Mavis willed his legs to run as fast as he could. Ignoring the pain in his sides, as he gasped for air to power his oxygen-deprived lungs. Each step he takes burns his legs, and with each step, they weaken. Nevertheless, Mavis continued and shut his mind from all the pain because he knew stopping there would lead to his miserable end.
Just right behind him, threatening shouts could be heard, demanding to stop running or face more dire consequences. They too were running low on fumes. Though they appeared exhausted, they couldn't hide the slightly feral look that was plastered on their faces.
The men who are chasing him couldn't even look him in the eyes a few weeks ago, but now they are just like rabid dogs with froth in their mouths, as they chase a wild rabbit through the field, yelling profanities and throwing rude gestures while laughing like maniacs.
'Bastards have probably waited for a long time for me to slip up.' Mavis grumbled inwardly.
He has been the leader of this group since just a few weeks ago, and they were all members of the gang that governs the underground world of the city. He joined them along with his best friend Julian, when they escaped the orphanage they were admitted to.
He and Julian had known each other since they were kids, although, they had separate reasons for why they ended up in an orphanage. Mavis was put into the orphanage weeks after his mother died from overworking, while Julian came after he was released from the juvenile center.
Julian killed his father who abused him and his mother while trying to defend himself. Though, knowing Julian, he probably had enough of it, then decided to end it all right there.
His father used to be a professional fighter, but his career was abruptly cut short when he got into a car accident. Due to the shock, his father would tend to blame his family and would always exert his frustration towards them.
Mavis on the other hand, only had known his mother growing up. She was a nurse at a local hospital in their town and whenever she had time, she worked as a waitress in a restaurant near their home. She had to work extra because of the debt his uncle dumped to his mother's name then he ran away from their country to avoid being pursued or potentially killed by the loan sharks that he borrowed from.
Mavis insisted on dropping out of school to help his mother, somehow. However, she convinced him that the only way he could help was by finishing school and getting a proper job. She would always say that he was gifted in academics and had a future to pursue a degree in medical school. Of course, as a 9-year-old kid, Mavis had always believed that. He believed in his own and his loving mother who had always hidden her exhaustion and pain. If he only knew that she was nearing her limit, Mavis would have dropped out in a heartbeat.
After her passing, Mavis lost his sense of purpose. Revenge against his uncle, the loan sharks who kept harassing him and his mother, and especially his missing father the only semblance of tether he could cling to to continue living.
Mavis's mother would only tell him that she had met his father when they were both volunteering in an evacuation center after a natural disaster struck the neighboring town. They both fell for each other and unknowingly had Mavis, only afterward that Mavis's father would tell her that he was married and had a family of his own.
So to avoid any conflicts and problems, she left and kept her distance from him. Mostly because of the guilt she felt and partly because of the probability of harming someone's family.
Despite all the hardships, She still raised him with love and care and to have the patience to always help innocent people who are in need.
It's also the reason why he decided to leave the gang. It's because of how he had found himself trekking a path, trampling innocent people's lives which he knows that his mother wouldn't be proud of. Secondly, he had also achieved his first revenge on the loan sharks whom his uncle borrowed money from with the help of the authority that Mavis gained from toiling for the gang.
Mavis shook his head and refocused. 'Now's not the time to think about all that. I need to get out of this situation first before I can continue my revenge.' He reminded himself.
The men chasing him had almost caught up to him, and if he didn't do anything. He could kiss his dream of vengeance goodbye.
Mavis upped his pace a little bit more and took a right turn towards a construction site. He had memorized every nook and cranny of the city and hidden some secret staches, so whenever a situation like this happened to him, he could plan an escape route with utmost efficiency.
He had been running from this group and some bunch for a few days now, and exhaustion had slowly crept up to every part of his body. He is almost out of the city and he has to escape now or die trying again the next day.
Mavis climbed the fence of the construction site and stealthily observed the surroundings. No matter how bad he is at sneaking, the darkness of the night would help him shroud his presence from any eyes that could potentially spot him. He moved throughout the place like it was his home, he could tell what part was safe and what part wasn't.
Cautious like a cat, Mavis proceeded towards the place he had prepared beforehand. He might not have the physicality to confront his enemies face-to-face, but what he has instead is a calculative head and deep paranoia from completely trusting other people.
Mavis arrived at a place that was not easily noticeable, and opened up a secret door that had been connected to a small room, then proceeded to go in and close the hatch behind him after. He could finally catch his breath after what felt like hours of running around the city. Mavis took a couple of deep breaths and continued to move his body. He would have loved to just lie down and sleep the exhaustion away. However, he knew that his former associates outside wouldn't stop looking for him.
He had to get out of the city before they could fully encircle him in a trap. He may have been the smartest amongst them before he decided to vacate his position, but he wasn't the only asset that they had when it came to this state of affairs within the gang. Mavis knew it, as he had personally trained some of the guys to cover for him when he was out of action, or when he had another more important task to deal with.
Without missing a step, Mavis opened the container attached to the wall and took out all of its contents on a nearby table. He laid it all next to each other and then inspected each one. On the table are a few dry rations that he could fill his stomach, some water bottles, a small backpack, a few pairs of clothes, some cash, a tactical knife, and finally a handgun along with 2 magazines filled with bullets.
Mavis took some dry rations and a water bottle to satiate him. Afterward, he removed his clothes and put on a new pair, then put some of them in the small backpack and kept the handgun- now loaded and the knife- strapped under his clothes.
"Now that I've refreshed my energy, I'm ready for another whole day of marathon. However, I prefer if they could just let me be on my way, which is just wishful thinking." He pumped himself up to wash away the negativity and lose a little bit of nerves, which is a trait that he inherited from his mother.
Mavis moved towards the secret door and opened it slightly ajar. Before coming out of his hiding place, he surveyed the area if some of the men were near him. He wouldn't mind a confrontation now that he had a weapon to defend himself, but still, he preferred to take them down one by one without making too much noise. However, when going comes to worst, he would not hesitate to kill them, knowing that they are here to capture him and not do the same.
The police also wouldn't be happy that their internal strife might implicate innocent people, knowing by now that their boss had probably bribed law enforcers to not interfere with their business. Of course with some conditions in place, as Mavis himself would always use this method whenever they had some problems with other gangs.
Looking left and right, as well as above him, with no soul in sight, and after scrutinizing for a few seconds, Mavis finally decided to step out. He could hear more buzzing around the construction site compared to the time he had entered it.
'I've been only gone for a few minutes but they already had increased in numbers.' He regretted, thinking that he might have overstayed in his little hideout.
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They probably knew that he was still near the area because if they didn't, they would have already left. They were already aware of his capabilities from the years that they were following him. So it's not surprising that they are a lot more cautious now, more than ever.
Mavis, under the cover of darkness, crept around the corner of the unfinished building. He stopped near a post after he spotted a lone member, waving through a bunch of stacked building materials. Mavis, while still being cautious, slowly approached him and silently put him in a chokehold. The guy struggled for a few seconds, but Mavis's hold of him was stronger than he had expected and a few seconds later, the guy went limp in Mavis's hold.
Out of all the members, Mavis is among the few who don't have the talent for hand-to-hand combat. He still trained in all kinds and had Julian teaching him and acting as his sparring partner, however, his real ability has always been to outsmart an opponent and use his cunning to defeat them.
He dragged the guy behind the building materials, covering any evidence that he was there. After that, he continued creeping around the site, avoiding anyone in groups and only going for the guys who wanted to go solo to gain some reputation in the gang.
Only after another 5 guys are downed that they have finally caught on to him. Now, he couldn't see someone having the gall to be alone anymore. But this had also given him some chance to slip in between their guards, now that they had grouped up, meaning the scope of their search had decreased.
Mavis even specifically took down a lot of the guys away from his intended escape route, so they would assume that they are finally closing in on him. He waited for a few more minutes and timed his movements when the majority of the noise he could hear was on the opposite of his current location. Only then did he carry on.
There are still some guys left but it's not something that Mavis could handle. In a confrontational battle, Mavis would lose to them nine times out of ten. But because he had more knowledge of the area than most of these guys, he had the advantage to move wherever, slip through their line of sight, and catch them off guard.
Just as he was nearing his goal, a light shined on where he stood and immediately stopped him in his tracks. He looked up and didn't expect to find the most detestable face he didn't want to see.
"Caught you, you fucking little rat!" Cecilio exclaimed. What followed after that was a cackle of laughter that would annoy anyone who could hear it. Standing atop with a smug smile on his face is his second-in-command. The man who also used to bully him back when he was still a newbie, and the man whom Mavis took his current position from -although he probably got it back now that Mavis voluntarily left the gang.
"Didn't imagine that someone would outsmart you someday, Mavis?" Cecilio mocked, further enticing some annoyance from Mavis.
In response, Mavis just stared at him and calmed his head, reminding himself of his awful luck. He had already expected that this would happen anyway, so Mavis had easily accepted that fact.
He took a couple more seconds to rearrange his plans, then he unamusedly responded. "I didn't expect you of all people would be the one to predict my plans, Cecilio. Which subordinate did you steal this idea from this time?" Mavis mocked back.
"Heh, You thought highly of yourself too much Mavis. Everything I've achieved here is due to my effort and mine alone. You have no idea how much I've studied your habits, and the patterns you have used this couple of weeks." Cecilio said, with smugness still plastered on his face.
"Sounds more like you have an unhealthy obsession. Bad news for you then, 'cause I don't swing that way." Mavis without missing a heartbeat, tried to make Cecilio break.
Only then Cecilio's face was replaced with a grimace. "You have your way with words Mavis. But it's undeniable that you have lost to me today and that's all I need. We probably wouldn't even see each other again after what you did."
Mavis couldn't help but frown at Cecilio's words. He had indeed left the gang. However, that is not something so severe as to warrant that kind of behavior from their boss. He had witnessed a lot of ex-members that had left without consequences. Unless... someone told the boss his secrets. A secret that is justifiable by his standards.
There's only one person he had told about that, and the thought of his betrayal left a sour taste in his mouth. 'Only one way to find out, but first, let's give this asshole a hard time.'
Mavis, having enough of exchanging words with this buffoon, put his hands to his side and immediately pulled out his gun. It's a rule within their gang that the use of firearms is prohibited if they can handle a situation to not rouse the authority's attention. Although, now that Mavis is out of the gang, he doesn't have to bother or subject himself to that rule anymore.
This action if his, left Cecilio scrambling on his legs, as he sped toward cover to avoid getting shot by Mavis. Mavis on the other hand, aimed the handgun and started firing while running in the opposite direction. The only way he could currently go was up the unfinished building of the construction site, and so he did.
He ran up a few flights of stairs and only stopped on a floor where he felt satisfied to hold his ground. The floor had a lot of covers he could alternate positions and have a clear vision of the stairs. Mavis prepared himself to face a lot of them. However, the only voice he heard was from a single person.
"Mavis you rat! Come out here and fight me like a man. I've had enough of your cunning ways. Let's settle this one on one. If you win I'll let you go." Mavis was a little bit surprised. Who knew that Cecilio would calmly make a valid decision on his own? Usually, he would just erupt if things had gone the opposite of what he had planned.
'I guess he had benefited from following me, more than I thought. But did he think I would believe someone who's currently trapped me in an encirclement?' Mavis inwardly thought.
Mavis didn't comply, and then further insulted Cecilio. "How about you come here yourself? I didn't think that you would be this much of a coward, Cecilio. You already had me trapped here, and you still believe I would throw myself in the open just like that? How about you tell your men to get out of here first before I take you up on your offer." He shouted.
Cecilio's reply was delayed for a second and this put wary in Mavis's mind. "Okay then. Don't ever think you could escape me ever again!" Cecilio then proceeded to yell at his men, which they obeyed without complaints.
Mavis watched them all leave unexpectedly. He could tell that something weird was going on, he just couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe the uncharacteristic behavior of Cecilio, or something entirely different.
After a while, all the guys eventually withdraw from the site. Leaving only Mavis and Cecilio left, as they try to settle their score with each other.
At the bottom of the unfinished building, Cecilio was standing menacingly, waiting patiently for Mavis to come down. Mavis could tell he had no firearms or any weapon on him, citing another suspicion in Mavis's way.
"I could finally give back all the humiliation you have given to me all these years." Cecilio said with a smirk on his face. "Put down your weapon and let's finally settle this man-to-man."
Mavis, being true to his word. Put down his handgun to the ground along with his backpack. With half of his attention to Cecilio and half to his surroundings. Mavis half-heartedly praised him. "I can't even lie and say that I'm very surprised today Cecilio. You seem to have turned over a new leaf and have been exceeding all of my expectations of you. It almost seems like you are a completely different man." Mavis said sarcastically.
Cecilio noticed this and tried to keep calm. Then said. "Everybody changes Mavis. I'm no stranger to it. You as well will become a completely different man after our exchange today."
He waited for Mavis to say anything but Mavis seemed to be not paying attention to him at all. This act of Mavis ticked him in the worst possible way, more than anything he could say.
Cecilio had always felt that Mavis neither respected him nor treated him as someone of equal standing. He would always look at him with condescendence like he was some kind of an animal in a zoo, so whenever Julian wasn't around, he would always dump his anger and frustration towards Mavis. Even now, the urge to lunge at him overpowers his control over his emotions. And just as he was about to lose control, Mavis stared at him like he would usually do and urge him to come with his fingers.
Immediately, Cecilio pounced at Mavis like a predator would to its prey. He ran up to him as fast as he could, then swung a wide right hook.
Mavis anticipated this wild and graceless attack of Cecilio and managed to barely evade it. As a retaliation, Mavis put all his weight behind his left leg and countered Cecilio with a kick to the stomach. Cecilio took half a step, but the margin between their weight class was proven to be unfavorable towards Mavis.
Mavis only weighs 138 pounds with a height of 5'9, while Cecilio towers over him at 6'1 and weighs over 211. This immediately put him at a disadvantage. And as someone who had always picked his fight only when he was at an advantage. Mavis planned even at the start to not fight fairly.
Fortunately, Mavis is still a little bit quicker on his feet than Cecilio, that's why he was able to evade all the wild attacks that he was executing. Mavis ducked and rolled all over the place while delivering some weak shots of his own. He was doing well for a few exchanges, but he couldn't dodge all of them, as some of Cecilio's attacks still landed from time to time.
This would always leave him hurting more than the amount of attacks he gives Cecilio, which Mavis naturally endured. Mavis patiently waited for the right window to majorly hurt Cecilio. Their fight had only gone for less than 5 minutes but the two had already reached their limit. Mavis appeared to have a lot more bruises and a deep cut right above his right eye in contrast to the start of the fight, while Cecilio still hadn't sustained any major damage to his body except for his evident exhaustion.
After a few more seconds, Mavis unfortunately made a misstep and Cecilio, not missing a heartbeat, took advantage of this. He pressed forward a bit more then made a right hook into Mavis's chin. Mavis took a solid hit, then hit the ground after
"Not so tough now that your friend isn't here to protect you, Mavis?" Cecilio said as he huffs and puffs.
While Cecilio is drowning in his triumph. Mavis rummages under his clothes and lays hold of his concealed knife. He still feels disoriented from the punch, but his head is clear enough to perform his scheme.
Cecilio casually walked towards Mavis intending to finish the fight and grabbed Mavis by his shoulder. However, Mavis, in a prone position suddenly sprung up from his unawakened state, then with the knife ready in his right hand, slashed Cecilio in an upward motion.
He was hoping to cut Cecilio's hands but instead, he narrowly missed and slashed him on his right eye. Everything had happened so quickly for Cecilio that he didn't have time to react. But a moment later, when all of the adrenaline in his body left. he suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs and clutched the wound he had just sustained.
Without wasting any more time, Mavis ignored Cecilio and shakily stood up then immediately jogged slowly to his escape. He had learned at that moment that he had eaten more than he could chew this time, then reminded himself that he would never engage in any fight without ample preparation in the future.
He wasn't even half-way to the exit when heard a gunshot behind and felt a bullet land just beside him. That prompted him to look back and saw Cecilio with his hand on his face, bleeding profusely, with the gun on the other that Mavis forgot to retrieve. Which he cursed under his breath for such another blunder.
Thankfully the injury Cecilio sustained, prevented him from aiming the gun properly. However, the threat of the firearm had still a significant effect and led to Mavis giving his all to run away from the deranged man.
"Come back here you coward! We are not finished yet!" Cecilio cried out.
Mavis then proceeded to ignore him and then carried on limping to his escape. Gunshot after gunshot, Mavis miraculously dodged each bullet unknowingly. He remembered the amount of bullets left and counted them one by one in his head. '5...4...3...2.. '
Just as he was about to count to 1. An excruciating pain invaded his whole body.
He peeked at his left leg, and just as he suspected, Cecilio managed to land a lucky hit. Or thingking that he was simply unlucky.
Cecilio witnessed this and laughed like a maniac. All the pain he was feeling seemed to have faded away like a ghost. But just before he could move from his position, a strong force struck him from behind, and he lost consciousness.
A tall man- taller than Cecilio- walked from the shadows and slowly approached Mavis.
His body is so well-built that the black suit he was wearing couldn't hide it. He called out to Mavis in a seemingly familiar tone. "Rough day, Mavis?" The man said.
When Mavis heard his voice, he couldn't help but feel anger swelling up and a bit of relief, which he quickly shut down. "Couldn't be any better, Julian. Now that you're here though, I have some questions you need to answer."
Julian looked down at him and said. "Don't worry, I'll answer all the questions you have. Just as you will answer all the questions that I have."
Mavis couldn't even respond before he saw a fist flying to his face.