. There’s so many of them….

Everyone came alone, and they waited for each other to leave before entering.

The last 2 came together and I recognised them immediately.

Hong : That’s …. That’s the 2 that helped us at the hilltop that day….
Hibiki and Jane…


Hibiki’s body language is different from the rest.

The way he walked, the way he approached the altar.

The way his hand trembled when he offered the flower.

He knew Yiling on a personal level.

Hibiki and Jane went over to Yiling’s coffin and I saw Jane put her gloved hand on his shoulder.

Hibiki said his goodbye and he was the only one who didn’t call her Bella.

Hibiki : Goodbye Yiling…. I’ll get him…. I swear…. I’ll get him….

The first thing that hit me when Hibiki and Jane walked near me is the smell.
You know the smell when you sleep in the jungle for a few days without showering and you repeatly moisturise your body with your own perspiration over and over again.
That was the smell that hit me. The wounds on his body, the cuts, near his torso, they were still fresh.


Wherever they were earlier, they were working.

They were all working.

He lingered a little longer by the altar before holding Jane’s hand and they walked away together.

After Hibiki and Jane left, no more came.

I turned to look at Billy and he told me there’s someone else.


Billy : The last visitors…. They’re coming….

Billy told me these men and women, they use to work alone. A major reorganisation under a new command allowed many of them to work together, with greater efficiency.

Jackson : They use to work for Owen…. ?


Billy nodded.

Billy : Some of them…. Many are new…. We don’t work for Owen now…. not for a long time….

It was coming to 2.30am when the door to the hall opened.


2.30am.

I got a shock then I saw the man opening the door.

He’s heavily tattooed, in fact, his whole face and any exposed body part is covered with tattoos.

4 large dogs entered the same time as him and I tightened the grip on my crutch.
Hong grabbed a chair just in case and Kamal instinctively stood in front of the girls even though Cindy towered above him.
The man by the entrance is well built, you could tell he’s strong and he carried a large blade almost half a metre long by his side.

The dogs are not pure breed, they looked like wild dogs but they are well trained. There are no collars, no leash and they all had scars on their bodies and near their faces.


One would have thought theses dogs were made to fight in illegal dog fights.

The beasts settled by the door as the tattooed man looked around the funeral hall.

Satisfied that it was ok, he stepped back and an elderly man walked in with a limp.
His hair had streaks of black and grey and while you could tell he’s not exactly young, he still had that fire in his eyes.


The 2 more men whose face were all tattooed followed the one in charge into the hall.

Jackson : Billy…. Who is he… ?

Billy : He’s Ron…. Yiling works for him….
Ron’s men remained by the door and he approached alone.

Ron bowed and laid a flower for Yiling.
He walked over to the coffin and looked at her.

Ron : goodbye Bella….thank you….. for everything you’ve done…..

Ron looked at Billy and Billy knew what he wanted.


Billy : guys…. If would give Ron and Jackson some time alone….

Kamal, Hong and the girls walked away from the altar towards the exit. Their approached immediately got the dogs on alert. 2 of them got up and I could hear their growl from where I stood.
One of the tattooed man clicked his tongue twice and the dogs settled down by his legs and wagged their tail.

I offered Ron a drink and he asked for a coffee.


We sat at the table closest to Yiling’s altar and he looked at me for a while before speaking.

Ron : So you are the new King….
Jackson : what do you mean…. ?

Ron gestured around us.

[ilikeoldchangke]

Ron : The new owner of the castle….

Jackson : you tell me….

Ron nodded and asked.


Ron : do you know who I am….

Jackson : Billy says Yiling worked for you…

Ron nodded.

Jackson : and who do you work for… ? Welly… ?

Ron smiled.


Ron : I work for every man, woman and child that calls this country home….

I said nothing and I just looked at him.

Ron : There is no honour and glory in what we do Jackson…. There are no medals and badges…. No glorious ceremony and award presentation….the people you are going to sacrifice so much for…. Will never appreciate it…..

Ron took a sip of his coffee before going on.

Ron : They will not know your name……..the history books will not have a place for you…..


Jackson : My name is too tacky for the history books…

Ron : hahhaa…
Ron sat back in his chair and drummed his fingers on the table covered with white plastic sheets as he surveyed me from top to toe.

Ron told me there must be a reason why Yiling chose me.

Ron : she saw something in you Jackson….

Ron looked at his watch before going straight to the point.

Ron : La Bella Vita is our financial and logistics arm…… the funds we need to operate….is a huge burden that needs to be financed……and it cannot show on the books….so it needs to be financed…..


Ron spent 2 seconds trying to think of a creative word.

Ron : creatively…….

Jackson : I see…

Ron : Yiling has left detailed instructions and protocols for you…. Take some time to go through them….. do you have ….. any questions for me..…. ?

I have questions, of course I have questions.
And they came out of me fast, partly propelled by the anger seething inside me.

Ron answered them fast as well. It’s almost as if we’re having a debate and trying to see who can have the last word.


Jackson : Where is Owen….?

Ron : and if I tell you where he is…. What would you do…. ?

Jackson : I’ll think about it after you tell me….

Ron : He’s not in the country at the moment but he will be.

Jackson : When… ?

Ron : Within the next 3 months….

Jackson : why ?

Ron : He’s coming for the castle and the vault…

Jackson : What’s inside the vault… ?

Ron : Open it and see for yourself …..

Jackson : I’m going to kill him….

Ron : I’m not stopping you….


My blood was boiling by then as I pictured my fingers closing around Owen’s neck. How could I harbour such hatred for a man I’ve never met ?
That is a difficult question to answer.

The 2 of us looked at each other and Ron smiled as he read me perfectly. He knows I’m angry.

Ron : I know what you’re thinking Jackson…..you’re thinking if I will offer my help…. If Yiling’s family…. Will offer their help….


Jackson : and will you… ? will they ?

Ron : no…

Jackson : Why… ?

Ron : Owen is but one threat…. Out of the many the country is facing….. you’re on your own….

From Ron’s expression, it doesn’t look like he is joking.


Ron : You have to defend the castle on your own Jackson…. Can you do it… ?

Jackson : Yes.. I can…

Ron : And Owen… ?

Jackson : Yes….i’ll kill him….

Ron : How… ?

Jackson : I’ll do it and tell you after….

Ron laughed and nodded.

Ron : you’re going to be outnumbered….the odds are against you….

Jackson : the odds are against me only if I play by the rules…..

Ron : hahahah…. Hahaha


Ron nodded his head, he seemed to be amused by my answers while I failed to see the humour in them.

He turned and gestured to one of his men by the entrance. One of them came over with a black A3 size folder similar to what you would get when you receive your keys to a new property.


Ron opened it and I saw something familiar in it.
3 old Nokia phones, similar to the ones Yiling had.
Looking at them up close, I realised they each had engravings on them. Each carried a different emblem of a lion.
He checked that all the phones are working before closing it and asking me to walk with him.

Ron : walk with me Jackson….


I got up and we started to head towards the exit.

As we walked, Ron told me that he would give me a chance to proof I have what it takes to run the castle.

Ron : I’ll give you 6 months to proof your worth…. Or I will find someone better to take over….
I gestured to the folder and asked.


Jackson : Are those for me… ?

Ron : Yes….

Ron told me there are 3 phones inside that folder that I would need.

Ron : You can call…. But it doesn’t mean it will get answered…. Assume all messages will not be read….. calls only…. And only when necessary….this goes 2 ways…. We will only contact you through these phones….

He handed me the 1st one.


Ron : this one is a direct line to me……
We passed the resting dogs and Ron’s men eyed me cautiously

Ron : the 2nd… is a direct line…. To James….

Jackson : and the 3rd…. ?

We stepped out of the funeral hall and I froze.
For as far as my eyes could see, I saw shadows of Yiling’s family scattered throughout the estate. The moon in the cloudless sky provided the only illumination within the estate.

It’s dark but I could make out shadows. Shadows that don’t belong.
Especially the unmistakable shadow of the 2m tall butcher.

The shadow of a scythe, the shadow of someone half kneeling on the ground, the shadow of someone carrying a sword.


In the treelines, by the roads, near the farmhouse, in the garden.

They are all here. There are everywhere.

Every few metres apart, I could see one of them.

The dogs ran out of the funeral hall and surrounded Ron and me while facing outwards. They growled and bared their teeth but otherwise remained stationary.

Ron’s men came out as well.

I saw Hibiki and Jane walk towards Ron and the eye slits of their mask glowed a eerie shade of green as the entire castle ground started to light up.
Countless pairs of green slits glowed in the estate ground and Ron finally answered my question.


Ron : a direct line to them….

He gave me the folder and I took it with both hands.
Ron looked at his watch again before adding.


Ron : well I got to go…… do you celebrate Christmas by the way Jackson…. ?

Gripping onto the folder in hand, I replied.

Jackson : well…. I do now…. I do now….

………………………………………

[JizFries]

"I swear I'm not crying...."




Narrator: He's being crying like a baby since the first post bro ilock posted today.. =(

[Tai_zi21]

I dunno how many time my tears came down

Yiling RIP

[big wood]

you never know what is going to happen till the story end

[husky1shepherd4]

cb la

bro ilock..u make me cry again

u really 1 mthfker..making me feel dam sad for yiling&jackson

[DDAMn]

thank u bro ilock a story tat pulls chords from a past.Is lala from trouble in little india the new butcher.

[unlove]

Goodbye Yiling
Thank you bro ilock!!

[Jay Chou]

Originally Posted by big wood

you never know what is going to happen till the story end

Up u bro. 😊

[bathaimo]

Very very nice story, support!!

[xcess]

Damn.
My eyes swelled up. This is beyond writing, fiction or a tale. It is a piece of memory that may have happened and shared with the rest of us as safe keeping.

Vivid, exciting, luminescent, candid, hair raising and a work of art.

Brilliant. Salut.

You sir ar the writers' King.

[bloggert]

Dang! Who's cutting onions again????

[big wood]

Originally Posted by Jay Chou

Up u bro. 😊

up you back bro

[Johnnykhan]

can't wait for a miracle for yiling to suddenly appear out of nowhere