??68: Chapter 29 Arthur’s Redemption and Hell
68: Chapter 29 Arthur’s Redemption and Hell
Arthur sat in the rattling carriage with an expressionless face.
He was drenched from head to toe; the weather was foul today, and he had run several streets to find a public horse-drawn carriage that was operating early in the morning.
The coachman grasped the reins in each hand.
Through the carriage window, upon seeing Arthur soaked to the skin, he asked with so embarrassnt, “Officer, do you need a towel?
I have one for wiping sweat, and if you do not mind, you can use it.
It’s hanging on the handrail inside the carriage, the white one there.”
Arthur’s body was shivering a bit, and he forced a smile, “Thank you for your kindness.
Then I won’t be polite.”
While drying his uniform with the towel, he heard the coachman chuckle from the other end of the carriage.
The coachman, who was sheltered by the awning extending from the top of the carriage, drove cheerfully while laughing.
“It’s nothing.
I feel a bit embarrassed to say this, but you resemble the nephew I’ve raised with my own hands.
The features, the contour, even your hair is black and looks healthy.
If he had stayed in the country, maybe he could have beco a Scotland Yard police officer like you, with what must be a not so bad inco, since ordinary people cannot afford to ride on a public carriage.”
“Inco…” Arthur stalled for a mont, recalling many things: “It’s alright, I guess.
At least it’s enough to get by on.”
The coachman said with a smile, “Indeed, in these tis, a job that lets you survive is a good job.
My nephew had to borrow money to take a boat to North Arica because he couldn’t make a living back ho.
I hear that the North Arican colonies are not like here; they lack manpower, and whether you work as a farr tilling the soil or in a factory, the treatnt is good.
Oh my, it’s already been more than half a year, and I don’t know how my nephew is getting on in North Arica; he doesn’t even rember to write a letter to his uncle.”
Arthur consoled, “Maybe the letter he wrote hasn’t arrived yet; after all, the fastest steamship from Boston on the east coast of North Arica to Liverpool here takes about half a month.”
The coachman asked with interest, “You seem quite knowledgeable about North Arica.
How do you know it takes half a month by ship?”
Arthur smiled, “Because not long ago, I just returned a ticket for a ship to Boston.”
“Return the ticket?
You were planning to go to North Arica too?”
Confused, the coachman asked, “Why?
Don’t you have a pretty good job?
Only people who can’t survive here think about trying their luck in North Arica.”
Arthur held the towel in his hands as he stared out the foggy window at the pouring rain, his tone revealing complex, sowhat inscrutable emotions.
“There are many, very complex reasons.”
The coachman looked back at the young man and, not comprehending, shook his head, with his eyes sparkling with a faint red light, like flas spewing from the Red Devil’s mouth.
“Young man, you seem troubled.
But as soone who has been through it, I still want to say sothing that may sound trite.
The most important thing for humans in this world is just one thing, and that is to survive.
People live for the sake of living; don’t go looking for aning, because life inherently has no aning.
The so-called aning is just a reason people concoct to keep themselves going.
If that reason doesn’t make sense, then we find another reason.
After all, there are plenty of reasons; there’s sure to be one that fits you.”
As he spoke, the carriage wheels gradually ca to a stop.
The coachman stretched out his hand backward and shouted, “Officer, Saint Thomas’ Hospital is here.
The distance is not far, just the starting fare, one shilling.”
Two coins were pressed into the coachman’s palm.
The coachman was startled, looking at the coins in his hand and asked, “Sir, it’s one shilling, not two.”
Arthur stepped out of the carriage, straightened his police uniform, and stepped onto the rain-drenched cobblestones.
“Please take it.
Like you said, these two shillings are the reason I’ve concocted for myself to keep living; they are the aning of my life.”
He walked toward the main entrance of Saint Thomas’ Hospital, leaving muddy footprints along the way.
Agares’ silhouette slowly leeched out of the coachman’s fra, the Red Devil’s crown was roiling with boiling oil, and it seed as if flas were burning between his eyes.
He was uncontrollably angry, and though his low hum was barely discernible, it seed capable of tearing through the gloomy sky and the downpour flooding the streets.
Many voices buried behind ti echoed in his ears, and he recalled many distant mories he wished not to rember.
—Behold, my servant.
Whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights!
I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
—He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, nor make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
—A light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
My chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations, a light for the nations, healing the blind, freeing captives, and leading out those who sit in sin, supporting our hands.
Agares clutched his head, his face filled with disbelief: “Is…
is it you?”
Arthur stood quietly outside the window of the dissection room at Saint Thomas’ Hospital, where he saw it crowded with King’s College dical students who had co for a lesson.
The cold wind blew off his round black hat, and the icy raindrops beat on his face, but when the rainwater gathered at his chin, it suddenly felt warm.
The sensation was scalding, almost enough to peel back his skin.
The voice of the dical Professor lecturing occasionally ca from the classroom.
“Please co closer, students.
Today’s case is sowhat special; it’s a female child under ten years of age.
We can see that the deceased’s lungs are slightly white and have begun to show signs of powdering, likely due to a lung-related disease.
Pulmonary diseases are quite common among our worker population, and we are dedicated to researching gas dicines, also for the purpose of…”
Arthur’s hand holding the police truncheon trembled slightly; he breathed in, exhaled, and then inhaled again.
He felt like his ears could no longer hear clearly, and his eyes were nearly blind.
He felt the whole world spinning, his head reeling.
He sensed a wild frustration in his chest that would only subside if he killed a few people to settle his heart.
He clenched his teeth, his voice coming out as a hoarse whisper, “Who did this?”
The Red Devil stood behind him, his gaze fixed on Arthur, brimming with disbelief.
Arthur turned, grabbed the Red Devil by the collar, and slamd him against the wall, “Agares!
I’m asking you who did this!
Can’t you hear ?!
Aren’t you the one who can answer all the riddles in the world?!
Who did it?
Tell
now, how many souls do you want, I’ll pay them all!”
Agares’ head cleared when he was slamd.
The Red Devil took a deep breath and pressed down with both hands, “Arthur, you need to calm down, just calm down first.”
“How do you expect
to calm down?!
How do you expect
to explain to Adam?!
Are you suggesting that I tell him his friend, that adorable little girl, Robin, was gutted and laid out in the dissection room of St.
Thomas Hospital!”
Agares reminded him, “Arthur, I know it’s hard for you.
And I told you, you shouldn’t have co here.
Just like Charles Darwin said, decent people should stay away from hospitals, so things here are… very… very bloody…”
“Is this about being bloody?
Why did she die, and how did her body end up here?!
I…
I should never have listened to Scotland Yard.
If I hadn’t followed their requests, but instead made it public, maybe Robin wouldn’t have had this misfortune…
It’s all my fault…”
Arthur, gasping for breath and clutching his heart, leaned against the corner of the wall for support, it was the only way he wouldn’t fall.
“Arthur, don’t bla yourself too much,” the Red Devil consoled, resting a hand on his shoulder, “This little girl was never going to live long, it’s not your fault.”
“Arthur!
It’s bad!
Robin is missing!”
Suddenly, a cry rang out.
Arthur looked up to see Tom and Tony, who were supposed to pick up Robin for her doctor’s appointnt, as well as Adam, held in Tom’s arms.
Seeing them rush over, Arthur tried to stand up, but each attempt ended with him falling into puddles.
Upon seeing this, Tony hurried over to help him up.
But as Tony got near the window of the dissection room, his feet abruptly stopped.
Looking at the scene inside, Tony felt blood rush to his head in an instant, and tears stread down his face.
“I…
I’ll fucking…
I’ll fucking slaughter these morons!!!”
He drew his police knife and, like an enraged black bear, tried to burst into the room.
But before he could act, he was caught from behind by Arthur in a bear hug, and both exerted force in opposite directions, ending up crashing heavily into the muddy ground.
Tony tried to pry open Arthur’s hands with all his might, but the vice-like arms wouldn’t budge.
“Arthur, you…
let go of !
Fucking let go!
If I don’t kill these people, you…
how am I supposed to face God after I die?”
“Tony, you can’t go,” Arthur said in his raspy voice.
“You’re about to start a family; you can’t do this.”
Tears filled Tony’s eyes as he swore loudly, “Fuck starting a family!
Arthur, don’t think you’re the only cop here, I’m one too!”
“Then you can’t go either.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s an order.”
“To hell with your order!”
Tony knelt, clutching his head and howling to the heavens; amidst the curtain of rain, all one could see was his bloodshot eyes.
“Ah!!!!!”
Tom, holding Adam, stood back, startled by Tony’s reaction.
“Arthur, Tony, what happened to you two?”
Arthur lifted a hand towards Tom, swallowing a mouthful of spit, “Don’t co over, Tom, you and Adam stay there.”
Tom asked, baffled, “Is that an order too?”
“No, it isn’t,” Arthur replied, his wet hair hanging ssily over his head, making him look disheveled, “It’s just a request.
If you want to make it easier for , don’t co over here; I’ll co to you.”
Arthur, clutching his aching heart, walked toward Tom, then crouched down to et Adam’s eye level.
“Adam, I don’t know how to say this to you.
I…
I’m sorry to you, and even more…
more sorry to Robin.
You trusted
so much, and I…
I’m sorry, I let you down.”
Hearing this, Adam slowly opened his eyes wide, as if the nine-year-old boy understood sothing.
All children who ca from the St.
Giles Church area matured earlier than their peers.
He understood the aning behind Arthur’s words.
“Mr.
Hastings…”
Arthur could barely et his gaze, “I…
I’m really sorry.”
Adam’s eyes were full of tears as he reached out his arms to hug Arthur’s head, resting his cheek on top of Arthur’s, “You’ve never had anything to be sorry for with , and even if you did, I would forgive you.”
Arthur knelt down, slowly closing his eyes, his emotions finally calming amidst the pouring rain.
“Adam, I promise you, and I promise Robin, I won’t let anyone involved with the St.
Giles Church’s disappearance go unpunished.”
He took a deep breath, used his hand to push his soaking hair back, then stood up turning to Tom, “Tom, send soone to the Magistrates’ Court to apply for a search warrant for King’s College St.
Thomas Hospital right away.”
Then he shouted towards the sobbing Tony, “Tony!
If you want revenge, co with
to the Ho Office right now.
The lead on this disappearance case will belong to the London tropolitan Police’s Greenwich Police District!”
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