The Furnace (2)
The Furnace (2)
"The floor's foundation seems weak," Minho noted.
"Only the wood has to be replaced," the wardboy sighed. "This area needs to be properly repaired but due to the furnace, we can't do much. If we try to tweak here, the furnace might explode. But the walls are quite strong so the impact can be controlled."
He was explaining to Minho the problems with the basement while leading him to the furnace room. There was another door at the end of the basement. The wardboy opened it to reveal a set of stairs which led them downstairs.
"There's two basements?" Minho frowned.
"This is the first level basement," the wardboy stated. "The lower one is the furnace area. We don't use it except for burning down infected clothes and PPT in a controlled environment. I'd suggest you use a handkerchief over your nose."
They descended down the stairs. A heavy, rotten smell was getting thicker with every step which was making Minho a little nauseous. He held a handkerchief to his nose but it did little to keep the smell away. It was a very familiar smell which was making him more uncomfortable. Memories of the night he had first encountered the CCK at his den was rushing through his head. The stench was quite similar to the burning meat which the serial killer had left on his stove…
"That is the furnace," the wardboy pointed at an electronic furnace which lay in front of them. It was a large, circular burner made of metal. Minho examined it.
The metal furnace was of good quality and he was sure that it could burn up to very high temperatures. It had been well maintained and judging by the faint smoke from it, he deduced that it had been recently used.
He stared at it with his cold eyes. Even though he did not have the same ability as Gayoon and Jina, for some odd reason it was as if he could hear faint crying. His hand touched the metal which was slightly warm from its last use.
Yet, it felt very cold. In fact, it was too cold. His heart was disturbed by the cruel image of a child being thrown into that thing. It was as if the scene took place in front of him. He could almost see it…
...
The slow footsteps of Kang Danny would descend from those stairs, carrying a small body bag. How old would the child have been? Eight? Seven? Or even younger?
But that would not matter to Danny. No. He did not care.
Blood was probably staining the bag. He did not bother to stitch up the child; it was dead anyway so it would not feel any pain. The child's purpose had been fulfilled, making Danny lose all interest.
Carrying the child in his arms, Danny must have turned on the furnace.
A blazing fire lit up, eager to devour its innocent prey. Danny's eyes shone as the proof of his misdeeds were going to be hidden by the flames just like all his other secrets were. No one knew of his secrets. Only he alone was the witness to his deeds.
But there were witnesses. Many witnesses. They were standing there, invisible to the naked eye. Minho could picture those several small, pale figures who were watching their culprit throwing another child into the fiery abyss. Would the child join them or would he move on?
They did not know. There was little they could do to save him.
The body bag stirred a little in Danny's arms but the doctor did not care. The child was his dirty secret and he must get rid of it.
Minho imagined Danny's ruthless eyes glancing at the child who was still alive. Danny said something incoherent but before Minho could try to figure it out, the doctor threw the body into the fire and closed the furnace.
There was no one to hear those screams. The pale figures watched helplessly as their murderer took the life of another innocent child whose only sin was to be born poor. They wanted to shut their ears but no matter how hard they tried to drown out the sounds, it would not stop.
Danny remained unaffected. He did not care about the child as long as he got his money and connections. His face was cold and unaffected by the cries of the child. Those cries would stop anyway.
….
"We burnt some of the old equipment in here to avoid the spread of infections."
The wardboy's voice brought Minho out of his reverie. He realized that he had lost all track of their conversation and it took him several seconds to get back to reality. He took a deep breath to calm his anger.
"Who has the access to burn those things here?" Minho asked.
"The janitor," the wardboy shrugged. "Only he can come down here and no one else. Dr. Kang made it clear that other than him, no one can come down here without permission. If the furnace is used in an unauthorized way, the sprinklers will be set off."
He pointed at the sprinklers which were above their heads.
"The janitor enters this area every night at 12 AM to burn the daily junk," he went on. The sprinklers are turned off during 12 AM and 1 AM so that he can do his work."
"Janitor huh?" Minho muttered. "What's his name?"
"It's old man Shun," the wardboy shrugged. "He'll come in later. Would you like to check the other areas?"
"Yes," Minho replied. "I want to see all the areas of the hospital."
The wardboy nodded and told Minho to follow him. Minho nodded and took one last glance at the furnace which sat there with an ominous feeling. He could imagine the little children who were also probably stuck there, waiting for their souls to be released. One did not need to be a Seer to know that those children were restless and sad.
Their grief was echoing through the entire building which was devoid of any love and care. The more Minho knew about the cruelty of humans, the more he sympathized with his lover and daughter who had to come across such monsters on a regular basis.
At that moment, Hwang Minho realized that even all the money in the world would not be enough to bring back those children from the dead. No amount of wealth could give them happiness. They were stuck in a never ending loop full of agony and despair.
There was no escape for them.