The Devil's Hands

The little girl

"Gege(elder brother in Chinese), look at that house! Someone is finally moving in! I wonder who will live there, do they have a little girl or little boy so I can have a reason to go inside that house??"

"Is inside the house as pretty as the outside? Is it like my imagination?"

"Hey, little girl! Wake up! Don't make yourself drooling, the people there must be some arrogant people."

"You want that kind of house? I will buy it for you when I have grown up, I will buy you a bigger house with a beautiful garden. You can also buy all the Barbie dolls you want, all the beautiful dresses and shoes."

"Wow really ge? Promise me?"

"Of course, but you must promise me, you will only follow me. Don't go anywhere else!"

"Promise!"

"Mom looks, there are children over there! I want to say hello to them!"

"Okay go ahead, but don't go too long! You still have to tidy up your room. You will enter a new school the day after tomorrow!"

"Got it, mom!"

"Hey there, do you guys live around here?"

"Oh hey, yes I am Xia Lin! This is Lu Yi Gege, and you are?"

"I am Liu Fei, nice to meet you Xia Lin and Lu Yi. Can you come to my house warming party tomorrow, it can't be called a party actually since I know no-one here. There will only be my mom, me, some of my mom's assistants, The Priest. It will be more fun if you guys can come..."

(Hearing that invitation making Xia Lin's eyes sparkling, it's like she has become Alice and going to enter the wonderland)

"Really? You invite us there? (whispering) Gege, see he is not arrogant at all!   We will go there tomorrow right?"

"Seeing how excited you are, all right I will accompany you tomorrow."

"Great, I'll see both of you tomorrow at my house then! I must go back to tidy it up so tomorrow when you guys come everything will be neat and tidy. See you!!"

"Xia Lin let's go back!" (They are walking holding hands)

"Don't be too excited, he is only being kind to us because he hasn't got any friends here! When he gets new rich friends he will forget about us."

"It's okay ge, as long as I can go there tomorrow. I am satisfied enough even if its just one time, I will remember all the things inside that house!"

"Silly, girl!" How can that little brain of you think that  simple. But after all, that's what I like about you, keep being that cute and naïve little girl. Don't change even when the world change later!

"Mom, I am home!" (Xia Lin hears her parents shout at each other)

"Don't you dare go out of this house tonight! If you do that I will throw away all your things! I don't work hard just to let you spend the money on that night club!"

"Honey, don't be like that..." (try persuading his wife)

"I go to the night club to do some businesses, soon you won't have to go to work anymore! We will have a lot of money!"

"It will be good if you use this spirit to look for a job! Ever since you got fired, you just spend your time in those night club and sleeping during the day! I know you must be really stress, but life must go on. We have Xia Lin, she is still a little girl. If you don't want to look for a new job yet, please just help me taking care of her."

"You don't understand, I am doing this for our future! For Xia Lin's future also, just bear it with me a little more time. I really am doing a project, and this will give us a lot of money."

"What kind of project can only be discussed in the night club?! Don't lie to me anymore! Please... I am very tired..."

(Getting angry, feeling demeaned) "Just because you are the one who supports us now, doesn't mean that you are the head of this family! I really am trying to give us a great future, you just wait and see!!"

"Hey, Steven! Come back... I really mean it, if you are going out tonight. I will divorce you!!"

"Do as you please, you never believe in me anyway!"

Little Xia Lin, come out from her hideaway. Crying and trembling...

"Dad... Mom..."

"Oh Xia Lin, you must believe in daddy. Daddy will get us a lot of money! Daddy will buy you a lot of pretty dresses, cute dolls and everything that you want okay? Don't cry..."

That's the last time little Xia Lin sees her dad alive. That night "the project" he mentioned going bad, gunfire anywhere.

"Huang Jie, Huang Jie!" (knocking on the door)

"Lu Xi, what's up? It is already late!"

"Quickly run! The project has gone bad, they shot Steven Gege! Blood everywhere, I didn't know who betrayed us. The devil's hands hasn't finished but they force us to sell it! Here is the formula, you should keep it!"

"Lu Xi, I don't get it! What the devil's hands is?"

"Run Jie, you don't have much time! They will come here at any minute, they must not get that formula!"

(Taking the handbag, waking up Xia Lin)

"Xia Lin, Let's go! We should go far away!"

(still sleepy and confused) "What is it, mom? Where is dad? We are not going together with him? Mom, please don't be mad at dad anymore (start crying) I don't want to leave daddy."

"Xia Lin, I also don't want to leave him. But we must leave now. When we are safe, mom will look for your dad okay? Mom promise!"

(Driving while calling someone)

"Hello, Prof. He? This is Linda, I am sorry I disturb you this late! Do you know anything..." Jie please don't tell anyone about this devil's hands, someone is betraying us, trust no one!

(turn off the phone and throw it away)

"Mom, where are we going? Why did you throw the phone away? What if dad looking for us?"

"Xia Lin please be quiet! Let me think first... I also don't know what happens, but Uncle Lu said we are in danger and we should go far away from here, and hide."

That night, become the longest night for little Xia Lin. Both of them driving in silence don't know where to go... 

"The house is on Fire, Dad! Dad! Xia Lin's house is on fire!"

"Xiao Lu, don't go it is dangerous!"

"But, dad we have to help Xia Lin and her mom!"

"Xiao Lu, listen to me. Xia Lin and her mom is not there anymore, don't worry. And daddy has made a lot of money just now, so we need to go immediately because there are bad people chasing the money. So quick pack up your things, just bring what you really need. Don't worry about the rest! We can buy it later!"

"Okay, dad. But Xia Lin, I have to tell Xia Lin where we go, otherwise, she will be sad when she can't find me. Where are we going, dad?" 

"Xia Lin is not there anymore, dad has told her mom to go away because there are bad people chasing them also. Just pack up your things, hurry..."

"Mom...The little girl's house is on fire! We need to help her."

"Oh my … let me call the firemen first." 

"Hello, this is from Elisabeth street number 72, The house near me is on fire."

"Mom, quick we need to help them!"

"Fei, it's dangerous! Mom has called the firemen, wait for them..."

10 minutes later, the firemen come. They quickly trying to put the fire off.

Liu Fei runs to them.

"Sir, did you find my friend? How is she?"

"Little boy, we didn't find anyone there, maybe your friend is not at home."

"Mam we need to ask you some questions, Do you know how many people live in there?" 

"I don't know sir, we have just moved today."

"When do you realize about the fire?"

"As soon as I called you guys it must be around 2 am."

"All right, we will do the investigation here. Please don't enter this place when the police line is still on the scene."

"How about my friend sir? You can ask about her from that house. Lu Yi is there, he is Xia Lin's gege. He can tell you how many people live there and where Xia Lin and her family are."

"All right, little boy. We will ask them."

Meanwhile at the club where Xia Lin's dad dying...

"Boss, Lu Xi lied to us. The formula isn't complete. Police can track that this is not a heart attack but a murder."

"Shh, be quiet! Find the CCTV footage and throw this body, make it look like he is too drunk to walk by himself. And track down Lu Xi"

"Yes, boss."

"Linda, I am so sorry.  All I want is to make a lot of money for our family, I don't want you to work so hard, and little Xia Lin can go to a good school and we live in a big house. I am sorry..."