ROLLING THE BEADS, SAYING THE ROSARY for the departed, the paranoid Paul was in his wheelchair, in the living room. He was saying his prayers diligently aloud for the CTU Agents Joe Dickson’s soul, who had died that evening, in a freak automobile-explosion.

Back in his head, he knew his twin was ‘somehow’ responsible for his death, as Peter was a ‘suspect’ too in the Stamford High’s phone-bombing… which the late-agent had investigated. But Paul felt guilty too when he was ‘grilled’ mercilessly by Dickson, as the agent had linked him – as an equal ‘criminal’ – while-for Paul had joined a closed group in Facebook, who were-radical animal activists… that had been a national threat, to the national security lately…

‘I might-have cursed this ‘poor’ man too when he ‘was’ interrogated-me in the principal’s office – will I go to hell for it…?’

He felt guilty for judging his twin who was ‘already’ possessed, while he too was an equal ‘criminal’ for cursing the agent…. who was a threat to their Cursed-trio’s secret identities. The crippled tween felt his twin should be less-guilty and ‘not’ to be blamed…

… for he was ‘controlled’ and possessed by evil…

… while Paul…

… too fell into the dark-side, while he too brewed in negativity… during the ‘grilling’ on Friday.

‘… who am I to judge him…?’

Even Jane had told him repeatedly, that Peter had been ‘taken’ by the dark-side – and, he was ‘innocent’ and ‘not’ to be blamed for any of his depraved actions – but instead, needed to be ‘rescued’ by saving his soul in the Underworld. His blind-friend too reminded him ‘not’ to go in the path of vengeance for his girlfriend Alicia, to seek justice for her…

… but he went anyway – and interfered with the laws-of-justice on earth – which resulted in a disastrous death of Jim Hatcher… to which Paul was ‘not’ remorse nor guilty… back then, that the ‘perpetrator’ had died.

Now, he felt double-the-guilt – to both those men’s deaths…

‘… sorry God… for their deaths – sorry Peter… you are ‘innocent’ too…’

Sobbing, Paul recalled the day, when the 3 of them were ‘cursed’ by Asmodeus – in their school field trip to the Treeton farm. He remembered the hard-rain, the killer-lightnings and the frightened cows in that chaotic, stormy dark-afternoon – Paul even saw… his one-armed twin on his feet, flinging the cured-talisman away-over into the murky field…

… but…

… the lightning instead rebounded, his toss… ‘back’ at him…

… to ‘MARK’ HIM to be the Chosen-one.

The trembling Paul prayed his Rosary over again… for his ‘own’ soul and of others…

<>

UPSTAIRS…

… PETER WAS STRAIGHT BACK INTO HIS PFC BUSINESS… after his swallowing his banned opioids-dose perk-ups. He was flipping his fingers on the screen of his iPad and reading the positive comments of various platforms of social media, where Jason Lang had ‘spread’ the word of the PFC Rematch, on Monday afternoon…

… the one-armed tween was impressed by what his partner-in-crime’s great effort given, to promote ‘both’ of their popularity online, with Jason having exclusivity to ‘anything’ surrounding the PFC brand. Soon… SOME MEDIA TV STATION-shark would be attracted to the bait-on-the hook, with over a hundred people were talking already of the ‘BLIND-GIRL-PLAYING TENNIS’ – and they were counting they might have media ‘coverage’ presence on Monday.

‘I’m doing all of this for ‘you’ Janey – but will you sabotage me on Monday…?’

Well, it does ‘not’ matter… while Peter had his Plan-B if the PFC lost – where he would ‘leak-out’ his robotic-arm video in YouTube tomorrow, for his ‘own’ comeback in the Boys’ Category, next school-term.

He popped in another pill… and envisioned…

… his grand-comeback scheme soon, and challenging…

… tennis players of Perth – with his state-of-the-art, revolutionary and futuristic robotic arm.

-O-

Downstairs…

… thinking of the recent death-counts – Paul on his wheelchair was having a bout of anxiety-attack – as if though the ‘hand’ of God, was pointing down from above, onto the Walkers’ house-roof – to show, a guilty-criminal was living in ‘there’…

… still praying with his Rosary, Paul yearned that-moment for his mom to return home, as he was scared-stiff by his terrifying thoughts, of his ‘own’ death and judgement in the afterlife… he pulled the house-curtain and looking out from the window to every car outside, that passed in front of the house.

‘Mom, where are you…?’

His pounding heart-skipped-a-beat, when his iPhone suddenly rang…

It was Lily Wang, Alicia’s ELDER-COUSIN. She was calling from the hospital, and her voice broke with sobs when she spoke – and Paul heard distress crying and chatters in Hokkien, in the background…

“Paul, it’s Lily – the doctors say… Alicia is ‘not’ responding to medical treatments… because her body is slowly ‘shutting-down’ – they say she will only… be with ‘us’… for tonight…

“… I know it’s late, but please come, if you want to say ‘good-bye’ to her…

“… or… you can come later… at her funeral…”

The shocking phone-call ENDED – and the crippled boyfriend was shaking-badly… after hearing the ‘bad’ news – he wailed-out aloud…

“NO…! NO…! NO…! ALICIAAA…!!!”

“Oii! Hey-you down there, quiet-up! You’ll irk the bloody-neighbourhood!”

On hearing his twin, Paul didn’t care… and HOWLED EVEN LOUDER…

“Mommm… WHERE ARE you…!!?”

… Peter raced down the stairs, and halted midway down…

“Hoi-Poe…! what the bloody-hell IS WRONG WITH YOU!!?”

“Mommm…”

… Peter thought something had ‘happened’ to his mom when he saw him sobbing hard – would he BE AN ORPHAN, he assumed?

“Hey…! What the hell happened? You are wailing like a crippled-bear down here – are you bloody-hungry, or what!!?”

“No, you stupid – ITS ALICIA… she is ‘dying’ tonight… her cousin Lily called… and said so…”

The dumbfounded Peter was stunned-quiet, recalling…

… ‘how’ he clouted the Chinese girl in the HEAD WITH HIS BABOLAT, sending her to coma-land…

“Mommm…”

… Peter saw his twin yowling uncontrollably, and he slowly came to his side – and place his ‘only’ hand, on his twin’s shoulder…

“… I’m sorry for the your-future loss, Poe – but instead of sitting around crying your heart-out away, you should be do something ‘useful,’ like calling up our parish-priest, Father Brown – and tell him to rush to the hospital to administer her last-rites – and convert your Alicia Wong into Christianity, before she passes-off like a soulless pagan…”

“What DID YOU JUST BLOODY-SAY, you MORON!!?”

“Come-on Poe… you know I’m right? Buddhism is faith-and ‘not’ a religion like our-Christianity – when they even got their heaven’s name mixed-up, with the rock-band-Nirvana… who names their Paradise after a rock-band, that’s ‘not’ even bloody-original… don’t the Buddhist have a sacrilegious-code, to protect-their brand?”

“You! Shut-YOUR BLOODY-MOUTH up, Peter – I’m WARNING YOU!”

“Hey-you listen, Poe – you should do ‘your’ Christian duties in crucial-instance like this – or else, you will feel guilty for the rest of your pathetic-life for ‘not’ saving her soul – come-on you cripple, save that pagan before it’s too late – so-that Chinatown-Wong ‘not’ be damned in hell!”

“SHUT-UPP!!!”

…Paul shouted at him, but his one-armed twin came closer to him…

“Listen to your elder brother… who is seriously saying that ‘you’ saving your girlfriend’s soul, before it’s too-late – yea-Poe, you must convert the pagan to be a Catholic… before she goes ‘under,’ to the dark side…”

“SHUT-UP, YOU BLOODY-FOOL!”

Paul heard crazy-Peter singing the lines of Red-Hot Chili Pepper song, as he approached him…

“And Cobain, can you hear the spheres, singing songs off station to station? And, Alderaan’s ‘not’ far away, it's Californication…”

The raged Paul shot an electric-current-shot at Peter’s chest – as the cripple then-lunged forward at him, from his wheelchair – diving straight-at his one-armed twin, face-on – before they both, crashed on the floor.

Outside the Walker’s House…

… Caroline the mother, opened the front door in a hurry – when she heard a shouting-match earlier inside, of her 2 sons. She was shaken a moment when she saw the ‘weaker’ Paul was on top of the ‘bully’ Peter – pounding his fist onto his face.

“You bloody-don’t say ‘THAT’ TO ME… EVER!”

The tearful crippled-son screeched aloud, before his inspector-mother grabbed him, to separate both of her sons – who were now, both crying…

“Peter, what happened here…? What ‘DID’ YOU DO?”

“Mom, I tried to be a good Christian to Poe… I advised… AND HE ATTACKED ME… and hurt me…”

Paul then cried out aloud…

“Mom… Peter called ALICIA A PAGAN… when she’s dying tonight…”

“Hey-Mom, I’m just doing my Christian duties… BY SPREADING THE WORD OF GOD… and Poe… punched me in the face for that…”

Paul hugged his mom, on the floor and wailed out aloud. Peter got to his feet, and argued…

“Poe, I am just doing, what it’s expected of me… of what the church taught me… so that I go to heaven when I die someday…”

“You’ll NEVER GO TO HEAVEN, you bloody-moron! You DON’T DESERVE to be there… with all hideous Mortal Sins, that YOU HAVE COMMITTED – you rot and burn in hell!”

Caroline intervened…

“Shut up, Poe… you don’t get to say ‘such’ things in this house – and the 2 of you – SHUT UP NOW…!”

Peter walked away to the kitchen, to the fridge. He was eavesdropping…

… of Paul narrating to his shocked mother, that Cousin-Lily called to inform, that Alicia ‘WOULD-BE’ DEAD, by the end of tonight…

… the one-armed son saw… their mom hugging Poe, who was sobbing bitterly…

He returned to the living room with a can of coke, and a bag of his mom’s frozen-okra veg-packet, from the freezer. He sat on his father’s favourite chair… sipping his coke and placed the cold-packet, to his gradual swelling face…

… he then heard his mom saying, after helping Poe to his wheelchair…

“Okay-Poe, I will take you ‘now’ to the hospital.”

Her one-arm son responded along…

“I’m following too.”

… Caroline pointed at him – and shouted…

“No-Peter, you will ‘not’ come along – I don’t want you to ‘create’ any more of your offensive and embarrassing, nonsensical scene… when-over there!”

“Come-on Mom, what am I gonna do here…? Didn’t Father Brown say that a family that unites-together, ‘stays’ together…”

“NO!!!”

<><>

THE AUDI SPED IN THE JOURNEY to the Perth’s Children’s Hospital – Caroline with one hand on the steering wheel, place her other hand to console her 12-year-old heartbroken-son…

… who was crying uncontrollably, beside her.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Caroline pushed Poe’s wheelchair towards the elevators. And the moment, the lift arrived at the coma wards, Paul rushed out of the lift-car, manoeuvring the wheelchair on his own, while calling-out Alicia’s name – with his mother running after him.

In the hallway leading to Alicia’s deathbed – was indistinct sounds of a tape-recording – playing female-soothing voices singing, and chimes of Buddhism chant-of-death, and reincarnation.

As he reached Alicia’s ward, and to his horror… Paul saw a panicking male doctor's hands pumping Alicia’s chest, to revive her heartbeat, giving instructions to his nurses. Clamouring voices in Hokkien… and crying in distress, drowned the Buddhist chants.

Paul too was in tears, as he cried out…

“Alicia!”

When he saw the once calm-natured-mother, Robin – was HYSTERICALLY CRYING aloud – Paul felt he had ‘too’ much-misery… and HE TOO BLACKED-OUT IN HIS WHEELCHAIR, while Caroline tending her unconscious son… with Lily was – in confusion in the spur of the moment, whether to go either to Alicia-or-Paul.

The aura of Paul rose up, from its fainted ‘host’…

… and ascended above to the ceiling and ‘watched’ the chaotic-actions below…

… of the doctor resuscitating Alicia, along with the loud distress family-members by the bedside…

… and-also… Caroline in panic-tending to-its ‘cripple-self’ …

… the blue-glowing aura dove down from the ceiling…

… to ‘ENTER’ THE CHINESE GIRL’S body…

-O-

2 minutes later… Paul regained consciousness…

… he was hearing voices of the Head-Nurse telling his mom, that Alicia’s friend, Jane Wilson ‘too’ fainted in her visit-yesterday… and was admitted herself for an hour, for a shock – the staff asked…

“Insp Walker, do you want to admit him?”

… Paul was on the wheelchair, was-outside Alicia’s room – and he interrupted the women…

“Mom. What happened…?”

“You fainted Poe… do you want to lie down a bit, on the hospital bed?”

“Alicia…is she…?”

“She is fine…now stable, the doctor revived her – Poe, do you want to lie down…?”

“No need for that…”

He wheelchaired himself towards the wardroom, hearing Caroline calling behind…

“Are you sure…?”

Paul didn’t respond – and entered the ward, where everyone had calmed-down. Alicia was back at her life-support ventilator, BREATHING ON HER OWN – with the same doctor and 2 nurses, monitoring her.

He parked his chair at the bedside and saw Robin sitting on her chair, hold her daughter’s right hand. Paul too held his girlfriend’s other hand – as he took out his Rosary-beads and prayed, along with the Buddhist chants, in the background.

-O-

The aura of Paul literally ran fast, on foot on a long path, of the long never-ending footpath. ON BOTH SIDES TRAIL was nothing but steep-down cliffs and deep ravines…

… the route was THE ONE-LONG direction that led to the Chinese magisterial high-court, where THE DEAD GO – before, they were judged by Judge Yunluo, to determine their fate to go to…

… either to reincarnate in Nirvana – or to be damned…

… in Diyu, the Chinese Underworld.

Paul knew this was where Alicia’s soul would be led, ultimately if she died tonight at the hospital. He looked ahead and saw 2 PORTALS OPENING – on the right and left – where soothing Buddhist-chants were heard from one – and human cries in agony, in the other.

The aura ran even faster, as he intended to ‘rescue’ her…

Far ahead…

… walked the crying Alicia in ‘silence.’ Her-soul was dressed in a long white robe, with her tearful-face… without her ‘mouth.’ It was during her magisterial court-trial-later, where she would be allowed to ‘speak,’ when the Judge-Yunluo questioned her, in her trial…

… behind her was 2 tall-celestials-beings, who were the Chinese mystical grim-reapers – named Horse-Face and Ox-Head…

… who both accompanying Alicia’s aura – to heaven & hell’s magistrate’s high court.

Horse-Face wore a monk attire, and he carried a burning torch – while his counterpart the Ox-Head, was wearing full Chinese-warrior gear, and he brandished a double-edged axe in a long staff. Both the monk and soldier were arguing all the way, while they were escorting Alicia over.

With a high-pitched neigh, the displeased Horse-Face shouted…

“Why are we taking this mortal to the judge… when she is ‘not’ even dead…?”

“I don’t know… but it’s a personal request by Asmodeus, for his ‘collection’ of brides, I think…” Said the Ox-Head.

“Did the dirty All-Father bribe the Judge…?”

“… who cares… it is beyond our pay-grade to question that…”

“What if Kuan-Yin, the Goddess of Mercy finds out, of this ‘dirty’ transaction – then, I would be out of a job – and she would further seek justice by sending the Warrior Monkey-God to wreak destruction in Diyu… and that would be really messy…”

“… who cares, I like to keep-it-simple… my duty is to bring ‘this’ mortal to the judge – and I obey… with no questions asked.”

“Did Asmodeus bribe you too…?”

“Yep… the Judge paid me my ‘cut.’”

“This is ‘why’ there is no justice either in heaven or earth – why did you take this bribe, Ox-Head? How could you sleep at night?”

“I sleep soundly at night, Horse-Face – thank you very much – plus I got lots of little-oxen running around back home, to feed…”

From behind them, THEY HEARD A ‘VOICE’ challenging them…

“Oii! Hand the girl over to me!”

“Who goes there – identify yourself…!!?”

Both the tall celestials looked below, at their waist-level at blue-glowing Paul standing… ready for battle. The Ox-Head turned his horned head, to the long-faced horse…

“Who is this puny, ‘little’ man…?”

“If I’m ‘not’ mistaken – he is one-3rd of the Cursed-trio– they are powerful-beings on earth.” Replied Horse-Face with a neigh.

“Bah! Let’s see that, ‘how’ powerful is he…!!?”

With grunting angry-moos, the Ox-Head came forward to Paul, wielding menacingly his long-axe – while the ‘mouthless’ Alicia and Horse-Face looked on, helpless. The horned beast kept attacked him, but Paul was swift – as he agile-somersaulted… to avoid the hell-bladed axe.

From behind, the good-hearted Horse-Face surprised his counterpart… by grabbing tightly onto him…

“Run, MORTALS… RUN away…!!!”

Alicia ran towards Paul… leaving both the celestial-being fighting with each other. Ox-Head butt-headed Horse-Face snout to break-free… and swung his long-axe on him, but the horse-faced monk used his White-magic, to block the deadly blow…

The tween escaped by racing away on the lengthened pathway to the end… where A PORTAL AWAITED to take them to earth…

… Paul and Alicia saw the gateway to the other realm opening-up – and the Chinese girl entered through-first…

… while Paul was ‘grabbed’ from the back…

… his ‘aura’ fell to the ground, and he watched the PORTAL FADING AWAY, before his eyes…

… Paul looked up above, and saw the one-armed RED-DEMON, GRINNING at him…

“Hello-there… greetings-O’ Good One – did you miss me?”

<>

ALICIA’S CONDITION WAS STABLE, on the life-support ventilator… and the doctor and nurses left the ward. Some relatives stayed back, and some went home…

… but Robin Wong and Paul sat by the bedside.

Caroline approached him… and said…

“Poe, it is getting late – let’s go home, we can come to visit tomorrow afternoon, once after Sunday Mass.”

“No-Mom… I’m staying back ‘here’ tonight. You go-home safely.”

-O-

His mother left…

… and Paul hung-around to accompany Alicia’s mother…

… they spoke of Alicia’s childhood, all night long.