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The traffic in the city is still busy even it is already past ten o’clock at night. Where is everyone rushing to go to? Sometimes I wonder. Everybody seems to be going some where and they don’t even have time to look at each other. Their look lost no matter how much money they spent on the cloth pieces that draped around their other wise naked bodies.
The lights in her unit are still on. This means the man is probably still there with her. It doesn’t matter. I can wait. I have the time and patience of the whole world with me. I can sit here all night long without even being noticed by anyone passing by me. I am a part of the features of this big city; just like the furniture in an office, nobody cares to give a first look.
That’s just fine for me. I can come and go un-noticed to perform my obligations in this world. It’s not something pleasant but somebody has to do it. Although we are not supposed to meet, I know there are thousands of us who are performing similar obligations. GOD gave us HIS clear instructions – get their confessions or rid the world of shameful sins.
With GOD’s will, I have already perfected my skill after all these years. I have the tools and skill to perform my obligation efficiently in the shortest possible time. My tools are all in my bag which I have checked before I left home. I m meticulous when it comes to performing my obligations for GOD.
I can still remember how clumsy I was the first time I did it. GOD tests and trials all HIS servants, but HE also guides and shows them through divine means. We just have to read HIS signs with faith.
My precious collection will be my testimony of faith to GOD when HE finally decides to call me back to HIM. Such precious should not be in possession of those who had sinned. They should all go back to GOD when I finally meet HIM. I always keep them safely on me and I had sworn to protect them with my life.
A police woman just walked past me and she didn’t even notice my existence. I blend in perfectly in the city. In fact, I m part of the city. People will be missing something if I m not here one day.
The last light has just been switched off in her apartment. I will get ready for my job.
“Oh Father in Heaven. Praise your name king of the mightiest. Give me strength to perform what you have obligated me.”
Detective Lynda is awaken by the phone at 5am.
“You better come and take a look. There’s another case.”
“When? Where?”
“Body found half an hour ago. The Winners Tower Condominium down town.”
The pale body lays still on the metal platform. Her facial tissues are so tensed up that her eyes and her nose are drawn close to each other. Her mouth stays opened due to the constricted jaw muscles and open wounds are visible on her lips and tongue.
“She looks like she is still screaming” Detective Lynda says to Juan, her assistant.
“She bit herself many time, must be really in pain.”
“You would bloody too!” Replied Lynda angrily and pointed to the body’s hands and feet.
“Yes. I can see that.” Juan answers.
All the nails on the fingers and toes are gone and they are dark brown from the bleeding and bruising.
“They were pulled out one by one with force. I can’t imagine the pain.”
“What the forensic say?”
“She was chloroformed, tied up, nails pulled before the jugular was cut with probably a surgical scalpel. She was left bleeding to death.”
“If I catch this psycho, I’ll personally smash his balls with a hammer.”
All the people who know him call him “gecko”, for his ability to climb and break in. He has a name which he wants to forget. It seems very, very long ago, the days when his mother was still around. She used to call him Jun, the first syllabus of his real name which he tries hard to forget. His childhood was happy but short. It ended when he was eight after his father fell from a construction site 20 storey above ground. Soon after that, he was not a child anymore.
He remembers the frequent visits of some “uncles” at night and the voices from his mother’s room, which forced an eight year old to understand what “adult” meant. He knew his mother had no choice, being a single mother with 2 young children. Every time his mother took another “uncle” into her room, he would hide under his blanket and pray to GOD to give him strength and power to take his family away from all these. The next day, he and his younger sister would get some coins to buy ice cream and they would have chicken for dinner. He hated himself for not strong enough to support his family; and he hated himself more for not being able to resist the good food.
After a good dinner, the cockroaches would come to get their feast at the rubbish bin. Sometimes even some rats would turn up. He would be waiting at the bin with a thick rolled up news paper and whacked the cockroaches as hard as he could. He felt all his shame vindicated when their bodies were crushed with a “splash”, as if they were the men who abused his mother. Occasionally, he was fast enough to hit a running rat which knocked it out and would have some fun time taking care of it later.
He chopped off the tail and threw the rat into an old cooking pot half filled with water. When the water started to boil slowly, the frantic sound of the rat scratching and banging against the metal cover made him feel that he had finally claimed his revenge against the unjust world. When he grew older, he learnt a new trick from a rubbish collector. He chopped off the paws from the captured rat and then soaked it in kerosene, set it on fire before letting it loose. Without the paws, the rat kept falling over when it tried to run away. He would stand and watch until the hair and skin of the rat were all burnt while it was still alive. He then threw the rat into a bucket of hot salt water before finishing it off by crushing the skull under his shoe.
“The squeaking and scratching. Just fucking makes you high”. He used to tell his friends about this.
He never forgets his 13 year old birthday. He went home and found his mother strangled in bed, naked and with her hands and feet tied on the bed poles. The government took his sister away and put her in an orphanage. He ran away and had never used his real name since then.
He is now 20 years old and has been going in and out from juvenile detention and prison for God knows how many times.
“Who gives a shit” He likes to say.
Although he has been on the street for so many years, he has been booked but for petite crimes like snatching, break in, mugging etc. His mates call him “Gecko Chicken” because he has no balls to do real jobs.
“We shall see who really has balls, one day.” He used to say.
He has been eyeing the lady for at least 30 minutes now. She is holding 2 plastic bags full of grocery and a small blue backpack is hanging on her right shoulder. A middle age woman who looks like thousands of average women in this city; and she probably has a very common name too.
“An easy target.” Gecko says to himself.
From experience, he knows her wallet is in the blue backpack, which probably contains one month worth of grocery for her family.
Slowly, he approaches the lady from behind while pretending to be talking on his mobile. When he is behind her, he pushes her hard on the back and grabs her blue backpack. She falls down on her knees but quickly turns and grabs on one of the shoulder straps of the backpack. Without mercy, Gecko kicks her in the ribs and follows with a big strike on her hand that is holding on the strap. To his surprise, she ignores the assaults and uses the free hand to hold on to another strap. Gecko pulls back and she loses balance and falls face down on the ground, but still holding on tightly.
“You bitch!” Gecko shouts and stomps on her wrists with his hard boots. He hears a crack of broken bone.
She lets out a whine in pain and let go. Gecko grabs the backpack and runs to the waiting motorbike. The woman gets up and starts chasing after them on foot. Her face is bleeding from the abrasion and the broken wrist swings when she runs.
“Give it back to me, you thieves” she yells, oblivious to the pain.
His mate speeds off immediately.
“You damned sinners, give me back my …”
“Dang! There’s nothing in this backpack! Nothing.” Gecko’s mate is yelling angrily.
“Only one phone card and 2 boxes of this colorful crap. Looks like some broken seashells or fish scales. Worthless shit.”
“Bad luck. Let’s go to Charley’s place to have some booze. I have something important to do later in the night.” Gecko says to his mate.
“Why do you sometimes disappear at night? Where did you go? You are not screwing some bitches secretly, are you?”
“Mind your own business and shut up. Let’s go OK.”
Gecko opens his eyes slowly and realizes that he can’t move his limbs. To his horror, he finds himself tightly tied to an arm chair and his mouth is also gagged. There is a light shining directly in his face, blinding him.
“Do you know that you have sinned?” suddenly a voice breaks the silence. It is cold and without emotions.
Gecko shakes his head trying to free himself. He tries to speak but the gag is too tight.
“In the name of GOD all mighty, I shall perform my obligation to punish a sinner. I give you one last chance. Are you willing to confess your sins?” says the voice. Gecko can’t see the person who is behind the bright light.
Gecko jerks frantically and wants to scream but muffled by the gag.
“Very well, sinner. You have refused GOD’s offer. I shall perform my duty now.”
Sweats starts to wet his shirt as he realizes what is coming upon him. The clanging metallic parts bring back the old images of the rats to him.
Without warning, he feels a sharp pain on his left thumb, which sends a surge to his brain and his whole body. He jerks violently and screams through the thick muffling gag. Sweat all over his body and he is shaking uncontrollably for the pain is too unbearable.
Before the pain settles, he feels something cold, metallic in his mouth and with a jerk, one of his front teeth is broken off. He screams at the top of his voice but can only manage low, choking sound in the throat. All the muscles in his body constrict and cramp.
He doesn’t know where he is anymore. The pain has put him into a different world.
Inspector Lynda looks at the body and shakes her head.
“This one is by far the worst. Besides his nails on his fingers and toes, all his teeth were broken off one by one. Poor burger, it would have been more than hell for him.” Juan says.
“His nails were pulled before his hands were chopped at the wrist. The purpose was to inflict maximum pain. What sort of devil could have done this?”
“He must’ve angered someone really badly.” Lynda says while pointing to the body’s naked chest.
The lights in her unit are still on. This means the man is probably still there with her. It doesn’t matter. I can wait. I have the time and patience of the whole world with me. I can sit here all night long without even being noticed by anyone passing by me. I am a part of the features of this big city; just like the furniture in an office, nobody cares to give a first look.
That’s just fine for me. I can come and go un-noticed to perform my obligations in this world. It’s not something pleasant but somebody has to do it. Although we are not supposed to meet, I know there are thousands of us who are performing similar obligations. GOD gave us HIS clear instructions – get their confessions or rid the world of shameful sins.
With GOD’s will, I have already perfected my skill after all these years. I have the tools and skill to perform my obligation efficiently in the shortest possible time. My tools are all in my bag which I have checked before I left home. I m meticulous when it comes to performing my obligations for GOD.
I can still remember how clumsy I was the first time I did it. GOD tests and trials all HIS servants, but HE also guides and shows them through divine means. We just have to read HIS signs with faith.
My precious collection will be my testimony of faith to GOD when HE finally decides to call me back to HIM. Such precious should not be in possession of those who had sinned. They should all go back to GOD when I finally meet HIM. I always keep them safely on me and I had sworn to protect them with my life.
A police woman just walked past me and she didn’t even notice my existence. I blend in perfectly in the city. In fact, I m part of the city. People will be missing something if I m not here one day.
The last light has just been switched off in her apartment. I will get ready for my job.
“Oh Father in Heaven. Praise your name king of the mightiest. Give me strength to perform what you have obligated me.”
Detective Lynda is awaken by the phone at 5am.
“You better come and take a look. There’s another case.”
“When? Where?”
“Body found half an hour ago. The Winners Tower Condominium down town.”
The pale body lays still on the metal platform. Her facial tissues are so tensed up that her eyes and her nose are drawn close to each other. Her mouth stays opened due to the constricted jaw muscles and open wounds are visible on her lips and tongue.
“She looks like she is still screaming” Detective Lynda says to Juan, her assistant.
“She bit herself many time, must be really in pain.”
“You would bloody too!” Replied Lynda angrily and pointed to the body’s hands and feet.
“Yes. I can see that.” Juan answers.
All the nails on the fingers and toes are gone and they are dark brown from the bleeding and bruising.
“They were pulled out one by one with force. I can’t imagine the pain.”
“What the forensic say?”
“She was chloroformed, tied up, nails pulled before the jugular was cut with probably a surgical scalpel. She was left bleeding to death.”
“If I catch this psycho, I’ll personally smash his balls with a hammer.”
All the people who know him call him “gecko”, for his ability to climb and break in. He has a name which he wants to forget. It seems very, very long ago, the days when his mother was still around. She used to call him Jun, the first syllabus of his real name which he tries hard to forget. His childhood was happy but short. It ended when he was eight after his father fell from a construction site 20 storey above ground. Soon after that, he was not a child anymore.
He remembers the frequent visits of some “uncles” at night and the voices from his mother’s room, which forced an eight year old to understand what “adult” meant. He knew his mother had no choice, being a single mother with 2 young children. Every time his mother took another “uncle” into her room, he would hide under his blanket and pray to GOD to give him strength and power to take his family away from all these. The next day, he and his younger sister would get some coins to buy ice cream and they would have chicken for dinner. He hated himself for not strong enough to support his family; and he hated himself more for not being able to resist the good food.
After a good dinner, the cockroaches would come to get their feast at the rubbish bin. Sometimes even some rats would turn up. He would be waiting at the bin with a thick rolled up news paper and whacked the cockroaches as hard as he could. He felt all his shame vindicated when their bodies were crushed with a “splash”, as if they were the men who abused his mother. Occasionally, he was fast enough to hit a running rat which knocked it out and would have some fun time taking care of it later.
He chopped off the tail and threw the rat into an old cooking pot half filled with water. When the water started to boil slowly, the frantic sound of the rat scratching and banging against the metal cover made him feel that he had finally claimed his revenge against the unjust world. When he grew older, he learnt a new trick from a rubbish collector. He chopped off the paws from the captured rat and then soaked it in kerosene, set it on fire before letting it loose. Without the paws, the rat kept falling over when it tried to run away. He would stand and watch until the hair and skin of the rat were all burnt while it was still alive. He then threw the rat into a bucket of hot salt water before finishing it off by crushing the skull under his shoe.
“The squeaking and scratching. Just fucking makes you high”. He used to tell his friends about this.
He never forgets his 13 year old birthday. He went home and found his mother strangled in bed, naked and with her hands and feet tied on the bed poles. The government took his sister away and put her in an orphanage. He ran away and had never used his real name since then.
He is now 20 years old and has been going in and out from juvenile detention and prison for God knows how many times.
“Who gives a shit” He likes to say.
Although he has been on the street for so many years, he has been booked but for petite crimes like snatching, break in, mugging etc. His mates call him “Gecko Chicken” because he has no balls to do real jobs.
“We shall see who really has balls, one day.” He used to say.
He has been eyeing the lady for at least 30 minutes now. She is holding 2 plastic bags full of grocery and a small blue backpack is hanging on her right shoulder. A middle age woman who looks like thousands of average women in this city; and she probably has a very common name too.
“An easy target.” Gecko says to himself.
From experience, he knows her wallet is in the blue backpack, which probably contains one month worth of grocery for her family.
Slowly, he approaches the lady from behind while pretending to be talking on his mobile. When he is behind her, he pushes her hard on the back and grabs her blue backpack. She falls down on her knees but quickly turns and grabs on one of the shoulder straps of the backpack. Without mercy, Gecko kicks her in the ribs and follows with a big strike on her hand that is holding on the strap. To his surprise, she ignores the assaults and uses the free hand to hold on to another strap. Gecko pulls back and she loses balance and falls face down on the ground, but still holding on tightly.
“You bitch!” Gecko shouts and stomps on her wrists with his hard boots. He hears a crack of broken bone.
She lets out a whine in pain and let go. Gecko grabs the backpack and runs to the waiting motorbike. The woman gets up and starts chasing after them on foot. Her face is bleeding from the abrasion and the broken wrist swings when she runs.
“Give it back to me, you thieves” she yells, oblivious to the pain.
His mate speeds off immediately.
“You damned sinners, give me back my …”
“Dang! There’s nothing in this backpack! Nothing.” Gecko’s mate is yelling angrily.
“Only one phone card and 2 boxes of this colorful crap. Looks like some broken seashells or fish scales. Worthless shit.”
“Bad luck. Let’s go to Charley’s place to have some booze. I have something important to do later in the night.” Gecko says to his mate.
“Why do you sometimes disappear at night? Where did you go? You are not screwing some bitches secretly, are you?”
“Mind your own business and shut up. Let’s go OK.”
Gecko opens his eyes slowly and realizes that he can’t move his limbs. To his horror, he finds himself tightly tied to an arm chair and his mouth is also gagged. There is a light shining directly in his face, blinding him.
“Do you know that you have sinned?” suddenly a voice breaks the silence. It is cold and without emotions.
Gecko shakes his head trying to free himself. He tries to speak but the gag is too tight.
“In the name of GOD all mighty, I shall perform my obligation to punish a sinner. I give you one last chance. Are you willing to confess your sins?” says the voice. Gecko can’t see the person who is behind the bright light.
Gecko jerks frantically and wants to scream but muffled by the gag.
“Very well, sinner. You have refused GOD’s offer. I shall perform my duty now.”
Sweats starts to wet his shirt as he realizes what is coming upon him. The clanging metallic parts bring back the old images of the rats to him.
Without warning, he feels a sharp pain on his left thumb, which sends a surge to his brain and his whole body. He jerks violently and screams through the thick muffling gag. Sweat all over his body and he is shaking uncontrollably for the pain is too unbearable.
Before the pain settles, he feels something cold, metallic in his mouth and with a jerk, one of his front teeth is broken off. He screams at the top of his voice but can only manage low, choking sound in the throat. All the muscles in his body constrict and cramp.
He doesn’t know where he is anymore. The pain has put him into a different world.
Inspector Lynda looks at the body and shakes her head.
“This one is by far the worst. Besides his nails on his fingers and toes, all his teeth were broken off one by one. Poor burger, it would have been more than hell for him.” Juan says.
“His nails were pulled before his hands were chopped at the wrist. The purpose was to inflict maximum pain. What sort of devil could have done this?”
“He must’ve angered someone really badly.” Lynda says while pointing to the body’s naked chest.
“THOU SHALL NOT STEAL FROM GOD’S MESSAGER” is crafted into his skin.
