Lyrix

"Dad, don't go out with that money. That is the only money we have," little Stanley said to his father as the man was preparing to leave the house.

"What do you know?" His father asked him. "When I bet this money, I am sure that I will make twice the amount."

"Dad, you can't go about gambling every day. I haven't gone to school since two months now, it's not fair!" Stanley cried.

The man scoffed. "I don't care about your school! You know I have always hated the fact that you are wasting your life going to school. I told you to learn some trading so that you can make real money for me but you and your foolish mother refused! She adamantly enrolled you in a school, wasting all our hard-earned money!"

"Mother is not foolish!" Stanley yelled.

"Oh really?" The man taunted. "If she isn't, she would have saved herself from dying. She wasted all the money on sending you to school and when sickness struck her, there was nothing left for her to treat herself, leading to her death, and you call that wisdom?" The man shook his head as he carried an umbrella from the corner of the door. "You, your late mother, all of you are foolish! See, if you really want to go to school, find something and do, get paid, and send yourself to school. Many of your mates out there are doing the same, you don't have two heads!" With that, the man left the house.

Stanley stood there shedding tears. This has been his life ever since the death of his mother. It was just him snd his father, no one bothered to check on them because the man would insult and rain curses on them if they tried to help them.

He stopped going to school, was forced to stay at home from morning to night, there was no food to eat, no one to talk to, he was living in poverty and hardship. His hatred for his father kept building until it finally reached its peak.

Suddenly, his father fell ill and the man was forced to come back to his senses but he realized his mistakes too late. The hatred was already there, the scares, the memories, they were all clear, never leaving Stanley's head. He hated his father for the pain he had caused him, there was nothing anyone would do about it.

Nevertheless... He still fought to keep his father alive.

Maybe it was because he wanted the man to be alive and pay for everything he had caused him or perhaps, he was truly feeling sympathetic towards him... No one knew.

He got a job he did only at night while going to school during the day — that has been his life since his father fell ill.

But as much as he disliked his father, as much as he wished that the man would die, it was all lie. He never truly wanted the sick man to die, not while he was working hard for both of them. Yes, the man made his childhood a living hell but that isn't enough reason to actually want him dead.

Yet.

Yet.

Yet.

Heaven actually granted him his wish; it was after all his wish for the man to rest forever but now that he died in the worst way, how could he have that rest?!

He couldn't, he wouldn't!

Why? Who did it?

His best friend...

Life is cruel, his best friend could do this to him, then he must revenge. Fuck friendship!

"Doctor, the patient is responding," a feminine voice spoke. It was a nurse, dressed in a white short gown.

"Let me see," a woman said. The woman was wearing round glasses on her eyes and putting on a white gown like the nurse.

She walked to the bed where a young boy laid and began to check his body.

"He is finally back but I don't know when he'll come around," the Doctor said.

"That means I'll keep my eyes on him," the nurse said.

The Doctor nodded and adjusted her glasses. "Very well then, I have a meeting with the heads."

"Take care, Doctor," the nurse said and the Doctor nodded and left the ward.

Inside an office, a group of men and women including the Doctor sat round a long table. They were all middle-aged people.

"What do we do about the recent chaos that has been caused by these Lyrixs?" The man at the head table asked. "The OLT doesn't seem to be carrying out their work effectively, leading to the death of more citizens."

"Other than them, there is no one qualifed to face the Lyrix," a man with bald head said while some nodded their heads in agreement. "I am suggesting the OLT to get more abled men to join them in the fight to rid the world of all those monstrous creatures."

"Well said, Mr. Johnson," a woman said. "But the question now is 'How do they get more people?' It's not like someone will be willing to pledge their lives for the sake of protecting humanity."

"How about forcing them?" One man asked and everyone turned around and glanced at him. Meeting their gazes, the man smirked and continued. "Since no one is willing to lay their lives on the line, we have no choice but to force them. We threaten the ones unwilling to join and pay the willing ones heavily, we can also promise them promotion as long as they agree to fight those monsters."

The room fell silent for a while as everyone thought hard about the man's suggestion. It was a nice one though it sounded cruel.

"Are you all in support of Mr. Cain's idea?" The head of the table, Mr Kim asked.

"Yes."

"We have no choice but to go with it."

Everyone agreed except for one person.

"I do not agree," the Doctor said and adjusted her glasses.

"What do you mean?" Mr Cain who had brought up the idea asked with a frown on his face.

"Your idea is effective but highly unjust, I don't support threatening anyone just for this reason," the Doctor replied.

"Then what do you suggest, Doctor Rose?" Mr Kim asked her. "I suppose you have an idea."

"I have a method," Doctor Rose replied and everyone's ears were perked up, eager to hear what her idea was all about.

"Go ahead," Mr Kim said and Doctor Rose nodded and began.

"You see, these Lyrix are very powerful monsters and ordinary humans have no chance against them so even if you bring the whole country to fight against them, they will still be defeated. I have a more suitable way and that is borrowing their strength."

The people around the table glanced at each other, unable to understand what she means.

"What do you mean?" Mr Kim asked her.

"In my lab, there is a D level Lyrix my men caught some days ago. Though it is now dead, we can make use of his blood," Doctor Rose replied.

"How so?" Mr Kim asked.

"These creatures are known for their superhuman strength, right? I will extract his blood snd inject it into the available members of the OLT and they will also have superhuman strength like the Lyrixs."

"But won't that make them monsters?" Mr Cain asked. "I mean, they could go berserk and attack innocent people."

"Your worry is satisfactory," Doctor Rose said and smiled faintly. "That is why, every two weeks, they will come for check ups. During the check up, I'll feed them blood and make sure they are okay. With the superhuman strength, they will be able to wield whatever weapons they like and they will have a higher chance against the Lyrix."

After hearing her plan, everyone applauded her except for Mr Cain, though he didn't show his displeasure.

"We will go with Doctor Rose's plan," Mr Kim said. "The meeting is over!"

Outside the room, Doctor Rose was heading back to her clinic when Mr Cain approached and stopped her.

"Hello, Doctor," he said.

"Mr Cain, what is the matter?" Doctor Rose asked him.

"Nothing much actually," Mr Cain said. "But let me asked you, isn't your plan more cruel than mine? Imagine turning humans into monsters against their own will. It's more cruel than mine."

"You are free to say whatever you want but I don't care. My plan is for the good of the remaining part of the county, including you standing before me so don't judge anyone. Mr Kim has agreed and given me the go-ahead order to do what I want so back off and just watch me!"

After Doctor Rose was done talking, she was walked past him.