Shame to Fame; The Rise of the Duderte Empire

6 - Koi Drug

"You're Rodrigo Duterte. You killed my family. I'll kill you." She said in a rage. Her eyes were red and her veins popped up everywhere.

Her eyes suddenly started bulging and she jerked her neck to and fro like a crazy person undergoing transition. Despite all the noise they were making in that hospital room that night, no one had showed up. It was like everyone was deaf to the sound.

"Your Fam-" Rodrigo didn't have the chance to say anything when she charged at him. He got up on his feet and ran to the bed. The woman turned her head without turning her body to her husband and started walking towards him.

Rodrigo fell to the bed in horror and just then, his leg wobbled and he fell to the ground. His wife was now near him. She was standing in front of him while staring down at him.

"Mary... Mary, wake up. This isn't you."

"I'm not Mary!" She growled making Rodrigo shiver in fear. This was definitely not his Mary. This was not the innocent doe he had fallen in love with. This was not the Mary he still loved.

He was thinking of this when his eyes went to the small red button. If he pressed that, doctors would come running in. If only he could reach...

He hadn't finished his thoughts when the red button went into the wall with a balled-up fist hovering over it. His eyes went to his wife who was looking down at him with a grin.

"No, wait... Wait, please. What do you want? Money? I have tons of money." He asked his hand slowly moving to the nearest equipment he could hold. 

"I don't want money. I want you."

"Me? Why do you want me?"

"You killed my whole family in one night. Burned them alive. They cried. They screamed for your help. How could you have done that to them?" 

"Your family is alive, Mary. They even came to see you today." He replied. It was the truth. 

"No. I..."

"It's what you were programmed to say, Mary."

"I'M NOT MARY!" She yelled thrashing the life support machine. Rodrigo used the opportunity to roll out of the bed to the other side with a needle tucked safely in his hand.

"I don't want to hurt you."

"But I want to." She replied with a wicked grin. She climbed the bed but was unable to move when she felt something prick her neck.

"What did you do?" She asked turning her eyes after many failed attempts to get to her feet or move her body.

"A needle in a vital part causes paralysis. We need to talk. I need to understand what has happened. Why are you behaving like a maniac?" Rodrigo asked slowly stepping towards her. Once he was close enough, he set her down on the bed letting her lie on her back. He then took a seat beside her.

"You killed my family." She replied with a glare since all she could move in her body parts were her eyes.

"I've heard you. Who are you? What is your name?"

"My... I..."

"You do not know your name," Rodrigo noted. He knew who was at work here. That bastard! How dare he go after his wife and try to make her kill him?

"But I do know one thing." She said with a tone of finality.

"What's that?" Rodrigo asked.

"I'm free." She whispered.

"What?"

"Rodrigo, I'm not in control of my body. They want me to kill you. She won't stop until she kills you. Or you..."

"I'm not going to kill you." Rodrigo cut her off taking her hand in his. Staring back at him were the honey eyes he fell in love with. Not the red one filled with nothing but malicious intents.

"Rodrigo, you know you have to. If she comes back, she'd be more powerful."

"No... I won't kill you. How can you ask me for that?" 

"You know who did this. I can feel her trying to come back. I can't keep fighting for long. She's powerful, you know this. Kill me immediately before she comes back."

"I can't, Mary. What would I tell Arthur?"

A tear dropped from Mary's eyes at the mention of her son. She closed her eyes reminiscing her son's face. Her precious son.

"I'll find a solution."

"You know there isn't a solution to the Koi Drug except death. It's irreversible."

"Mary..."

"Promise me something," Mary said with a soft voice. 

"Anything, my queen," Rodrigo replied with a nod.

"You'll get that bastard for this. And you'll take care of our son. Groom him into a fine proper man worthy of the Duderte Empire. Promise me." She said with determination evident in her face.

"I promise you. And you'll be there. You'll see the man he'll grow to be."

"I won't. We both know. Let's not fool ourselves. Promise me you'll kill that monster at the final moment. You must not be killed. Promise me that."

"Mary, I..."

"I AM NOT MARY!" She yelled her eyes burning with fury. Her eyes went from the beautiful Honey colors that they were to the Red eyes he recognized. She was here.

"Promise me you'll kill that monster... You must not be..." His wife's words rang in his ear. 

A tear dropped from his face and he stood up slowly pushing the chair such that it scraped the floor.

"What are you going to do then, Mr. Duderte Rodrigo? Kill your wife or be killed by me?" A masculine voice resonated in the room. It was coming from the woman lying down on the bed.

Rodrigo recognized that voice.

"Shipman, get that drug out of my wife's system."

"It's impossible, you know that. I proposed this idea to you. But you trashed it. I spent years working on it and you trashed it like it was nothing in just one day. In the blink of an eye."

"This is a sick proposal! Who in their right mind would agree to sponsor something as manic as this?!"

"How do you know it's manic? You haven't even tested it. Do you see how many abilities she has? She can move mountains."

"As well as kill people, you fucking psychotic bastard!"

A sigh came from the other end. 

"Anyways, she is a test subject. What do you think? It's a good project, no?" Shipman asked with a smile evident in his voice.

"SHIPMAN! I'll find you and I'll kill you. Mark my words." Rodrigo yelled throwing the nearest tray away in anger.

"How are you gonna do that when you're dead?" The man replied in a mockery tone.

"Me? Dead? Why would I be dead?" Rodrigo asked looking at the woman dead in the eye. With a deep breath, he wrapped his hands around his wife's fragile neck.

"Lord, please take my wife in with open arms." He prayed silently and then he increased pressure in his wrists. Soon, the woman was choking for air.

Her eyes flickered from Red to Honey and back but Rodrigo did not see this or rather, he chose to ignore the sick games Shipman was playing. 

"Rodrigo..." Mary's weak voice came from beneath him but he shook his head and continued squeezing.

"NO!" The monstrous voice came again. 

"Die, you filthy being. Die. Get out of my wife's body. Give me my wife back!"

"Rodrigo." Her voice came again. Rodrigo peeled one eye open and he could see her soft honey voice staring back at him.

"I don't feel her anymore." She whispered.

"Oh, Mary."

"Finish what you started. Kill me. If I'm alive, he'll try installing her again."

"Mary..."

"You can do this."

DUDERTE MANSION.

9 AM

"Do you think I'm a child? You expect me to believe some pill was put into my Mother's system and you and some Shipman have some kind of bad blood? That's bullshit!"

"I loved her!" Rodrigo yelled getting up on his feet.

"I loved her more than I loved myself! I loved her too much that was why I did what had to be done. And if not for that cursed toy, you wouldn't have seen me strangling your mother to death."

"You loved her too much and so you killed her?! Are you listening to yourself?!" Arthur asked getting up on his feet.

"If I hadn't killed her that night, what do you think Shipman would have done to you without anyone to take care of you? Huh?!"

"I..."

"He would have installed that pill in you, that's what! He would have had you kill so many people. He would turn you into his henchman! His bloody Assassin! You'd kill for him!"

"So what? Do you expect me to get down and kiss your feet saying 'Thank you Father for killing Mother and saving the continent!'"

Rodrigo stared at his foolish son. He slowly shook his head and dropped a piece of paper on the table.

"That's your Mother's Autopsy report. I believe you can read. Read it for yourself. Then, if you decide to leave and live in the slums, I would not force you to stay with me."

Without another word, he strolled to the door with his cane before his feet. Arthur's eyes looked down at the coffee table and stayed on the paper that his father had dropped.

Rodrigo was taking small steps like he was thinking of something. He suddenly stopped and looked over his shoulder,

"I would like it if you decided to stay. We could visit your Mother sometimes together."

"And if you could find a place in your heart, no matter how small it is to let us grow."