The Devil’s Cage

The sharp screams woke Starbeck, who had just went to sleep.

Starbeck pushed himself up from the bed and saw Kieran on the chair, putting his book down.

“Follow me,” said Kieran.

After realizing the unusual behaviors of the spirits in this world, the vigilant Kieran ought to try his best to keep Starbeck within his sight to ensure his safety.

Kieran wasn’t sure whether or not the spirits with intellect here retained their universal weakness like the other worlds, such as fear of sunlight.

Starbeck put on his coat and followed Kieran downstairs.

After Kieran opened the restaurant door, he could see a group of people gathered under the streetlamp further away.

The streetlamp was off because it was morning, but a rather big and buff man was hung on top by the neck, his face purplish and his tongue sticking out, waving together with the morning breeze.

“John Dickson!”

Starbeck whispered in shock when he got a clear look on the deceased’s face.

He was surprised and terrified at the same time; Kieran squinted his eyes.

He stood beside the streetlamp and examined the body meticulously.

The attire on the body was neat, there weren’t any visible exterior wounds, and there was a handcuff on one of his hands.

Kieran somehow thought of the first customer last night.

“The woman not only thanked us, she… even took revenge?” Kieran wondered.

If there wasn’t an intentional party behind this mysterious death, there was a high chance that he might run into problems sooner or later.

Irritating sirens closed in.

The group of viewers were pushed away, allowing the short, brown haired chief officer to walk over. He stood under the dead body with a heavy face. Four to five minutes later, the chief officer told his men to put the body down.

The forensics came in and started to do their work.

“The body is intact, no exterior wounds, initial deduction of cause of death, mechanical asphyxia…”

“I know that, what I want to know is what I don’t! Like are there fingerprints on the streetlamp or marks of a ladder on the ground!”

Teddy’s eyes were red, interrupting the forensic officer with a muffled voice.

“Leave it to me chief!”

The forensic officer had heard some rumours of this case before, nodding slightly and continuing his work.

Teddy took a deep breath as he watched his colleague get busy. He felt like vomiting but it was stuck in his chest and had a hard time coming out.

He felt stuffy and uncomfortable!

After 10 years in the force, Teddy had many encounters with the most evil or the most cunning, or even both at once, and John Dickson obviously had those two traits in him.

No matter how hard John Dickson argued and denied it, the serial killer would end up in the electric chair in front of the solid evidence.

Teddy wasn’t exceptionally angry about John Dickson not confessing anything, but he did tell John Dickson what would be waiting for him.

The serial killer showed a sense of fear in his eyes when he was told about the execution, which was what Teddy wanted.

However, just as Teddy was about to press his hot victory against John Dickson, the interrogation room blacked out!

Not only the interrogation room but the whole building was sent into darkness.

Teddy pulled his gun at John Dickson the very first moment.

No one has a death wish, especially this kind of vicious serial killer, who loved his life more than anything. Teddy knew exactly how to deal with this kind of bastard but the scene that happened next was out of his expectation: John Dickson disappeared!

When the lights came back in the interrogation room, John Dickson was nowhere to be found!

In the mere three seconds of darkness, John Dickson, who was cuffed to the chair, vanished into thin air along with the handcuffs.

The whole station was fired up, everyone looking for the missing serial killer but all attempts were fruitless.

Yet no one was willing to believe a wanted criminal cuffed to the chair could slip past their eyes and escape the station, especially when the chief was interrogating said criminal. In the observation room beside the interrogation room, there were two recording officers and outside the interrogation room were. two more officers on guard duty, with real bullets loaded in their guns.

Despite all the eyes and security, John Dickson had vanished.

Everyone involved was scolded to hell by the station director, but Teddy had it worst since he was the chief.

After Teddy gave his word to locate and catch John Dickson in three days, John Dickson was reportedly found, in less than 2 hours since he went missing.

However, the person became a body, and was hung on a streetlamp.

DAMN IT!

Teddy cursed in his heart and walked away from the crowd.

The scene was actually heavily damaged but something would be left behind.

Teddy glanced over the crowd, seeing Kieran and Starbeck.

“Royan and Roye Brothers…”

Teddy went into deep thought when he saw the second generation immigrant brothers, walking over to them.

“Anything to eat?” Teddy tried to test them.

“We are open for business from 11 p.m. at night to 5 a.m. in the morning,” Kieran said.

“Too bad then. What do you think about this?” Teddy pointed at the body being taken down from the streetlamp.

“He deserved it,” Kieran commented objectively.

“I really want to agree to your words, but your words may be used against you if you said it in front of a crime scene… You seems quite used to dead bodies, eh?” Teddy replied with a smile first, prolonging his tone and shifting the topic suddenly.

Kieran was very familiar with this kind of interrogation technique, so he easily handled it.

“There are a lot of ‘dead bodies’ in the kitchen too, wanna have a look?” Kieran pointed at his restaurant.

“Believe me, if anyone heard that, no one would walk into your restaurant,” Teddy pretended to be sick at Kieran’s words.

“So it’s better to show gratitude towards cooked food,” Kieran said seriously.

“Fine, thank you for your little advice, I’ll remember it when I eat my next meal. If there’s anything, call me, you have my card right?” Teddy was going to end the conversation, but…

“Em. Don’t forget about my bounty for catching this guy and my missing wallet…”

“I will bring the bounty to you after it goes through the standard operating procedures.”

Teddy turned away immediately after he heard what Kieran said.

The lost wallet was obviously a goner following John Dickson’s death, but the bounty?

The station would keep their promise once the amount was cleared through standard operating procedures. However, with the untimely death of John Dickson, the process would be delayed for a fair amount of time.

No one could get used to waiting for so long.

Kieran saw Chief Teddy walking away. He didn’t turn around and brought Starbeck to the supermarket. He had to get prepared.

Night arrived as usual.

The blackboard was placed in front of the restaurant at 11pm sharp.

Leaf Dining.

Today’s Special: Roast Rabbit, Fried Rice, Chicken Soup.

(No alcohol. Drunkards are not welcome.)

…

The words were written with chalk, but they looked clean because Starbeck wrote them.

The additional note was also added by him. He too disliked drunkards, especially those drunk woman who got all sticky with Kieran, those woman should be swept out of the door.

To Starbeck’s surprise, the drunk lady from yesterday came today and walked in after the blackboard was hung outside.

She wasn’t drunk this time. She put on delicate makeup, was decently dressed, and had a lady satchel with her. Starbeck smelled the faint fragrance on her the moment she walked in, but he didn’t say anything.

Starbeck was in charge of the kitchen; Kieran was in charge of the front.

Starbeck tended to keep to the promise with Kieran and he believed Kieran would handle it skillfully.

“You evil merchant!” Amy said with gnashing teeth after she stormed in.

“Roast rabbit 1000, fried rice 150, chicken soup 100. All is labeled clearly, the price fair and honest to everyone,” Kieran said plainly.

“You said chicken soup was 10 last night!” Amy emphasized.

“It was you who wanted to pay 100 and I think you were right about the price. So I decided to raise the price ten fold just for you only, to set off your beauty,” said Kieran.

His words put Amy, who wasn’t drunk, in a difficult, regretful, and embarrassing position.

Anyone sober would regret what they did while they are drunk, including Amy.

Amy also paid the price for it: paid 10 times the price for a bowl of chicken soup whose taste she had forgotten.

Hence the reason for her visit today, she wanted to take back the 90 bucks.

That was her hard-earned money, she didn’t want to waste it just like this.

“This is fraud! I can sue you for this!” Amy tried to be ferocious and pressuring, in hopes of frighten Kieran.

Kieran remained quiet and pointed at the surveillance camera at the corner.

Money in his pocket was his already.

Trying to take from a stingy ghost?

Impossible!

“They might be old, but well-maintained and the footage recorded is quite clear. I guess the judge and jury will be interested in what they captured last night,” Kieran said without too much emotion in his words.

The camera that Kieran pointed to was broken for a long time, Kieran didn’t know how to fix it and had no plans to fix it.

“You!”

Amy stomped angrily and turned around, not knowing the camera was broken.

Starbeck smiled from the kitchen. He purposely brought out the roast rabbit for Kieran.

“I’ve added some lemon juice,” Starbeck said as he held the tray.

Kieran took it with a smile but Amy ran back right away.

She was stunned by the rabbit on Kieran’s tray, and she said instinctively, “Rabbit is so cute, how can you people eat it… It’ll taste better with chili!”

The smell that entered her nose made her salivate.

The sweet plus a little sour roast rabbit smell made her forget about her embarrassment for a moment.

She looked at the roasted rabbit on the tray, swallowing her saliva endlessly but neither Kieran nor Starbeck cared about her.

“Is this how you people do business here? If you keep up this attitude, this place will soon…”

Before the word ‘closed down’ escaped Amy’s mouth, the streetlamp at the road flickered again.

The female spirit from yesterday walked in again.

“A bowl of chicken soup,” her dry and hoarse voice ordered.

Kieran served as ordered.

The female spirit drank sip by sip, while Kieran munched down the rabbit mouth by mouth.

Starbeck watched Kieran with a sweet smile all the way.

Amy stood there like an outsider, feeling completely neglected.

It infuriated her because she was used to being the center of focus wherever she went.

She glared at Kieran, but that was all she did because a few minutes later, Kieran finished the roasted rabbit, not even a single bone left on the tray, and Amy felt like she was defeated.

She shrugged and held her arms, sat down on the chair.

“I know I’m wrong, I shouldn’t be drinking and cause trouble here, but I didn’t know where to go last night. I lost my boyfriend, lost my job, and my best friend. I have nothing now, but I still can’t forget him,” Amy started to sob as she explained.

Then…

A hand with a bowl of chicken soup appeared before her.

“There’s nothing you can’t forget, time is the best medicine. One day, you will forget his face, his voice, the words he said. Maybe not now, maybe not in the near future, but one day you will, because forgetting is easy. Don’t think about it, don’t rush, and it will be gone like clouds in the sky before you noticed. Nothing will be left, but not food. Let’s say if love begins at the dining table and ends at the dining table, then what you eat will be with you forever, it will become part of you and you will become one with what you eat,” Kieran said slowly.

Amy looked up in a daze, she had forgotten about the act she was putting up.

“You want the soup to warm your stomach and spark joy in your soul?” Kieran asked.

Amy nodded instinctively, but after the first nod, she suddenly reacted to the question but it was too late.

Kieran put the bowl of soup in front of her.

“That will be 100, thank you very much.” Kieran said with a smile.

“This is fraud!”

Amy widened her eyes in anger again and Kieran pointed at the ‘decoration’ camera.

“You evil merchant!” Amy switched her words.

“Finish it while it’s hot, don’t let it get cold,” Kieran said as he walked out from the bar counter.

He was holding something in his hand.

As Kieran, the evil merchant, walked away, Amy suddenly realized even the other customer was gone. The restaurant fell into silence all of a sudden and Amy felt like she was left out again.

“What kind of service is this? I won’t come again… This is nice!”

Amy took a sip as she ranted, her face showing surprise, before she tilted her head backwards and finished it in one go.

“Another bowl!” Amy called out to the kitchen.

“100,” Starbeck came out and said.

“You… evil merchant!” Amy clenched her teeth, but she pulled out two pieces of notes and placed it on the bar counter.

Another bowl of chicken soup was served and it was delicious as ever.

Amy drank her soup and looked at Starbeck at the same time, her eyes moved, “So what’s with you and your boss? Apprentice?”

“Brothers.”

Starbeck wasn’t himself as he replied, knowing what Kieran went away for.

“Brothers? You two look nothing alike. He’s cold and you look elegant and cute. I bet your brother controls the money too, right? Do you want to get away from your fierce brother and earn your own bucket of gold?” Amy showed a smile which she thought the prettiest.

“Part-time work? Sure,” Starbeck nodded.

Starbeck really wanted to earn extra, not just to brush Amy off, hence the smile on Amy grew brighter.

“Why don’t you cook soup for me? I’ll pay you an hourly rate of 50!” Amy offered a number which she thought was rather high but Starbeck shook his head.

“Hourly rate 1000!”

Amy was caught off guard, “What’s this, are you playing me?!”

She glared at Starbeck.

“No! I am worth that much!: Starbeck said seriously.

Even if he had to work part time, the pay had to match his value, that’s what Starbeck thought.

“You!”

Amy pointed at her finger at Starbeck.

Suddenly, her rather frustrated face softened and started to chuckle.

The chuckle gradually turned into a laugh, and as the laughter grew louder, she staggered backwards. Her breath started to quicken and eventually stopped before she fell on the ground.

Amy’s body then started to engorge in exponential speed, a pair of strong hands burst out from her under ribs, grabbed her hair, and tore her skin apart!

Shak!

As though skinning an eel, a bloody and buff John Dickson was revealed underneath Amy’s skin!

He looked at Starbeck, opened his mouth and said, “You, of course you are worth that price! Little cutie!”