Chapter 17- The World Isn't Cruel
"Sigh, no patients today too." Rack rubbed the back of his head as he rested on the chair in his office. Outside, the rain was falling like a torrent.
The sounds of droplets hitting the roof were calming and hypnotic, giving a sense of warmth to the usually cold and bland office.
However, on this particular day, Rack wasn't feeling good. No matter how much he tried to nap as he usually does, he didn't find the desire to sleep that strong.
"Is he still sitting there, I wonder?" Murmuring to himself, Rack looked at the table in front of him. There, he had two sandwiches he made for his lunch. But, he had no appetite either.
"Ugh!" Clenching his teeth, he stood up and carried the two sandwiches to the door and then picked up his umbrella and left.
Walking through the empty allies of the city as the rain continued to pour endlessly, Rack had the time to think about what happened a few days ago. It was still shocking even though some time passed.
But, the more he recalled that moment the more his heart twisted with pain. This world is cruel, Rack knew that very well, and yet, even as a doctor who treated people with all kinds of illnesses and injuries, seeing people's souls being crushed in front of him was never a good sight and something he will never grow accustomed to.
As he was thinking about such a thing, he reached an open area akin to a plain. On top of this plain, small stones were erect from the ground with engravings on them… It was a graveyard.
Since the place was rainy at the moment, no one was present except for a silhouette sitting far in the distance.
"He never moved from there…" A flash of complicated emotions appeared across Rack's eyes before he quickly shook them away and walked toward the boy, passing through the rows of graves.
The graveyard was filled with tombstones and yet most of them had no names. These tombstones belonged to people that were purged after they turned into Zombies. Since they had no way of identifying them, the settlement could only put nameless tombstones on them.
Anyway, when Rack reached the young man sitting cross-legged with his head bent down, seemingly staring at the ground, he extended the umbrella and put it on top of him to cover him from the rain. The boy had been sitting under the rain for god knows how long and his clothes were beyond soaked. In front of him was a small tombstone with 'In memory of Sali Frostbloom' written on it. There was no date added.
"If you sit under the rain, you will catch a cold." He said.
However, the boy didn't answer as he simply sat motionless, like a broken doll.
"At least wait till the rain is over before returning here. You will kill yourself at this rate." Rack added with a sad expression.
No answer.
"Sigh… I guess I should stop trying to persuade you. You've been sitting here for the past three days and you didn't even move an inch."
"I will leave tomorrow." Suddenly, Edward replied with a cold, emotionless tone.
"You're going to leave? Where to?"
"I'm going to look for the people that killed her."
"... Are you insane, kid? How are you going to find such people?" Rack asked.
"They are after me. So, finding them won't be a problem."
"Oi, oi, hold on a second. Even if you found them… What are yo-" As Rack bent down to touch Edward's shoulder, the latter turned around and looked at him straight in the eyes.
That mere glance was more than enough to make Rack flinch and retreat subconsciously. He could see it in his eyes, an emptiness that far exceeded anything he had ever seen before in his life. Rack had witnessed people that lost their will to live or got their souls crushed because they lost a loved one. However, nothing came near what he saw in Edward's eyes.
It was far beyond emptiness, and far darker than anger and hatred.
"... It doesn't matter if it takes me years, it doesn't matter if I die. I will find them all, the people that killed my family. I will find them and then make them feel what I'm feeling now. I will make them experience the torture they inflicted on me a hundred times worse." He added flatly as if he was talking about taking a stroll in the park.
Before, Edward might've never even imagined saying these words. But, at the moment when Sali died in his arms, something broke inside of him. Something that was the result of years of being alone, hated by family with no one to rely on.
Yet, the moment he thought he finally found the thing he had been looking for his whole life, it was robbed from him in cold blood.
"... You're going to get yourself killed. You are still young, Kid. Life is still ahead of you. Don't throw it away because of hatred."
"If I don't kill them with my own hands, I will never be able to live a single moment of happiness. They robbed me of my parents and my sister."
"..."
'There is no point in trying to convince him otherwise. The boy had already set his mind.' Rack thought as he gulped down a mouthful of saliva.
Having no other choice, Rack decided to change his approach.
"Do you still have the piece of paper that I gave you the other day?"
"Yes."
"Good. If you have no particular destination in mind then head there. The man that I know isn't simply a doctor. I'm sure he can help you a little although I can't guarantee that will increase your chances of finding or killing those people."
Nodding his head lightly, Edward turned around to look at the tombstone.
"By the way, what's your name, kid? You never told me."
"... Asher… My name is Asher Frostbloom." Asher said.
"Asher, huh? A good name." Rack said before remaining silent again, letting the rain take over for a few moments. After that, he pulled out the sandwiches and put them next to Asher.
"At least eat these sandwiches if you don't want to starve and die."
"..." However, the boy didn't move at all.
"Suit yourself."
After that, Rack put the umbrella down so it covers Asher without him needing to carry it before he stood up.
"We didn't know each for a long time. But, I wish you the best of luck, Asher." Then, he turned around and walked away only to stop after a few meters.
"This world isn't at fault for being this cruel, it's the humans that made it this way."