Mr. Mauve

"$500,000."

Red looked at the digits on the bank cheque.

"Be my love and I will give you $500,000."

Red stood silent as he clenched his fists.

"You need money to pay for your wife's debts. So, accept my offer," Delilah continued.

Red looked at the beautiful and sexy woman sitting in front of him. She is his employer's wife, and everyone desires to have her. But not Red.

He only has his eyes on his own wife.

"I am sorry, madam. But I would never lay a hand on you. I am a married man, and so do you."

A blazing fire engulfed Delilah. She couldn't believe that a mere driver would reject her! Delilah felt so humiliated!

"You are being so stupid! You only need to get the money and solve your problem. Why take the difficult path?"

"I am working hard for my family. If I give myself to another woman, what kind of husband and father I'd be? My family is my world, Madam. And no one can change that, not even you."

Delilah's cheeks turned red, and her eyebrows narrowed. She swore she wouldn't forget this humiliation for the rest of her life!

"Delilah!"

The door opened. Delilah's husband came in and was shocked to see his wife talking to a young and fine man!

The 60-year-old Sonny looked alternately at his wife and Red. He frowned.

"Who is this f*cking bastard?" Sonny asked while pointing to Red.

Red felt anxious. He doesn't want Sonny to misunderstand the situation, or else, he's dead!

"S-Sir!" Red called and quickly bowed his head. "I am Red Grim. I am working as a driver of the house."

"And what are you doing here?"

"I found your wife's bank cheque on my way to work," he said, looking at the bank cheque on the table.

Delilah sighed in relief that Red thought of an excuse within a short time.

"Is he saying the truth?" Sonny asked his wife.

Delilah smiled sweetly and answered, "Of course! He only went here to bring the bank cheque that I dropped, my dear."

With that, Sonny's expression loosened. He walked towards Red.

Red's heart was beating so hard as he watched Sonny walked closer to him.

"Mr. Grim."

At Sonny's call, Red lifted his head. But when he looked back, Red was slapped by Sonny.

Delilah covered her mouth as she gasped.

Having his face tilted, Red kept his eyes on the floor while feeling the prickling ache on his cheek.

"I don't allow men to visit my wife's room. But since you brought Delilah's belonging, consider that as your reward."

A slap as his reward? Red clenched his teeth to suppress his anger.

"Thank you for being considerate," Red mumbled while gritting his teeth.

"As long as you know. Now, get out of my face, you disgusting lowly being."

Red went out of the room. When the door closed, he inhaled sharply as he leaned his hand on the wall.

'I thought I'm gonna die,' Red uttered inside his head. He feared the thought that he would never see his family again.

"It's okay. I only need two years," Red said. He stood straight and walked out of the huge mansion.

When he exited, Red saw his friend, Alfredo.

Alfredo also works as Ulysses's driver.

"You're late, Red. You have delivery," Alfredo said.

"Sorry. Something came up."

Alfredo tapped his shoulder and noticed that Red's cheek is red.

"Mr. Red, you are red. What happened dude?"

Red scowled and uttered, "This is... nothing."

But Alfredo would not believe it was. "Tell me. Did you get on the boss's bad side?"

Red kept his mouth shut as he walked. Nothing good will happen if he tells him what really happened a moment ago.

"You idiot. You only have two years in your contract. Beware of unnecessary danger while you are here."

"Aren't you following me right now?" Red joked.

"Me?" Alfredo burst out laughing. "Yes. I am dangerously handsome."

Red just shook his head while walking.

"Anyway, whatever the case, stay away from our boss," Alfredo reminded him. "Mr. Sonny is a dangerous guy. And he's on edge because he was fighting inheritance against his siblings. Looks like he lost from his brother."

"It doesn't matter for people like us. We are here to focus on our job. And... to survive."

The two of them arrived at the 62 East gate.

From the entrance of the underground facility, Alfredo helped Red carry a huge and heavy black cadaver bag inside the car.

"The delivery location is in the 13th warehouse," Alfredo informed Red before throwing the car key.

Red caught the key. Before he opened the door, he looked at his friend and said, "Hey. I heard that your wife gave birth to a baby girl. Congrats."

"Ahhh. Yeah. I still can believe that I am going to be a father. Any words from an experienced dad?"

Red laughed and said, "Prepare for hell, dude."

He went inside and started the engine of the car. Before driving, he looked at the cadaver bag behind him.

"Good evening. I will be your driver today."

Receiving no reply, Red drove.

This is his job as a driver.

To deliver corpses from Ulysses' mansion to their final destination.

Driving on the empty highway, Red glanced at the front mirror and looked at the cadaver bag which contained the corpse.

"You are the 100th corpse that I will transport," Red said even if he knew that the dead wouldn't answer him.

He was always curious why there were so many people dying in that place. But for the sake of money, he never asked anything. He abandoned his morals to be an accomplice in a crime.

'Just two years. All I need is to endure for two years.'

Having that thought, Red glanced at the black cadaver bag on the back seat through the front mirror.

As soon as he looked at the bag, he saw it moving.

His eyes widened with a gasp.

Feeling the chill creeping on his skin, Red peered at the mirror without blinking his eyes. He was hoping he was only imagining things in his head. But the second time that corpse moved, he stepped on the brake.

Ssssssssssssss!

The wheels hissed on the road, as the car stopped at full speed.

Catching his breath, Red's hands trembled on the steering wheel.

'The person inside the bag is not dead yet!'

There is only one rule. If the victim is still alive, the drivers should kill it.

With that in mind, Red opened the glove box of the car. He picked up the knife hidden inside the compartment with a quivering heart.

Holding his breath, Red slowly looked behind him. He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned closer to the cadaver bag.

"I am sorry," Red said.

He raised the knife and was about to thrust it into the cadaver but... his hands stopped in mid-air.

He couldn't kill.

While thinking of his loving wife and son, Red could not bear killing a person.

He let go of the knife and threw it away.

Red looked at the blank space while planning what to do next. If he escapes without finishing his contract, the boss will kill him and his family. If he lets the victim live, the ending is still the same.

Kring~ Kring~

Red turned his head to his cell phone that was in front of the compartment. His eyes widened when he saw Alfredo's name on the screen.

He quickly grabbed his phone and answered the call, thinking that his friend might help him.

"Alfredo! You called at the right time. Now, I..."

["RED! YOU NEED TO ESCAPE!"]

"W-What? Why?"

["SIR SONNY IS LOOKING FOR YOU!"]

"For me?"

["MADAM DELILAH TOLD HIM THAT YOU TRIED TO RAPE HER! SIR SONNY WAS SO MAD! HE ASKED HIS MEN TO ABDUCT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY RIGHT NOW!"]

Red dropped his phone onto the floor and glanced at the cadaver bag behind him.

For months, he became the driver of the dead. But tonight, he and his family might ride in the same car.

["MADAM DELILAH TOLD HIM THAT YOU TRIED TO RAPE HER! SIR SONNY WAS SO MAD! HE ASKED HIS MEN TO ABDUCT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY RIGHT NOW!"]

Problem after problem.

Red hadn't solved one, yet another one came.

"M-Madam Delilah said that?" Red asked, unable to believe that Delilah would resort to this just because he rejected her.

And because of that, Red and his family might die!

"M-My wife. M-My son. No. I cannot let it happen."

He searched for the phone that he had dropped. For a moment, he forgot the corpse behind him. Red only wanted to save his family. But...

"Help."

The man behind spoke.

It was that single word that made Red stop.

He looked back, there at the slightly moving bag.

"Who's there? H-Help me."

Red felt shit. He was in trouble and yet he found himself empathetic towards that man. Perhaps, because they were both trying to survive.

Clenching the phone in his hand, Red dialed his wife's number and nervously waited for her to answer the phone.

["The number you've dialed is out of service. Please call again."]

["The number you've dialed is out of service. Please call again."]

When his wife didn't answer, Red felt like crying. He dialed the number again and again, but the result remained the same!

"F*ck!" he cursed, slamming his hand on the steering wheel. He thought that right now, Sonny's men might have found his family.

So, what will Red do?

'I need to go back and save them. Sonny needs to know that I am innocent!'

Red started the engine of the car. Nodding his head as he swallowed repeatedly, he glanced at the cadaver bag in the back seat of the car.

'Let's see if one of us is lucky tonight,' Red thought before he drove the car.

When he turned the wheels back, the loud hissing of the car tires squealed on the empty road.

7:36 pm.

Red carefully parked at the side of the dark and empty road. He hopped down from the car and looked around. There are no CCTVs in that place.

'There are no cameras here, but the police always take this route,' he thought.

Red opened the door of the back seat and looked at the cadaver bag. He swallowed dry saliva repeatedly before he carefully carried the heavy bag. Then, he succeeded in putting it on the roadside.

While catching his breath, he stared at the bag. If Sonny finds out that Red helped a victim, Sonny will kill Red.

"But if the boss believes in the Madam's lies, I will die too."

Red laughed sardonically. At least, if they really killed him, he set a trap that would unfold the hideous secret of the mansion.

"I won't go down alone."

Red raised his hand and reached for the zipper. Then, he unzipped the bag. He could see the face of the man, but it was dim. Then, he heard his faint breathing.

Red was about to unzip it all, but he saw the police vehicle from afar. He hurried and looked at the man in the bag.

"L-Listen," he stuttered. "I don't know if you can hear me or not. But let me tell you this. The police are coming to save you."

"Hmmm," the man groaned in pain.

Red looked back at the police car. It's coming closer and closer.

"Live and survive!"

Red stood up and was about to go back to the car when someone held his ankle from behind.

"Shit!" Red gasped as he looked back at the man in the cadaver bag.

The bloody hands held him tightly as if asking him to stay.

"Name," the bloody man whispered. "Give me your name."

Red glanced at the police car. He removed the hand away from his ankle and crawled backward.

"R-Red Grim," he said.

"..."

"If you are asking for my name to know your benefactor, then don't bother. I might also die tonight."

Red entered the car in a hurry and drove away. He wasn't sure why he told his name to that man. Maybe, he wants someone to remember the last good thing he will do in his life.

Later, Red arrived back at the mansion.

"You idiot! Why did you come back?!" Alfredo shouted. "Didn't I tell you that Sir Sonny would kill you?!"

Trembling, Red held Alfredo's shoulder.

"Where is my family? Where are they?!"

"Shit. Your family are..."

"Red is here!" shouted the man who found the two.

In an instant, they were surrounded by Sonny's men.

All of them wear guns on their waist. Even if Red and Alfredo fight back, he has no chance of winning.

"Red Grim!"

Under the moonlight, shadows overlapped behind Red. Two men pushed him down to the ground, and his knees fell hard.

"Argh," he grunted in pain.

As his eyes stood downward, he saw a pair of shoes and heels traversing in front of him.

When he lifted his head, sweat gathered at the tip of his chin. A gray handgun welcomed his sight, and the gun's muzzle pecked on his forehead.

"It's amazing that you came back here with your own feet," Sonnt said in a throaty tone while aiming the gun straight at Red's head.

Staring at the gun, Red felt the rising tide of fear. The chill of the haze began to crystallize as he looked at Sonny and the evil and cunning woman, Delilah.

"This man! This is the man who tried to rape me!" Delilah shouted while pointing at Red. She covered her eyes and sobbed loudly as if she was traumatized just by seeing the rapist's face.

An abrupt scoff squeezed out from behind Red's clenched teeth. On the back of his hands, lines of blue popped. His blood was riled by Delilah's accusation.

It was all a lie.

The two of them know what really happened inside her room. Delilah asked him to be her lover, but he rejected her. So why would she do that?

Eager to know the answer, Red peered straight at Delilah.

When no one was looking, Delilah smirked at Red.

Red figured out what Delilah wanted. She vowed to ruin his life the moment he rejected her offer.

"This is not true! I never tried to covet your wife!"

Red explained to Sonny. But Delilah was eager to frame him.

"Lies!" Delilah screamed while crying hysterically. "Y-You

forced yourself inside my room and confessed that you liked me. When I rejected

you, you threatened me and tried to hold me!"

"No!" Red declined. "I never d..."

Red stopped when Sonny

pinned the gun muzzle onto his forehead.

Click.

There was a clicking sound as Sonny put the gun's hammer

down.

"My wife would not lie to me, bastard," Sonny said.

"But I really did not..."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Red realized that no matter what he said, Sonny would never

believe a driver like him.

"You touched something which isn't yours, young man." With

bulging eyes, he stared down at Red and added, "The only punishment for

coveting what isn't yours is death."

Sonny placed his index finger onto the gun's trigger, when

suddenly, someone shouted, "That's impossible!"

Everyone looked at Alfredo.

"Red won't ever do that!" Alfredo said.

Eyes rounded, Red looked at his one and only friend. Alfredo

was a coward, but now, he was trying to save Red!

"What is this wimp..." Sonny paused to look at Alfredo's wet

pants before he continued, "...talking about?"

Alfredo was so scared that he peed on his pants. Either way,

he doesn't want to see Red die.

"A moment ago, I a-asked a maid," Alfredo said. "It was

Madam Delilah who called Red in her room."

Delilah's face turned bright red. Whoever leaked this

information, she vowed to kill that person next.

"T-That's not true!" Delilah uttered, gripping her husband's

arm. "I am the victim here! He's telling a lie just to save his bastard friend!"

Sonny, who will absolutely take his wife's side, nodded his

head.

"Call the maids," Sonny said.

And they called the maids and asked them.

"Madam Delilah is...," one of the maids started giving her

statement. She glanced at Delilah and saw her glaring at her.

If the maid says the truth, then she knows Delilah will kill

her next.

Therefore, she shut her eyes and decided to save her life

instead.

"T-The driver went inside M-Madam's room!" the maid shouted

a lie. "I heard Madam shouting and asking him to stop. B-But, the driver

threatened her life. If the madam won't let him do what he wants, then she

could just give him money to pay his debts."

Then, the maid showed the bank cheque that she had found

inside Delilah's room and gave it to Sonny.

$500,000.

It is the exact amount that Red needs to pay his wife's

debts.

No more words were needed; Sonny aimed the gun at Red.

He will die tonight. That's final.

Hanging his head low, Red stared at his swaying shadow. With

no strength left, he bent down and kissed the ground.

"My family has nothing to do with this. P-Please,

spare them."

"I will think about that once I find them. They are currently

missing. Did you tell them beforehand?"

Red's loosened eyes lifted.

What does it mean that his family was missing?

Red looked at Alfredo. The only one who knows his family is

his friend.

'Does it mean that Alfredo told my wife to escape

beforehand?'

Now he realized why Alfredo kept on telling him to stay

where he was and hide. But it was too late to regret.

"You begged me to spare your family. Does it mean that

you're admitting your crime?" Sonny asked.

Red bit his lips firmly as he curled his mitts into menacing

missiles. He kept his mouth closed as if this was the only way to aid Sonny's

anger and protect his wife and son.

"Red! What are you doing? Tell the truth! You didn't do it!"

Alfredo shouted.

"Ahhh sh*t. Dog knows how to bark," Sonny complained before

he aimed his gun at Alfredo instead and pulled the gun's trigger.

Bang!

"Ahhhh!" a loud piercing shot resonated in the cold

air.

Alfredo cried out loud while holding the gunshot in his

injured leg.

As Red watched his friend wriggling in pain, he lost more

hope.

Sonny aimed the gun back at Red and demanded, "Speak."

Palpitating, Red started to Sonny. If he keeps on staying

quiet, Alfredo will die.

Red can't do this to his friend.

Alfredo saved his family, so he had to do the same.

"Kill me. Just kill me!" Red shouted; blue lines hissed on

his neck.

Sonny laughed menacingly as he saw Red's desperation.

"Kill you?" Sonny asked. "If I pull this trigger right now,

everything will end just like that. Do you think that would satisfy me and my

wife?"

The old man raised his hand and grabbed Red's cheek. He

squeezed it tight while his foot stepped on Red's hand.

"Ugggh!" Red groaned in pain as he glared back at Sonny.

"I won't give you a painless death, you lowly and dirty

beggar!"

Sonny's secretary gave something to him.

Red watched the whole scene before him and saw a blue and

red tablet in Sonny's hand.

'What is that? A drug? A poison?'

As Sonny held him tightly, he showed him the drug in his

hand and grinned.

"Do you know this? Without this, you wouldn't be able to

work in this place. There will be no corpse to deliver without this

thing."

For a year, Red was curious why there were so many corpses

going in and out of the mansion. Finally, he figured out the answer. It is

because of that drug. Where it came from and what it is for, Red has no time to

know that.

One thing is for sure. Red delivered hundreds of corpses who

died after taking this drug, and now, it is his turn.

"Take this, and meet your family in the next life," Sonny

laughed before he forcefully put the drug inside Red's mouth.

"Hmmff!"

One man pinned him down. Others covered their mouths.

As Red struggled to spit out the drug, he recalled his

wife's smile and his son's laugh. to

After that, he won't be able to see them again.

'Maybe this is my punishment,' Red thought while the

drug slowly melted on his tongue.

Just like the corpse, he would vanish from the world without

a trace. And Red thinks it is his punishment for doing something so evil for

the sake of money.

When the drug entered his system, Red quickly noticed the

subtle hallucinogenic effect in his body. He saw the yellow swirly-tinged film

covering his vision.

He felt himself slipping further and further from reality,

and that's when the intoxicating calmness rushed over him. He fell on the

ground.

Thud.

Someone yelled his name from a distance.

"Red! Red!"

He opened his lids.

Red saw the people who were watching him die slowly and

painfully.

Sonny, who threatened his family and forced him to kill

himself.

Delilah, who wrongly accused him of a crime he did not

do.

The maid who lied.

The men who dragged him down.

The secretary of Sonny, who hired him in this place.

And last, Alfredo, who's lying on the floor covered with

blood.

Tears flowed like hot flames. His throat sobbed, yet no

words came out. He had no strength left and all he wanted to do was to close his

eyes.

'I don't want to die.'

But at one point, Red accepted that it was likely

bound to happen.

Accepting his defeat, he lay down on the ground and looked

at the night sky.

He remembered his wife's smile, his son's laugh, and the

promise that he would make them happy.

'I am sorry.'

With those three words, Red apologized for everything. For

being a worthless husband, and for being a negligible father.

He was so sorry that he couldn't fulfill them anymore.

'I'm sorry that you married a worthless guy like me,' he

apologized to his wife.

'I am sorry, I wasn't the kind of father you wanted to

boast to your friends,' he apologized to his son.

When Red closed his eyes, he recalled the bloody man in the

cadaver bag.

Before he decided to save him, he made a bet to see who was

lucky among them. In the end, Red believes that he never stood a chance.

He laughed with tears and slowly lost consciousness.

Red stopped breathing.

He ceased moving.

Everyone thinks he is dead.

'But they were wrong.'