Chapter 11. Past, Present, And Regret
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"How deep have you fallen, comrade?"
Old Tigo's vision was vague from the torture, but even then, he knew who was in front of him. The voice, though rougher and deeper, was unmistakably coming from one of his old friends.
"Fallen," Mayor Lucca drew his eyebrows. The corner of his lips raised into a sneer.
"Stop with your flowery words, Tigo. We both know what kind of person you were in the past! Do you really think those people you murdered had anything to do with spirits or evil? I bet it was all part of your plan to sacrifice these kids…"
"Indeed, old friend. The person I was back then… is unbearable. (Intense breathing sound) Pathetic. Cough, cough, cough. For all the lives I claimed. The sins I committed. It has finally come back to bite me. I just… cough, cough, cough. I never expected everything to end up like this."
Old Tigo's coughing fit intensified, blood streaming down his lips, staining his plain white shirt and brown pants.
It was a special the attire of the condemned at their execution stage: white, symbolizing a prayer for a better next life. Brown, representing their redemption upon the soil of Threa, where their blood would be spilled.
Mayor Lucca watched over Old Tigo before turning to address the rest of the kneeling figures. One of them, who had been struck by a guard earlier, still lay unconscious.
Given the amount of blood that had flowed from the wound, it was highly likely that he was dying.
"Any last words?" Lucca asked nonchalantly.
The eyes of the kneeling figures widened, still hopeful that the former heart would soften at their pleas, especially since they were truly innocent and had nothing to do with the crimes that had been unjustly attributed to their names.
"Please. For the sake of our past relationship, let them go, Lucca. I know you well enough. There must be something of you still left in there. Please… I beg you."
Old Tigo interjected from the side. He let his head fall to the ground, and with a *Thud*, it crashed heavily on the wooden platform, oozing blood from the fresh wound on his forehead.
"Not only you are an old man without dignity, you even gladly threw your pride away by kneeling in front of me. How much of a shame you are now, Tigo," Mayor Lucca said with an unconcealed mockery. His face remained icy. Except for the curl on his lips, he was as cold and poker-faced as he had been from the start.
"I don't care. No matter how much you insult me. Mock me. Beat me. I don't care. Yes, I am a nobody. Yes, it is what I am now. An old man without dignity. Honor. Pride of a knight I once was. But just please!!? Please just this once, Lucca, please. Let them go!!!"
Found no response, Old Tigo lifted his head to look directly at Lucca's supposed face. Blood trickled down his forehead, filling his eyes. Not only did it make him blind, but it fell to his chin, creating a haunting sight that resembled someone in tears of blood.
He begged once more, hoping to soften the heart of his old friend.
"Look at that girl. Her corpse was tied there for three days. Three days. Her corpse, Lucca. She can't even rest in peace. They denied her of it, even just for such a simple funeral―cough, cough, cough. And what is the cause of her death? Just because she slapped the one who wanted to rape her. Can't you see it, Lucca? Can't you see how they don't even regard us as human beings?"
Old Tigo spoke through bile that rose with his coughs, his voice growing raspier with each word. The other eleven kneeling figures who heard him began to cry as well.
Meanwhile, atop the tall, abandoned building, El, Ran, Sir Giles, and the other members listened intently, their ears tuned to Old Tigo's voice, which came through a black device connected to the platform below.
As Ran cried, El and the boy beside him fought with all their might to hold back the tears that fell drop by drop in defiance.
"Her name was Rima. She had a little sister living on the underside. She worked in the restaurant tirelessly and took holidays only after I forced her tens of times. She and I often bickered over such small issues."
"And when I asked her about it, she said she did all of that to make sure her sister could drink the overpriced medicine sold in the city. She also said her little sister was the only family she had left. And now, that little girl has lost her only big sister. Her only family. Can you see that?"
At the end of his words, Tigo screamed, his face contorted as he looked at Mayor Lucca, who maintained tranquility and lack of concern as if no rain could ever make a ripple on the surface of his face.
"They, too, had families. Waiting for them to come home," Old Tigo mentioned the rest of the figures at his side, kneeling beside him.
They were now sobbing uncontrollably, especially after hearing Old Tigo begging for their sake.
He had always been there as their unbridled, gruff boss who barked orders loudly, with an unkempt appearance, yet acted like a grandpa figure to all of them, offering wizened advice every time they came to him with troubles.
"All of them are like family to me. We share our time together in the restaurant. I purposely didn't overcharge the customers and only served those who respected the food cooked by the chefs. And knew not to leave any leftovers on their plates. Just like what you said that time, 'Only those who know of hunger understand the grace of a meal.' I still remember it, Lucca. I still remember it… junior…"
Just as the word 'junior' slipped out from Old Tigo's mouth, Mayor Lucca's face twitched, but it all happened only for a moment.
Mayor Lucca then stepped to the side, much to the relief of Old Tigo.
He heard the creaking footsteps of someone walking closer to their back.
Old Tigo heaved a sigh of solace, wondering what his old friend would do to settle this.
It was acceptable if it was just him who died here.
At least he could atone for all his mistakes while contemplating whether he would see Rima in the afterlife—if, indeed, the afterlife truly existed, just like what the Lectors from the Church of Origin preached.
"So, was that all for the last words?"
An icy-cold query slipped through the gaps in Mayor Lucca's teeth. Moments later, a gunshot rang out, instantly killing one of the kneeling figures. The shocking sound sent ripples of disbelief through Old Tigo and the group of onlookers gathered atop the building.
*Bang*
*Thud*
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