"It hurt, huh?"
"Yes."
"So why don't you just die?"
"I'm scared."
"Hmm… don't you think dying would be easier than continuing to suffer?"
"…No. I'm scared. I'm not ready to die. I still have something to do."
"That so, huh? But it hurts right now, doesn't it?"
"It hurts. It hurts a lot… I just swallow it, I guess."
"Hmm… well, you survived this. What are you gonna do?"
"…"
"Do you remember who you are?"
"…"
"Well, this should be the end of this…"
"Where am I?"
"Well, that's a secret."
...
Aman opened his eyes. He wasn't tied up anymore. Everything around him was noisy… chaotic. But his injuries had been patched up imperfectly, but enough.
He looked at the stab wound near his chest. It was gone. In its place, a burning scar covered the area.
"What the hell?"
"You're already awake!" Mei Lian shouted, immediately rushing to his side.
"Mei Lian? How did you find me?" Aman asked.
"Well," Mei Lian tried to look smug and proud of herself before continuing, "you didn't come back, so I started searching. When I got near the command camp, I saw Carter leaving a nearby house… I just followed my hunch, and you were really here."
Aman noticed a few puncture wounds on her.like needle marks and string and… some things he couldn't quite identify.
It seemed Mei Lian had stolen supplies from the Brits. And was that the same hot rod Carter used to torture him?
"Wait…" Aman looked at himself. "You patched me up, huh? Hmm… well, it's good, I guess…" He touched the burning scar on his chest. Now he had two, one from Carter, and one…
"You put that rod on me?" he asked.
"Y-yes," Mei Lian stammered. "If I didn't, your bleeding wouldn't have stopped. You would've died. I'm no good at stitching… so, yeah. Also… you're missing one eye now." She looked at him quietly.
It didn't take long for Aman to remember everything the torture. It was terrible.
"Carter did that to you?" Mei Lian asked.
Aman just nodded.
"What a terrible person he is!" Mei Lian was furious at the thought.
Suddenly, another artillery shell exploded nearby.
"Those Japs… funny, I technically got saved by them this time. We need to get out of here. The Brits aren't going to survive another day," Aman said, trying to stand but it was worse than he thought. His legs gave out, and he fell.
Mei Lian tried to catch him, but the size difference made it impossible. Aman was far bigger and heavier than her.
"I'm sorry," Aman said, getting off her and sitting down.
Mei Lian wanted to help, but she couldn't think of a way to drag him out safely.
"Just leave me… I'll figure something out. Trust me, I'll get out of here when I get the chance. The Japs won't kill me.not after seeing me like this. I know how to spin a story. I'll say I wanted to inform for them, but the Brits tortured me when they found out. But you… they'll kill you. They hate your kind," Aman said.
"Are you an idiot?!" Mei Lian shouted.
She was frustrated. "You think how… how am I supposed to survive?! You're the one who took care of me. The reason I'm still alive is you! You never abandoned me! And what about risk, huh?! What if they… what if they think you're useless and just leave you here in that condition? They might not even care!"
Her rant dug deep into Aman's ears.
"Sigh… the Brits are still fighting. They'll hold out a bit longer should buy us time to think," Aman replied.
All around them, the sounds of gunfire and artillery echoed.
...
"That's a pretty bad idea," Aman muttered. He now sat in a wheelbarrow, and Mei Lian was the one pushing it.
"Hehe, luckily I found this," she said.
Now they just needed one thing just one to get away fast and slip through unnoticed by either the Brits or the Japs.
"Sigh… let's go."
Mei Lian pushed the wheelbarrow with Aman inside it.
Funny how things had reversed Mei Lian used to rely on Aman. Now, it was the other way around.
Well… if not for her, Aman probably would've died. Because of her… he was still alive.
Her methods were extreme using the hot rod to cauterize the wound but it worked. Aman chuckled, thinking about it.
"Hmm? What's so funny?" Mei Lian asked, confused.
"Ahh, nothing. Just… nothing," Aman replied.
Mei Lian looked at him and suddenly realized, "Hey… I've never seen you laugh before!"
"You haven't? Well, now you have. And of course, it's me now Aman with one missing eye and multiple burn scars. One from torture… one from you trying to help. That's poetic, I guess," Aman said, then flicked her forehead.
"Hey!" Mei Lian pouted.
Suddenly Aman remember something he had clothes on at least being cover him up "Wait a minute if you saw me at that time doesn't that mean you saw?"
"Don't ask" said Mei Lian
In the end, it was just the two of them an unfortunate pair. But they could depend on each other. They could help each other… without the fear of betrayal.