Taming The Tiger Man - Genma Series #1

Angelina rubbed her damp hair with a white towel as she walked out of her luxuriously clean bathroom, wearing pink pajamas with a bunny pattern. It was seven in the evening. Her mind filled with the events of this afternoon. Her hunch was correct. They trapped her! Paul's life would be at stake.

Paul.

Angelina felt a sudden urge to cry, her eyes becoming moist. What should I do?

However, before she found a solution to her problem, a stack of files on the work table stopped her reverie. Her eyes dimmed when she read the title on the cover.

INYIAK.

How is that poor creature doing?

It would be unfair if she only felt sorry for herself. Angelina tossed her damp towel onto the bed. She picked up a green file at the top of the pile and flopped onto the work chair.

Ramaik, no surname.

She unfolded the top sheet and began reading.

Born in Main Island, Kerinci, Jambi, Indonesia.

So, Ramaik is thirty years old, Angelina concluded to herself. They were almost the same age. She remembered their last interaction. She could see him smile even though hair covered most of his face.

Angelina came back to her senses and shook her head. A few seconds ago, she was concerned about her husband's safety. Now, she's admiring another male who was more like an animal than a human.

Have I lost my mind?!

"Stupid Angelina, stop thinking so much!" The woman scolded and smacked herself on the head before continuing to read the next paragraph.

He comes from a low-income family.

Genma Hospital took him when he was five years old.

Does it mean they kidnapped him?

"They also did it to other children, but only he survived."

Angelina's breath caught as Fonda's words came back to her. If her inference was correct, Ramaik was born like any other child.

Angelina's body trembled. She remembered checking the stitches on Ramaik's back.

The tiger fur had grown on the skin, the distinctive tiger sounds she heard, and the long fangs visible between his lips.

What had they done to him?

Angelina read the next page. Her eyes widened as she saw a few of Ramaik's photo documentation of past surgeries with some explanations in pen next to them.

Nausea made Angelina close the file. She ran straight to the nearest sink to vomit the contents of her stomach.

Crazy! Those crazy people have crossed the line!

They anesthetized the five-year-old boy, then cut open his back to the hips to replace some of his internal organs.

Angelina got a goosebump as she continued to puke. It's a miracle Ramaik is still alive today after twelve surgeries.

Angelina tried to regulate her intermittent breathing by filling her lungs with oxygen. She then exhaled at a slow pace. Her trembling hands gripped the edge of the pantry.

Are there other prisoners in this building who share a fate like mine? Are there other humans locked up in cells like Ramaik?

The water in the sink continued to flow as Angelina tried to calm herself. Next week, she would be out of this cursed place. That's when she would find a way to escape forever.

I must leave this place.

****

It was a morning when Angelina heard a knock before someone opened the door. Fonda stepped in and greeted the owner of the room, who had just finished warming up the ready-to-eat spaghetti from the microwave.

"Good morning, Doctor Angelina. It's time for work."

"But, it's only seven forty," protested Angelina as she glanced at Fonda's appearance. Today, her partner wore a tight red blazer with a white lab coat, whereas Angelina only wore a plain black blouse and blue jeans.

"How long do you think we will spend time to walk from here to your office?" Fonda's condescending tone made Angelina's face turn sour.

The urge to fight back arose. Angelina returned Fonda's lazy gaze and said with a cynical tone. "I can only work if I'm allowed to have breakfast."

Fonda responded by walking toward the wooden cabinet near the refrigerator. She opened the cabinet door, picked up a packaged bread, then tossed it at her colleague. "You can eat it later. Now, let's go. We spent too much time."

Angelina caught that bread. However, she put it back on the table with a grunt.

"I never eat while working."

"That means you can eat at lunch," Fonda replied indifferently. "Come on, let's go."

Angelina made an annoyed face, although she complied. She put on her coat and carried the unfinished reading stack of files before tailing Fonda, who was waiting outside.

"Doctor Fonda, when can I have the key to my room?" asked Angelina as they walked to the employee elevator, where Nixon was waiting.

"You mean this card, Doctor?" Fonda held up the white card with green trim that read Genma Hospital.

Of course, that card! Angelina cursed in silence. Her colleague acted like a fool just to mock her. "I'm concerned that if a fire breaks out, I might be unable to escape due to being locked in."

"Oh, so you tried to open the door?" Fonda's face brightened. She grinned before letting out a small chuckle.

"Doctor Fonda, that's utterly unamusing!"

By now, they had arrived in front of the wide-open elevator door. Fonda inserted the card in her pocket and stepped inside the lift before she said in a cheerful tone. "Maybe later, when we're sure about your loyalty to us..."

*****

"I'll wait here," Fonda said. They walked to their desk when they reached Genma's secret zoo. "Mr. Nixon will accompany you to check on the Inyiak."

"Huh?! You have been taking care of Ramaik all this time. Why are you handing him over to me now?" Angelina, who was still irritated, tried to nag her senior.

However, Fonda remained unprovoked at all. She snorted and picked up a Golden Cat file from the drawer before reading the contents.

"He!"

"Doctor Fonda will depart for Surabaya." Nixon whispered, causing Angelina to retreat with a shocked face.

"She'll be leaving soon. So, you should be able to adapt to your job." The man grinned. He looked unoffended as Angelina reacted as if a bee had stung her.

"I see," Angelina replied with a stiff smile. She glanced over to see her senior's response. However, Fonda, who was busy writing, was unaware of their conversation.

"Shall we go there now, Doctor?"

Angelina nodded. Fewer people mean that her chance to escape increases. She turned around and walked towards Ramaik's place, escorted by Nixon.

*****

They stopped in front of an artificial wall that resembled a dead end. Angelina looked at Nixon with a doubtful expression. However, her bodyguard responded with a smile. "Please try. The program already had your identity."

Hearing these words, Angelina raised her hand to press her right thumb on a device that resembled a light switch and lifted one of the walls.

"Ladies first," Nixon said as he showed the way, inviting Angelina to walk before him.

Angelina's heart thumped quite fast, fearful and curious about the current condition of her patient. She tried to find Fonda's whereabouts by turning her head towards the gloom-long hallway due to the roars and purrs. However, she failed to see her.

"Go ahead, Doctor."

Nixon's slightly pushy words made Angelina hesitate. The woman took a deep breath before stepping into the room where Ramaik's cage was.

*****

Angelina walked to the desk near the closet after the artificial wall behind them closed. She opened the cabinet and returned her patient's files, except for the last health record.

She then carefully examined the contents of the medical kit she would be carrying. Okay, I can find gauze, a swab, a stethoscope, scissors, a flashlight, a tensimeter, a thermometer, absorbent thread, and a needle.

Angelina felt satisfied. She brought all of them as she walked approaching the cage. However, she halted her footsteps when she realized Nixon stopped following her and sat on a chair.

"Mr. Nixon, why are you staying there?"

However, that man just grinned wickedly and replied in a casual tone. "Doctor, you're much safer to go alone than me coming with you."

What is wrong with them? So relaxed. Are they drug addicts, too? she wondered.

However, Angelina stood idle as she watched Nixon take a long-barreled stun gun from the bottom drawer and fiddled with it. She was scared to approach Ramaik alone.

Nixon seemed to realize it. He cocked his stun gun in the style of a professional hunter and said, "It's okay, Doctor. I'll shoot the beast right away before he hurts you."

"You're too far away, and the shot could have hit the bars," Angelina laid out the facts with an exasperated expression. She felt pessimistic about his ability to protect her.

"Doctor, is that code that you're interested in me?" Nixon lowered the gun and raised both eyebrows, making Angelina feel disgusted.

Is he crazy?! Of course, he's crazy! All the workers here are insane people!

"I'm going to check on the patient," Angelina replied. She turned her body to walk towards the bars to leave her bodyguard, who was now chuckling at his joke.

Angelina walked slower and slower as she remembered the photos she saw last night. Now, a sense of horror had her heart pounding.

Those madmen replaced one of his kidneys with a tiger's.

Angelina trembled instantly. It was beyond his control. He had no wish for it.

The woman tried to calm herself down before she peeked into the cage to see her patient.

However, her brow furrowed in confusion when she found a shirtless man sitting against the wall with his head down.

Angelina's presence seemed to awaken the sleepy man. He looked up slowly and stared at his guest.