After sprinting frantically for a couple of minutes, I paused to catch my breath, casting a quick glance over my shoulder to ensure Ethan wasn't still in pursuit. Satisfied that I was alone, I slowed my pace and continued down the hallway. At a crossroad, I turned right, entering the bustling C wing section. The area teemed with activity, stalls overflowing with various goods lining the corridor. Candle vendors, household appliances, vegetables, and finely ground insects for food

I strolled past a carrot stall, swiftly grabbing one for myself before anyone noticed. At the end of the market, I turned left into a long corridor. Familiar with its twists and turns, I found an unused path. Dodging debris and garbage, I jumped down another passageway, reaching my secret spot—a small, cave-like underground space just big enough for four adults. I had secretly dug out this place myself, using it as a hideout whenever Mom would yell at me or when I got into trouble.

Using an old steel door with red writing that read "KEEP OUT" as cover, I entered it silently and checked the cave to make sure no one had been here while I was absent. With relief that everything checked out, I sighed, "Ah, home sweet home," I then settled down near my treasure chest. The inside was filled with old comic books and forgotten items from the past, each holding secrets I longed to uncover.

After tinkering and shuffling through my stuff, I got bored pretty fast and decided to lay down on my dusty old carpet, using it as a makeshift bed, as I tried to take a nap, mom's annoying nagging voice keep appearing in my head. Making me uneasy and shifting uncomfortably unable to sleep. It only got worse as I started to think about how shitty my life was, I hated the fact that I had to work ten hours daily as a garbage collector as a kid. instead I wished I could experience what the surface of the earth was like; I daydreamed like this all the time, longing for a time when earth was a paradise.

As i lay there busy daydreaming time flashed by quickly as half an hour had suddenly pass by, then suddenly I heard a loud commotion outside—some kids were quarreling apparently, their voices escalating into loud screams. Bored and curious, I carefully opened the makeshift door slightly before peeking out of the corner to look outside, to my disappointment no one was there anymore. I decided to walk a little further, trying to find the cause of the commotion earlier. I tried to recall which direction the loud screams had come from some time ago, I ended up just around the unused path ahead by the long hallway corridor. There, I saw five kids beating up two runts.

"What a messed-up situation," I thought to myself. At the same time, I knew I had to get past them to reach the crossroad. I decided to leisurely walk past them, ignoring everything at first, I tried convincing myself it wasn't my concern and that I needed to head to work or i might be late again. So, I walk on with a cold expression while the two runts were being jumped unfairly. I could hear their screams of agony as they got kicked a bunch of time, which made me flick a quick glance at the scene before me.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

For a brief moment, the two boys lay on the cold, dirt-covered steel floor, and I sensed their pleading eyes upon me. In that instance, I almost stepped in to intervene as i felt bad for both of them, but I hesitated with conflict as i had to choose between obligation or justice. Do i help them? and what about my shift? if i did this i will for sure being late again to my shift. Then before they looked away from me, I noticed the runt on the left had rebellious eyes and unusually clean clothes, suggesting his family was well-off compared to the standard. The runt on the right had more cowardly eyes and looked like he was about to cry. I had seen both of them around the area countless times before, so I knew they were both around my age—I was only 14 years old at the time.

My sense of justice urged me to intervene, but my body remained conflicted, standing ten feet away from the scene, i tried to mentally prepare myself for what I was about to do. I convinced myself that if i walk away now i might regret it, then as i was caught up in my though something unexpected occurred—something I'll never forget. Out of nowhere, a stern and authoritative voice of a young girl pierced through the air, lashing out directly at the five bullies.

"Stop this right now!" she commanded, her tone unwavering as she strode confidently along the long corridor hallway, her intentions clear. "What's are guys doing to the poor kids over there?" she ask urgently, her arm resting on her small waist. "Don't you lowlifes have anything better to do than gang up on two defenseless boys, huh?" Her fierce expression bore into them as she pointed accusingly.

In that moment, I couldn't help but notice her enchanting blue eyes, immediately drawn to the faint freckles across her cheeks. With every movement of her lips, painted a pinkish-red, my gaze remained fixated on her. The five bullies quickly redirected their attention towards her. The chubby-looking kid, seemingly the leader, approached her with a nasty look on his face, he said in a taunting tone, "Oh yeah, what are you gonna do about it shorty?" They began to encircle her.

Without hesitation, I rushed in, screaming at them without a second thought, "Hey, you! Pick on someone your own size. Didn't your mama teach you fuckers not to touch a girl?"

I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my body, a mix of both fear and excitement coursing through me. Without hesitation, I dashed in towards my first target, closing the distance of ten feet before he could react. With a swift drop kick to his chest, I caught him off guard, sending him flying several meters across the hallway with a loud, agonizing scream.

Rule nr one in a street fight: there are no rules, especially when you're outnumbered.

The chubby kid, seemingly the leader, finally spoke up, urging his friends on with a simple command: "Get him!" In response, a skinny looking kid with a missing front tooth charged towards me. His punch was sluggish and hardly a threat. Disappointed, I stared at him for a moment before retorting, "Really?" With a smile, I reached out with my right hand, seizing his neck and forcing him to the ground. With a swift kick to his rear, I sent him tumbling down onto his face and stomach.

I then motioned with my hand, signaling at them to come at me. In an excited tone, I said, "Alright, who's next?"