"Eh...actually...the guys in this place told me that you are a freak...a heartless person...they told me not to go near you. I'm here just to tell you that I don't think you are that type of person. I knew it when I first talk to you," Emma said, didn't look at Derek.

Derek frowned, then he said,"...I know that..."

"Will you tell me what's troubling you the whole time? You don't seem to be very happy all the time. I mean...," Emma stopped when Derek interrupted her suddenly.

"Happy?! That word will never ever appear in my mind! Life is harsh and annoying! Same as those human beings that I saw...those soulless creature!"

Emma stared at Derek and didn't say anything. Derek covered his face with his right hand. He didn't even look at her for once the whole time.

"May I ask you a question?"

"No!" Derek seemed to know what Emma is going to ask.

"What happened..."

"Don't bother asking! Just shut up!"

"Derek, what had happened to your face?"

Derek grabbed Emma by the shirt and was about to slap her.

"Mind your own business. You are just like the people at that place. Nasty and annoying."

Derek was glaring at Emma. Emma saw his face. There were blood stains on the side of the bandage and on his face.

Emma seemed shocked, then she screamed, "Get away from me! You wolf!"

The struggles of Emma reminded Derek of Jessie, when she was trying to break free from the robbers.

"Jessie!"

Derek let go of Emma, then he dropped to his knees and held his head with both of his hands. Emma ran away from Derek.

"Please don't hurt her........JESSIE!!" Derek was crying and screaming.

........

The next day

Emma was transferring boxes with the guys.

"Do you feel tired?" one of the guys asked.

"You need me to help you relax for a bit?" the other guy asked.

"Ah? Naw, I don't need it," Emma said shyly.

Inside the slaughterhouse, Derek was staring at Emma the whole time. Emma did realize that, but she didn't stare back at him. Those eyes of his seemed to be telling her that he would do something really bad to her.

"Hey, Derek! What are you looking at? Do your work!" the manager shouted when he saw Derek's action.

The guys outside heard the manager's voice. Everyone realized what Derek was looking at. One of the guys actually went into the slaughterhouse.

He put his arm around Derek's neck, then he whispered to his ear, "You are looking at Emma, right? You like her, right? Huh? Answer me."

Derek didn't make any gesture nor say anything.

"ANSWER ME!!" the guy screamed, grabbing Derek by the collar and trying to yank him.

THRONK!!

With a turn of his shoulder, Derek punched the guy right in the stomach. The guy bent down and coughed. Without hesitation, Derek grabbed the knife. "WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE ALREADY!!"

The people outside came into the room and stopped Derek. "Derek! What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"He...he insulted me. IF YOU ARE ME, I BET YOU WILL DO THE SAME THING!!"

"G...give me an iron rod. I give him some excitement." the guy who got punched stood up and said, still shaking a little bit around his stomach.

Emma was standing behind the guys. She was looking at Derek. Her eyes seemed moist, and then two rows of tears ran down her face. She seemed disbelieved and shocked, but she didn't say anything.

"Emma, I like you.”

The guys around Derek shocked. "What the hell did you just said, bro?"

"DID YOU GUYS FUCKING HEAR ME!! EMMA IS MY GIRL!!"

"Ha, that's interesting. He said he likes Emma. Did you all heard that?"

"What a joke."

"I know right. How can Emma even in love with a guy like that. A cold-hearted beast with a messed up face."

"What did you just said...,"Derek said, glaring at the people.

"Emma, do you actually like him?" one of the guys asked.

Emma didn't look him. She was just looking at Derek the whole time.

"NO, HOW DID I EVEN IN LOVE WITH HIM? HE'S NOT EVEN MY TYPE."

"Haha, I knew it," the guy's laughing.

"Jessie, what-the-fuck-did-you-just-said?" Derek said, staring at Emma with surprise.

"Jessie? Who the hell was that?" one of the guys asked.

"Hell! He even called you a wrong name!"

Derek’s knees dropped to the ground, because Emma looked just like Jessie in his eyes.

"Hey, guys, let's get back to the real topic! I need to give him some hard blows with my stick, so hold him tight!" the injured guy said, now getting more conscious, "Derek, that's what you get for fucking with me. Maybe this will teach you!"

This line reminded Derek of the muggers. That line "don't fuck with me" is the exact same line that one of the muggers said.

Bad memories aroused in Derek’s mind. Unable to control his anger, he pushed the guys who were holding him five feet away from him. He jumped onto the guy and tried to choke him. The guy grabbed Derek's hands and tried to pull them away from his neck. However, Derek was stronger and bigger than him.

"H...help....me....," the guy was trying to speak, but with the shortness of breath, he couldn't even make a word correctly.

"We got to help him. D.J, hang on a second!" one of the guys said.

Two bulky, tall men came out from the group of people. They grabbed Derek by the hands and arms.

"What the fuck....let go of me!!!" Derek screamed, struggling to free from the grasping of the two giants.

"Cough....huff...huff...I thought I was going to die," the guy named D.J. said.

"What do we do with him," one of the bulky guys asked.

"Break his arms, slice open his stomach, stuff him up, fuck him......do whatever you like, man," D.J. said, looking and smirking at Derek. He then slapped him across the face as hard as he can. Derek almost fell to the ground even with the two big guys holding him.

"Let's start this game 'Human Doll Snapping'," a guy in the group shouted out.

"Emma, do you think you can handle watching this? There will be blood splashing everywhere," the guy that was standing next to Emma asked.

"With you here, Kenneth. I'm not afraid of anything," Emma, looking up at him, said.

Derek, who overheard the conversation, was glaring at Emma. Emma saw it, and she seemed to be afraid.

"You seemed to be afraid of his eyes, girl. Com'on. Hey, Josh! Deckery!" Kenneth shouted out to the big guys.

"Whassup, bro?" Josh asked.

"This lady here is afraid of those little eyes of that dude Derek. Pluck his eyes out before doing anything," Kenneth said with a smile.

"Here, use this one," D.J. said, bringing a sharpened knife to Josh. That knife had heated on a fire until it turned red. "Derek, the temperature on this blade is over a hundred degrees C. It will cook your meat and stop your bleeding before your eyes come off, so you won't bleed to death before we can do more things on you. Be thankful for that, hehhehheh...."

"Mother fucker...," Derek murmured.

Josh grabbed the knife, then Deckery opened Derek's left eye widely. The torture began.

Josh placed the hot blade close to Derek's eye. However, Derek didn't even make a sound.

Kenneth thought: Is he really that tough? No begging, whatsoever?

"HEY, STOP!! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?"

"Is the manager!" the guy that stands in front of D.J said.

"Hmph! You are lucky, Derek. Let's go!" D.J said angrily.

"Why did you help me? I thought everyone in this place is heartless animals," Derek said.

"I'm not helping you. I'm here just doing my job. This is a butcher place for animals, not for humans. If it's not, I would love to see your body being separate into chunks and pieces," the manager said, "Now, get busy!"

A human...huh...heheheh… Derek thought to himself.

Derek smiled, then he stood up and got back to work. However, his anger hadn't subsided.

Off-duty

6:10p.m

Everyone had left the place, including the manager. Some people were talking to each other outside at the gate, which Emma was there, too. Derek was the only one that was inside the slaughterhouse. He was sharpening his butcher knife. Then he touched the blade with his finger.

"Hehehe...Emma, you will regret this...," Derek said, with an evil smile on his face.

Derek walked out and hide in an alley, waiting for the time when Emma was separated from the other people.