Solar

'What the fuck do I do now?'

My mind asked me that same question over and over in a murmur; despite the softness of the voice, the words clearly echoed in my mindscape, repeatedly bouncing against the walls of my skull. With every reverberation, the voice grew stronger and stronger, reaching a headache-inducing crescendo that prompted me to massage my temples in order to stem the sharp pain. I tried to look up but the mere act of bending my neck and squinting my eyes to try and make out the silhouette of the tallest tree in the forest worsened the needling sensation that was gradually becoming increasingly unbearable.

I held my lantern up against the night sky as I peered into the shadows of the night, searching for the landmark I had made for myself. It had to be close to nine; the moon was high, its bright silver light like a beacon from a lighthouse, shining over the forest, lighting up what was previously nothing much more than a formless dark body that completely encircled me and the small bubble of light my lantern provided. Despite the added light from the moon, the still ever-present pricking sensation that jabbed at the insides of my brain prevented me from being able to discern any shape, everything around me blurred beyond recognition.

A cold, hard gale that bit at my ears replaced the familiar, soft breeze that guided me towards Thorn earlier. My face slowly grew numb from the chilly gust blowing at my face, but the same couldn't be said for the immense self-disappointment that burned and ate away at my insides like a malevolent acid.

'I failed Thorn. I failed Thorn. I failed Thorn,' I whispered, now unsure what to do with myself. Thorn would have told me that not knowing anything is extremely out of character for me, but try as I might, I couldn't formulate any solutions; I couldn't think of anything to help Thorn get his deserved justice— to give the murderer his deserved retribution for killing the one he claimed he loved in cold blood, in favor of an illegitimate mistress.

The pain in my head was ebbing away, now a tolerable enough level for my eyes to focus on the shapes glowing under the moon's gentle radiance; shadows and light once obscured now formed the outline of a mighty redwood with a white glow, easily the tallest tree within a thousand miles of the suburban area that I lived in. Jogging towards the landmark I had made for myself, I soon found my car, which apart from the bird droppings on the roof and the slight dust that had collected on its surface, was exactly how I had left it three hours ago.

Climbing into the car, I began the drive out of the forest, now with complete knowledge of what had happened to Thorn. Now in the familiar safety of my car, the question that had made my head spin in circles trying to answer earlier came back.

'What the fuck do I do now?'

I decided to give Ice a call to let him know we needed to talk. Slowing down my car as to not accidentally ram myself into a tree, I dialed Ice.

"What's up, Sol?"

"Ice, we need to talk. Can we do it tonight?"

"You're going to have to pay me overtime," Ice yawned out.

"Fuck off. Can we meet tonight or not?" I growled, not having the patience to deal with Ice's infuriatingly calm and sleepy demeanor when I had just been traumatized for life.

"Chill, Sol, I was just joking," Ice replied, he had seemingly sobered up. "We can meet tonight, yeah. When and where?"

"I'm about thirty-five minutes from your office; is it secure?"

"What do you mean, 'is it secure'? What do you need to talk to me about?"

"It's about Thorn. I found the body, but I don't want to talk about it over the phone."

"Alright then, you can come to my house on 75 Pultis Street; we will have total privacy there. I've soundproofed every inch of my place."

"See you in twenty," I ended before hanging up the phone.

"So, you're telling me that you found Thorn's body near the edge of the lake, so emaciated by all the little critters down there that you almost didn't recognize him?"

"Pretty much," I confirmed, taking a small sip out of the tea that Ice had prepared for us and then placing the teacup back down on the finely decorated porcelain saucer which sat atop the oak desk in Ice's study, where we were discussing my options.

"Well, you're right about one thing, the police are never going to accept that as evidence as Thorn died. Plus, while you were gone, I did some research into this Fang character you referred to; it looks like his older brother by nine years that goes by the name of Kaizo is the head of the police department, so getting him arrested even if you were to have proof that Thorn died would be nigh impossible," Ice stated matter-of-factly.

"So what do I do now? I can't just leave it at that, I can't just stop my mission of getting justice for Thorn, you have to help me, please I–" I sniffled out. Crying and pleading was something that I was known to never do with my greatest flaw being hubris, but I was prepared to do anything for Thorn, alive or dead.

"Well, isn't it obvious, Sol? Where else can you find justice other than the law when the law is corrupted and won't listen to you?"

I stared at Ice quizzically, having not the slightest clue of what he was trying to imply through that statement. Ice started back at me as if he were expecting me to instantly solve his riddle, but when I answered him with a shrug, he sighed.

"I thought you were smart, Sol," Ice teased. "What happened to that oh-so great deductive brain of yours that could solve any problem?"

"If you didn't notice, I'm a bit of a mental mess right now," I grumbled. "Forgive me if I am being unusually ignorant."

"Fine, fine," Ice shook his head dismissively. "The answer is to take the law into your own hands, Sol."
"Take the law into my own hands? What the fuck do you mean? Stop being a cryptic piece of sh–" I began to get angry as Ice wasn't giving me a straightforward answer, but realization dawned upon me as to what he was proposing as a solution.

"You don't mean–" I managed to say before I paused, unable to finish my sentence as I was still trying to comprehend what Ice had just suggested. Ice picked up his phone and began tapping furiously at the screen.

'Murder…?!'

"It's the only way, Solar. If the law isn't going to get him, you need to," Ice emphasized the "you" with a certain finality as he placed down his phone.

"But I don't even know how to use weapons! I can't even shoot a gun!" I protested, not having even the slightest clue as to how Ice wanted to execute this dastardly plan.

"I know a guy who can help you," Ice stated casually, as if he weren't speaking about some private contract killer who he would ask to help me murder someone, even if said victim was as repulsive of a man as Fang was. "I've sent him a message already. He should be here within ten minutes; then, we can talk," Ice's arctic blue irises hardened, looking not unlike a solid iceberg, unwavering and prepared to mercilessly sink any ship that dared to underestimate it.

"When is he coming, Ice?" Ten minutes had passed; I grew anxious, the temperature in the room feeling like it had dropped several degrees.

"Normally he'd be here already, I'm not sure what's hold him up," Ice said, unable to suppress a shiver, the sensation of the temperature dropping not just in my head.

"Are you looking for me?" a deep, malevolent voice called out of the shadow in the corner. Its tone sounded like an attempt at sounding amused, but I couldn't miss the bone-chilling edge that screamed of death.

A man who looked to be a few years younger than me, perhaps twenty-five, made his presence known as he stepped out from behind the bookcase in Ice's study. Two things fleeted through my mind as I stared at the person who had just joined us.

'Holy shit, he's fucking hot."

It was undeniable. A single streak of moonlight silver was the only irregularity in his messy brown hair which reached down to the middle of his forehead. His jaw was set and his features were sharp. He was clad in almost full black, but I could tell that his figure was lean, his muscles trained for extreme dexterity and finesse but not lacking in strength by any stretch of the imagination. Thunderbolts ran along the zipper on his jacket and the sides of his tactical pants, gleaming a dangerous blood red rather than a typical electric yellow. All of this paled in comparison to his eyes, calculating orbs colored a deep vermillion that seemed to peer straight into my soul as we exchanged eye contact.

In short, he looked as attractive as he was dangerous.

'If he wanted to kill us, we would already have been long dead.'

He had managed to sneak into Ice's study soundlessly, giving no sign or trace of his entry; not even the slightest creak of a door or the slightest bump of a footstep to herald his arrival.

'How long has he been watching us talk about him?' I thought, my mind split between feasting my eyes on our extremely handsome guest or interrogating him as to how the hell he managed to get into a supposedly secure room without making a single disturbance.

"Him?" He asked Ice, his right index finger pointed at me.

"No, he has someone who he'd like some help getting rid of. You're the best in the business, Thunderstorm; the entire world of crime fears your name. I thought I'd cash in on a favor since you're both my friends," Ice explained.

Only then did it strike me that he had just coolly asked Ice if I was the person to kill. My spine tingled as I shrank in my chair, gradually coming to understand exactly how dangerous this Thunderstorm was. How many people has he killed?

"Closer-than-normal acquaintance," Thunderstorm corrected Ice.

"Thunder, I'm hurt," Ice mock cried, placing the back of his palm over his eyes. "I see you as a friend, when will you see me as one?" Ice fake-sniffled, rubbing his eyes.

"Get to the point."

"Fine, fine. Solar here had his best friend murdered by this dude named Fang, and now he wants to avenge him. You'll help him, right, Thunder?"

"Easy. I'll go now."

"A-Actually, I-I'd like to be the one to deal the finishing blow to h-him, if that's p-possible," I stuttered out, my brain finally understanding who it was that I was dealing with.

It hit me that I didn't fully know who Ice was until now; I had always thought that he was just a normal private investigator, but it turned out that he had some connections to the world of crime; perhaps some sort of consigliere for a gang? And Thunderstorm, he was clearly some kind of extremely skillful and experienced assassin.

"You don't have the mental strength," Thunderstorm replied simply and dismissively.

"You don't know what I would do for Thorn," my voice became solemn and quiet as I tried to match Thunderstorm's dark edge with my own; any fear I had felt earlier overpowered by my righteous anger and desire to not fail Thorn.

He scanned me inquisitively; I resisted the urge to squirm under his gaze which caused me immense discomfort and anxiety.

'Sol, you have to remain strong for Thorn. You have to stay strong for Thorn. Stay strong for Thorn. For Thorn,' I chanted silently in an attempt to not completely lose my nerve.

"Fine. You do have some resolve." Thunderstorm relented. "You can kill him when the time comes."

I suppressed the instinct to start morbidly celebrating at the opportunity to perform such a heinous act, but it almost didn't matter to me as it allowed me one thing that I wanted more than any other.

'Thorn, I'll avenge you.'

It was around midnight the following night. Thunderstorm and I were cached in the corner beside the camellia bush where I first discovered the bloody tires, the evidence that I had come across now fully disposed of. Sweet, subtle fragrance came from the plants of Thorn's garden, which now sat straight up, flowers pointed at the window to the master bedroom as if to watch the show. The moon was hidden tonight, rendering the estate in near complete darkness. I could hear Thunderstorm's light breaths next to me as I awaited for his explanation as to how we were going to kill this motherfucker.

"You will climb through the window and inject him with this," Thunderstorm whispered as he held up a syringe with a clear liquid inside. Concentrated procaine, I recognized. It was a powerful local anesthetic that would numb Fang while I did the deed. "Then you will make a cut on his jugular vein, about this long," he then held up his index finger and thumb, the gap between them somewhere between an inch to an inch and a half long. "It will take about five minutes for brain death. In that time, I will prepare our escape and disposal for the body."

Something didn't sit right with me. Why was Fang the only one getting what he deserved? That bitch Ying, his mistress, the cause of why Thorn was cheated on and killed, needed to pay for her sins too.

"Hey Thunder," I whispered back to him, talking to him for the first time since we parted ways at Ice's house yesterday. "What if we frame that bitch that he sleeps with?" I smiled morbidly, surprisingly enjoying this little game more than I had expected to.

'I'll be able to give both of those twats what they fucking deserve!' I cheered mentally.

"Not a bad idea," Thunderstorm replied after giving it a bit of thought, his voice low; still, I could hear the evil smirk in his tone. "I'll take care of it. You do things as planned."

"Alright."

I began my ascent to the master bedroom on the second floor, each of my limbs finding their way onto a brick on the wall that was loosened slightly, just enough to jut out of the mansion like a tiny steppingstone that I could use as a ledge. Left foot up. Right foot up. Left hand up. Right hand up. Following that same steady rhythm, I slowly made my way up the side of Fang's mansion. Half-way to the second floor, I peered down, trying to make out the silhouette of Thunderstorm underneath me, but he was gone, presumably off to execute his end of the plan.

My breathing grew heavy and my forehead became dotted with sweat as I continued climbing. My upper body strength was weaker than I'd have liked; I made a mental note to start exercising more after this.

Eventually, I reached the ledge of Fang's window, hauling myself onto it with a soft thud. Peering into the glass, I could make out a male body—Fang—and a female body laying next to him, both of them indecently dressed, both bodies pressed against each other, both clearly having just engaged in intercourse. Disgust. That was all I could feel as I glared at them, repulsed by how they could be so happy after what they did to Thorn.

'That all ends tonight.'

Delicately sliding the pane of glass blocking me from entering the master bedroom to the left, I lowered myself onto the hardwood floor, landing a few feet away from where they were sound asleep, unsuspecting of the plot to frame one for murdering the other. Irritatingly enough, I could make out the outline of Ying's arm loosely wrapped around Fang's neck, preventing me from having easy access to his throat. I held the stainless-steel surgical scalpel in my gloved hand, calming my nerves as I racked my brain for a solution to this little unforeseen hiccup in the otherwise foolproof plan.

'This is going to be a gamble…'

Leaning over the side of the bed, I blew the gentlest current of air at Ying's neck, trying to get her to subconsciously use her hands to pull the blanket up. Her face wrinkled in discomfort and she began to toss slightly. I tensed up. Not daring to even breathe, I scanned behind me for any possible hiding spots in case this little operation went sideways. Finding a small gap between the wardrobe and the wall that I could squeeze into, I tiptoed silently and slid into the space, keeping my breaths as light as humanly possible. Soon, my efforts were rewarded with Ying pulling the blanket closer to her face, removing her arm from Fang and giving me full access to his neck.

Not wasting a second, I started working.

I injected the ultrafine tip of the needle into the largest vein on his neck, at an angle so that he would experience the least discomfort possible. He violently turned to one side as soon as the tip of the needle pierced his skin, forcing me to curve my arm to minimize the pain he felt, lest he wake up. Sweat started dripping down my forehead, my anxiety through the roof.

'Be strong, Solar, you're doing this for Thorn.'

I quickly pressed the plunger down, injecting the anesthetic into his bloodstream.

'It's now or never.'

I raised the scalpel, holding it against the vein which I just pierced with a needle and dragging it against the supple flesh. Like a knife through butter, the scalpel easily sliced through Fang's skin; blood spilled out of the incision and onto my gloved hands, signifying the deed was done. I felt a small rush throughout my body after realizing what had just happened.

'He's getting what he deserves.'

I stood back a bit and admired my handiwork. The cut was about two inches long, a little larger than I was aiming for, but it would do.

"Are you done yet?" Thunderstorm's voice sounded low in my ear, his breath hot against my neck.

Suppressing a shiver was futile. Thunderstorm's strong chest was pressed against my back and I was certain that he felt me shudder.

"Y-Yeah."

"Let's go then."

3rd

Good thing Solar got a boating license when he was fifteen.

Solar picked up Fang's recently deceased corpse with gloved hands and dropped it into the center of the lake, watching as the many critters that just last night were devouring Thorn began to swarm like locusts around the new feast.

Good thing Thunderstorm knew how to cover up a scene.

"Officer? Yes, I would like to report a missing person. Do you know Fang Li? The one that owns the mansion on Rinlau Lane? Yes. Thank you for attending to this report," Solar thanked the officer that picked up his call before hanging up, a small grin adorning his face for the first time in a week.

Good thing Ice is going to swear he was with me.

"Miss Ying Wu, you are under arrest for the suspected murder of Mr. Fang Li," Kaizo stated coldly, holding up the arrest warrant in his hand.

"What do you mean? We were lovers! WHY THE FUCK WOULD I KILL HIM?"

"Miss, traces of your DNA were found on the murder weapon–" Kaizo held up the scalpel that Solar slit Fang's throat with, still covered in Fang's dried blood. "I'm afraid you will have to come with us for murdering my brother."

"I bet it's that Solar motherfucker, he's the one who did this!"

"That's impossible; one of our trusted longtime partners, Mr. Ice has sworn that Mr. Solar was accompanying him in an investigation of his."

I know he did it, but I just couldn't prove it.

She thinks I did it, but she just can't prove it.

They think she did it, and they were able to "prove" it.

I sat next to Ice and Thunderstorm, sharing a hot cup of special cocoa from the local cocoa shop with him to celebrate Thorn getting the justice he deserved.

"You know, I wasn't ever going to let up until he died."

Thunderstorm chuckled.

"I knew."